Early child development in the context of mothering experiences.

This paper describes certain critical periods early in human development in the context of the child's coping responses to the environment, and in regard to the nature of the nurturing experience. The term critical period refers to the optimal time the young child is ready to learn or achieve a developmental task. But it does not imply an irreversible process, since the child usually has the capacity to compensate to some extent for mastery of a task occurring during a given critical period, even after that period has passed. Various areas of development are included to present a broad array of infantile capabilities: neuromuscular, perceptual, cognitive, and psychosocial.