U1 – 2.2 10-11-11
Describe with examples the importance of recognising and responding to concerns about children and young people’s development.

The following things would cause concern about a child or young person’s development. If the problem was left untreated then things could get worse, and a delay in treatment could mean that the outcome is not as good as it would have been if treatment was started earlier.

1. Speech / Language.

If a child or young person does not talk to anyone or even only speaks a few words compared to others, this may cause concern. This would socially affect the child or young person’s because they would find it hard to make friends, work in groups or even interact with adults. It would also
They may also have problems with their physical development because if the child or young person has been physically abused and hurt then they may be in pain when doing things. The best way to respond to this kind of concern is to inform the child’s teacher and also the head teacher and then they can then inform social services and the police and then they can look into the situation more closely.

5. Diet / Weight.

If a child or young person’s diet / weight were to suddenly drop or increase in a short period of time then this would cause some concern about them. Things that would raise concern would be if they came to school and did not have any lunch (packed lunch) or if they only eat small amounts, this would make the child very irritable and very lethargic because they are not getting the right nourishment for one reason or another. If the child or young person is malnutrition they may have difficulty with their social development because they nay struggle with their speech and therefore are unable to interact and make friends. Their physical development may develop at a slower rate compared to the other children etc. The signs of a child being under weight could be that they have an illness like leukaemia, or the fact that they are being neglected at home. The best way for staff to approach this would to be speech to the parents/carer of the child or go to social services.

6. Behaviour.

If a child or young person’s behaviour is more along