ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the process of development in children and adolescents as a function of both biological and cultural realities. It discusses basic prerequisites for health, care and well-being that can be interpreted in the light of local realities. All children undergo dramatic changes between conception and adulthood. The field of developmental psychology has been justifiably accused of neglecting this reality, and of promoting an understanding of children's development shaped mostly by studies of middle-class Northern children. Many of the skills that children acquire are learned, but the capacity to acquire these skills depends on the process of maturation. The evidence that children from poor, single parent households are at higher risk for a range of behavioural and educational problems reflects the difficulties of providing for children on one's own. Many children in poverty become workers early in their lives, and this creates particular challenges for development.
