CHAPTER 5:

TYPICAL AND
ATYPICAL
DEVELOPMENT
AMONG CHILDREN
Introduction
Have you ever wondered how
children develop? Maybe at one time you
have compared your development with that
of a sibling or a cousin. If this is the case,
you are interested in child development
which is the pattern of growth, change, and
stability that occurs from conception up
until adolescence.
 Children do not grow at the same rate
at the same time. This also goes for the
students in an inclusive classroom.
Knowing their capabilities can help you
better as their teacher. Find out more about
their development as this chapter focuses
on the typical and atypical development
among children from infancy to
adolescence.
Objectives:
At the end of the chapter you will be
able to:
• identify typical and atypical milestones
in the various stages of child
development; and
• differentiate typical and atypical
development of children in various
stages of their development.
I. CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND ITS
IMPORTANCE
To ensure that a child meets his/her
developmental milestones, it is crucial to
observe and monitor his/her
development. The milestones or
developmental skills that need to be
mastered usually at the same rate act as a
guide for ideal development.
 It is done by checking the progress
of a child based on his/her age to see if
the child is developing within expectations.
For others, checking the milestones can
help detect any difficulty at a particular
stage. Intervention can then be given which
can help in the development of a child.
Usually, it is the parents, teachers, and
pediatricians who use the checklists.
II. CHILD DEVELOPMENT THEORIES
During the early 20 century,
th

interest in child development began,

specifically, that which focused on detecting
abnormalities. Certain theories were
discovered based on this interest to
appreciate the growth that children
experience from birth to adolescence.
 A. PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
THEORY OF ERIK ERIKSON

This is an eight-stage theory that

describes the changes one goes through in
a lifetime. The main focus of Erikson’s
theory includes the conflicts or crises one
experiences through social interaction.
 A. PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
THEORY OF ERIK ERIKSON

Starting from birth, each person is

faced with a conflict that needs to be
resolved since it has an impact on the
function of the succeeding stages. If one
successfully overcomes the crisis of each
stage, a psychological virtue emerges.
B. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY
OF JEAN PIAGET

This theory is concerned with the

thought processes of a person and how
they are used to understand and interact
with the environment. Piaget’s theory
focuses on children’s intellectual
development.
B. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY
OF JEAN PIAGET

Piaget’s theory has four stages:

A. Sensorimotor Stage
B. Preoperational Stage
C. Concrete Operational Stage
D. Formal Operational Stage
A. Sensorimotor Stage - from birth to two
years old, a child’s knowledge is limited
to his/her use of the senses.

B. Preoperational Stage - from two to six

years old, a child learns through the use
of language. However, mental
manipulation of information does not
take place yet.
C. Concrete Operational Stage - from 7 to
11 years old, a child begins to think
logically and have better understanding of
mental operations. However, abstract
concepts are still difficult to understand.

D. Formal Operational Stage - from 12

years old to adulthood, a person has the
ability to think in abstract concepts.
 C. SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY OF LEV
VYGOTSKY

This theory believes that children

learn actively through hands-on
experiences. Vygotsky highlights the
importance of other people such as
parents, caregivers, and peers in the
development of children.
 Culture plays an integral role as
well. Interaction with others allows learning
to be integrated in the child’s understanding
of the world. Also, included in the theory is
the zone of proximal development, which
is the portion in between what one can do
on his/her own and with help. Children
best learn when they are in this zone.
 D. SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY OF
ALBERT BANDURA

This theory believes that learning

takes place through observation and
modelling. As a child observes the actions
of the people in his/her environment, new
information is acquired and new skills
are developed.
 However, each child is unique.
With this, not all reach a milestone at the
same time, thus the terms typical and
atypical development. Let us define the
two terms first before we look further into
what makes a child's development typical
and atypical.
 The term typical development
refers to the normal progression
where children grow by acquiring
knowledge, skills, and behavior
called developmental milestones at a
certain time frame.
 Atypical development is a term
used when development does not
follow the normal course. More so, a
child is developing atypically when he/
she reaches a milestone earlier or
later than other children his/her age.
 There is no clear way to identify
if a child is developing typically or
atypically. However, there are
three commonly accepted
principles of child development
that one should look into.
The principles are:
1. Rate of development differs
among children.
2. Development occurs in a relatively
orderly process.
3. Development takes place
gradually.
IV. DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT
The developmental milestones
are categorized into four domains
namely physical, social and
emotional, language, and cognitive.
 The physical domain refers to the
development of physical changes such as
size and strength. The development
occurs in both gross and fine motor skills.
The development of the senses and their
uses are also part of the physical domain
which is influenced by illness and
nutrition.
 A child's experience, expression, and
management of emotions along with the
ability to establish positive relationships
with others refer to the social-emotional
domain. This includes both the
intrapersonal and interpersonal
processes that take place in a child.
 The language domain refers
to the process of acquiring
language in a consistent order
without the need for explicit
teaching from the environment.
 Construction of thought
process which includes
remembering, problem-
solving, and decision making
refers to the cognitive domain.
 V. STAGES IN CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
Stages, along with the age are used as ranges to mark significant
periods in a human development timeline. In each stage,
growth and development occur in the four domains mentioned
above:
The stages are as follows:
A. Infancy (birth to 2 years)
B. Early Childhood (3 to 8 years)
C. Middle Childhood (9 to 11 years)
D. Adolescence (12 to 18 years)
Pause and Ponder
Before we go to the typical and atypical development
milestones, let us pause and ponder about the following
questions below.
1. Do you have a baby brother or sister? What was
he/she like while growing up?
2. When you were in grade school, what were the
similarities and differences between you and your
classmates?
3. As an adolescent, what are the changes that you have
noticed within you?
 Infancy (birth to 2 years) is a critical stage in
child development because growth is rapid. Many
believe that this stage is the most important stage in
one’s life since the changes that occur in infancy will
affect the later stages of development. This stage is also
known as the building block for the succeeding stages
in the attainment of crucial knowledge, skills and
behaviors. Let us look at the chart below to see the
typical and atypical development milestones in the
infancy stage.
Table 5.1. Typical and Atypical Development during Infancy
DDOMAINS TYPICAL ATYPICAL
PHYSICAL • Holds head without support • Does not hold head up
• Pushes legs down when feet are on • Does not put weight on legs
flat surface • Cannot sit without support
• Rolls over • Does not walk steadily
• Sits without support
• Crawls
• Walks
• Begin to run

SOCIO- • Smiles at people • Does not smile

EMOTIONAL • Likes to play • Shows no affection
• Shy or afraid of strangers • Does not recognize familiar
• Cries wen caregiver leaves people
• Copies others
• Shoes independence
LANGUAGE • Makes cooing and babbling • Does not coo and babble
sounds • Does not say a single word
• Responds to own name • Does not speak in sentences
• Makes different sounds
• Responds to simple requests
• Tries to say words
• Says sentence
COGNITIVE • Watches things as they move • Does not watch things as
• Uses eyes and hands together they move
• Recognizes people at a distance • Does not know what to do
• Transfers object to from one hand with common objects
to another
• Explores things in various ways
• Uses things correctly (eats with
spoon)
• Finds hidden things
Early Childhood (3 to 8 years old) is a period
of life with slow growth and rapid
development. Most psychologists label this
stage as the exploratory and questioning
stage since the children enjoy discovering
new things in their surroundings. Interactions
with family and the people around them
will help shape their development (see Table
5.2).
 Table 5.2. Typical and Atypical Development during Early
DOMAINS
Childhood
TYPICAL ATYPICAL
PHYSICAL • Runs well • Falls down often
• Climbs easily • Needs help in physical
• Hops and stands on one foot activities
• Can use toilet on his/her own
SOCIO- • Shows affection • Does not want to play
EMOTIONAL • Takes turns in games with others
• Cooperates with other children • Usually withdrawn
• Shows concern and sympathy
• Shows more independence
LANGUAGE • Follows two to three step • Has unclear speech
instructions • Can’t tell stories
• Uses pronouns articulately
• Tells and retell stories
• Speaks clearly

COGNITIVE • Plays make-believe • Does not play with

• Works with simple toys simple toys or make-
• Names colors and numbers believe
• Draws a person • Loses skills once
• Names letters had
Middle Childhood (9 to 11 years) is a stage that brings various
changes in a child’s life. Independence is a characteristic that
children in this stage asserts. Developing friendships in another
milestone that is evident in this stage. Children should be given
more tasks to develop their sense of responsibility to further
develop their growing independence.
Table 5.3. Typical and Atypical Development during Middle
Childhood.

DOMAINS TYPICAL ATYPICAL

• Growth spurt may take place
PHYSICAL • Becomes clumsy • Has limited mobility
• Increased in appetite
 • Forms stronger friendship
• Becomes aware of body
changes due to puberty
SOCIO- • Shows more concern about • Has difficulty making and
EMOTIONAL cooks keeping friends
• May feel stressed about
school work
• Continues to speak clearly • Has unclear speech
LANGUAGE • Expresses one’s thought • Can’t tell stories articulately
articulately
• Increased attention span • Experiences problems with
COGNITIVE • Sees the view of other comprehension and attention
people • Unable to keep with the
school’s curriculum
Adolescence (12 to 18 years) is the period where puberty begins.
By the end of this stage, most will have completed puberty. The
child is now called a teen during this stage. The teen is becoming
more vocal about his/her opinions due to the development of a
unique personality. Peer pressure, however, will be present, which
is why guidance from parents and guardians is very much
needed.

Table 5.4. Typical and Atypical Development during

Adolescence.
DOMAINS TYPICAL ATYPICAL
PHYSICAL • Reaches adult weight • Limited mobility
and height
 • Becomes interested in • Has limited peer
opposite sex connections
SOCIO- • Begins conflict with parents • May exhibit
EMOTIONAL • Shows more independence inappropriate
from parents behavior in public

• Continues to speak clearly • Has unclear speech

• Expresses one’s thought • Can’t tell stories
LANGUAGE articulately articulately

• Acquires and uses defined • Is below grade level

work habits
COGNITIVE • Shows concern about future
 Behaviors that are atypical should
be observed keenly and recorded
carefully. At times, the recorded
observations might just be isolated events
with no significant impact on later
development. However, they might also be
clearly warning signs of needs. The
observed patterns will be useful to confirm
if there is such a need.