Human Lifespan Development (1) Flashcards
The four principles of growth
- Growth rates are not constant
- Different parts of the body grow at different rates
- Growth rates vary between children
- The growth rate of boys is usually faster than that of girls (men tend to be taller)
How are you measured in the first 2 years of life?
Length when lying down
How are you measured after 2 years old?
In height standing up
When is head circumference measured?
At birth and at 6-8 weeks
Why is head circumference measured at 6-8 weeks?
To identify any abnormalities in brain or skull growth
How do you measure head circumference?
Across the forehead, just above the ears and at the midpoint of the back of the head
Growth is an indicator of…
Children’s health and wellbeing
How are measurements plotted?
On a growth chart
What do centile lines represent?
measurements from a large number of children to show ‘norms’ of growth in each age group
What do growth charts give?
Length/height
Weight
Head dimensions
(Expected at particular ages)
Why do we compare children’s growth against norms?
To identify signs of ill-health and development problems
Why are growth charts different for boys and girls?
Their expected rate of growth varies
PIES development ?
Physical
Intellectual (cognitive)
Emotional
Social
Physical development is…
Growth and other physical changes that happen to our body throughout life
Intellectual development is…
The development of language, memory and thinking skills
Emotional development is…
The ability to cope with feelings about ourselves and towards others
Social development is…
The ability to form friendships and relationships, and learn to be independent
Each stage of development is called a…
Milestone (developmental norms)
Cam development be measured?
NO
Development is observed and cannot be measured in the same way as growth
0-3 months
Can use gurgling and crying to communicate
18 months
Can say six to ten words
2 years
Can link words together
3 years
Can link simple sentences
8 years
Can reason and explain
What does observation involve?
Why do we observe children?
Assessment of a child’s abilities, learning and behaviour
to ensure that they are making expected progress against milestones
Gross motor skills allow children to…
Control the large muscles in their torso, arms, legs, hands and feet
Where do infants develop their gross motor skills?
From the head down
What happens to GMS around six months old?
Infants gradually control muscles in their neck and back so they can roll, sit and crawl
What happens to GMS around 11-13 months?
Muscles in a child’s legs develop so they can stand and walk
What happens to GMS at age 2?
Infants can climb onto low furniture and propel a sit-on toy
What happens to GMS at 2.5 years?
Can kick a ball
Gross motor skills are used for…
Crawling Walking Running Balancing Skipping Jumping Kicking Pushing Pulling Bending Climbing
GMS at 3 years…
Can throw a ball
Can pedal and control a tricycle
GMS at 3-4 years…
Can balance and walk along a line
Can run forwards and backwards
Can hop on one foot
GMS at 5-8 years…
Can skip with a rope Can ride a bicycle Can hop, skip and jump with confidence Can accurately throw and catch a ball Can balance on a low beam
Fine motor skills are…
Important for controlling and coordinating the movement of small muscles in the fingers and hands
FMS in newborns
Can grasp an adults finger
FMS by 3 months
Can hold a rattle for a short time
FMS by 6 months
Will grasp a toy and pass it to their other hand
FMS at 12 months
Will pick up small objects using a pincer grasp
FMS at 18 months
Can build with small blocks, use a spoon and make marks with crayons using palmar grasp
FMS at 2 years
Can pull on shoes and control crayons to draw circles and dots
FMS at 3 years
Develop tripod grasp
Can use a fork and spoon
FMS at 5 years
Can write own name
Uses hand-eye coordination
When does puberty take place?
Girls - around 11-13 years
Boys - around 13-15 years
How does puberty happen?
Hormone in brain sends signal to pituitary gland
Pituitary gland releases hormones that stimulate ovaries/testes to produce sex hormones
What is ‘a sudden increase in height’?
A growth spurt
Happens during puberty
Role of sex hormone (boys)
testosterone (produced by testes)
stimulates penis and testes growth, pubic hair growth, muscle development and lowering of voice
Role of sex hormones (girls)
oestrogen and progesterone (produced in ovaries)
stimulate growth of breasts and reproductive system, and help regulate menstrual cycle
What are primary sexual characteristics?
Processes related to the sex organs that are present at birth and mature when sex hormones are released
Primary sexual characteristics in girls
- menstruation begins
- uterus and vagina grows
- ovulation occurs
Primary sexual characteristics in boys
- penis enlarges
- prostate gland produces secretions
- testes enlarge and produce sperm
What are secondary sexual characteristics?
Not necessary for reproduction
Develop when sex hormones are released
Secondary sexual characteristics in girls
- growth of armpit and pubic hair
- increased layers of fat under skin
- breasts enlarge
- growth spurt
- hips widen
Secondary sexual characteristics in boys
- growth of facial hair
- growth of armpit, chest and pubic hair
- increased muscle
- growth spurt
- larynx (voice box) grows, causing the voice to deepen (break)
What happens in physical maturity?
Early adulthood
- physical strength and stamina is at its peak
- sexual characteristics are fully developed
- hand-eye coordination at its peak
- women are at their most fertile (can become pregnant and lactate)
- reaction time is quickest
- full height is reached
When do women reach the end of reproductive years?
40-45 years old
Period is called perimenopause
What symptoms does the reduction of oestrogen cause?
- hot flushes
- night sweats
- mood swings
- loss of libido
- vaginal dryness
What happens during perimenopause?
- oestrogen decreases
- ovulation is irregular
- menstruation becomes less frequent
When does the ageing process begin?
Mainly in middle adulthood
Signs of ageing?
- greying hair
- loss of muscle tone, strength and stamina
- body shape may change with increase/loss of weight
- men begin to lose hair
- women are no longer fertile - menstruation end
- loss of height
What is menopause?
The natural and gradual ending of menstruation
Happens over several years
Happens during middle adulthood
Role of oestrogen
Regulates ovulation
Most important part of female sexuality
Role of progesterone
Needed for implantation of fertilised eggs in the uterus, maintenance of pregnancy and sexual health
What does a reduction in oestrogen cause?
- ovaries to stop producing eggs
- thinning and shrinkage of vagina
- mood swings (as oestrogen regulates neurotransmitters that affect mood)
A reduction in oestrogen affects…
- health of hair, skin and nails
- hypothalamus in brain, which regulates temperature, causing hot flushes and night sweats
Reduction in oestrogen and progesterone…
- gradually stops menstruation
- impacts libido
What is the ageing process?
The natural deterioration of the body
Effects of ageing in later adulthood
- reduction in hearing and vision
- less mobility
- loss of muscle and stamina
- decline in strength
- less elasticity in the skin
- more susceptible to infections and disease
- more likely to fall and be injured
What happens to height by age 80?
may have lost as much as 5cm in height
What causes height loss in later adulthood?
Changes in posture and compression of spinal discs and joints
Ageing can sometimes have a negative impact on…
cognitive development
- memory
- recall
- speed of thinking
Types of intellectual development?
Problem solving Language development Memory Moral development Abstract thought and creative thinking
Why is problem solving needed?
To work things out and make predictions about what might happen
Why is language development needed?
Essential to organise and express thoughts
Why is memory needed?
Essential for storing and recalling information
Why is abstract thought and creative thinking needed?
For thinking and discussing things that can’t be observed
Why is moral development needed?
For reasoning and making choices about how to act towards self and others
Intellectual development in infancy and early childhood
Time of rapid intellectual development
90% or neurone (brain cell) connections are in place by 5 years old
Intellectual development in early adulthood
Intellectual development continues
Gained knowledge, experience and skills by this stage
Use past experiences to make judgements
Thinking is logical and realistic
Intellectual development in later adulthood
Continue to learn new skills
Intelligence doesn’t change but short-term memory and thinking speed may decline
Intellectual milestone - birth
can use all their senses to help understand the world around them
Intellectual milestone - 3 years
can ask questions, count, recognise colours and sort objects
Intellectual milestone - 5 years
start to read and write and draw in detail, can talk about the past and future
Intellectual milestone - 8 years
can think more deeply, reason, talk about abstract ideas and plans
4 reflexes in infancy…
Moro: sitting the baby up - protects itself
Rooting: (sucking motion) helps breastfeeding - disappears by 4 months
Palmar: essential for fine motor skills development - disappears by 6 months
Babinski: toes separate - stops at 12 months
What are developmental norms used for?
Judging whether a child is progressing normally
Language development in infancy
0-3 mths - cry for food or comfort, make mouth movements in response
6-12 mths - understand some words, make sounds (e.g. gaga)
18 mths - can say between 6 and 10 words, can follow simple instructions
Language development in early childhood
2-3 yrs - link words together (e.g. me car), vocab increases to approx 200 words
3-5 years - uses simple sentences, asks questions, may use incorrect forms of words
8 years - speaks in complex sentences, can reason and explain
Language development in adolescence
Developing vocabulary
Uses language to explore abstract ideas
Who came up with Language Acquisition Device (LAD) ?
Noam Chomsky
What did Noam Chomsky suggest?
- humans are born with a structure in brain that enables them to acquire language
- humans have a critical period for first language development in early years
- humans all follow the same pattern of language development
- humans have an innate understanding of the structure of language (universal grammar)
Criticisms of Chomsky
- lack of scientific evidence of innate understanding of structure of language
- rate of language development is affected by the degree of interactions with others
- doesn’t take into account a language acquisition support system is required
- he put emphasis on grammar in sentence development rather than meanings
What is self-concept?
- an individual’s evaluation of their own self worth
- combination of self-image and self-esteem
What is self-image?
How individuals view themselves, influenced by how others perceive them
What is self-esteem?
How individuals value and feel about the knowledge they have of themselves
Factors that may impact on self-image and self-esteem
- family and culture
- achievement (e.g. school)
- life experiences
- sexual orientation
- others’ attitudes
- emotional development (including early attachment)
Is a person’s self esteem constant?
NO
may change depending on circumstances
What is a feral child?
human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a young age
