From Birth to Five Years: Children's Developmental Progress

Citation

Ellis‐Barrett, L. (2007), "From Birth to Five Years: Children's Developmental Progress", Library Review, Vol. 56 No. 6, pp. 524-526. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530710760490

This slim volume was first published in 1973 then expanded in 1975. A new edition was published annually from 1973 to 1980, after which time the original publishers, NFER, reprinted the text every year until 1991. In 1991 the publishing of this volume was taken over by Routledge who reprinted it twice in 1992, once in 1993, twice in 1994 and once again in 1995. A revised and updated edition was published in 1997 and it has been reprinted every year from 1999 to 2005 when again it underwent two reprints.

Having such a long history of publication leads to the conclusion that this book must be a seminal text on childcare and more specifically child development. In fact, the charts that are used in the first section of the book were originally used by the author in her 1960 publication, The Developmental Progress of Infants and Young Children. This in itself proves that the work undertaken by Sheridan was potentially ground‐breaking and still leads, or at least is relevant to, the field of research in this area. This text has also undergone two reprints, in 1968 and 1975.

From Birth to Five Years has a very wide potential audience. It is recommended for all those working in any field of child‐care – from nursery nurses to psychologists as well as parents and those working with young children below the age of five. Children's librarians could easily be added to this list of potential readers, particularly those who are working on schemes such as “Sure Start” or other similar initiatives. One of the reasons that such a wide‐ranging audience may be attracted to this text is the need for all these people to understand the way in which children develop normally in order that they can, if necessary, identify differences. This new edition has taken into account changes in the ways that children's developmental needs and health care are now supported to account for the more common practice of preventative care. In the modern climate child‐care experts now see parents as equal partners where the health and welfare of children is concerned. Therefore the authors provide information based on current ideas of good practice.

The chronological developmental process that children undergo is the focus of section 1: it is divided into four distinct elements – posture and large movement, vision and fine movement, hearing and speech and finally social behaviour and play. Within each section a description of the way in which children's progress varies is provided, showing how skills can be, and are, achieved at varying ages. Patterns of development are considered in section 2 which looks more closely at the variations on each of the four aforementioned areas. It also provides advice as to how to identify if and when specialist help will be required. Finally, section 3 details providers of support services available to parents, carers and any other relevant parties.

The overall aim of this volume is to ensure that children, who are considered to be a vulnerable group, are given a high standard of care. It helps professionals and parents familiarize themselves with a child's typical developmental progress in order to identify if and when help is required. It does not provide a checklist but is rather an outline and a guideline. In this way it is a very reassuring text which helps the reader to understand what to expect as the child grows and how to help their development.

The text in section 1 is set out in the form of a table with two columns on each page, one for the heading and the other containing the related text. This is illustrated with clear, captioned, line‐drawn pictures. These complement the text by providing a visual image of the guidelines. As the text progresses through the different age bands between birth and five years, each of the four principal areas of development is detailed for each age. At the end of this first section there is a short list of four books that are recommended for further reading material. They are all dated from the mid‐1990s and as such are reassuringly current.

The style of writing in the first section of the book is very detached, dispassionate and observational. In section 2 the text is more discursive, though the table format is retained along with the complementary drawings. This section looks at patterns of development covering locomotor skills, vision, hearing, communication, language and speech. The authors acknowledge that most children follow a common pattern of development in these areas and that variation is quite normal. This is a particularly useful observation that allows the authors to highlight when specialist enquiry might be appropriate in order to ensure that the child is developing appropriately for their age. Where the authors suggest that professional advice is sought they also provide details of relevant tests and suggestions for further reading that it may be appropriate to follow‐up in the first instance.

The final section of the book provides information on relevant support services, for example details of respite services and toy libraries as well as ideas for sources of funding such as the family fund. This is followed by three Appendices: a “Checklist for detection of hearing problems”, “Checklist for detection of vision problems” and “Checklist of support services for children with special needs” (sic). Finally, there is a full list of references and further reading suggestions.

This is an excellent, accessible and slim volume, an indispensable handbook for anyone working with the under‐fives in a professional capacity and any parents who wish to understand the way in which their children can be expected to develop. Its reprint history is a testament to its continued relevance and use. This is a highly recommended book.