Early Childhood Language and Brain Development

¶ … life are in many ways the most exciting, as the newborn develops rapidly into a toddler. Changes in sensorimotor skills, in sheer physical growth, in behavior and brain development, language acquisition, and spiritual formation all comprise some of the key components of life during the first two years. Some of these changes are more noticeable than others.

The ones to be most aware of include the following: Body Changes (Biosocial Development) Motor Skills Changes (Biosocial Development) Sensorimotor Changes (Cognitive Development) Language and Communications Changes (Cognitive Development) Emotional Changes (Psychosocial Development) These five are the most crucial areas in the baby's first two years of life because of how these changes will impact biological, psychological, and social development later in life. Many of these changes are plainly visible to the parents. For example, the physical size and body of the child will rapidly change over the two years.

Likewise, the baby's sleep patterns will change (Berger, 2009). Biological and biosocial development stages are visible and apparent to parents, but some of the other changes children go through in the first two years of life are less apparent, such as those changes involving cognitive and psychosocial development. Like changes to the body and its growth, changes to motor skills reflect biosocial development.

By three months of age, most children will be able to hold small objects in their hands in a way that appears natural and without their thumb tucked into their hand (Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 2015). Reaching behaviors and holding objects becomes even more apparent by five months, and by six months, parents should notice their child's eyes following objects and focusing on them as they move (Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 2015).

After that, children will gain more general motor skills including the ability to transfer objects from one hand to another and hold increasingly small objects. Related to the biosocial development aspects of sensorimotor changes that take place related to structural changes in the brain. Primary, secondary, and tertiary circular actions become apparent within the first two years of life (Berger, 2009). Object permanence, the understanding that when an object disappears behind a doorway or in somebody's hand, is a major step in the child's cognitive development.

The child becomes able to release objects when asked or pick them up, too. Exploring the world around them, children in this early age bracket are absorbing information about the world around them in a tactile manner. Therefore, many of these changes are related to communication as well as sensorimotor skills. Language and communication changes will be exciting for the parent, as the child speaks his or her first words.

Although their attention span is not long, they are receptive to the language around them and may start to mimic their caregivers. The young brain is already starting to assign meanings to certain words they hear and is developing the skills necessary to form language on their own. The emotional changes that take place in the child's psychological life are critical at these early.