Biological
Foetal Alcohol syndrome
A biological factor that can affect an individual’s development is a condition known as Foetal alcohol syndrome it is a cause of developmental delay. It is caused when the mother drinks through the pregnancy. It is the term used to describe a number of foetal abnormalities which occur in the babies of women who abused alcohol during the course of pregnancy. Drinking through pregnancy can hurt the babies’ growth and cause life long physical and behavioural problems. The severity of the abnormality depends on how much the mother has drunk through pregnancy. Babies born with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) don’t sleep well, are sensitive to touch, light and noise. Some babies may have heart problems; FAS can stunt babies’ growth.
FAS is a group of problems that include developmental delays like:
- Birth defects and low birth weight
- Growth problems - children with FAS have height, weight, or both that are lower than normal
- Abnormal facial features – flat face with snub nose, thin upper lip, Small, widely spaced eyes
- Vision or hearing problems
- Trouble remembering and/specific or general learning difficulties
- Problems with the central nervous system -. When something goes wrong with a part of the nervous system, a person can have trouble moving, speaking, or learning. He or she can also have problems with memory, senses, or social skills
- Behavior problems and problems with social skills might lack a fear of strangers, be easily taken advantage of, prefer younger friends, be immature, and have trouble understanding how others feel.
- Hyperactivity and attention problems
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Cognitive defects - they cannot solve problem, they do not understand maths, time and money and they do not understand cause and effect
- Low intellectual ability – difficulty in school, Speech and language delays, Intellectual disability or low IQ
- Motor functioning delays – delays in walking, difficulty writing or drawing, clumsiness, balance problems and difficulty coordinating hands and fingers
Environmental
Access to leisure and recreational facilities
An environmental factor that can affect development in individuals is access to leisure and recreational facilities, it is important for healthy growth and development throughout life. For example, being able to access facilities such as sports and social clubs, evening classes, hobby and interest groups and out of school clubs give people the opportunity to develop. It gives individuals the opportunity to develop their emotional and social skills like building confidence, self esteem, teamwork, interaction with others and a sharing and awareness of their social, personal and community responsibilities as individuals and citizens. Being able to access leisure facilities also gives the m chance to develop their physical skills such as things like fitness and coordination, and the chance to develop their intellectual skills like learning and understanding, decision making and problem solving.
Socio Economic
Family, friends, peer groups
A socio-economic factor that can affect development is family, friends and peer groups who are involved in the socialisation process of development. Our development is affected greatly by those who are around us. The influences of these people and positive peer pressure influence attitudes, values and beliefs and different ways of behaving and living e.g. cultural on individuals. Having family and friends who show love, companionship and support encourages a positive emotional development. Having a variety of social roles e.g. daughter and a friend promote social development and promote the development of relationships and the sense of belonging. Not having positive peer groups, family and friends can affect social and emotional development which can impact on self esteem and the ability to develop relationships with other individuals.
Lifestyle
Nutrition and dietary choice, exercise and stress
Lifestyle encloses factors like nutrition and dietary choices, exercise and stress. Lifestyle factors are those of which we have a degree of control over. The type and amount of food we eat and levels of physical activity can greatly affect physical growth and development, which can have other effects on emotional and social development. For example an individual who has a poor diet eats lots of processed foods and takeaways and has little exercise is likely to become obese. This can impact on the individuals self esteem and ability to socialise and make relationships. Having too much stress has many negative influences on physical and emotional health, putting development at risk. Making good lifestyle choices increases their chances of being healthy and living longer; having a healthy lifestyle has a positive impact on emotional and social development. Also learning about being healthy can have positive impacts on intellectual development in individuals.
