Organism Function
child development
child de·vel·op·ment
Subclass of:
Human Development
Definitions related to child development:
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As children grow older, they develop in several different ways. Child development includes physical, intellectual, social, and emotional changes. Children grow and mature at very different rates. It's hard to say what "normal" is. There can be big differences in height, weight, and build among healthy children. Diet, exercise and genes are all factors. Some children begin puberty or are close to it before they are teenagers. Children start to become more independent from their parents. They may rebel. They also look outward - to their friends, who are usually of the same sex. Peer approval becomes very important. Your child may try new behaviors to be part of "the group." This can also be the time that parents or teachers recognize learning disabilities or behavioral problems in children. These problems can get worse as time goes on, so it is important to get help early.MedlinePlusU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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The continuous sequential physiological and psychological maturing of an individual from birth up to but not including ADOLESCENCE.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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Development is often divided into specific domains, such as gross motor, fine motor, language, cognition, and social/emotional growth. These designations are useful, but substantial overlap exists. Studies have established average ages at which specific milestones are reached, as well as ranges of normality. In a normal child, progress...Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
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Child development, the growth of perceptual, emotional, intellectual, and behavioral capabilities and functioning during childhood. The term childhood denotes that period in the human lifespan from the acquisition of language at one or two years to the onset of adolescence at 12 or 13 years. A...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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