Toddlers are often treated as a checklist of developmental milestones, and this project asks what gets lost when a child’s worth is measured against a white, middle-class, Western norm. The problem is that the dominant “developmentalist” lens—tracking linear progress in physical and cognitive abilities—can marginalise multilingual families, working-class and racialised communities, and disabled or neurodivergent children. These families are more likely to be seen as inadequate or subjected to heightened surveillance, while the complexity of young children’s lives is flattened. The research fills a gap by questioning why development has become common sense, and by exploring what a “post-developmental” alternative might look like. A new network will run six workshops across South Yorkshire, Manchester and north London, bringing together artists, humanities and social science researchers, and the voices of children, families, and practitioners. If successful, this could shift how early-years policy, healthcare, and education frame toddlerhood—moving from a deficit model toward one that values diversity. The work is primarily conceptual and critical, not a practical intervention, but it could reshape the assumptions underpinning services that affect millions of families.
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How can arts practice generate critical conversations with, and alternative understandings of, toddlerhood? Young children have historically been, and continue to be, considered through the lens of 'development'. That is, with an emphasis on childhood as a series of transitional stages measured by generalisable, linear progress against age, physical and cognitive abilities. Important within 'development' are 'milestones' that signify 'normal' development or prompt intervention to correct the trajectory. 'Development' has become such a dominant context for thinking about toddlers, that it is often viewed as natural or common sense. The lens of development can exclude or marginalise many communities, particularly multilingual and diverse families. Developmental theories were evolved originally with white, middle-class, western children in mind. As a result, working-class and racialised families or those with disabled or neurodivergent children, are more likely to be viewed as inadequate or in need of fixing. Viewing toddlers predominantly as 'developing' risks denying the complexity and variety of young children's lives. Children may be subject to lower expectations, or families may experience heightened surveillance within 'developmentalist logic'. This project will address this challenge by widening debates about how 'development' situates different children differently and what the alternatives, such as a post-developmental lens, can offer. A newly established network will hold six workshops across South Yorkshire, Manchester and north London, bringing together 1) arts practice 2) interdisciplinary research from humanities and social science and 3) the voices of children, families and practitioners. The aim is; to ignite new conversations between arts practice, academics and practitioners working with toddlers, interrogating why and how development can exclude and marginalise.
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