Development across lifespan
Developmental tasks of the infant
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Physical development is rapid during the first two years of life
Within 4-6 months the baby is double its birth weight, and by the age of 2 years the
child is about half its adult height
Thereafter, growths slows down until the next growth spurt at puberty
Motor skills: divided into gross motor skills(large muscle movements) and fine motor
skills(small muscle movements)
What's the difference between fine and gross motor skills?
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Motor skills are motions carried out when the brain, nervous system, and muscles work
together. Fine motor skills are small movements such as picking up small objects and
holding a spoon that use the small muscles of the fingers, toes, wrists, lips, and
tongue. Gross motor skills are the bigger movements such as rolling over and sitting
that use the large muscles in the arms, legs, torso, and feet.
Developmental tasks of the infant: Gross Motor Movement
Developmental milestones:
Motor Development
Sequence of motor development
Developmental tasks of the infant: Gross Motor Movement
Babies are not all the same
Differences when they achieve their physical milestones are an indication to assess whether
the child grows within normal ranges
Developmental tasks of the infant: Fine motor skills
In the first two years of life, skills as grasping and reaching develops
Hand-eye coordination also develops in the first two years of life
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Motor development
o Is the development of an infants ability to move their arms and legs
o Large motor actions develop first: they lift their heads, roll over, sit, crawl and
eventually walk
o Fine motor movements also develops gradually. At first the infant grasps an
object with the while hand, and in time holds the object between fingers
o As the sensory functions and the fine and large motor systems become
integrated, more complex actions are possible
o Sensory integration and autism spectrum disorders
Sensory integration dysfunction is a common symptom of autism. Often, autistic children
receive too much sensory stimulation through one or more of their senses, and in order to
turn down the volume, they tend to avoid people, noises and bright lights. Autistic children
do not develop the neurotypical capacity to integrate and modulate information from the five
senses.
Motor development
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Motor skills and bi-lateral co-ordination improves dramatically during early childhood
Sequence of development more or less the same with all babies
Neonatal Reflexes
Emotional, Personality and Social development
Emotional Attachment
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All babies are born with skills that help them survive
These skills help them interact and form relationships with others
The earliest relationships are the foundations for their social development in the
future
Attachment is the special bond that links the baby with the primary caregiver, which is
also felt by the caregiver
Emotional, Personality and Social development
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Babies learn to smile by the age of 6 weeks, and this makes the caregivers respond
with love and protection
Before the age of 6 it is reflex reaction
Feeding plays a big part of the attachment relationship
Not just the feeding- but the comfort, soothing touch of the caregiver that leads to
attachment
Emotional, Personality and Social development
- When babies are unable to rely on their caregivers, they might have difficulty trusting
others
Babies also learn to copy the facial expressions of others
Emotional, Personality and Social development
Factors that promote attachment behaviors:
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The caregivers personality
Their general attitude towards children
The quality of the marital relationship
The attitude of the parent towards the child
Their socio-economic situation
Types of attachment
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Secure Attachment
Avoidant Attachment
Ambivalent Attachment
Disorganised Attachment
Speech and language development
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Begins with the sounds that babies make when they are born
Speech takes place in a sequence
First sounds are called cooing
Consonant sounds at 5 months of age
By 8 months babies keep quiet when somebody talks to them
At 1 year of age they can say words
The role of fathers during child development
Fathers play an important role in a child's development from birth through adulthood.
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In fact, numerous studies have reached the same conclusion: Children with involved
fathers have an advantage -- socially and academically -- over children with distant or
no relationships with their fathers
Research found better language skills and fewer behavioral problems in children with
an actively involved father.
The role of fathers during child development
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Interestingly, this result holds true even if the father doesn't live in the same home as
the child -- for example, in divorce situations. It appears that how involved the dad is
-- not where he lives in relation to the child -- is the crucial factor.
Children with fathers who take the time to ask about what they learned in school and
their day-to-day social activities and relationships do better in school than kids who
don't have that kind of input or interest.
And it's important to note that this father figure doesn't have to be a biological father
in order for children to benefit. It can be an adoptive father, stepfather, or an adult
male in the household.
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
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Sensitive and responsive caregiving is a requirement for the healthy
neurophysiological, physical and psychological development of a child.
- Sensitivity and responsiveness have been identified as key features of
caregiving behaviour related to later positive health and development
outcomes in young children
Sensitivity is an awareness of the infant and an awareness of the infants acts and
vocalizations as communicative signals to indicate needs and wants.
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
Sensitivity is an awareness of the infant and an awareness of the infants acts and
vocalizations as communicative signals to indicate needs and wants. Responsiveness is
the capacity of caregivers to respond contingently and appropriately to the infants
signals.
To ensure the childs health and growth, caregivers need to be sensitive to the physical
state of the young child, to be able to judge whether the child is hungry, tired, needs
toileting, or is becoming sick.
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
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Responsive caregivers are able to make these judgements because they monitor the
childs movements, expressions, colour, temperature, and the like.
By continuously taking account of the childs response, they are able to adjust their
own actions to achieve an optimum outcome
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
Inadequate, disrupted and negligent care has adverse consequences for the childs
survival, health and development.
The quality of caregiving relationships has an impact on childrens health and
development.
These effects occur because children, whose care is less than adequate or whose care
is disrupted in some way, may not receive sufficient nutrition; they may be subjected
to stress; they may be physically abused and neglected; they may develop
malnutrition; they may not grow well; and early signs of illness may not be detected.
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
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Factors directly affecting the caregiver and child, as well as underlying social and
economic issues, influence the quality of caregiver-child relationships.
Barriers to the natural emergence of a caring relationship disrupt the care a child
needs.
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Caregiver mood and emotional state are critical determinants of caregiver behaviour,
for example, with consequences for the childs health and development
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
Faced with chronic stress or anxiety, the caregiver may withdraw from her infant and
become inattentive to the childs physical and psychological states.
With a lack of attention and poor surveillance, the caregiver is not aware of early signs
of illness that a child has not eaten sufficiently during the last meal or that no one has
praised the child for efforts to do something or provided the child with guidance and
limits for behavior.
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
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Chronic stress, associated with poverty and other environmental challenges, can also
disrupt the capacity of adults to give loving care.
The effects of caregiving on young children can persist well into adolescence in the
form of behavior disorders, anxiety, and depression
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
Nurturing caregiver-child relationships have universal features across cultures,
regardless of differences in specific child care practices
In all human groups, babies depend on warm, responsive, linguistically rich, and
protective relationships in which to grow and develop
They cannot survive in environments that do not meet threshold levels of these
characteristics
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
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Caregivers in all cultures demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness towards infants
and young children, although the form of the caregivers actions may vary considerably
from one cultural milieu to another.
Sometimes these features of caregiver-child relationships are not so easily observed
because interactions with children, or the expression of emotions, are kept private as
a matter of social convention.
This does not mean, however, that caring adults do not watch young infants, cuddle
and talk to them, and stimulate babies to develop skills indicative of healthy growth
and wellbeing
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
Siblings play a powerful role in child development
While siblings might compete for attention in the household, they can also become
supportive friends and role models
Siblings who interact frequently influence the other's social behaviors and personalities
as they develop into adults
Children who grow up with older siblings observe and mimic their social behaviors
because they regularly encounter similar circumstances and environments
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
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Siblings can shape each other's personalities, and birth order can be key. For instance,
an older sibling, who is used to being the first to learn things, might become more
confident and develop stronger leadership skills
Firstborn children, who are often surrogates for their parents as caregivers, teachers,
and models, enjoy a greater status/power position in relationship to their younger
siblings
A middle child might become insecure and attention-seeking because she is neither
the beloved first born nor the adored baby. He/she might be rebellious or competitive.
The youngest might become spontaneous and outgoing.
The role of other care givers and siblings during child development
As first playmates, siblings can build close bonds
They might enjoy spending time together and learning from each other
While siblings might compete early on, those who are coached properly by their
parents can eventually develop relationships of love and support
By watching and listening to a sibling, children strengthen their communication skills
