ABSTRACT
People who influence the lives of children have preferred methods, areas of authority and influence, resources, current recommended practices, and often strong beliefs and opinions. This chapter integrates research, theory, and practice as they relate to children from birth to 8 years old and applies the resulting knowledge to school, home, and community environments. It covers development from birth to the age of approximately 8 years. The chapter discusses patterns, sequences, and processes of development in the various domains, but references to ages will most often be presented in a range or as an approximation. The role of internal variables in explaining age-related changes in children's behavior is emphasized in both maturational and psychoanalytic theories. Behavioral theories emphasize the gradual changes in young children's behaviors over time rather than developmental stages. Biological and environmental circumstances that originate before and after the birth of a child can all influence the course of developmental progress in different ways.
