Subtest III: Human Development Study Guide for the CSET Multiple Subjects Test

Additional Content Tested

Social and Physical Development

Physical and social development are components in overall cognitive development; they are interconnected. For instance, a child’s brain will double in its first year of life and while this is a marker of physical development, it is also crucial in the ability to further cognitive abilities. Social and emotional development is also a complex area of study that includes many different characteristics.

Social Development

Social development refers to the process in which children interact with others, and it allows them to develop individually and gain the skills to communicate and develop relationships. Factors that commonly are thought to impact this development are: temperament, attachment, social skills, and emotional regulation.

Personality and Temperament

Personality and temperament are influenced by social development, including the development of language skills, building self-esteem, learning to resolve conflicts and developing positive dispositions. Furthermore, the child’s personality and temperament are impacted by the following factors:

Attachment—Attachment refers to the emotional bond between a child and caregiver. The power of this bond is often found to be a predictor of a child’s later social and emotional outcomes.

Self-concept—Self-concept development in children discusses how they evaluate themselves and how they think about themselves. Self-esteem is a major component of their self-concept and is extremely important to the happiness and success of children.

Autonomy—In relation to child development, autonomy refers to their ability to recognize that they have control over themselves and the choices that they make. Encouraging autonomy allows them to feel in control, boosts their self-esteem, and fosters problem-solving skills that are crucial to cognitive development.

Identity—Identity can refer to a child’s group identity or personal identity. It can help them to feel a sense of belonging. A healthy identity is when the child more likely feels worthy and capable. Group identity is constructed in many ways, including religion, political or social groups, shared language, ethnicity, or nationality.

Children and Young Adolescents

Social development is particularly challenging during adolescence, or the period between childhood and adulthood. There are frequently changes in personality and intellect. Adolescents are often faced with many issues and decisions. They may also face peer pressure from friends or at school, encounter drugs or alcohol, and develop attitudes about sexuality. High stress levels during this time may cause some adolescents to experience sadness, anxiety, or depression.

Children with learning disabilities may be particularly prone to developing negative self-esteem, which can further interfere with cognitive development. They are also at high risk for experiencing bullying. For these children, focusing on the development of social skills and fostering a positive self-concept and resiliency may be especially important.

Play

Play serves as an avenue through which social skills can develop. They can learn about playing fairly, controlling impulses, negotiating, providing adequate personal space, and solving problems.

Characteristics of play—Characteristics of social play include understanding the levels of play, social competence, and the expression of emotions or feelings through play.

Impact on social development— Social play is important in establishing healthy relationships and learning to deal with conflict. It also allows children to develop empathy, or the ability to recognize and relate to the feelings of others.

Impact on prosocial behavior—Prosocial behavior can take many forms, including through sharing, cooperating, and helping. These behavioral traits have their roots in infancy and early childhood. Play is an important “test environment” for children to learn the benefits of prosocial behavior.

Physical Development

Physical development is the process of gaining control over the body and developing coordination. Much of this is related to neurological development in early childhood. Physical development is generally measured by a child’s ability to handle gross and fine motor skills.

Scope

The scope of a child’s physical development during certain cognitive stages and ages may occur differently. However, general guidelines include the following skills for each age group:

• 2–3 Years: walk up and down stairs, run, walk on tiptoe, and kick a ball

• 3–4 Years: turn and stop, walk backward and forward, begin to ride a trike or bicycle with training wheels, turn the pages of a book, pick up blocks, balance on one foot, play interactively and jump off low steps

• 4–5 Years: run very well, begin to skip, balance on one foot for several seconds, hold a pencil appropriately, color inside the lines, jump on a trampoline, alternate feet when walking down stairs, and have an increased endurance

• 5–6 Years: climb well, exhibit experienced coordination while swimming or riding a bike, run and skip agilely, hop well, jump-rope, complete jigsaw puzzles, use silverware competently, and have high levels of energy

• 7+ Years: exhibit coordination for advanced throwing and catching, actively participate in games with rules, ability to engage in athletics like gymnastics and basketball, and have an improved reaction time

Individual Needs

Like cognitive and social development, physical development is unique to each individual. While there is a general pattern, there is much variation in the rate and timing of growth and size. There are differences in physical development based upon the child’s gender.

Children with special needs may also physically develop on different timelines and attain different competencies. Some conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy, will limit the physical abilities of the child.

Influences on Development

The developmental process of each child is different because each one has a unique genetic code and a unique set of environmental influences.

Developmental Impact

Many factors may have an impact on a child’s development. These are generally categorized as: environmental factors, biological factors, interpersonal relationships, and early environmental experiences.

Genetic and Organic Influences

The genes that a child receives from parents provide a road map for development. However, not all inherited genes are expressed, some are simply carried on. How genes are expressed will provide the uniqueness found even among siblings. Abnormalities in genetics can cause certain conditions, such as Klinefelter syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Turner syndrome, and Down syndrome.

Sociocultural Factors

A socio-cultural context comprises physical, social, cultural, economic, and historical circumstances. This context has a strong influence on how children develop. Children’s interaction with parents and others serve as a model for how to behave around others, and these interactions contain learning about socio-cultural rules, expectations, and taboos.

Family—A child’s family is a crucial factor in their development, no matter what family structure they might be in. The family provides bonding and the first relationships that the child will experience.

Race—Race and racial stereotypes can have enormous effects on child development. Race is also closely linked to class, as children of color are still statistically more likely to suffer economic hardship.

Cultural perspective—Cultural perspectives refer to the ways in which individuals are shaped by their environments as well as social and cultural factors. This makes up each of our unique stories that shape who we are and how we see the world.

Socioeconomic Factors

Socioeconomic factors encompass far more than income and include educational attainment, occupational opportunities, and perceptions of status and class. It can also include attributes that impact the quality of life an individual experiences, including the opportunities and privileges afforded to them.

Poverty—Poverty can have an extremely detrimental impact on development. It can affect how the body and mind develop (even the architecture of the brain), create developmental achievement gaps, and have a negative impact on physical, emotional, and behavioral health. Poverty can also cause family environments to be negatively affected, since these parents often report higher stress levels and instances of depression.

Class—Class can impact the opportunities, or lack of opportunities, that a child will encounter. Middle and upper-class families often have greater access to extracurricular activities that can spur development. They may also experience less economic anxiety and have more time to read to children and engage in other activities that positively impact development.

Sex and Gender

As children develop, they begin to form definitions and expectations for gender roles and what it means to be a boy or a girl. These impressions often come from family norms and cultural definitions. For most children, gender and their gender identity are the same, although for others, this may differ. Understanding of gender often varies in different developmental stages.

• Infants: Children understand gender through adult appearances and behavior.

• Ages 18–24 Months: Toddlers begin to define gender. They look for patterns in their homes.

• Ages 3–4: A deeper understanding of gender is achieved. The concepts of boy and girl are assigned specific attributes.

• Ages 5–6: Children at this age generally understand the rules of gender norms and expectations and feel pressured to follow these norms.

• Adolescence: At this developmental stage, individuals often become aware of their own sexual orientation or question their gender identity.

Abuse and Neglect

Abuse and neglect are much more common than individuals may realize and impact millions of children every year. Abuse and neglect are defined by Federal and State laws. Abuse relates to an action taken, and neglect represents a failure to act. Taken together, the Child Abuse and Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines child abuse and neglect as: “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”

Sources

Abuse comes in many different forms, including physical, emotional, sexual, substance, and neglect. All of which manifest in different ways and inhibit a child’s development. Children who are exposed to any type of abuse are far more likely to be subject to other forms of abuse as well. Different states frequently recognize the different types of abuse in their definitions and statutes.

Physical abuse—Physical abuse is generally defined as any non accidental physical injury to a child. Common forms of it include: striking, burning, biting, throwing, or kicking a child. Any other action that may result in the physical impairment of a child may also be included in this definition. Many states also include acts or circumstances that can cause harm to the child as abuse. Some also include human trafficking, such as for labor, as abuse.

Emotional abuse—Mental abuse has the potential to mentally injure a child. It is defined as language that causes injury to the psychological capacity or emotional stability of the child. Signs of this type of abuse include changes in behavior, extreme emotional response, or changes in cognition. These children may experience anxiety, depression, aggression, or withdrawal.

Sexual abuse—Sexual exploitation can involve a number of activities including a parent directly sexually abusing the child or allowing another individual to, allowing a child to engage in prostitution, producing child pornography or permitting the child to, and human trafficking for sexual purposes.

Substance abuse—Parental substance abuse can include many activities, including the use of an illegal drug or other substance by a mother that causes harm to the child in utero, the manufacturing of controlled substances in a home with children present, selling or distributing controlled substances to a child, and using controlled substances in a manner that impairs the caregiver’s ability to care for the child.

Neglect—Neglect is the failure of a parent or caregiver to provide basic necessities, such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and supervision. Some states also include a failure to provide education or mental health care as a form of neglect.

Developmental Impact

In addition to the immediate trauma or injury that a child may experience from abuse or neglect, there can be lifelong, or even intergenerational, impacts. Abuse and neglect in early childhood can stunt the physical development of the child’s brain and can frequently lead to high-risk behaviors, substance abuse, and low self-esteem throughout the child’s life. However, the outcomes for individuals who have experienced abuse may vary widely, depending upon various factors, including:

• the relationship between the child and the abuser
• the age of the child when the abuse occurred
• the type, frequency, duration, and severity of the abuse
• the presence of any other adverse experiences or types of abuse