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and further fragment the experience at the grassroots. The continuous and cumulative nature of
impact has also meant that, although the age-groups are discrete in nature, the impact of non-
attainment of appropriate developmental milestones, health and nutritional outcomes, or learning
capacities implies that these necessarily accompany the child to the next stage. Often leading to
more failures than successes and in some cases intergenerational transfer of these handicaps and
resulting in a downward spiral of poverty, ill health, malnutrition, and poor learning outcomes for
children. Our research also indicates that, despite the potential, the current social policy is unable
to effectively capture and tap the positive synergy of the different sectoral interventions for a host
of reasons. It is also unable to proactively harness the family and community in meeting its
objectives of reaching the child and creating a supportive environment for its development.
Box 19: The development continuum
Learning and development are essentially cumulative phenomena whereby what precedes
influences the quality of what follows (Kaul 1997). Therefore, in effect, each substage becomes a
readiness for the next, thus determining the potential for ensuring expected outcomes. Children’s
development is also multi-determined and varies as a function of the child’s nutritional and biomedical
status, genetic inheritance and sociocultural context. One must look at it as a process
integrating all critical variables—health, nutrition, education, social, emotional, and spiritual.
Evidence from fields of nutrition, health, sociology, psychology and education continues to
accumulate, indicating that the quality of life in the early years is crucial in the formation of
intelligence, personality and social behaviour. The physical, social and psychological capacities
that children are born with allow them to communicate, learn and develop. If these capacities are
not recognized and nurtured, they will wither rather than flourish (Evans, Myers and Illfeld 2000).
Studies show that under-nutrition, specifically during pregnancy and early childhood, can have
profound effects on cognition and developmental behaviour later in the continuum (Vazir and
Seth 1992). Studies also reflect that most early failure in growth is irreversible (Martorell, Khan
and Schroeder 1994). The quality of child care and parent–child interaction become significant
factors as well. (Kaul, Ramachandran and Upadhayay, 1993).
What becomes even more critical is the importance of the continuity of experiences for children.
The transition from each stage of development in the continuum to the next has to be smooth and
successful (Evans, Myers and Illfeld 2000). It is ideal that the child crosses each substage of
development successfully in all aspects. In the event that s/he fails in one or more aspects of
development as expected in terms of developmental milestones, health and nutritional outcomes,
or learning capacities, the child carries this burden to the next stage, where this failure may lead
to more failures or others may get added on.
Applied to the Indian context, this translates into a high-risk situation for children with high
under-5 mortality rates, low female literacy rates, early marriage, food security issues,
malnutrition and lack of adequate health services. In such an environment, the very survival of
the child, even before its birth, is in question.
Source: Conceptual Framework, New Concept 2003
Educational Resource Unit Page 71 April 2003