CC 811 Chap 5 Flashcards
Celiac Disease
An inherited digestive problem in which gluten (the proteins found in all wheat products) triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine.
Catch-up Growth
A phenomenon in which children (i.e., those with celiac disease) who have experienced growth deficits will grow rapidly and catch up with the growth trajectory they are genetically programmed to follow.
Endocrine Gland(s)
Organs in the endocrine or hormonal system that secret chemicals called “hormones” directly into the bloodstream.
Pituitary Gland
Perhaps the most critical of the endocrine glands; the so-called “master gland” located at the base of the brain; controlled by the hypothalamus; triggers the release of hormones from all other endocrine glands by sending hormonal messages to those glands.
Growth Hormone
The hormone responsible for triggering specialized hormones the directly regulate growth.
Androgens
Male hormones that help trigger the adolescent growth spurt and the development of the male sex organs, secondary sex characteristics, and sexual motivation.
Estrogen
The female hormone responsible for the development of the breasts, the female sex organs, and secondary sex characteristics and for the beginning of menstrual cycles.
Neuron
The basic unit of the nervous system; a nerve cell.
Synapse
The point at which the axon or dendrite of one neuron makes a connection with another neuron.
Myelination
The depositing of a fatty sheath around neural axons that insulates them and thereby speeds the transmission of neural impulses.
Plasticity
An openness of the brain cells (or of the organism as a whole) to positive and negative environmental influence; a capacity to change in response to experience.
Lateralization
The specialization of the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex of the brain.
Neurogenesis
The process of generating new neurons across the lifespan.
Cephalocaudal Principle
The principle that growth proceeds fromt the head (cephalic region) to the tail (caudal region).
Proximodistal Principle
In development, the principle that growth proceeds from the center of the body (or the proximal region) to the extremities (the distal regions).
Orthogenetic Principle
Werner’s principle that development proceeds from global and undifferentiated states toward more differentiated and integrated patterns of response.
Reflex
An unlearned and automatic response to a stimulus.
REM Sleep
A state of active, irregular sleep associated with dreaming; named for the rapid eye movements associated with it.
Developmental Norm
The age at which half of a large group of infants or children master a skill or display a behavior; the average age for achieving a milestone in development.
Gross Motor Skills
Skills that involve large muscles and whole body or limb movements (for example, kicking the legs or drawing large circles). Contrast with fine motor skills.
Fine Motor Skills
Skills that involve precise movements of the hands and fingers or feet and toes. Contrast with gross motor skills.
Locomotion
The process of moving from one location to another.
Ulnar Grasp
Holding objects by clamping them between the palm of the hand and the fingers.
Pincer Grasp
A grasp in which the thumb is used in opposition to the fingers, enabling an infant to become more dexterous at listing and manipulating objects.