ch. 5 child development (exam 3)

what is early growth development and physical development?

• it is the physical changes that occur in infants & young children, including changes in height, weight, & motor skills as they grow.

• occurs in the first 3 years of life

• has 2 types of motor skills:

• gross motor skills (large movements)

• fine motor skills (small movements)

how does physical development work?

• the 1st year is the most rapid growth in the entire life

• by 4 months: weight should be doubled (2x)

• by 1 year: weight should be tripled (3x)

• proceeds in 2 ways:

• cephalocaudal & proximodistal

• control gross motor skills first before fine motor skills

what is cephalocaudal?

• occurs head to tail/toe

• brain grows rapidly before birth and it is 70% of the adult’s weight

• ex: babies use their arms to grasp prior learning to use their legs for walking & hold their heads up before sitting w/o support

what is proximodistal?

• center to outward

• the head and trunk is developed before arms, legs, hands & feet, then finger & toes

• ex: babies learns to use their hands to grab & then their fingers in a pincer grasp

what does nutrition breast-feeding do/it is?

• the first fluid is colostrum

• provides immunities against illness

• a natural laxative (rich fiber foods, supporting first bowel movement)

• contains less calories and fat than breast milk

• decreases about 10% body weight in babies

• gains weight when milk comes in about 3 days

• back to birth weight by 10-14 days

overweight

• usually can occur at the age of 0-2 years

• happens when a mother have a higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) or gained a lot of weight during pregnancy

• prenatal tobacco exposure

malnutrition

• caused by factors such as poverty, low-quality foods, poor dietary patterns, contaminated water, unsanitary condition, insufficient hygiene, inadequate health care & diarrheal diseases & other infections (chronic)

• intervention programs can help provide nutrition supplements, nutrition education, health care & strategies that can promote growth

what is the progression of feeding an infant during the first year?

• in the first year, infants can switch to cow’s milk (full fat vitamin D milk)

• this helps facilitate a healthy brain & all myelination

• can drink water

• can eat small diced food that considers softness

• being mindful of what is a choking hazard

what is the recommendation on how long to breastfeed?

• it is recommended to breastfeed a minimum of 6 months

• ideally 1 year, longer if both the mother and baby desire

• world health organization supports 2 years

what is colostrum and its benefits?

• colostrum is a special high-protein type of milk that is produced from the mother

• helps fight illness and provides immunities

• the baby’s immune system isn’t developed for about a year & a half/more

what are the advantages of breastfeeding for the mother?

• releases hormones

• oxytocin (hormones): helps restrict blood vessels & specifically in the uterus (where benefit comes from)

• encourages contractions (mild cramping): it exercise all kind of muscles w/ the uterus, helps everything kind of get back in place & shrink back

• speeds up “afterbirth” (expelling the placentas)

• prolactin (hormones): relaxes mother, often falls asleep & encourages body to heal after delivery

• convenient, always ready

• process of incidence of breast & cervical cancers

• less incidence of osteoporosis

• osteoporosis: hardening bones as women get older & mature

what are the advantages of breastfeeding for the baby?

• skin to skin contract

• helps establish that relationship & secure attachment

• recommended to get them inside mother’s shirt

• less likely to be obese

• lower risk of SIBS (sudden infant death syndrome)

• sucking promotes healthier dev, of oral bones and muscles

what are the disadvantages of breastfeeding?

• responsible for feeding & availability

• possible breast infections

• father may feel left out of feedings

• must be aware of what is ingested (food, drink, medication)

• some may feel uncomfortable to breastfeed in public

• a learned technique, some give up too soon

what are advantages of formula feeding?

• very convenient for babies since they can be fed by anyone

• partners can help w/ nighttime feedings, share the bonding experience

• flexible: moms don’t have to fit pumping into their schedule

• gives mom more freedom in what she eats & drinks

what are the disadvantages of formula feeding?

• they do not have the immunity-boosting benefits of breast milk

• if there are dietary needs, a special formula may be needed

• some women feel guilty if they formula feed

• social stigma: there is usually a back story for the decision (ask, don’t judge)

• breast-feeding wasn’t going well for them

what are early reflexes?

• they are automatic, innate responses to stimulation & have about 27 major reflexes which are presented at birth or soon after

• controlled by the lower brain center that takes over other involuntary processes

• ex: breathing & heart rate

what are the expected rates of growth?

• in 4 months, the weight should double

• ex: 7 pounds to 14 pounds

• by a year, the weight should triple

• ex: 14 pounds to 21 pounds

• in the second year, it should slow down

• anything that is over 3 pounds or less should be watched

• a difference in a pound or 2 should be fine for the infant

how can we support physical development?

• encouraging gross motor skills working their way up to fine motor skills

• ex: tummy time which is around 2-8 months old, putting them on their stomachs

• this example helps them work on their muscles

types of early reflexes

• moro

• darwinian (grasping)

• tonic neck

• babinski

• rooting

• walking

• swimming

what is the stimulation, baby’s behavior, typical age appearance & disappearance for moro?

• stimulation: baby is dropped/hears loud noise

• baby’s behavior: extends legs, arms, and fingers; arches back, draws back head

• typical age appearance: 7th month gestation

• typical age disappearance: 3 months

what is the stimulation, baby’s behavior, typical age appearance & disappearance for darwinian (grasping)?

• stimulation: palm of baby’s hand is stroked

• baby’s behavior: makes strong fist, can be raised to standing position if both fists are closed around a stick

• typical age appearance: 7th month gestation

• typical age disappearance: 4 months

what is the stimulation, baby’s behavior, typical age appearance & disappearance for tonic neck?

• stimulation: baby is laid down on back

• baby’s behavior: turns head to one side, assumes “fencer” position, flexes opposite limbs

• typical age appearance: 7th month gestation

• typical age disappearance: 5 months

what is the stimulation, baby’s behavior, typical age appearance & disappearance for babinski?

• stimulation: sole of baby’s foot is stroked

• baby’s behavior: toes fan out, foot twists in

• typical age appearance: birth

• typical age disappearance: 4 months

what is the stimulation, baby’s behavior, typical age appearance & disappearance for walking?

• stimulation: baby is held under arms, with bare feet touching a flat surface

• baby’s behavior: makes well-coordinated, steplike motions

• typical age appearance: 1 month

• typical age disappearance: 4 months

what is the stimulation, baby’s behavior, typical age appearance & disappearance for swimming?

• stimulation: baby is put into water face down

• baby’s behavior: makes well-coordinated swimming movements

• typical age appearance: 1 month

• typical age disappearance: 4 months

what is a milestone?

• predictable behaviors, skills that children are able to do at a certain age

average age & skills (milestone)

2 months: holds head up when on tummy, moves both arms and legs, open hands briefly

4 months: holds head steady w/o support, bats at or hold toys with hand, brings hands to mouth, pushes up to elbows when on tummy

6 months: rolls from back, pushes up with straight arms when on tummy, leans on hands to support when sitting

9 months: sits independently, uses fingers to “rake” food, moves objects from hand to hand

12 months: pulls up to stand, cruises while holding onto furniture, drinks from a cup without lid, uses pincer grasp

15 months: walks a few steps, uses fingers to eat food

18 months: walks independently, scribbles, tries to use spoon, climbs on and off furniture

what is gross motor skills?

• involving the use of large muscle groups

• ex: rolling over, catching a ball & etc

what is fine motor skills?

• requires precise coordination of small muscles

• ex: grasping a rattle, copying a circle & etc

early sensory capacities: touch & pain

• touch is the first sense to developed

• embryos will respond to touch within 8-9 weeks of pregnancy

• 2nd trimester pregnancy: the fetus response to touch when the mother rubs her belly, moving her arms, head or mouth

• 3rd trimester pregnancy: becomes more tough which allows the fetus to touch the uterine wall, yawn, cross their arms, or touch themselves

• newborns can feel pain & anesthesia is known is to be dangerous for babies

• alternatives pain managements: heel sticks, vaccines, circumcision

• pain decreases when they are being cuddled, breast-fed or a sweet solution to suck on

early sensory capacities: smell & taste

• smell & taste begins to developed in the womb

• learned in the utero, the first few days after birth & the odors transmitted through the mother’s breast milk

• eating healthy helps the baby to accept the flavors of the food

• taste develops during infancy that lasts to early childhood

• them being able to to try new foods helps limit their ingestion of potentially dangerous substances

early sensory capacities: hearing

• inside the womb, fetus can respond to sound from changes in brain activity, heart rate or physical movements

• once born, they can remember & respond differently to sounds during the last trimester of pregnancy

• 2 days old infants can recognize a word they heard up to a day earlier

• at 1 month, babies can distinguish sounds close to ba or pa

• by 11-17 weeks, infants are able to recognize & remember the entire sentences after a brief delay

early sensory capacities: sight

• the least developed sense at birth

• uses their visual information to find caregivers, food, avoiding dangers

• binocular vision: the use of both eyes to focus, enabling depth & distance which does not developed until about 4 months

• at 4-8 months, they pay attention to the mouth

• at 1 year, they start to master basic languages & shift back to eyes

depth perception

• the ability to perceive objects & surfaces in 3 dimensions

• this depends on cues that affects the image of an object on the retina of the eye where the sensory receptors are located

• cues are involved with binocular vision & motor control

• in 3 months, the baby might hold his/her head still to find out if a object is moving

haptic perception

• involves the ability to acquire information by handling objects rather than looking at them

• ex: infants put objects into their mouth

visual cliff

• an experiment to study depth perception & a fear of heights infants

• this was created by eleanor and james gibson’s ecological theory of perception

brain development: neuron

• function: sends and receive information

• contribution: develops prenatally, about 100 million at birth (too many), this is needed for movement, cognitive skills & language

brain development: dendrite

• function: a primary receiver of information from the child’s brain, contains from neurons

• 1000 dendrites per neuron

• this also reaches the different crevices of our brains

• contribution: learning, motor skills, sensory processing

• this also develop connections, they undergo the processes of integration and differentiation

brain development: axon

• function: information is getting sent out & getting picked up

• 1 axon = 1 neuron (1000 dendrites)

• sends information to other neurons

• contribution: advances language, motor skills, sensory processing, and executive function

• this forms a synaptic connection, making a faster process for myelination

brain development: synapse

• function: transfer information from axon to dendrite

• “connection” where information is sent from an axon to a dendrite of another brain cell

• critical period (in it’s developmental phrase, most likely prone to damage) for synapse develop is infancy (3-5 years)

• contribution: allows rapid learning, sensory development & motor control

brain development: myelination

• function: a layer of fat deposits on axon

• acts as insulation, speeds transmission

• whatever information is being sent, through axon, it is much more efficient & speedier in its transmission

• contribution: enhancing cognitive, motor & social-emotional skills

• this increases brain connectivity and processing speed

brain development: synaptic elimination

• function: “use it/lose it,” occurs naturally, affected by the environment

• strengthens the active ones & removes the weak connections

• contribution: removes weak synaptic connections, helps the brain to function the environment, promoting cognitive maturation, brain efficiency, neural circuits

what kind of environment should we provide to support healthy brain development in young children?

• by reading, talking & singing

• using appropriate toys & simulation