Child Development Flashcards
What is child development?
Child development is a multifaceted, integral, and continual process of change in which children become able to handle ever more complex levels of moving, thinking, feeling, and relating to others’
What are developmental milestones - define?
Things most children do by a certain age
What are the 4 main domains of child development?
- Gross Motor
- Fine Motor & Vision
- Speech / Language
- Social
What is gross motor development?
-Use large muscle groups to sit & walk
-Direction is head to toe - so develop head movement before lower limb
What is fine motor development?
Use small muscle groups in hands, fingers – to pick up small objects
What is language/communication development?
-Ability to understand others = receptive
-Express oneself = expressive
-Verbal/non-verbal communication skills
What is social development?
Child’s interaction with family & others
What are normal ranges of development - define?
A range of developmental norms which are not absolute - indicate rough ages a child should be achieving different milestones
How is abnormality in child development determined - use walking as an example?
Delay for a child to demonstrate a certain milestone beyond that of the ‘normal’ ranges seen
—> so their is an age limit at which a skill SHOULD have been achieved
—> failure to do so may be indicative of something significant
e.g., those who do not walk by 18 months - 20% of these will have a significant problem - cerebral palsy, Duchenne MD, global developments, delay
Developmental norms - age ranges children should:
-Walk alone
-Stand alone
-Walk with assistance
-Hands & knees crawl
-Slide with assistance
-Sit with support
Why are developmental milestones important to be aware of?
Allows recognition of abnormal patterns in development:
-Specific (e.g., specifically motor problem) or global delay (significantly delayed in all areas of development)
-Isolated or syndromes
-Organic (related to organs of body) or social
—> so knowing normal development means you can also reassure normal ranges
When is a child’s development assessed - national standards?
-Assessment @ birth-72h = NIPE (Newborn Infant Physical Examination)
-Also @ birth-72h assessment - conduct newborn/primitive reflex test within this physical examination
-Assessment @ birth-72h = same as assessment @ 6-8 weeks!
What are neonatal/primitive reflexes - define?
-Reflexes present at birth which show how newborns respond in an involuntary way to their environment - part of survival mechanism - but should disappear in first few months
—> if persist up to 4-6 months = could be indicative of cerebral palsy
Examples of neonatal/primitive reflexes.
-Babinski’s reflex if persists = hard to walk
-Grasping reflex if persists = hard to hold objects
Define bonding?
Emotional connection that carer feels towards baby - some parents experience this immediately - others take time to get to know baby
= one way process!
Define attachment bond.
-Caregivers meet baby’s emotional & beh needs
-Carer nurtures infant -> infant’s behaviour response encourages care
-Enables baby to feel safe
= 2 way/bidirectional process - between carer & baby
What are the 4 stages of attachment?
-Birth->6 weeks = asocial stage - similar responses to objects & people
-6weeks->7 months = indiscriminate - preference for human company - comforted by people - but no preference of who
-7+ months = specific/discriminate - preference for a specific caregiver
—> based upon the caregiver who meets the most needs of infant (not based upon length of time caregiver spends with infant)
-Separation anxiety
-Stranger anxiety
-Want particular people for: security, comfort, protection
-10 months+ = multiple - show attachment behaviours with others (other than specific carer) e.g., grandparents, siblings
What is secure attachment - describe process.
-A form of attachment that takes 1-2 years to develop
-Enables infant to feel safe
-Main sources of later resilience in childhood
-Securely attached children achieve better outcomes in all 4 development domains
-Influences mental health & psychological functioning in childhood & adulthood
= As become more mobile - if have secure attachment to caregiver - feel safe to play & explore & use carer as a ‘secure base’
—> so infants who are securely attached feel safe to play & learn - know caregiver(s) will care &comfort them when distressed
What are the 4 attachment styles?
Look at the level of emotional development & level of anxiety!
-Secure attachment = desirable attachment style
Prevalence of each attachment styles?
Child’s general characteristics for each attachment style.
Mother’s responsiveness to child’s signals & needs for each attachment style?
Fulfilment of child’s needs for each attachment style - i.e., explanation of why child behaves how does?
What questions do midwives ask themselves to establish is the mother/parent has/is developing a secure attachment with their baby - to decide if further help is needed?
What are the key social & adaptive milestones - give examples?
What are the key language milestones - give examples?
4 developmental domains that develop from birth -> 6 months?
-Fixes & follows = eyes will fix on object/person & follow around room
4 developmental domains that develop from 6 months -> 12 months?
4 developmental domains that develop from 12 months -> 18 months?
4 developmental domains that develop from 24 months (2yrs) -> 36 months (3yrs)?
4 developmental domains that children should show aged 3?
4 developmental domains that children should show aged 4?
4 developmental domains that children should show aged 5?
What are some risk factors for abnormal development:
-Prenatal
-Perinatal
-Postnatal
-Family & social
What are some red flags in child development that are indicative of a significant underlying pathology?
