Early child development: Research from Turkey

Abstract

Early childhood is a period during which brain development is at its highest and the social and cognitive skills start to develop. In this paper, we summarized our studies in which we investigate the skills that emerge in early childhood years, and the factors associated with the development of these skills in different populations (typically developing children and children with atypical development, typical and atypical rearing contexts). We examine our results in light of the findings of the previous literature. The results of our studies suggest that two skills, namely receptive language and executive function are critical for psychological well-being and optimal development. In this review we compile our findings about the factors influencing the development of these skills, the mechanisms of this influence. We also discuss the applied implications of our findings.