Outcome 1.3 Analyse the reasons why children and young people’s development may not follow the pattern normally expected.
Outcome 2.1 Analyse how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors
Outcome 2.2 Analyse how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of external factors
A young person in theory develops at a set rate if all of the child’s needs are consistently met. These needs are best summarised in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Without these basic needs a child cannot finish each building block of development. These building blocks include; physical, intellectual, social, language, spiritual and emotional.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (McLeod 2007)
There can be a number of factors that influence whether or not these building blocks are able to develop. These factors can basically be split into personal factors and external factors. Personal factors include the very basis of a person’s make up, their genetics, as well as environmental influences, health status, diet and availability of health care. External factors include such things as education, poverty, personal choice and family.
A person’s genetic makeup can affect the way in which a person will respond on a very basic level to other influencing factors. Environmental influences can also have a major impact on an individual. How sanitary a home is can affect how well a child develops, a child that is exposed to germs or unsafe chemicals can develop differently as their health is affected. Even something as simple as a safe area to play with lots of mental stimulus can have a very positive impact on a child whereas an area that is unsafe and very un-stimulating can have the opposite effect. A child’s diet can seem very basic but if a child is not getting the nutrients that they need the body will not be developing as it should and physiologically processes that should be occurring may not. The issue of nutrition can start very...