Factors Affecting Child Development

• Environmental Factors
• Biological Factors
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Early Environments and Experiences
Environmental Factors
Factor or Child-level Family-level Community-level Society-level
condition determinants determinants determinants determinants

Housing Does the child have Is there overcrowding? Is there green space Is there evidence of
space to play and such as parks where community building
explore? children can play? when planning new
developments?

Is the child safe from Are there any housing Is the community safe Is there housing
injury or contaminants conditions contributing from crime and support for low
such as lead? to ill health such as environmental income families?
moisture and molds? pollution?

Income Does the child have Is the family Are there low cost Are social assistance
adequate clothing -e.g. experiencing financial community programs programs and
snowsuit and boots in stress or a high debt for children and subsidies available and
winter weather? load? families? accessible to those in
need?
 Does the child receive Is the family a single Does the community Do programs exist that
adequate nutrition? parent family or do they provide secure access to provide specific
Fresh fruits and have to rely on one food such as food subsidies for food?
vegetables are more income? banks?
costly in Northern
communities.

Employment Does the child have Do families, especially Does the community Is there equality in
quality child care, when single parents, have child have high rates of income?
parents are working? care stress? employment?

Do families have Do families have to

meaningful and adequate commute to access
employment? meaningful
employment?

Education Does someone read and What level of education Is parental engagement Are programs in place to
play with the child? do family members in early education keep adolescents in
have? encouraged in the school and improve their
community? education?
Does the child have Do families have Are there options for
access to books and toys practices and beliefs that adult and family
that stimulate literacy encourage literacy education, including
development? development? ESL classes?

Does the child attend Do families have access Is early childhood

quality early childhood to early childhood education valued, and
education programs? education programs? supported through
policies and practice?
Biological Factors
 Factor or Child-level determinants
condition
Gender Is the child a boy or a
girl? Boys and girls tend
to develop and learn
differently (e.g. currently
boys have lower levels of
school readiness).
General health Was the child born with
a healthy birth weight?
Being born small or large
for gestational age is
linked to obesity and
chronic disease.
Does the child have a
medical condition?
Family-level determinants
Is there evidence of
gender stereotyping, or
abuse in the family?
How was the mother’s
preconception and
prenatal health? Folic acid
intake for 3 months prior
to conception significantly
reduces neural tube
defects.
Do family members have
chronic conditions?
Parents with disabilities or
chronic disease may
require added supports.
Community-level Society-level determinants
determinants
Are women and men Are women’s rights,
from various cultures women’s equality and
and backgrounds children’s rights protected?
evident as community
leaders?
Is there access to health Is there universal access to
services in the quality health and specialty
community (e.g. services for children?
medical, dental, vision,
hearing, speech and
language)?
Is there community Is there adequate financial
support for people with and program support for
disabilities? families with disabilities?
Mental Health Does the child have a How is the mother’s Are there programs to Is there societal support to
warm and nurturing perinatal mental health? 1 support mothers’ mental reduce social stigma of
environment? in 5 mothers will suffer health during pregnancy mental illness and provide
from depression, anxiety and postpartum? perinatal mental health
or another mood disorder services?
during pregnancy or the
first year after birth.

Does the child have Do family members Are there community Is there societal support to
consistent and responsive experience trauma, abuse supports such as reduce social stigma of
care-givers? or poor mental health? shelters, respite care, abuse and provide services
programs and services for victims of trauma and
that promote coping abuse and those
skills? experiencing mental illness?

Health practices Does the child have a Does the family attend to Are there parenting
pattern for eating, nutrition, set consistent classes that offer
sleeping and playing? times for sleep and engage information on
in active play? nutrition, sleeping and
activity?
Is the child breastfed or Does the family have Is there public, peer and Is the practice of exclusive
receiving breastmilk? information and support to professional support for breastfeeding to 6 months
make an informed choice breastfeeding women? and continued breastfeeding
to breastfeed? with complementary foods
accepted and encouraged?

Does the child take part Are physical activity Are community Is free, active play and
in structured and practices encouraged by programs and spaces physical activity
unstructured physical family members? available to encourage encouraged in pre-school
activities for at least 60 physical activity year and kindergarten
minutes and up to several round? curriculum?
hours per day?

Are children introduced Are oral hygiene and Are low cost dental
to consistent oral dental health practices programs available?
hygiene practices? encouraged?
Interpersonal Relationships
 Factor or Child-level Family-level Community-level Society-level determinants
condition determinants determinants determinants

Attachment Does the child show Is the primary Are programs available to Are primary caregivers
a secure attachment caregiver available promote attachment given financial and
pattern to her and responsive to the parenting? instrumental support to
primary caregiver? child cues to assist her develop a secure
in developing a secure attachment with their child
attachment? (e.g. self-employed
mothers do not receive
maternity benefits)?

Parenting styles Does the child Do parents provide a Are parenting programs Are the rights and
experience a consistent parenting available? Parents use their responsibilities of parents
consistent parenting style (e.g. own parents as role models, recognized in workplace
style? authoritative, but don’t want to make the and other policies?
authoritarian, same mistakes as their parents.
permissive or
uninvolved)?
Social networks Does the child have Does the family have Are interest groups available Is there societal support
relationships with extended family that include the whole family for the development of
other adults and and/or social networks (e.g. religious groups, cultural diverse interest groups that
children? they belong to? groups, activity groups)? include the whole family?

Does the child have Is there evidence of Does the community foster a Is there evidence of
friends and is there acceptance of the sense of belonging for all support of human rights,
evidence of peer family within the families regardless of cultural, and lack of
acceptance? community or sexual or religious discrimination?
network? orientation?
Exceptional Development
A. Physical and Sensory disability

B. Neuromusculo disability
B. 1 Spina bifida
B. 2 cerebral palsy
B. 3 polio(poliomyelitis)
B. 4 acquired brain and spinal
injuries
C. MusculoSkeletal disability

C. 1 Osteogenesis imperfecta
OTHER TYPES of MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
C. 2 Muscular dystrophy
C.2.a. Myotonic

C.2.b. FacioscapuloHumeral
C.3. Amputation (FSHD)

C.4. Scheuermann's disability C.2.c. Congenital

C.2.d. Limb-girdle
 D. Sensory Disabilities

D.1 Visual Impairment D.2 Hearing D.3. Multisensory

Cause of VI Impairment Impairment
- amblyopia Types of Hearing Loss
- cataracts 1. Conductive
- diabetic retinopathy 2. Sensorineural
- glaucoma 3. Mixed
- macular degeneration 4. Central
- trachoma
 ADHD
(Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder)
A brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern or inattention
and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with
functioning development
The most common neurodevelopmental disorders of the
childhood
 Predominantly Inattention
● Overlook or miss details
● Have difficulty in keeping their mind on a task,
or who gets bored on a task easily
● Struggle to follow instruction
Types of ADHD ● Easily distracted by unrelated thoughts or
stimuli
● Not seem to listen when spoken directly
● Forgetful in daily activities
● Lose things necessary for activities or task
● Daydream, become easily confused and move
slowly
 Predominantly Hyperactivity-Impulsivity
● Fidget and squirm in their seats
● Dash around, touching or playing with
anything and everything in sight
● Have trouble sitting still during dinner, doing
homework, and story time
Types of ADHD ● Be constantly in motion
● Talk nonstop
● Blurt out an answer before a question has been
completed
● Have trouble waiting for his/her turn
● Speaks and acts without thinking about the
consequences of that act
 Combined Type

Types of ADHD ● The most common type

● Combination of inattention and
hyperactivity-Impulsivity
Associated Disorder

● Learning Disabilities
● Tourette syndrome
● Oppositional Defiant Disorder
● Primary disorder of vigilance
● Mood disorder
● Substance disorder
● Sleep syndrome
Causes of ADHD
● Remains Unknown
● Genetics
○ Parents
○ Siblings
○ Child
● Environment
○ Smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy
○ Exposure to lead or other toxic substances
○ Birth complication or very low birth weight
○ Extreme neglect, abuse, or social deprivation
Treatments of ADHD
1. Medication
a. Stimulants – Controls hyperactivity, impulsivity and increases
attention span
b. Non-Stimulants
i. Ritalin – a drug given to people who suffer ADHD
2. Behavioural Therapy
a. Teaches a person to monitor his/her own behaviour
b. Helps a person give oneself praise or rewards for acting in a desired
way
 Treatments of ADHD
3. Family and marital therapy
a. Helps family members and spouses find better ways to handle disruptive
behaviour
b. Encourage behaviour changes
c. Improves interactions with the patients
4. Parenting skills training
a. Teaches parents the skills they need to encourage and rewards positive
behaviour with their children
5. Stress management techniques
a. Parents increase their ability to deal with frustration and they can respond
calmly to their child’s behaviour
Positive Traits of ADHD
● High social intelligence
● Great Empathy
● Exceptional ability
● Very caring Giftedness and Special talents
● Talented Students, children or youth who give evidence of
high achievement capability in areas such as
intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership
capacity, or in specific academic fields, who need
services or activities not ordinarily provided by
school in order to fully develop those capabilities.
Twice Exceptional
- Gifted and talented student with
a co-occurring disability