The Need to Understand Growth and Development in Pediatrics

Introduction

The first few years of life are of great influence on how a child will live their lives later on in life. It is, therefore, imperative that parents and pediatricians understand the development process within this period to ensure optimal conditions are provided to facilitate the wholesome growth of infants and children. This paper looks at the reasons why an adequate knowledge about the growth and development processes among pediatrics is paramount.

The first one thousand days after birth have been noted to be the most crucial in laying a foundation for development later in life (Singh, 2015). Exposure to risks factors in these early days impacts development in later stages since human developmental stages are interconnected. This period is marked by a lot of developmental milestones which can be used as reference points to assess the infant’s growth (Division of Human Development and Disabilities, 2018). Knowledge of the growth and development process also allows parents to appreciate the significance of breastfeeding and immunizations towards overall child’s health (Merrick, 2013).

Given the fact that this is a period of rapid brain and physical growth, understanding what happens during this period enables parents and pediatricians predict and monitor the development of language, cognitive and social skills (Ahmed & Richardson, 2013). In so doing, the guardian or pediatrician can tell when something is wrong with disorders such as ASD will start manifesting at this early stage. This helps to facilitate early diagnosis and management of any situation that might be hampering the pediatrics’ overall health. It can, therefore, be seen that understanding the growth and development processes among pediatrics is important in gauging their growth and aiding in providing medical attention in areas where deficiency is noted. It also enables tailoring of parenting skills to meet the specific needs of a particular child.