This branch of psychology follows the development of the child, its growth and behaviors from the first months until it reaches the limits of adolescence. In certain circumstances it can represent a valid help not only for the child, but for the entire family unit
During the entire life cycle of an individual, starting from when you are small until adulthood, the Health psychological It certainly represents a very important question. It is useful, for example, to understand when a child and his family may need professional support to actively support the development and growth of the baby and the entire family unit.
In this article we will try to understand What is child psychology And what does it deal with, and when it can be useful to contact a professional on the subject.
What is child psychology and what it takes care of
What is child psychology? It is that branch of psychology that follows the development of the child, his growth and his behaviors from first months to the early years (from 0 to 3), then going through the childhood (from 3 to 10 years) up to the limits of adolescence, when you start talking more generically about development psychology. But exactly, What does the child psychologist do? This professional is specificly trained precisely on the different phases of life and growth of the child, and will be able to work by diagnosing in relation to the problems presented and/or offer support interventions psychological.
In the field of psychological sciences, the child psychology It is interested in the changes and changes that in the course of growth a child can cross from an emotional, physical, emotional, behavioral, social and cognitive point of view. The different phases of life are presented within a very complex processand it is precisely in this area that childhood psychology tries to understand what phenomena are constant within the arc of life of the human being and which instead deserve an in -depth analysis and a possible evaluation.
More specifically, What does child psychology deal with? In this context, literature offers us many ideas of reflection and, in particular, we cannot fail to start from the studies of Jean Piaget, who first dealt with cognitive development in the different stages of life making a great contribution to child psychology.
Piaget identified i Several learning stages of the child and its mental development, which derive from the interaction of the processes of assimilation and accommodation (Assimilation consists in the ability to select and incorporate new experiences and information to the patterns already in possession, while the accommodation is the opposite mechanism, i.e. the modification of the behaviors and cognitive schemes already existing in relation to the surrounding context).
In particular Piaget showed the qualitative difference between Method of thought of the child and those adult and, subsequently, that from a cognitive point of view there is a strong bond that conditions the ability to adapt tosocial and physical environment. We can therefore say that child psychology deals with observing how in the different stages of childhood the child develops from a cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional point of view.
Child psychology: what care disorders?
Childhood psychology is based on their knowledge starting from physiology of human developmentthat is, from what the studies conducted over the years have confirmed. Let’s think for example the development of language: over the years it has been highlighted how children tend to produce the first words on average around a certain age period, and this has consequently allowed to study everything that somehow yes “Remove” from that pathhowever, always considering individual variability, a fundamental concept when it comes to childhood.
In this circumstance it is therefore correct to say that child psychology takes care of studying those factors that contribute to the psychological growth of the child and which can be influenced by the family environment, by the relationships with peers in the different Life contexts (from school to leisure environments). These elements, together with the specific characteristics of each child, can materialize as risk factors or on the contrary as protective factors in the possible development of psychological disorders.
It is also essential to start from essential concept So, especially in the very first childhood, it will not only be the child who presents certain problems but to be taken over from a psychological point of view but the entire family unitwhich in childhood and subsequent development constitutes one.
There taking charge it must be customized based on the characteristics of the single child, the single family and the problem reported, but in general it will be able to concretize initially through gods interviews with parents of the little one involved, and then proceed to the observation of the child in contexts suitable for him (the game, the interaction with peers and adults, etc.). All this allows the psychologist to work on a complete collection of the information necessary to restore the psychophysical well -being of the childsupporting on the one hand the parents in the search for a greater understanding of the difficulties and emotional and emotional needs of their little one, and on the other, supporting the child himself with a support path aimed at overcoming his difficulties.
From a point of view properly clinical and diagnosticchildhood psychology identifies the problems that we can group in this way:
- THE anxious disordersamong which in particular, social phobia and school phobia are characterized by the difficulty of the child to go to school precisely because of the condition of anxiety and fear associated with it.
- THE Specific learning disorderseven known as DSAincluding dyslexia, dysorthography and discalculia.
- The Attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity (ADHD).
- THE Autistic spectrum disorderswhich represent a large classification and which include, for example, high functioning disorders (such as Asperger’s syndrome) or the generalized development disorder, but which in general are concretized with difficulty in establishing social relationships, language problems and behaviors limited and repetitive.
- THE disruptive behavior disorderslike the provocative oppositional disorder.
- THE Eating behavior disordersmore and more frequent even during childhood, initially often characterized by excessive selectivity or effort in the management of the moment of the meal.
- The child psychosisrarer and categorized in the DSM-5 among “generalized development disorders”.
In children it can often be complex to identify the cause of any psychological problems, but sometimes particular family circumstancessuch as separations, mourning but also transfers or large changes of routines, traumatic events, genetic or cultural factors can constitute a very important starting point.
When to contact a childhood psychologist?
Identifying any problems during childhood may not be easy or obvious. This depends on the fact that the growth of the human being is very complex and differentiated, and during the different evolutionary periods the different aspects relating to the definition of the personality of an individualfrom the his affectivity and of his personal skillscan still be being defined. This means that understanding any difficulties or psychological problems during development can also be very complex. However, what studies tell us is that children often tend to somewhat psychological problemswhich therefore materialize with physical symptoms (among the most common there is the stomach ache, but also headache), or also through a marked effort in reaching some autonomies personal, individual or schoolor with socialization problems with peers.
In these circumstances, the role of the adult is fundamental which, through observation and careful listening, can recognize signs of fatigue or discomfort by the child, and consequently requesting specialized psychological support, or a support for all the actors involved.
