Identify and briefly explain the five key developmental domains addressed in early childhood special education. Give an example of how these domains interrelate.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The five domains include cognitive, motor, communication, social, and adaptive skills. Cognitive skills are related to a child's mental and intellectual ability, whereas motor skills are related to a child's physical abilities, including both gross (large muscle movement) and fine motor (small muscle movement) skills. Communication skills include language, speech, and communication, while social skills include both social (buidling relationships) and emotional (awareness and control of feelings) skills. Finally, adaptive skills are those skills needed to function in one's environment (e.g., dressing, toileting, and personal hygiene). All of these skills are interrelated and cannot reasonably be separated into separate domains. That is, when changes happen in one domain area, a change also occurs in other domains. For example, a child who learns to communication will naturally open up opportunities to build relationships and "play" with others (social–emotional skills). And, a child who grows intellectually and physically is also able to interact more fully with his or her environment in terms of building relationships and increasing adaptive skills.