3: Physical Development + Health Flashcards
Apgar quick assessment of physical development
for newborns, basic features
- heart rate
- respiratory effort
- muscle tone
- body color
- reflex irritability
newborn reflexes
- rooting reflex: suck thing near mouth
- moro reflex: startle response to surprising sounds, falling…
- grasping reflex: will grab when hand is touched
- babinski reflex: toes spread when bottom of foot touched
- stepping reflex: babies step feet when held above ground
infant imitation
- possible reflex where infants imitate facial expressions and motions
- may help to establish emotional bond
newborn crying
facts and types
- newborns typically cry 2-3 hours a day
- try to soothe the baby from 0-3 months
- allow baby to self soothe after 3 months
basic cry starts softly and ends loud
- sign of hunger, discomfort, fatigue
mad cry is much more intense
pain cry is sudden, long shriek, gasp, then more crying
shaken baby syndrome
- head trauma caused by rough shaking
- damage done in 5 seconds
- happens for all parents across cultures and socioeconomic statuses
low birth weight facts
- increasing rates in canada over past 20 years
- higher rates for adolescent parents
- higher rates for families in poverty
- treatment is kangaroo care (skin to skin care)
how does physical touch affect babies?
- reduces stress behaviours
- more regular heart rate and sleep
- better lactation for parent
preterm babies and memory
- lower hippocampal volumes (-12%)
- worse working memory at age 20
- correlation between preterm birth and impaired memory
factors impacting physical growth (height & weight)
- genetics
- environment: urban, SES, firstborn children typically taller
- nutrition is the strongest impact
Puberty overview
- physical and hormonal changes to prepare body for reproduction
- nutrition, exercise & body fat %: impact onset and progression
- onset differs by sex:
- girls: 10-14 yrs
- boys: 12-16 yrs
Organs controlling puberty
- hypothalamus
- pituitary gland
- gonads (testes/ovaries)
Impact of hormones vs social factors on mood
social factors are more impactful than changes in hormone levels in girls’ depression and anger
tldr: hormones in blood ≠ behaviour
Early maturing girls are more likely to…
- use drugs/drink
- be depressed
- develop an ED
- engage in delinquent behaviour
Example of brain plasticity
left hemisphere of brain removed at age 7
by age 14, right hemisphere activated in response to speech (despite a typical RH not showing much activity)
shows: brain can reorganize early in development to adapt
adolescent brain development
- corpus callosum thickens
- amygdala (emotion processing & regulation) matures faster than prefrontal cortex
result: adolescents typically act on emotion without full consideration of consequences
Rate of change in cortex thickness vs intelligence
- superior intelligence: rates of increases AND decreases in thickness are greater than other groups
- high intelligence: similar to average, but more increasing rates
- average: fairly consistent decreasing rates of change
Which area of the cortex differs the most between superior vs average intelligence kids?
the prefrontal cortex, especially in adolescence
how does REM sleep impact learning?
improves learning
sleep without REM does not produce the same improvements in learning
what is SIDS?
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- infants stop breathing suddenly, typically during sleep
- highest “cause” of infant death in the US
best practice: crib until 6 months of age, lay on back
