Child and adolescent development

Topics including development at different stages and transitions.

An adult kneeling on the ground talking to a young child

Attachment, brain development, emotional regulation, social relationships, and internalising and externalising behaviours are important areas influencing child and adolescent mental health, learning and development.

As children and young people develop, different environmental influences – the people and institutions around them – assume greater influence during different life stages. Children and adolescents are not just passively moulded by external forces – they have agency and choice which enables them to shape and influence their own development.

Brain development during early childhood and adolescence has a long-lasting influence on a person’s physical and mental health.

Child development can have lasting impacts on mental health.

Adolescence is a time of rapid biological, psychological, cognitive, emotional and social change.

The transition to a new learning environment is a major event in a child or young person’s life.

For a positive transition from home to their early learning service, children need support and routines to adapt to their new envi...

The first few years of a child’s life are full of big and small transitions. A successful transition is when a baby or toddler fee...

Starting school is a major milestone in a child’s life and strong family-school partnerships help make a smoother transition.

Transition strategies must consider that for many children the move to secondary school coincides with puberty.

How schools can support students’ transition to university, vocational training or work.

For some children, the prospect of going to school can be so difficult they refuse to go.