Integrated Developmental Domains help us understand how human development is organized and functions. Parallel Assessment and Parallel Development provide frameworks for helping development move forward.
Parallel Development begins with the same assumption that underlies the Organizing Minds framework. Development occurs through connections and interactions between persons, between developmental domains, and is boosted and enriched by mediated, real-life learning opportunities.
Development advances when developmental systems work together during meaningful activities. Children do not develop language separately from their emotions, from their perceptions and understandings, from their social relationships, their motor actions, and their motivations. Because development is integrated, intervention must also be integrated.
Too often intervention models focus almost entirely on teaching isolated skills. A child may be taught vocabulary words, motor movements, behavioral routines or academic facts. But developmental progress advances far better when intervention strengthens relationships among developmental domains rather than merely adding new skills.
A child playing catch is usually described as practicing a motor skill, but a systems perspective reveals something more integrated. As the ball leaves a partner’s hand, the child visually tracks its movement, anticipates where and when it will arrive, and coordinates their eyes, hands, legs, and body to respond. At the same time, the child draws upon memory and experience, predicting what will happen next and preparing to return the ball. Attention must remain focused, errors must be detected and corrected, and movements must be adjusted from one throw to the next. What appears to be a simple act of catching and throwing is actually the product of multiple systems working together simultaneously.
There are also emotional, social, and cognitive demands of the activity. The child participates with varying levels of motivation, confidence, and expectation, considering whether the experience is enjoyable, successful, frustrating or disappointing. The child interprets the partner’s facial expressions, intentions, and communications while conveying their own feelings and responses. Successes may build confidence and self-esteem, while mistakes require perseverance, emotional regulation, and resilience. Sensory, motor, emotional, social, language, and cognitive processes become integrated into a single coordinated activity. Developmental domains function not as separate abilities but as interconnected developmental systems.
The value of the activity does not lie merely in blindly practicing isolated motor coordination. Its value lies in strengthening interactions among all related developmental domains in real-life intentional and meaningful activities. Development becomes broader, deeper, and more transferable because growth occurs in many coordinated areas of body and mind within the whole child as the child connects with the real world.
Enjoyable Interpersonal Learning
Children learn best when they are active participants in meaningful problem-solving and enjoyable shared experiences.
Social, cooperative, symbolic, shared, constructive, imaginary, and pretend play are clear examples of Integrated Development. During play, children coordinate perception, movement, communication, imagination, emotional regulation, social understanding, planning, memory, and problem-solving during enjoyable activities. The developmental domains operate together. Play, learning and development co-occur.
The same principle applies to the child’s everyday life. Mealtime, dressing, family routines, community activities, and school experiences are all opportunities for integrated learning. The most effective developmental experiences engage multiple domains simultaneously.
Trusting and meaningful interpersonal learning relationships are the vehicles that naturally coordinate the development and integration of all developmental domains. The child and their adult mediator connect and learn together, but it feels like play for both partners.
In Parallel Development, children do not merely learn skills. Children grow, and so do their adult mediators.
Flexibility
One of the most important indicators of deep learning and development is flexibility within healthy boundaries. A child who possesses a skill but cannot adapt that skill to changing circumstances remains limited. Genuine understanding involves the realization that in most cases there is more than one way to solve a problem. That there is usually more than one correct answer and more than one perspective or opinion. Development requires the ability to modify actions, revise understandings, consider alternatives, and tolerate some level of uncertainty. These understandings are just as important for the adult mediators as they are for the child.
A flexible child and flexible adult can draw upon multiple developmental systems simultaneously. They can combine previous experiences with present circumstances. They can learn to balance feelings with relevant experience, evidence, and cognitive understanding. They can communicate needs while adapting behavior. They can consider the perspectives of others while maintaining their own values and goals.
Development stalls when systems are rigid and disconnected. Development advances when systems become increasingly integrated and adaptable.
The long-term goal is not simply teaching children what to think or what to do. The goal is helping children become increasingly capable of becoming a kind, contributing, and fulfilled person, adapting, learning, and growing throughout life.
Synontogeny
Traditional assessment and treatment models often assume that learning and development occur primarily within the child. Synontogeny proposes that development occurs within relationships and affects both participants.
As parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists develop, the child progresses. Parallel Assessment, empathy and mediated learning experiences help adults to know the child better, to know themselves better and to understand the interpersonal mediated relationship better. The child is not the only learner. The mediator is also learning.
Intentional reciprocal learning and development processes are particularly necessary when supporting children with developmental delays or disabilities. Adults gradually learn how to observe more carefully, communicate more effectively, regulate their own emotions more successfully, and create shared activities and experiences that support the relationship and the learning.
Parallel Assessment and Parallel Development provide a framework for understanding this phenomenon. Just as developmental domains influence one another within the child, developmental systems also interact between people. Growth becomes reciprocal. There is a shared co-development, a synontogeny.
Child and mediator form a co-operative co-development that is synergistic and greater than either of the participants alone.
Positive Feedback Loops
Development advances through positive feedback loops. Even a small success may increase the child’s and the mediator’s confidence. Increased confidence encourages increasing participation and persistence. Participation, confidence, and persistence create more learning opportunities. As learning becomes more enjoyable and more successful, competencies continue to increase. Strengthening competence in one domain generates additional successes throughout the system.
Growth accelerates because developmental domains reinforce one another, success reinforces the child and the child’s mediator. The adult mediator motivates the child’s interest, exploration, and problem-solving. The child’s collaboration and interest fuel the adult mediator’s energy, enthusiasm and imagination.
The opposite pattern also occurs. Repeated failures and perceived criticism reduce confidence. Reduced confidence decreases interest, attention, and participation. Negative mindsets and fewer opportunities result in less communication and learning. Less connection and learning contribute to ongoing failures.
Parallel Development seeks to strengthen positive developmental loops while avoiding and/or interrupting negative ones.
The goal is not simply to eliminate weaknesses but to create conditions under which developmental systems can support one another, and children and adults can both learn from each other.
Organizing Minds
The Organizing Minds framework rests upon the proposition that development is the progressive integration of developmental systems within individuals, and between individuals, across conditions, contents, contexts, and environments.
Integrated Developmental Domains offers a conceptual perspective of ways our human mind functions, changes, and expands. Parallel Assessment helps uncover how developmental systems interact and become organized in each unique individual and each evolving interpersonal relationship. GPPSP helps identify goals, priorities, prerequisites, strategies, and progress. Parallel Development strengthens interactions within and between developmental domains and between development partners. Synontogeny emphasizes the reciprocal growth of both child and mediator.
Together, these models and frameworks are rooted in systems theory, human relationships, human learning, and human potential.
The Integrated Person
Human beings are never collections of separate parts. We are living systems embedded within larger systems, constantly shaped by relationships, experiences, and opportunities for growth.
The person who learns how to learn, who learns that life is interesting, understandable, and meaningful, who develops confidence, realizes that they have value and purpose, and that other people can be kind and helpful, is a person motivated to grow and to contribute throughout their lives.
That, ultimately, is the purpose of Organizing Minds.
Copyright © 2025 Shlomo Chaim
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