Infant development Flashcards
TERATOGENS
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
- Features?
Cognitive impairment
Small head
Widely spaced eyes
Short nose
Thin upper lip, no philtrum
TERATOGENS
Can certain diseases be teratogenic?
Can certain environmental exposures be teratogenic? Example?
Yes
Yes - polychlorinated biphenols –> associated with decreased IQ and reading comprehension scores
TERATOGENS
- Does the effect of the teratogen depend on the genotype of the organism/species?
- Does the impact of teratogens change over the course of fetal development?
- Does earlier exposure generally lead to a more catastrophic effect?
- Is the effect of teratogens dose dependent?
- Is damage from teratogens always evident at birth?
Yes - eg. thalidomide is safe in rabbits
Yes
Yes
Yes
No - eg. cognitive impairment
NEWBORN REFLEXES
What purposes may they serve?
Can the newborn’s reflexes reflect the health of the child’s nervous system?
Survival implications (eg. rooting and sucking), precursors for later voluntary motor behaviour
Yes
NEWBORN REFLEXES
What are they?
ASSESSING THE NEWBORN
APGAR score
- What are the components?
Appearance (skin tone)
Pulse (heart rate)
Grimace (reflexes)
Activity (muslce tone)
Respiration (breathing effort)
ASSESSING THE NEWBORN
APGAR score
- How are the individual components scored?
- When are the scores obtained?
Each is scored from 0-2, then summed
- Good physical condition: 7+
- Needs special attention: 4-6
- Life treatening: < 3
At 1 minute (recovery from birth) and 5 minutes (adjustment to new environment)
ASSESSING THE NEWBORN
Neonatal behavioural assessment scale
- What ages can this be used?
- What four systems does it assess?
0-2 months
Autonomic: body regulation (eg. breathing)
Motor: activity level and control of the body
State: maintaining states (eg. alertness, sleep)
Social: interacting with people
TEMPERAMENT
Rothbart’s three dimensions of temperament?
Surgency/extroversion: whether a child is happy active, vocal, seeks stimulation
Negative affect: whether a child is angry, fearful, frustrated, shy, not easily soothed
Effortful control: whether a child can focus attention, is not easily distracted, can inhibit impulses
TEMPERAMENT
Nature and nurture
- Are identical twins more similar in temperament than fraternal twins?
- Which of Rothbart’s three temperament dimensions does heredity influence the most?
- Do depressed/distracted praents make the infant more fearful?
- Can temperament influence how others treat the child, and thus influence the child’s experiences?
Yes
Negative affect
Yes
Yes
TEMPERAMENT
Stability
- Does temperament tend to be somewhat stable from infancy through adulthood?
- Relationship between temperament and personality?
- Can parents nurture their children to behave in ways that are different from their temperament?
Yes
Temperament predisposes but does not guarantee later personality characteristics
Yes
PHYSICAL GROWTH
- Does rapid growth occur during infancy?
- Does this rapid growth require infants to consume large amounts of calories relative to body weight?
Yes
Yes
PHYSICAL GROWTH
Nutrition
- What is the best way to ensure proper nutrition?
- What is an advantage and disadvantage of bottle feeding//formula?
Breastfeeding
Advantage: all family members can enjoy intimacy with the bottle
Disadvantage: formulas can promote proneness t allergies and reduced immunity
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Posture and balance
- Are infants “top heavy”? Implications for balance?
- When can infants start using inner ear and visual cues to adjust posture?
Yes - can easily lose balance
A few months
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Stepping motions
- When can infants move their legs in a stepping like motion?
Walking
- Do walking skills need to be learned separately and then integrated?
- When does independent walking occur?
6-7 months
Yes
12-15 months
