In the development of children there are four major domains: cognitive, social/emotional, physical motor, and speech/language. Cognitive is the domain which involves the functioning of the brain on development. According to Carol Gestwichi’s (2011) cognitive is “related to the process of knowing, thinking, learning” (p. 424). An example of cognitive development is when an infant develops sense of oneself. Social/emotional is the child’s interaction level with others and self-understanding. In this domain the child learns how to socialize, to read expressions for others, and how to express his or herself. Children who interact in dramatic play is an example of the development of social/emotional skills. Physical Motor is the domain …show more content…
The four previous major domains of development are based off of the stage of development the child is currently in. According to Spencer Rathus an infant/toddler is from new born up to about 30 months in age, or 2 and a half years old (p. 168). Early childhood stage includes children of ages three to eight years old. The middle childhood stage is from 9 to 11 years old. The final stage is adolescence, which includes 12 to 18 years old. As the child continues to mature through each stage, his or her abilities in the four major development domains continue to expand as …show more content…
When the child is first born he or she will not be able to understand facial expressions, due to the lack of vision. As the child grows older and his or her vision becomes clearer he or she will begin to understand facial expressions such as smiling is happy and frowning is angry or sad, often mimicking or reacting to the expression. When the child is introduced to another child of the same age, it may not directly interact with the other child. According to Celia A. Brownell (1986) “infants during the first year can direct simple social behavior to a peer for very short periods. Their social overtures typically consist of short combinations of behaviors such as smiles, gestures, or vocalizations directed along with a look to the peer partner” (p. 276). As the child continues to interact with other children during his or her growing process he or she will contribute to parallel play. This is where two or more children play along-side each other using the same toys or play set but do not actually interact or play with each other. The older the child is in this stage the more difficult it is for the child to share because the child doesn’t understand sharing