Ben’s Emotional, Cognitive, Social, and Physical Development Across Life

Introduction

Generally, the process of child development is crucial and requires proper input from the parents to ensure the young one attains and goes through the various stages of growth. In most cases, children’s behaviors are directly linked to their environment, including the people they associate with and the exposure they constantly perceive. Therefore, it can be noted that external factors such as violence between parents have the potential to affect the processes that young ones undergo. Furthermore, whatever lifestyle the children experience at a younger age, they are more likely to have a long-term impact directly linked to their past condition. Generally, understanding the aspects of emotional, cognitive, social, and physical development across the individual’s life is essential for determining and relating health effects in one’s life.

Emotional Development

During the first years of child development, toddlers learn various aspects of life, including emotions. In the early stages, children tend to learn how to experience, express and regulate various feelings toward their surroundings (Alwaely, Yousif, and Mikhaylov, 2021). In most cases, the changes are observed when their play toy is snatched from them. It is important for parents to comprehend this essential stage of child development to ensure they instill the right approaches to enhancing the phase.

Based on Ben’s case, during his early years that is at three years old, he was yet to join schooling since his health condition required a special learning facility that could easily support his learning. Generally, emotions can easily be expressed to others, and at this phase of life, Ben had limited time interacting with his peers. When children are in school, interaction and play allow them to learn different feelings and develop varied emotions based on the situation.

Furthermore, at a younger age, parental love is essential for promoting emotional development. In the case of Ben, the individual did not spend a significant amount of time with his father. The absence of Ben’s father may have made the child feel unaccepted (Wulandari, Pettalongi, and Hamlan, 2020). In most cases, when children play in a group, they keep bragging to each other about what their father or mother did to them. However, Ben rarely met and interacted with his father; thus, listening to such stories from other young ones might have affected his emotions and made him feel unloved. Even though the mother was ever present, she was not in a position to influence Ben’s feelings. Children tend to trust whoever allows them to share play time and even stories. When such crucial moments are missing or inconsistent, the feeling of being neglected might occupy their thoughts.

In addition, children learn from their parents, especially at a younger age. Due to the absence of Ben’s father, he lacked the opportunity to learn a different perspective on life. There is highly probable that Ben rarely receives adequate teaching to help him differentiate between right and wrong. Due to the absence of his father, it became a challenge to understand that people make mistakes, and it is acceptable.

Based on Ben’s case, it is evident he was happy and waiting for his stepfather to visit him in the care facility. At the age of 60 years, Ben still eagerly wanted to feel the affection of a father figure. Particularly, at a young age, he did not develop the necessary affection as well as the feeling of being loved by his father. The situation made him expect stepfathers to visit with pleasure because, at this point, he is feeling the love and acceptance he missed during his early years when the biological father was not present in his life.

Cognitive Development

Cognitive development is a progressive process that children undergo from early childhood to later stages in life. At a young age, a child tends to acquire, construct and even use basic knowledge they capture within their surroundings. The process entails ways by which the young ones think and figuring situations. During early stages of development, for instance, at 2 years, children still lack the ability to reason accordingly. However, as children grow, they become capable of making meaning from varied aspects of life.

Generally, parents play a significant role in promoting the cognitive development of a child. For example, having a continuous conversation with the young ones allows them to comprehend the meaning and the implication of what is being discussed (Waters et al., 2019). Engaging in several simulations and constant interaction ensures that the child obtains and gathers relevant information necessary to enhance their thinking ability. When a parent reads a book to a child, it is more likely that the young one will develop an interest and start following what the guardian is doing. Through the process, children learn how to identify problems and how to solve them effectively.

Based on the Ben case, at age three, when he should be able to think using images, he was yet to join schooling. Generally, at school, children are allowed to engage in role-play, a practice that allows them to start thinking as per the duties assigned (Zucker et al., 2018). The practice allows young ones to undergo essential cognitive advancement because they tend to transform and manipulate the information to fit the game. In most cases, the nature of the game they involve in is directly linked to their level of creativity.

At age three, Ben had already been diagnosed with Down Syndrome with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), a condition which has a direct effect on cognitive development. When a child has CHD, the attention span shortens as well as the executive functions (Ware et al., 2020). The mentioned aspect made it challenging for Ben to undergo effective cognitive development as other normal children. Before undergoing surgery to rectify the condition, Ben was unable to concentrate accordingly, thus lowering his cognitive ability.

At the age of 60 years, Ben was showing signs of dementia, a condition that makes an individual unable to think or remember. The condition can be linked to the limited attention Ben received at a younger age. According to the case study, at three years, Ben was yet to join schooling, meaning that he had limited time to play and engage in symbolic learning to improve his thinking capacity. Inadequate exposure to mental development contributes to Alzheimer’s disease that Ben has. Suppose Ben had proper play time, including role-playing, he would have an effective memory despite his age. Therefore, it can be concluded that failure to undergo effective cognitive development in the early stages, when the person becomes older, they are more likely to experience dementia and related conditions due to the inability of the brain to process and manipulate situations as required. Parents should ensure they allow young ones to have free time to involve in various games, read for them, and make them solve slight issues in order for them to develop their cognitive ability.

Social Development

The social development of a child is a sensitive aspect that has an overall impact on the well-being of the young one. In most cases, children develop a relationship with the people they associate with, such as their parents. However, when there is a gap between them, it becomes challenging for the young ones to develop the necessary attachment. At this face of stage, a child tends to learn how to coexist with different people in the surrounding. Therefore, proper exposure has the potential to make the toddler have an effective social upbringing.

In the case of Ben, at an early age, he was staying with his mother alone in the house. In particular, he did not have adequate exposure to other people. In addition, at three years, he was yet to join kindergarten, where he could easily interact with his peers to influence his conduct. The mentioned facet limited Ben’s ability to undergo proper social alignment. Furthermore, following the absence of his father, Ben lacked someone to impact his life.

Following the current health condition of Ben, which is Alzheimer’s disease, might be influenced by the long-term impact of poor social skills. Generally, when an individual is unable to interact and relate with others accordingly, they can easily become stressed, thus making their body function inactive. According to Justice (2018), stress is directly involved development and evolution of a disease. Therefore, it can be concluded that Ben’s condition was influenced by the worry he had in life. The fact that at age 60 years, Ben still stays with only two people in the bungalow means that he does not have different people to interact with, leaving him socially affected. In addition, considering her mother too is placed in a nursing home, Ben’s circle of friends is reduced significantly. Therefore, based on Ben’s case, it is important for parents to ensure their young ones have a healthy environment that facilitates their social development from a young age.

Physical Development

Generally, physical development is an essential process that allows young ones to grow and develop effectively. By engaging children in certain activities, they advance their motor skills. However, when toddlers are less involved in any physical activity, they might have a challenge coordinating their bodies effectively. Apart from the aspect of physical fitness and the ability to perform different tasks, physical development is significant in influencing cognitive advancement in people (Ubago-Jiménez, 2019). For instance, when a child moves from one place to another, they explore and learn about varied properties as well as their abilities. Specifically, the facet allows them to have a different experience.

Based on Ben’s case, at an early age, he mostly associated with his mother making him have limited time to play to improve his physical ability. At age 60 years, Ben is showing signs of dementia, indicating issues with his brain health. Physical activities allow an individual to become mentally stable, thus preventing ill-health conditions. Therefore, it is important for parents to ensure their young ones engage in events that enhance their motor skills for effective health status.

Conclusion

In summary, the development of a person undergoes various stages which then have a significant impact on their future life. The aspect of emotional development is crucial, and parents should ensure that young ones are emotionally stable. Similarly, improper social and physical development can easily cause health conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, it is necessary for parents to ensure they provide proper surroundings that facilitate effective emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development to improve the general health of the young ones during their adulthood stage of life.

Reference List

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Justice, N.J. (2018) ‘The relationship between stress and Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiology of Stress, 8, pp.127-133,’ Web.

Ubago-Jiménez, J.L. et al. (2019) ‘Development of emotional intelligence through physical activity and sport practice. A systematic review,’ Behavioral Sciences, 9(4), p.44. Web.

Ware, J. et al. (2020) ‘Neurodevelopmental evaluation strategies for children with congenital heart disease aged birth through 5 years: Recommendations from the cardiac neurodevelopmental outcome collaborative,’ Cardiology in the Young, 30(11), pp.1609-1622. Web.

Waters, T.E. et al. (2019) ‘A meta-analytic examination of maternal reminiscing style: Elaboration, gender, and children’s cognitive development,’ Psychological Bulletin, 145(11), p.1082. Web.

Wulandari, B., Pettalongi, S.S. and Hamlan, H. (2020) ‘The influence of single parent parenting style on social emotional development women student of Al-Istiqamah Ngatabaru modern Islamic boarding school,’ International Journal of Contemporary Islamic Education, 2(2), pp.21-36. Web.

Zucker, R.A. et al. (2018) ‘Assessment of culture and environment in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study: Rationale, description of measures, and early data,’ Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 32, pp.107-120. Web.