U2 AOS 1 - The Human Lifespan

What are the main stages in the human lifespan?

• Prenatal

• Infancy

• Early childhood

• Late childhood

• Youth

• Early Adulthood

• Middle Adulthood

• Late Adulthood

What is the age range for the prenatal stage of the human lifespan?

Fertilisation/conception - Time of Birth

What is the age range for the infancy stage of the human lifespan?

Birth - 2nd Birthday

What is the age range for the early childhood stage of the human lifespan?

End of Infancy (2YO) - 6th Birthday

What is the age range for the late childhood stage of the human lifespan?

6th - 12th Birthday

What is the age range for the youth stage of the human lifespan?

12 (YO) - 18 (YO)

What is the age range for the early adulthood stage of the human lifespan?

18th - 40th Birthday

What is the age range for the middle adulthood stage of the human lifespan?

40th - 65th Birthday

What is the age range for the prenatal stage of the human lifespan?

65 (YO) - Death

What are the characteristics of the prenatal stage of the human lifespan?

• Development of the bodily organs and structures

• Substantial growth – fastest growth period of all human lifespan stages (from one cell to more than 200 billion cells and avg. 3.5kg)

What are the characteristics of the infancy stage of the human lifespan?

• Rapid growth (baby to toddler)

• Motor skills ( can walk, use simple words, identify familiar people, play social games & throw tantrums.

What are the characteristics of the early childhood stage of the human lifespan?

• Slow and steady growth

• Accomplishment of many new skills

• Learns social skills and will make friends

• Become toilet trained

What are the characteristics of the late childhood stage of the human lifespan?

• Slow and steady growth

• Many physical, social, emotional and intellectual changes, e.g. refining reading & writing skills, developing long-term memory, honing motor skills, understand stereotypes

What are the characteristics of the youth stage of the human lifespan?

• Rapid growth

• Increased independence & more complex relationships

• Sexual maturity

• Life goal development

What are the characteristics of the early adulthood stage of the human lifespan?

• Deciding on a career

• Choose life partner, get married, children

• Body reaches physical peak around 25-30, followed by a steady decline thereafter

• Essentially period of maintenance and repair

What are the characteristics of the middle adulthood stage of the human lifespan?

• Stability in work and relationships

• Further development of identity

• Financial security

• Physical signs of aging, and menopause

• ‘Empty nest syndrome’(when children leave home)

What are the characteristics of the late adulthood stage of the human lifespan?

• Change in lifestyle due to retirement and financial security (for most)

• Greater participation in voluntary work and leisure activities

• Reflection on life and achievements

• Grief associated with death of friends/spouse

What is a milestone?

A significant skill or event occurring in a person's life ( i.e. learning to walk, getting a job, having a child)

What is development?

• predictable and sequential changes that occur in individuals from conception to death.

• it is lifelong

• Is qualitative. This means it always changes to become more complex.