ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the importance of knowledge of how children develop in the early years with the proviso that this is a complex area to study, highlighted by the above quote, where many of the presumptions that have been accepted easily over a number of decades are now being challenged. This is a result of new knowledge from research, such as in brain development, or because the resilience of young children has now been recognised. Many concepts to do with the development of children have been based on a small number of children (e.g. Piaget studied his own children), particularly those from European or north American backgrounds. Little so far has entered mainstream thinking about children who have grown up in other areas of the world. It is recognised now that children’s development is not simply linear; rather, children’s development plateaus, accelerates and deviates according to the environment and context of their lives.
