«Children cannot develop beyond their potential»

Mr Jenni, «every child is different». What exactly do development experts mean by such a statement?

What I mean by this is that every child is unique and has many different facets. These are not all equally pronounced in the individual child and develop at different speeds. For example, a first-grader's cognitive skills may already be at the level of an eight-year-old, but their social behaviour may be that of a young kindergarten child.

Why do children develop so differently?

This diversity is the result of a complex interplay between the genetic make-up and the environment. The predispositions determine the maximum developmental potential that a child can realise under favourable living conditions. If the environmental conditions are unfavourable - for example, if the parents are mentally ill - then in some circumstances only the lower limit range will be exploited. In principle, children cannot develop beyond their individual development potential.

You say that professionals such as teachers need to have a sound knowledge of child development. Why is that so important?

So that they can deal with the child in the best possible way. Let's assume that a child had speech therapy until kindergarten due to a speech development disorder. Because it showed good progress in language, the speech therapy was discontinued. At school, however, the teachers now notice increasing lack of concentration and behavioural problems. In such a situation, knowledge of the progression of a speech development disorder is helpful in order to be able to react appropriately to the child's problem. A teacher must be a developmental specialist. This enables them to react appropriately and categorise the child's lack of concentration.

How does she do that?

The teacher tries to avoid complicated instructions or expressions or asks more questions to make sure that the child has understood everything. They will also observe the affected child more consciously when they speak. Or show examples of a task and not just explain it verbally.

When does a developmental paediatrician consider a child to be developing normally?

If the child can realise its developmental potential, shows no behavioural problems and is doing well. This description is neither based on developmental norms nor does it refer to the expectations of the environment; it is orientated towards the child itself. Of course, there are also cases of disturbed development.

What is the difference between a developmental delay and a developmental disorder?

A young child is said to have a developmental delay if it is not yet clear whether he or she will catch up. Developmental prognoses are also usually unreliable in early childhood due to the great variability of development.

How an impairment affects everyday life depends on the child's social behaviour.

In the case of a developmental disorder, it is generally assumed that the temporal deviation of the developmental age from the age of life persists. However, regardless of whether it is a diagnosed disorder or a mild developmental anomaly: The specific impact of an impairment in everyday life depends on the child's social behaviour, but also very much on the expectations and demands of the environment.

You mention the Fit Principle developed by your predecessor Remo Largo.

Exactly. If the requirements and expectations match the individual characteristics and abilities, the child feels comfortable, is active and gains self-esteem. Creating this fit is the great challenge in everyday life with children.

How can this be achieved?

By acquiring knowledge about child development in order to be able to classify the child's behaviour. We need to engage with a child, experience it in different contexts, listen to it and observe it. We must accept and recognise what the child is capable of - and what it is not yet ready to do due to its individual stage of development.

Do you have an example for us?

Let's take an eight-year-old child who can't fall asleep before 10 pm. It is a so-called owl, its biological clock is set this way. However, the parents expect the child to go to bed at 9 pm so that they are ready for school the next day.

With what consequences?

The parents' expectations do not match the child's biological characteristics. It will signal to the parents that bedtime is too early and that it is not yet tired. It will get up, demand its parents' attention and wander around the house. Conflicts are therefore inevitable.

What advice do you have for parents?

That they adapt their expectations to the child's own characteristics and allow a later bedtime. For example, you could say: «You can stay up and read or play in your room until 9.30 pm and then we'll switch off the light.»

Do you have another example of the Fit concept in a school context?

A child who is cognitively weaker is generally not able to understand mathematical concepts as quickly as a cognitively stronger child. The teacher therefore needs didactic strategies that are adapted to the child's stage of development and individual development profile.

Society should be prepared to take a step towards the children.

Ideally, the teacher accompanies the child in «the zone of proximal development», as the Russian developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky called it. This refers to the range between a child's spontaneous abilities and their potential for development, which they can achieve with a good learning environment and support from their teachers.

Now it is often difficult for parents and teachers to create the fit you have described. For example, the owl child who likes to go to bed late still has to get up in the morning when the alarm clock rings. And from the third grade at the latest, there are grades that assess children's performance.

There is indeed a tension between the variability of children and the demands of us adults. However, society should be prepared to take a step towards children. This is not impossible. For example, I am very pleased that many cantons are discussing whether the start of school in the morning should be postponed so that it is more in line with the biological characteristics of children and young people. And about the grades: I would like to see children being introduced to their strengths and weaknesses using gentler methods than early selection in primary school and a rigid grading system.

But regular feedback from the teachers on the child's performance is important.

Of course. A child's self-concept - i.e. the idea of themselves, their characteristics, abilities, inclinations and interests - develops through comparisons with others and based on performance feedback from teachers. This is important so that a child can develop into an authentic person.

When giving feedback to the child, however, it is crucial which comparative standards are used. Numerous studies have shown that taking into account the individual level of development is more conducive to the formation of a child's self-concept and performance than if the child's performance in a group of peers is simply assessed with grades and compared with set learning goals. To do this, it is important to know the individual child's stage of development and development profile.

When is the point reached where parents who are worried about their child's behaviour should seek an expert opinion?

If mothers and fathers are worried, they should seek counselling sooner rather than later. Perhaps an assessment of the child is then also indicated; this can certainly help to understand a child, to classify its behaviour and to know where it stands in its development. An assessment does not necessarily mean that a measure or therapy is immediately necessary. The first step is also to familiarise the environment with the child's individual development profile and adjust expectations and requirements.

Not every child has to become an academic to lead a happy, successful life.

You said that parents have little influence on their children's careers. How do you then explain the fact that so many boys and girls from academic families attend grammar school and only a few children from uneducated parents?

If a child receives intensive support and additional tutoring, it is naturally more likely to pass the grammar school entrance exam. Academic families, who have the necessary financial means and time resources, are more likely to have these opportunities. In addition, the genetic potential of children from academic families is generally higher than that of children from educationally disadvantaged families. However, success at school says nothing about later career success and, above all, about quality of life in adulthood. Students who only struggle through their studies with diligence and barely adequate grades will not have an easy time in their professional lives either and will be under pressure.

Do we parents have any influence at all on the child's development?

It goes without saying that we play an important role in the development of our children. It is particularly important that we offer them a familiar, available, reliable and loving environment. Parents should show an interest in a child's activities, ask them questions and provide encouragement. However, excessive control is not advisable, as active parental encouragement impairs a child's willingness to learn.

Parents should also be available when the children get older. Children seek dialogue with their parents, especially when they have had negative experiences, got into difficulties or want to plan their future at school or at work. They need opportunities for dialogue and support from their parents, but they should not try to influence their thoughts, feelings and goals.

According to forecasts, 60 per cent of young people in Switzerland will have a higher education qualification in 20 years' time. How do you assess this?

I take a very critical view of this development. With this endeavour, non-academic professions will increasingly lose their social recognition. They will then be divided into good and bad professions, into good and bad training. Only a higher educational qualification will then be regarded as truly valuable and worth striving for. Those children with a «poor» education are the losers. I am firmly convinced of this: Not every child has to become an academic in order to lead a happy, successful life.

As a rule, parents want the best for their child. But what happens if their own ideas don't match what the child is capable of? What do you tell the parents?

That they should adapt their expectations to the child's characteristics and abilities. During counselling, I always try to discuss various aspects with the parents: What do the daily routine and weekends look like? What expectations do they have of the child? How do they assess their child's abilities and development? How do they actually support the child? How often? We then try to find a way together so that the children do not come under pressure and the parents can be relaxed at the same time.

What may be ideal for one child may be completely unsuitable for another.

Is there anything you wish for the children and young people?

Society would do well to recognise the differences between children and young people instead of seeing them as a nuisance. Children develop best when their diverse characteristics and abilities match the requirements and expectations of their environment. One prerequisite for this is that there are many different environments and opportunities for every child.

In fact, the models of child development teach us that there is no single best possible environment for all children, but that different environments interact with different abilities. In other words: What may be ideal for one child may be completely inappropriate for another. For this reason, I would like us to offer the younger generation many different environments in which all adolescents can contribute valuable achievements in as many different ways as possible.