Factors Affecting Cognitive Development Essay Example

real parents and usually the quest to find their parents takes over from their learning.Children that live in orphanages may also be restricted from cognitive development, if they attend school they could experience bullying or being singled out due to their living arrangement and would associate negative emotions with school and learning. A recent study analysing the difference between foster children and orphanage children gave some very interesting results. It discovered that children in a foster family were given a “father and mother figure” which therefore distracts them from the thoughts of who their parents really are.It also performed a study of the student’s performance at school.

Showing that the foster family children were excelling compared with the orphanage and the study explained that the foster kids had “two to one, home teaching”. Meaning both foster parents contributed to the child’s understanding and learning of the material presented at school. On the other hand the orphanage supplies tuition, however it is on a larger scale, with up to 40 children being tutored simultaneously. This denies the child from one-on-one learning that foster children and average children receive.

One-on-one learning experiences are almost compulsory for a young child to be successful in developing cognitively. The findings of this study thus indicate that childhood experiences do alter cognitive development. Even before school and kindergarten, parents or guardians provide excellent role models to increase learning and development. Most parents these days will teach their children basics, like reading, writing, language and counting before they even commence kindergarten. This gives the child an upper hand in cognitive development before they enter education and may find learning easier and more fun.

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it is proven that children whom are raised in a slightly higher socioeconomic family tend to develop mentally quicker due to the fact that more consistent education is given by the parents. Later on in life these children become the kind of student that likes to take on a challenge, work through it and master it. However children from a lower socioeconomic background with less home education may get frustrated with the task and give up. Some of these children are from a family which hasn’t worked and the parents have divorced or abuse has been shown to anyone in the family.

Stories told on television shows such as ‘Today Tonight’ and ‘60 Minutes’ frequently describing a child’s epic battle through his or her family and school troubles. Some of these troubles include marriages that haven’t been successful or a parent or loved one has died from various causes. When parents are fighting they grow further apart and a divorce may eventually result from it, the children may believe that it is completely their fault, feeling as if they have been torn apart and don’t know which party to take sides on.This is supported by recent studies showing that divorce rates have increased, more marriages are failing and more children are thrown on the fence between their parents, undecided which side to take. This side-tracks children and may consume their thoughts, so they cannot concentrate in class.

Another area of family trauma that can stunt development is abuse. If abuse has been shown to a child by either parent or if schoolyard bullying has occurred; it could have a negative impact on a child’s cognitive development.Verbal

and physical abuse towards children either at home or school can severely damage a child mentally. They may become very cautious about new things and might come across as shy and not wanting to participate in some of the social activities. They become this way because they have been traumatised and never want it to happen again; fearing the experience of being hurt both emotionally and physically. If the abuse towards children is physical then the brain can actually be damaged permanently, therefore restricting a child of achieving a fully developed mind.

A study taken in 2005 involved a test on cognitive skills, to children that have been abused and those who have not. The results showed a very significant difference between the two groups. The abused children scored considerably lower than that comparison group, and it was concluded that the trauma had affected their ability to learn, retain and use information taught. They judged this by performing various cognitive tasks plus taking MRI’s scans at certain ages. If a child’s cognitive development is slowed or halted in some cases, their future IQ and abilities most likely will be affected according to a recent study.

This lack of IQ is something that could’ve easily been prevented and may upset the abused children for the rest of their lives. In school the children might struggle to keep up with the set work and potentially get bullied which starts the cycle all over again. They are traumatised by bullies as well as falling behind in class due to their learning difficulties and then retaining that constant fear of being bullied. This viscous cycle may wear a child down until

they are severely depressed and suicide may be a consideration.The study shows that if the physical abuse received by the child was prevented, the child would then have a significant chance of leading a more normal and fulfilling life.

However on the other hand, every high school has its respective dux student, who receives the highest enter score for his or her particular year. Sometimes these children are lucky enough to receive the highest honour of 99. 95 and get interviewed on television shows and news reports. “Who would you like to thank? ” is one of the most common questions asked. The student ill instantaneously reply that they couldn’t have done it without the love and support of their parents and family. Even from an earlier age as discussed before, an interactive and educational relationship between a child and their parents is a great benefit the child in regards to their development and success in latter years.

If children learn to read, write and count to even just a small extent they have a head start going into kindergarten and school, because they will find the content they are learning is similar to what they already know.Family is a young person’s closest asset to developing successfully as parents provide all the opportunities for the child to be educated in the best possible way. They pay for children to enter school, buy text books and help out with everyday homework and the like. Also, not only is it just school and education that adds to a young persons developing mind. Joining sporting teams encourages children to be social within those teams and to develop life

long friend making skills which are vital for a social, happy life style.Depending on each respective sport, joining these teams teaches participants hand eye co-ordination, ball handling skills and general running and fitness training.

It is also proven that exercise combined with sport and games gives the participant enjoyment and long term happiness. This will aid in a child’s learning experience, because they won’t be thinking about the depressing parts of their lives. Taking music or singing lessons is another way to increase a child’s cognitive development.Music lessons teach children new skills, not only how to play an instrument but how to read sheet music which is a proven way to increase intelligence in some areas, including maths.

Once again it is the parents that are to be thanked for all these opportunities as they provide the financial support to make these various activities possible. Society is becoming more aware of the factors influencing children’s mental development and must try to do as many things as possible to successfully develop every child.Factors such as unloving family, traumatic experiences, poor living arrangements, physical and verbal abuse, global transition and little pre-school family education will all contribute to slowing down the mental development process. However children possessing a loving family who provide them with basic education and provide numerous opportunities will succeed in their general development. As more and more studies are undertaken, a greater awareness of the factors impacting on children’s cognitive development is apparent.

Parents and family should eventually change their parenting techniques to achieve the best for their child.Also institutional care facilities must be upgraded more and more, developing children who are happier and

more successful in their education than at present. Hopefully more foster parents will put themselves forward so every child in the world can have a family and a home. We must try to eradicate all child abuse and reduce divorce rates and family break up’s, so that children of future generations will be successful, happy and well adjusted. Reference List: •Rutter, M (1998). Developmental Catch-up, and Deficit, Following Adoption after Severe Global Early Privation.

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