Infant Cognitive Development Flashcards
What is cognitive development?
The development of thinking across the lifespan. It’s a crucial aspect of overall growth and involves changes in thinking, problem-solving, and understanding the world around them
What influences cognitive development?
Genetic and environmental factors, occurring through a combination of assimilation and accommodation - children integrating new information to existing mental frameworks, adjusting their understanding
How large does the brain develop at birth until 12 months?
At birth, it’s a quarter the size of an adult’s brain. By the end of the first year, this doubles in size
What controls most of a baby’s behaviour at birth?
The brain stem
What does the brain stem control in babies?
Breathing, sleeping, swallowing
What is object permanence?
The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not seen, heard, or touched
Which of the baby’s senses are least developed at birth?
Eyesight, they can only see about 20cm to 30cm away
When do babies see almost as well as an adult?
9 months
How do you help an infant’s brain develop?
Respond with sounds and gestures in a back-and-forth process called ‘serve and return’. It helps wiring the baby’s brain with positive connections
What are the cognitive development skills required for newborns to 3 months?
Sensory exploration
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 3 months to 6 months?
Early cause-and-effect unsderstanding
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 6 months to 9 months?
- Basic problem solving
- Object permanence begins to develop
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 9 months to 12 months?
- Advanced object permanence
- Simple understanding of functional relationships among objects
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 1 year to 2 years?
- Symbolic thought emerges
- Imitation and pretend play
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 2 years to 3 years?
- Solves problems through trial and error
- Understands more complex commands
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 3 years to 4 years?
- Imaginative play becomes more complex
- Understands the concept of ‘now’ ‘ soon’ ‘later’
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 4 years to 5 years?
- Grasps the concept of time
- Begins to understand numbers and counting
What are the cognitive development skills required for children aged 5 years to 6 years?
- Understands the concept of right and wrong
- Basic math skills
What are the important milestones required for newborns to 3 months?
- Begins to follow objects with eyes
- Recognises familiar objects and people at a distance
What are the important milestones required for children aged 3 months to 6 months?
- Responds to familiar faces
- Explores with hands and mouth
What are the important milestones required for children aged 6 months to 9 months?
- Looks for partially hidden objects
- Begins to understand that objects still exist even when not visible
What are the important milestones required for children aged 9 months to 12 months?
- Completes simple goals with purpose (eg: using a tool to get a toy)
- Looks for hidden objects actively
What are the important milestones required for children aged 1 year to 2 years?
- Begins to use objects correctly (eg: drinking from a cup)
- Recognises names of familiar people and objects
What are the important milestones required for children aged 2 years to 3 years?
- Begins to engage in simple make believe play
- Can sort objects by shape and colour
What are the important milestones required for children aged 3 years to 4 years?
- Can complete puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
- Understands everyday concepts (eg: food and money)
What are the important milestones required for children aged 4 years to 5 years?
- Can count to at least 10
- Recognises some letters and may write their name
- Follows a series of three commands
What are the important milestones required for children aged 5 years to 6 years?
- Can count beyond 10 and starts to add and subtract
- Recognises and writes letters and numbers
- Begins to read simple words