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What Are The Cognitive Development Of The First Two Years

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The First Two Years

• Neurological development
Babies grow and change so much in the first two years of life, and many of those growth are directly related to the brain. Brain grows so rapidly than any other organ and reaches 75% by the age of 2. Communication within the central nervous system and spinal cord begins with neurons. The final part of the brain prefrontal cortex matures.
• Physical development
Babies grow very fast with rapid weight gain. Birthweight typically doubles by 4 month and triples in a year. Babies will grow more than a foot in height and reaches about 34 inches by the age of 2. This is half of the height of their adult age height.
• Cognitive development
Babies are not only growing physically but also cognitively. …show more content…

(Jane Klingberg, pp slides)
Infant emotions
• Fear: Emerges at about 9 months in response to people, things, or situations.
• Stranger wariness: Infant no longer smiles at any friendly face but cries or looks frightened when an unfamiliar person moves too close.
• Separation anxiety:
1. Tears, dismay, or anger when a familiar caregiver leaves.
2. If it remains strong after age 3, it may be considered an emotional disorder.
Toddlers’ emotions
• Anger and fear become less frequent and more focused.
• Laughing and crying become louder and more discriminating.
• Temper tantrums may appear.

• Other unique events
Development of social bonds
 Attachment
• A child wants to be liked and is bonding with their caregivers. This bonding is called “attachment.
• Attachment is a lasting emotional bond that one person has with another.
• Begins to form in early infancy and influences a person's close relationships throughout life.
 Types of attachment
• Insecure-avoidant attachment (A)
An infant avoids connection with the caregiver, as when the infant seems not to care about the caregiver's presence, departure, or return.
• Secure attachment (B)
An infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver.
• Insecure-resistant/ambivalent attachment (C)
An infant's anxiety and uncertainty are evident, as when the infant becomes very upset at separation from the caregiver and both

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