The effects of biological factors

Inherited characteristics such as eye colour and hair colour won’t have a direct impact on a child’s growth or development; assuming the child is born at a healthy birth weight, they can be expected to achieve age-related milestones, form positive relationships and attachments, and enjoy opportunities to learn, play and develop. This can lead onto positive relationships, experiences and career opportunities in later life.

If the child inherits a genetic condition (such as cystic fibrosis or Down’s syndrome) or a hereditary health condition (such as diabetes), it can affect the attachment between parent and child (particularly if medical intervention is required in the early stages, preventing a parent/child bond being formed). Medical problems can also affect the holistic development of children, because of the connections between different types of development. For example, if a child has a hearing impairment, they may not be able to develop speech at the same rate as other children, and this could then affect their ability to form relationships; similarly, a child may struggle to concentrate in a childcare setting or may be forced to miss sessions at nursery or school to attend medical appointments and this can cause them to fall behind in their learning…perhaps not achieving certain age-related milestones.

Absence from the childcare setting can limit learning opportunities, which can have an impact on longer term educational achievement (perhaps they will be less ready to take exams, due to missed learning) and in turn could limit their future career options.

Absence from the childcare setting can also mean the child finds it more difficult to bond and form relationships with other children; this can delay social and emotional development, causing the child to feel shy or withdrawn in social situations, as they have had limited opportunities to learn how to socialise and interact with others.

A child’s gender can also impact growth and development. For example:

• Male foetuses (the term for a baby as it grows and develops in the womb) can be weaker and more fragile than female foetuses.
• In terms of physical development, boys tend to be stronger and taller than girls.
• Boys often develop and learn differently than girls, and boys tend to be less ready for school than girls in the early years.

Different cultures may also treat boys and girls differently, which can affect how a child is raised and the opportunities they have access to. For example, girls in some cultures are not given equal rights or access to the same opportunities as boys (such as access to education) and this can delay a girl’s development if they are not permitted to go to school, staying home instead as women in the culture are expected to do.

If a child is not born a healthy birth weight (either being born too small or too large), then this can lead to health problems – the child could be at greater risk of developing obesity or chronic diseases, such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes. In particular, low birth weight children may experience delays in cognitive development, which could affect academic achievement in later life. Physical growth and development of motor skills may also be affected.

If biological factors lead to delays in a child’s social and emotional development (for example, they are unable to form a secure parental attachment or they miss out on play experiences and the ability to form bonds/friendships with others), this can lead to negative effects on mental health and wellbeing in the long-term. Social and emotional development can help a child to gain self-confidence, to be able to understand and express their emotions and to be able to build healthy relationships. Without these skills, a child may struggle to acknowledge or manage their feelings, leading to tantrums, conflict, and other challenging behaviours. Over time, this lack of emotional awareness/management could cause stress and anxiety, and this can increase a child’s risk of experiencing mental health issues in later life.