Week 3: Physcial Growth, Reflexes, Motor Skills Flashcards
Much of childhood consists of…
Rapid growth spurts
By 5 months a child should weigh..
Double their birth rate
By 12 months a child will be..
Triple their birth weight and double birth length
What happens to a child’s weight at 24 months
Weight and height continue to increase muscle replaces fat and they become leaner they don’t need the baby fat to stay protected and warm any more
How do baby faces foster attachment
A large forehead with features in the lower part of the face with large round eyes and high prominent cheeks looks attractive to adults you feel a desire to look after them protect them which encourages a social bond
Explain brain sizes in comparison to body size at birth and at two years
At birth a child has 25% of The adult brain weight and only 5% of their adult body weight
At two years they have 75% of their brain weight and 20% of their adult body weight
The brain matured early as we needed to do things while we grow
Explain brain development
The forebrain is tiny at the start
A lot of effort is in the middle and hind brain such as breathing standing up etc but this gets smaller as you grow and the fore brain becomes larger
What physical growth changes occur in adolescence
Secondary sexual characteristics develop and the body becomes ready to reproduce
What physical growth occurs during early adult hood
20-40
Peak athletic skills with high endurance and explosive strength
What physical growth changes occur in middle adult hood
40-65
BMR declines
Muscle mass declines and fats increase
What physical changes occur in late adulthood
65+
Gradual decrease in mobility, muscle and bone strength, joint flexibility, heart and lung performance
Hair whitens, skin wrinkles and sags, height and weight decrease
Throughout childhood how much height is gained per year
Roughly 5 to 7.5 cm
Throughout childhood how much body weight is gained each year
Approximately 2.5 kg
At what age a body proportions similar to adults
By five years of age
At what age do bones harden or ossify
Between ages two and six
What happens to bones after the age of six
They lengthen and broaden
Facial bones grow causing the face to lengthen and the mouth to widen
What is the first step in motor development
Reflexes
What are infant reflexes
They are innate patterns of behaviour
What is the diagnostics significance of infant reflexes
If they persist into childhood it may indicate a problem
Which reflexes are present even during foetal development before birth
Sucking and rooting (m2-3)
Grasping (m4-6)
Blinking (m6-7)
What are considered survival reflexes
Breathing, blinking, rooting (touch on cheek means infant will move mouth towards the source), sucking
What are the two different grasp reflexes
Palmer: Touch palm hand will close around it
Plantar: When a finger is placed under the toes they curl up
What age does the palmar reflex disappear
4-6 months
What age does the plantar reflex disappear
9-12 months
What is the Moro reflex?
Also known as the startle reflex
Loud noise or a sudden movement = infant will extend the arms with palms up and then move arms back to the body
When does the startle reflex disappear
Around six months of age
If it persists it may mean a malfunctioning central nervous system or other brainstem problems
Maybe a marker of an intellectual disability later in life
What is the rooting reflex
You can stroke the cheek or the side of the mouth this makes the infant turn the head towards it
The mouth will open in an attempt to suck, it helps the baby find a food source
When does the rooting reflex disappear
Around four months of age
What is the sucking reflex
When something touches the roof of the baby’s mouth they will begin to suck
When does the sucking reflex disappear
Around four months of age sucking becomes voluntary
What is the babinski reflex?
If you stroke the bottom of the foot from the heel upwards along the outward part of the foot the big toe bends back and the other toes fan out
Disappears around 12 to 18 months this is absent in babies with lower spinal-cord defects
What is the crawling reflex
Placed on the stomach and pressure is applied to the sole of the foot they will attempt to push against it and move their arms and legs in a crawling like motion
This disappears a few weeks to months after birth
What is the step reflex
If you hold a child upright with the legs and feet touching the surface the infant Will move their legs like they’re taking steps or walking
When does the step reflex disappear
About three or four months
What is the tonic neck/fencing reflex
The head is turned to the side. The leg and arm on that side will extend while the leg and arm on the opposite side will flex
When do reflexes start to lose their dominance
Around six months when voluntary control starts to take over
This is good because it shows the neuro system is developing
What do gross motor muscles consist of
Large muscles of arms legs and torso
What are the major milestones of gross motor development
Can lift head from supine position (4W) Can roll from side to side (2-5m) Can sit alone (5-9m) Can move around on their own (7m) Can stand with help (10m) 1/2 can stand alone (12m) First independent steps (12-13m)
What are some more complex gross motor skills
Throw/catch a ball
Ride bike
Swing on bars
What does fine motor development involve
Small muscles throughout the body
What a fine motor development is seen in newborns
Pre-reaching
By 4 to 5 months what fine motor development is seen
Reaching and grasping emerge as two separate skills they require coordinated hand, head and eye gaze
What two different types of grasps are required for fine motor development
Ulnar grasp: fingers closed against palm
Pincer grasp: thumb and forefinger
What are some examples of skills that involve fine motor muscles
Tying shoelaces, washing hands, buttons, zips, using cutlery, cutting with scissors, turning doorknobs
What kind of things do we see in a three year olds fine motor skills
Pincer-grasp objects, Undoing buttons, simple jigsaw puzzles, building wobbly towers
What kind of things do we see in four and five-year-olds find motor skills
Four-year-olds can fold paper and build smooth towers and five-year-olds can build elaborate structures and use pens
What do we see in motor skills throughout adolescence and into adult hood
From seven until 17 years there is a significant improvement in motor skills this is encouraged by increased body size, muscle mass, strength, heart and lungs and experience
30 years is when we see peak physical performance and then from here until 70 years there is a 25 to 30% decline in muscle mass in strength reaching a 50% decline by 80
What mechanisms allow improvements in motor skills
Physical development such as how the body becomes larger and stronger in the centre of gravity moves downwards
Neuro development there is a greater myelination of cerebral neurons so better balance and improve coordination of motor movements
And practice the opportunity to practice new skills
Are there any sex differences in motor development
Minor sex differences do exist
Boys have greater muscle strength and more rough-and-tumble play
Girls have greater balance and coordination, fine motor skills, more quiet activities
How are sex differences in motor development due to social roles
Through adhering to sex type roles that may lead to further practice and so the differences of these motor skills
What do we see in children that are deprived of motor practice in the first 12 to 24 months of life
They actually show delay sitting and delayed walking times
Children who were given extra motor stimulation had earlier sitting and walking
Explain the dynamic systems approach
Motor behaviours are not inevitable physical milestones
Dynamic and can change with environmental circumstances for example if the goal is to reach an exciting toy the preferred solution would be crawling however on alternative solution is scooting
The preferred pattern is constrained by links in motor system at the time
What is typical of children who perceive themselves as having poor motor skills
Typically rejected by peers
Explain motor development at school
Most young children to participate in sport however this diminishes with age
Boys prefer physical sport more than girls
A lack of exercise links with obesity and its problems so the government recommends one hour exercise per day but school requirements are only for at least two hours per week
Explain the study with people balancing on one leg with their eyes open
The amount of people who can do it shows a dramatic increase between childhood and school age and then again between school age and adolescence
There is that a plateau until people reach the 30s and then there is a moderate linear decrease between 30 and 50 followed by a strong linear decrease until people reach their 80s
Explain orphanage studies and the role of maturation in motor development
Children were often left in their cots laying on their backs and this had a dramatic effect on the motor development
Show that maturation is necessary but it is not sufficient enough alone for motor skills to develop
How does the orphanage study compare to Hopi Indian children
This children spent the first three months strapped to their mother‘s back they had restricted movement but we re not retarded like the children in the orphanage studies this is thought to be because these children otherwise had a rich and stimulating sensory and social environment as they were carried about
How does the orphanage children study relate to the children in northern China and their motor development
In northern China mothers abandoned the use of conventional nappies and instead used sandbags that restricted the children’s movement
Mothers only make contact with children to breastfeed and ignore the babies when they cried these babies were also retarded
What is required for optimal motor development
In the first two years children needs freedom freedom of movement environmental stimulation and interaction with the physical and social environment
