It may seem that I am about to state the obvious; however the obvious needs to be stated when there is a shift in thinking and attitudes that defy the obvious and the known.  In this case there has been a shift and change in attitudes in some that has moved away from recognizing that apart from the influences of our environment, we are as human beings, also subject to a complex range of biological, neurological physiological and maturational influences.

It has almost become a taboo in certain circles to mention the words "development" or "maturation".  As if somehow we are not allowed to mention what is so obvious and known ...... that we are developing and maturing throughout life.

It is disturbing to witness this shift away from what eminent scholars, researchers, scientists, doctors, neurologists and psychologists continue to study and research. The fact and the reality is that we are as the species human, a complex mix of both nature and nurture.

It is challenging at times to understand what may motivate some educators and scholars to shift away from or diminishing the biological aspects of life and learning.  I have noticed that it seems to be the political correct trend at the current time, even in some government guidelines and statements to avoid the word "development".

There is no doubt that the socio economic, ethnic, cultural, lifestyle and political world a child is born into has a profound impact on life opportunities, aspects of health and well being and development.  All developmental psychologists have acknowledged this as far back as even Piaget.

Why do I think, along with many international researchers and educators that it is important to raise this issue?

As a society, we need to be careful not to push one particular belief or current trend to a point where we disregard or diminish the impact of other influences upon life and learning.

If we were not biologically unfolding we would remain in infancy, regardless of what our environmental influences and opportunities dictated.

If we assume or portray to the general public that learning is solely based upon the environment, then we can anticipate a range of dangerous, misleading and inappropriate practices to begin to infiltrate and impact upon society's young children.

For example:

If maturation, development and biological time clocks are minimized, does that lead to an assumption that any child at any age should go to school?

Does that then lead to an assumption that schools become increasingly responsible for being "ready" for the child despite the fact that the child may be two years of age?

If we minimize differences in maturity only to environmental influences, does that mean that we are fundamentally born a blank slate?

If there is fundamentally no difference in the brain function, perception, understanding and processing of young children as opposed to older children, does that then lead to an assumption that we can hold just as high expectations of young children as we do of older children?

If we minimize the fact that early childhood, internationally recognized as being birth- 8 years of age is of no real significant difference to older children, then does that mean that young children in their early years are capable of making decisions that impact into their futures?

It seems that in the attempts to not patronize children, to provide them with a legitimate voice and opportunities to contribute, express ideas and views some have fallen into the trap of assuming that young children are able to conceptualize, internalize, and understand in the same way as adults do.

 Let's take an example;

Some recent research from Melbourne University asked children in their first year of school what they would have wanted in their preschool year to help prepare them better for school.

They responded with things like, to learn letters and numbers and reading.

What else would a child who has just entered their first year of school answer? They are completely surrounded in learning to read and write.

Are we justified in listening to the voices of children to introduce formalized learning in their preschool years because they ask for it?

Some children in their preschool year were asked which school they would like to attend. Some answered the last one they had visited because it was the only one they could remember.  Others chose the school that provided lollies and balloons on the day they visited.

A five year old is not competent enough or mature enough to understand the curricula, pedagogy and values of the school.

Some of my associates and myself asked children on one day who their friend was in preschool. The next day we asked the same children again.  Each day, they responded with different children's names depending on who they were with at the time of being asked.

When asked what they would like to eat in a lolly shop, children in their early childhood years are unlikely to answer with restraint!!

The point of this editorial is quite simple.

We do now know more than ever that a child is not a blank slate, they are capable of thinking and feeling and expressing opinions. However, they are also at the beginning of a life. They require, as do other infants and young of other species, time to mature and to have more knowledgeable and mature others to guide and to support them.  They also need not to carry the burden of being treated as mini adults. The environment is an important part of learning, life and providing skills and opportunities for children. However, development and maturation is also part of the lifelong learning process. That's why we grow old, go through menopause, lose some agility, process or think more slowly as we age.

We can patronize children by assuming they are nothing but a biologically unfolding infant which we expect little from, but we can also patronize them by assuming they are capable of anything if the environment is providing every opportunity.

All children need time and permission to be a child; and childhood should be guarded as a wonderful time to grow, develop, experience and to play. There is no need to hurry children through their childhoods on a pretext that they are more comprehending and mature than they actually are. It is highly disturbing to read the studies from the USA on the increasing anxieties and stress of young children as their world becomes more adult oriented and hurried.

Life is a journey with a mix of maturation and environmental influences. We would all be wise to remember that and to factor it in so that children are not being expected to perform or respond like adults.