ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the developmental milestones that occur in infants and young children up until five or six years of age. It discusses some of the more common topics that social workers face when working with children and families and looks at some of the macro issues that affect children and families. Child maltreatment remains a major problem in the United States, despite federal and state attempts to prevent it. Mary Ainsworth proposed that the quality of attachment in early infancy affects subsequent social behavior and development. In addition to the cognitive, emotional, and physical changes that occur in infants and young children, social workers need to consider other significant areas in development. Infants possess many innate and early developed emotional processes, but interactions with caregivers and the environment help to refine these processes and dictate how well children develop emotional regulation and attachment to others.
