Week Three - Motor Development Flashcards
Physical growth has what?
Important psychological ramifications
Much of childhood consists of?
Rapid growth spurts
How do baby faces foster attachment?
Babies have larger foreheads, features are in the lower part of the the face, they have large round eyes and high, prominent cheeks.
This looks attractive to adults and encourages social bonds
Explain the development of the brain weight/size and body in relation to growing in infancy?
at birth the brain is 25% of adult weight and the body is 5% of the adult weight
at 2 years the brain is 75% of adult weight and the body is 20% of adult weight
Explain lobes in the brains development
Forebrain is small at start (hind/mid brain is larger) which is very different to adulthood
What physical growth changes occur in adolescence?
Secondary sexual characteristics develop
Body becomes ready to reproduce
What physical growth changes occur in early adulthood?
Peak athletic skills, endurance and strength
What physical growth changes occur in middle adulthood?
Basal metabolism declines, muscle mass declines and fat deposits increase
What physical growth changes occur in late adulthood?
Gradual decrease in: mobility muscle and bone strength joints heart/lung performance
hair whites
wrinkles
height/weight decrease
The growth and development of body movements involves changes in?
Reflexes
gross motor skills
fine motor skills
At what age are body proportions similar to adults?
By 5 years
What are reflexes?
Innate patterns of behaviour
What is the diagnostic significance of infant reflexes?
If they persist into childhood, they can cause problems
Which reflexes are present during foetal stages?
Sucking: month 2-3
Rooting: month 2-3
Grasping: months 4-6
Blinking: month 6-7
What are the 2 main reflexes?
Survival and grasp
What are some survival reflexes?
Breathing
Sucking
Blinking
Rooting
What are some grasp reflexes?
Palmer grasp: palm grasps object (disappears age 4-6 months)
Plantar: toes curl in when instep slightly touched (disappears age 9-12 months)
What is a moro reflex?
When head allowed to drop, arms spread out then retract and baby usually cries
What happens if the moro/startle reflex is persistent (doesn’t disappear)?
May mean some malfunctioning CNS or other brainstem problems, potential for intellectual disability
What is the Babinski reflex?
Where the toes curl outward like a fan when the sole of the foot is stroked
When is the babinski reflex present?
Present from birth to 12-18 months
The babinski reflex is absent in babies with?
Lower spinal cord defects
When do reflexes start to lose dominance?
By 6 months of age as voluntary control starts to take over
In the transition from reflexes to basic motor movements, what is involved?
Controlling of head, neck
Manipulative movements
Locomotion movements
What do gross motor development movements use?
Large muscles of arms, legs and torso
What are the major milestones of gross motor development?
Lifting head (4 weeks)
Rolling side to side (2-5 months)
Sitting alone (5-9)
Move around on own (7)
Stand with help (10 mo)
Stand alone (12)
Steps (12-13 mo)
With gross motor skills - what is the differences between younger children and older children in regard to mastery?
YC: mastery is goal
OC: mastery is a means to an end
What does fine motor development use?
Small msucles throughout the whole body
What is a fine motor movement in newborns
Pre-reaching (attempting to grasp objects they want)
What fine motor skills emerge as separate by 4-5 months old?
Reaching and grasping
What are the two types of grasps required for fine motor development?
Ulnar grasp: fingers close against palm
Pincer grasp: thumb and forefinger
At 3 yo, what FMS can they perform?
Pincer-grasping, undo buttons, jigsaw puzzles
At 4 yo, what FMS can they perform?
fold paper, build towers
At 5 yo, what FMS can they perform?
build elaborate structures, use a pen
Later motor development involves?
Refinement and the building of the skills developed in early childhood
Increased motor skill development in adolescents/adults is due to
Due to increased body size, muscle mass, strength, experience
What age do we see declines in motor skills?
30-70 years we have a 25-30% decline in muscle mass, by 80 we have a 50% decline
What mechanisms allow for improvements in motor skills?
PHYSICAL: body becomes larger and stronger, centre of gravity moves downward
NEURONAL: develop greater myelination of cerebellar neurons (ie great balance and coordination)
PRACTICE: more opportunity to practice as we age
Explain the sex differences in motor development?
Boys: greater muscle strength - more rough play
Girls: greater balance, coordination, FINE motor skills
Why do we see gender differences in motor development?
Due to social roles
- reinforced for adhering to sex-types roles
- leads to further practice/achievement and therefore further differences
What is a determining factor of motor development skills?
Maturation
As well as maturation - what else is significantly important in developing motor skills?
Practice
- children deprived of practice in first 12-24 months have delayed sitting/walking
- those given extra stimulation have earlier sitting/walking
What does the Dynamic Systems approach propose about motor behaviours?
Motor behaviours are not inevitable physical milestones - they are dynamic and can change with environmental circumstances
If the goal is to reach a toy - crawling is preferred patterns but scooting is an alternative (the preferred pattern is often constrained by links in motor system at the time)
Children who perceive themselves as having poor motor skills report experiencing?
Feel sad about themselves and are rejected by peers
What is required for optimal motor development in infancy?
In the first 2 years, children need to freedom of movement, environmental stimulation and interaction with physical and social environment
