There are many different factors that can play a role in the development of children: environment, culture, technology, etc. Today I will go into depth about three particular factors.
NUTRITION
The balance of nutrition a child receives can affect them both physically and mentally, even from birth. Children who suffer from malnutrition while still growing are often smaller, develop organ damage, have lower intelligence, and have poor fine-motor skills. Chouraqui (2020) performed a survey of over 1,000 non-breastfed children in France and found that, while showing excellent levels for vitamins that were often supplemented in baby formula like Vitamin A or C, the children were often critically over or under the recommended level for more major nutrients. For instance, the average child had twice the recommended sodium level by the time they were one year old and three times the recommended level when they were two years old. One quarter of kids under two years old and half of kids over two years old were below the recommended iron levels. Vitamin D was low in 75% of infants younger than eight months and 90% of infants older than eight months. We can see that nutrition tends to get worse for infants and toddlers as they get older. Conscious nutrition choices as well as delaying adult food and breastfeeding as much as
(AbdulAzeez et al., 2019)
possible can lead to healthier outcomes for kids.
GENETICS
In one study, around 40% of children and young adults tested at a clinic during a 15 year period were shown to have some genetic condition. (Wojcik et al., 2020) Many developmental disorders and illnesses are inherited through genetics. Although many of these are harmless, they can sometimes result in mental and physical disabilities like ADHD, diabetes, and epilepsy. Non-inheritable genetic birth defects like Downs syndrome also occur during prenatal development and can sometimes be tested for. Certain behaviors of the mother can also affect how genes are expressed. For instance, smoking during pregnancy was linked with higher rates of ADHD. (Berk & Meyers, 2016) Expecting mothers are recommended to attend regular doctors appointments to check for prenatal developmental issues, as well as using things like genetic counseling to consider the inheritable disorders in the mother or father’s family trees.
FAMILIES
The struggles a child’s family faces will also affect the child’s development. As Coley et al. (2021) found in their research, “lower-income children were shown to have more limited access to community resources and heightened exposure to community stressors compared to their higher income counterparts.” These aren’t the only issues caused by family issues, however. Children of parents with postpartum depression are more likely to have developmental delays, mood problems, and attachment issues (153). Unwed single mothers are usually below the poverty line and lack a support system, which increases their likelihood of stress and childcare difficulties. (154-155) All of these can hinder a child’s cognitive and social/emotional development and lead to long-term consequences. Maintaining a good support system and utilizing community resources for things like mental health aid can help minimize some of these struggles for caregivers and children.