Effects of hospitalization on young children: implications of two theories.

Abstract

In this article the effects of hospitalization on the young child are analyzed from the perspective of two theoretical models of development. The first model, the critical periods model, asserts that there is an hypothesized critical period for the development of certain skills and competencies. In this model early experiences are crucial to the skills which either cannot develop or develop with much difficulty after the critical period has passed. The second model is a transactional model of development which asserts that, although early experiences are important, each interaction of the child and the environment makes a difference in development and only through continuous assessment of these transactions can we determine how the child changes and evolves. Data from studies of the effects of hospitalization on children are used to illustrate the utility of these models in the study and management of children who are hospitalized.