Ch. 4, Physical Development in Infancy/Toddlers

Question 1

Human Growth Hormone:

Answer 1

influences all growth except that in the Central Nervous System

Question 2

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone:

Answer 2

influences growth in the CNS

Question 3

Brain weight through early childhood

Answer 3

BY age 2 the brain is 75% of its adult weight, 95% by age 6,. And 100% by age 7

Question 4

Synaptogenesis:

Answer 4

formation of connections between neurons; continues from prenatal period during infancy and toddlerhood

Question 5

Synaptic Blooming:

Answer 5

referring to this period of drastic growth during infancy and toddlerhood^^

Question 6

Myelin:

Answer 6

coating of fatty tissue around the axon of the neuron; grows most dramatically in very early years: helps insulate the neuron and speed up electrical impulses

Question 7

Reflexes (sucking, rooting, palmar grasp, dancing, babinski, moro, tonic neck, stepping)

Answer 7

Sucking Reflex: suck on things when they touch their lips
Rooting Reflex: involves turning toward any object that touches the cheek
Palmar Grasp: will tightly grasp an object in its palm
Dancing Reflex: evident when the infant is held in standing position and moves its feet up and down as if dancing
Babinski Reflex: the toes will fan out and curl when the sole of the foot is stroked from heel to toe
Moro: sudden noise or loss of support of head and neck will cause infants to spread out their arms and legs then quickly contract the limbs inward
Tonic Neck Reflex: when lying on back with the head to one sice, infants will extend the arm and leg on that side while flexing the limbs on the opposite side (LOOKS LIKE FENCING POSITION)
Stepping Reflex: legs move in stepping motion when touching smooth surfaces

Question 8

Gross/Large Motor Skills:

Answer 8

voluntary movements using large muscle groups like arms, legs, head, and torso
(Cephelocaudal= first to develop)

Question 9

Gross Motor Milestones

Answer 9

2 MONTHS: hold head up, push when lying on stomach, smoother movements with arms/legs
4 MONTHS: head steady when unsupported, pushes down on legs when feet are on hard surface, hand to mouth coordination, pushes up to elbows on stomach, roll from stomach to back
6 MONTHS: rolls in both directions, sitting without support, crawling
9 MONTHS: stands while holding on, can get into sitting position, crawls
1 YEAR” pulls up to stand and walks holding onto furniture “cruising”, may take a few steps without holding on, may stand alone
18 MONTHS: walks alone, may walk up steps and run, can help undress self
2 YEARS: kicks balls, running, climbing furniture, throws balls overhand

Question 10

fine motor skills (proximodistal)

Answer 10

More exact movements of the feet, toes, hands and fingers
Slower to develop because it is considered proximodistal development

Question 11

Fine motor skill milestones

Answer 11

2 MONTHS: grasps reflexively (doesnt reach for objects), holds hand in fists
4 MONTHS: hand to mouth, uses hands and eyes together (seeing a toy and reaching for it), follows moving things with eyes, can hold a toy with whole hand (PALMAR GRASP) and shake it
6 MONTHS: reaches with both arms, brings things to mouth, pass things from one hand to another
9 MONTHS: puts things in mouth, uses pincer grip
1 YEAR: reaches with one hand, puts things in and out of containers, lets things go without help
18 MONTHS: scribbles on own, can help undress themselves. Drinks from cup, eats with spoon
2 YEARS: builds towers of blocks, might use one hand more than the other, can unbutton and unzip very easy things, drinks and feeds self with more accuracy

Question 12

Sensory Capacities, Vision

Answer 12

Vision is the most poorly developed sense at birth
EVIDENT BY 3 MONTHS, CONTINUES TO DEVELOP DURING FIRST 6 MONTHS: Sensitivity to binocular depth cues, which requires input from both eyes

Question 13

Infant hearing

Answer 13

Very good
Can distinguish between very similar sounds as early as one month after birth; can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar voices even earlier

Question 14

Colostrum; liquid gold

Answer 14

first breastmilk produced during pregnancy and just after birth, very rich in nutrients, antibodies
Breastmilk changes by the third to fifth day after birth, becoming much thinner

Question 15

Benefits of breastfeeding for children and women

Answer 15

Breastfeeding children have lower rates of childhood leukemia, asthma, obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, and lower risk of SIDS
Women who breastfeed helps uterus return to normal size, reduces risk for breast cancer, lower rates of ovarian cancer, reduced risk for developing Type II diabetes, reduced risk for arthritis (MOST BENEFITS ARE SEEN FOR THOSE WHO BREASTFEED LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS)

Question 16

When should solid food be introduced?

Answer 16

Should happen around 6 months
If they can sit with no support, have good head control, and opens mouth/leans forward when food is offered

Question 17

Kwashiorkor:

Answer 17

disease of the displaced child, often occurs after another child has been born and taken over breastfeeding (results in loss of appetite and swelling of the abdomen as the body begins to break down the vital organs as a source of protein)

Question 18

Infantile Marasmus:

Answer 18

starvation due to lack of calories and protein

Question 19

Colic:

Answer 19

crying and screaming for long periods of time, stomach may be enlarged

Question 20

Jaundice, why it occurs and treatment:

Answer 20

occurs due to a buildup of bilirubin, substance produced in the body during the normal process of breaking down old red blood cells and forming new ones, often occurs within the first few days of birth bc liver is not working fully but nit concerning (if it becomes a problem, phototherapy is used to break down the bilirubin in their bodies)

Question 21

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Answer 21

Can cause intracranial (within the brain) or intraocular (within the eyes) bleeding

Question 22

Polyphasic Sleep:

Answer 22

infant accumulates about 16.5 hours of sleep over multiple sleep periods
Average newborn spends 50% of sleep time in the REM PHASE

Question 23

respiratory distress syndrome

Answer 23

breathing issues preterm, cannot regulate their heart rate effectively, lead to potential jaundice

Question 24

Three types of grasps

Answer 24

Three types of grasps: 1st flapper (hand flat then close down, can only pick up big objects that are easy to pick up), 2nd sock puppet grasp (now thumb can move in), 3rd pincer grasp index finger and thumb –THIS IS WHEN THEY CAN START FEEDING THEMSELVES

Question 25

Why are babies born with so much cartilage?

Answer 25

In infancy, muscles are not fully mature: the first two years muscles are growing longer, thicker, and starting to fuse together: massaging helps with muscle development t
Babies are born with so much cartilage: they don’t have bony elbows and knees, they have epiphysis (PLACES THAT WILL HARDEN INTO BONE)

Question 26

Loss of mouth moving reflex when blocked and SIDS

Answer 26

Typically between 2-4 months is the highest risk: before 2 months, infant has a reflex to move their mouth if something comes over their mouth, but that reflex is pruned between 2-4 months and they can’t do this: after 4 months they are able to voluntarily move their mouth (we don’t know why this reflex goes away)
Many correlations, but no known causes: suffocation risks, babies shouldn’t be put to sleep on their stomachs, exposed to cigarette smoke, co-sleeping/bringing baby into same with you

Question 27

Gross motor milestones from 1 month –12 months

Answer 27

1 Month: lift head, cephalocaudal
2 Months: lift chest, cephalocaudal
3 Months: reach
4 months: sit them up with support
6 months: they can sit alone
7-9 months: crawl; not all babies will crawl; sometimes they might “creep” which is similar to an army crawl, some scoot, some knee walk, they can “worm” (if you’re giving baby enough ‘tummy time’ to strengthen abdomen)
8-11 Months: stand with help
9-11 months: climb to stand
12 months: walk

Question 28

Hopping and stair age

Answer 28

Hop: both feet leave the ground, kids beneath 2 years can’t do this
Learning stairs: mastered by age 3

Question 29

When is the skill of handedness developed?

Answer 29

may start reaching with one hand first then two, eventually can do two different activities between both hands

Question 30

when does left or right handedness develop?

Answer 30

13 months

Question 31

Why’s is it more important for 13-24 month old infants to undress rather than dress themselves?

Answer 31

undressing is less complex = often as a way to assert dominance

Question 32

Difference between sensory, motor, and interneurons

Answer 32

sensory neurons: take info IN from environment afferent
Motor neurons: output: efferent
Interneurons: regulation, decisions, emotional

Question 33

How are neurogenesis and myelination a down up process?

Answer 33

Neurons and myelination first develop/occur in the lower regions of the brain, then in the more advanced/higher thinking regions like frontal lobe

Question 34

Why does only the presence of neurons not help with brain function?

Answer 34

They need to be able to communicate: need synaptogenesis to communicate properly

Question 35

Why is it more likely that infants experience synethesia?

Answer 35

their neurons have TOO many synaptic connections that haven’t been pruned yet, overstimulation and getting tired

Question 36

Why is a person’s brain changing in thickness over time indicative of greater intelligence?

Answer 36

synaptogenesis increases thickness over time, pruning decreases it: 3this fluctuation shows the adaptability of their brain

Question 37

Experience-Expected Process Brain Specialization

Answer 37

DNA programs what the brain should generally specialize in, like the different lobes of our brains and why they universally do the same thing: nature, biological, genetically hardwired specifically for species-specific experiences

Question 38

Experience-Dependent Processes

Answer 38

nurture, based on environment, brain might specialize in certain things when it is raised in an environment to do so (like having a brain area dedicated to music in a musical household)

Question 39

Habituation studies and sensory development in infants

Answer 39

tests infants via habituation with colors for example: show them a blue ball until they habituate and get bored/almost stop looking at it altogether
Then switch to red ball: if they don’t look, they can’t tell that there is a difference: if they look for a long period of time again like they should initially, they can detect the difference

Question 40

Why are the chemical senses the strongest at birth?

Answer 40

olfactory and gustatory (smell and tatse) are strongest at birth: later in life we habituate and become less sensitive; sense of smell is so strong they can detect different breast milk smells

Question 41

Hearing and infancy

Answer 41

very good, more sensitive to high pitched voices, good sense of localization: where sounds are coming from

Question 42

Sight

Answer 42

most underdeveloped sense at birth
Poor resolution: poor detail in their vision
Can primarily see primary colors, cannot distinguish between other shades