Observing the Developing Child: The Key to Understanding Children

One of the best ways to learn about children is by observation. To become a good watcher, we need to become acquainted of our own values, attitudes, feelings and behavior. As an observer we should be aware that our own understanding of what children could be (note: it's not should) like was shaped during our own childhood. Do you realize that when we become adults and teach children, we fall back on what our parents taught us about how children "should" behave more than all the things we have learned about how children really do behave.

We do not expect a child to be able to stand up when the infant cannot sit on his own yet. We do not expect a child to be able to read words when the child cannot decipher or recognize patterns yet. We do not expect these skills until they are ready yet.

We need to study the laws of human growth and development which includes theories of maturation and developmental milestones. There are so many ways to observe children. One is to be aware of behavior. The younger the child, the easier it is to observe behaviors. One great thing about my work with children is they have not learned to mask their feelings. Another way to observe is to listen to words spoken or be aware of their body language. The words spoken and the body is used to communicate to others. We master the art of listening and responding to the child's language. Children themselves learn the give and take of socialized speech. It is as important as learning the skill of articulation. What's the use of articulated speech or fluency of speech when nobody cares to listen? It is a very important way to exert some kind of influence over our own environment. We are aware that this area of communication covers receptive language which is listening, as well as expressive language in the form of speech. As we journey into the world of education, we begin to learn about ourselves. We observe children, we learn more about ourselves. We will definitely learn how we use the spoken word, how we listen, how we organize experiences and regulate our actions by using language.  

The second way to observe children is in play. Through play, children test acceptable behavior, learn from others and expand the socialization process. Play really is a way of communicating and mastering the world, learning to assert oneself and acting out our feelings. Fantasy or imaginative play seems to be linked between what goes on inside us and the real world on the outside. The rules of play (or the lack of it) are the child's own rules. It is a chance to make life according to the child's own design. Play also helps a child find the limits imposed by reality. An example is when the child builds the blocks too high, they will fall. With the infant, play is exploration and experimentation. As  the child grows older, play is a way of learning how to get along with other people. Play (and learning) as they say in the pages of my occupational therapy books is, a child's main job. It is the natural work of children in order to develop the body, expand the mind and provide an acceptable expression of feelings.

The third way to observe children is by using certain standardized measuring instruments such as the Denver Developmental Screening Tests, Gesell's Developmental Diagnostics Tests and Brigance Review of Developmental Skills Inventory. and many others, too numerous to mention. These tests have been standardized and will give some idea of the normal range of development for the child. When we are using these kinds of tests we should be aware of the predictability of the test. Predictability simply refers to the capacity of a test to predict future abilities or performances. Take note: Many tests that have been developed for young children get a low rating in predictability. The younger the subject, the less predictability you will find. Possible reasons to this may include lack of language, attention span and distraction. Testing requires cooperation on the part of the tester. The last important factor is that intelligence is not fixed quantity or ability but it is continually being influenced by the environment. 

Remember, when we use standardized measuring tools or devices, we must remember there is quite a wide range in rate of development in the early years. One of the best ways to observe is to use games with children.This gives the child the chance to develop memory, problem solving skills, learning concepts of time, space and causality. The child is stimulated by the interaction, gains a feeling of self by his accomplishments and achievements and the risks of placing a child in a category is minimized. Let us remember what Dr. Mary Lane once said "We need to be careful of hardening of the categories when we are working with young children".

The fourth way to observe children is through the expression of art. We begin to observe the perceptual development of a child by how they use the eye, the hands, and the brain. We have many tests that have been developed to look at perceptual discrimination. The past two decades showed us how the brain develops, the right and the left sides of the brain matures and directs the sidedness of the body. Expression through art is a neat way of observing what the child can organize and express. Art gives the child another medium to express feelings. It provides an avenue to develop a feeling of "I can do". It pays to watch "Art Angel" on GMA 7 every Saturday mornings if you plan to use children's art to observe. Oh man! I miss Ate Pia already!



The fifth way to observe children is to watch their movement and coordination. There are many ways to observe in this avenue. One can look at the maturation process. This would be watching them at various ages. Also, a  comparison of racial and ethnic differences, gender differences and the effects of training in the development of movement and coordination. Through movement experiences, the child develop skills in the use of the body, in the use of objects and in the manipulation of space. Along with the skills, come with attitudes which relate to the child's ability to solve problems, develop a positive feeling of self-confidence and security, and to work with others to achieve defined goals. The Yoga Exercises for Children has made a tremendous impact on the children that regularly train  in the program.

The sixth way to observe children when they are satisfying the primary needs of eating and toileting. In these areas, the parents can provide a good start. One of the first opportunities a child has to develop a sense of mastery over a task and feeling of autonomy is toilet training. Toilet training is another story though.

Another task a child is learning is to take in food, discriminate between textures, colors, temperatures, tastes and parental attitudes toward food. A part of this is to learn to use certain equipment in the culture for eating purposes. Children do vary in readiness for self-feeding. We know this but what is important is that the child has opportunities for self-control and make decisions in this area on his own. Food is very emotional with adults. When we begin to observe children in this area, it would be interesting to observe age differences, gender differences and cultural differences in eating practices.

A seventh way to observe children is in their thinking process. In this observation, we can look at children of different ages to trace the maturation rate of change that occurs from infancy to the tenor eleven year old child. We know our race very well, that is the human race. Children view the world differently than adults. This is due to the physical and physiological growth, the sensory input and the socialization the child does during his formative years. Thoughts come from actions and not words with young children.

An eighth area of observation is to look at self-esteem and childhood personality traits. This is probably the most difficult time to develop any kind of assessment that has any degree of reliability. We do know from research between eight and twelve, children are beginning to get a firm notion of the kind of person they are. This develops as a result of things that has happened to them over the years.

A ninth area is in the making of moral judgments. The works of Piaget and Kolhberg will tell us how much we know about this area. Stories were used to tell children and after listening to the stories, children were asked to choose which one among the characters were guilty. Younger children were more concerned about the cause while older ones (7-8 y.o.) were more interested in the intent. Piaget also explored the concept of imminent justice. Young children feel that a person who gets hurt when doing something wrong is in reality punished for this action. Older children seem to realize a person can engage in forbidden activity get away with it. We can also look at how children understand the rules of the game. This will definitely vary from age three (no adherence to rules). Between three and five, children imitate rules but do not really understand them. By seven or eight, rules are mutually accepted and are rigidly adhered to at this age. At the age of twelve or eleven, children begin to realize the rules make the game possible and they can be altered by mutual agreement. We are concerned about children who operate at a very low level of morality and in the last few years there has been a great deal of interest in development teaching programs for children to foster empathy and caring. We are very much aware that the very young child may be very egocentric, which is a normal characteristic. How can we help the child develop a caring attitude about other? Some of the ways:

1. Allow children to experience unpleasantness rather than being overprotected
2. Role taking experiences in which children are responsible for others and can imagine themselves in the plight of  others and
3. Exposure to models of caring adults.

A tenth way to observe a child or children is in a school. When a child enters school, they have to give up much of their earlier dependence on parents and the home environment. Most children look forward to school but there are some exception to this rule. Over dependent children are fearful of being separated from parents. Some children see school as a hostile environment that has little to offer them. Most children are enthusiastic in the beginning, but as to whether it continues depends upon  the kind of school they attend, and the parents attitude about education. As to the kind of school, it depends a great deal on the size of the school and the educational program in the school.

A good example for this is reading. Reading today is a great concern in the school system. If reading is not accomplished by the child, the entire school experience may get off to a bad start. We know there are two basic techniques in teaching reading. One is word-recognition and the other is the phonetic approach. The first involves perceptual skills. The child must see different shapes. The other involves the ability to associate sounds with letter. Some children are not mature enough at six years old to read. In one of Piaget's study,  he says change sometimes comes between six and seven years old. Children cannot make connections between small abstract visual symbols, and objects that exist in the real world. Another important factor in learning to read is the child's own learning style. Some children learn by hearing and associating images and others do better when they can touch the object. A very important factor in learning is the interest the child has in this enterprise.

An eleventh way to observe a child is watching a television although I myself do not adhere to the idea of allowing children to spend more than two hours of TV watching. There is a variety of areas to observe in this area. We can always observe the effects of advertising, violent programs and the fact the child seems to be addicted to the stimulation of television. The Mass Media has penetrated the lives of everyone on Earth and the children are not spared from this. The internet and gaming is also a big part of this which we all cannot afford to ignore. Much of the problems teachers encounter in the classrooms and in the schools globally has traces to the use and misuse of the world wide web and video gaming.

The last observation one can do make is the effect of the stress situations on children. All children have a certain amount of stress but factors such as divorce, death, illness and difficult (or too easy) economic status create very stressful situations. High-risk environments  like war zones,  physical, emotional and verbal abuses in the homes are also included here.

Abandonment and rejection is the greatest fear a young child has. Any of the above situations can create this kind of feeling.

A summary of areas of observation as described above:

1. Growth and Development
2. Play activity
3. Standardized Testing and Evaluation
4. Art Expression
5. Movement and Coordination
6. Food intake
7. Cognitive Processing
8. Emotional-Social skills
9. Moral Judgment and Decision-making skills
10. School performance
11. Interaction with the Multi-media (TV, Radio, Newsprint, Internet and Video Gaming)
12. Reactions to Stress

 So the next time you look at a child, think again what goes on in your head and theirs!

Adapted from the compiled works of Alice Lee Harris and Jean Wilson "Observing The Developing Child", 1988.