lifepsna topics 1-4

direction of physical growth 12-24months

cephalocaudal and proximodistal

Growth rate from infancy to puberty

head growth slow

trunk growth moderate

limb growth faster

hands and feet most rapid

Rudimentary movement phase age

0-24 months

Fundamental movement phase age

1-6 yrs

Key physical milestones 9-15 months

Sitting: able to move in and out of sitting

Creeping: creeps on hands and knees

Pulls to stand: crawls to support and pulls up

Cruises: walks along furniture

Stands alone and walks: without support, walk with wide base. gets up from floor

Squats: able to maintain balance

Eye-hand coordination: fine pincer grasp to use tools

Progression from rudimentary to fundamental

Continues to develop skills learnt in first 12-15 months

Sitting develops variety of posture

Stands with less support

Climbing skills progress

Standing becomes more erect

As progress develop:

• increased postural stability

• decreased base of support

• increased propulsion against gravity

Gross motor skills: locomotion

Walking, then running, then jumping, then one leg balance

Climbing stairs

becomes easier from 12 months

Going down stairs on hands and knees

Harder/more advanced, better at 15-18mths.

prehension meaning

reaching for, grasping, or holding an item

manipulation meaning

adjusting or moving that item inside the hand without using the other hand

fine motor grasps infant

Crude palmar grasp, palmar grasp, radial palmar grasp

Raking grasp

Radial digital grasp

Inferior pincer grasp(most advanced, 10-12 mths

Fine motor skills: manipulation under 18 mths

Improved attention span leads to devleopment of challenging fine motor skills

• hitting pegs into peg board with hammer

• feeding self with hands

• using spoon/fork

• hand preference developing

• clapping hands together

• scribbling with pencil or crayon in fist

Fine motor skills: manipulation: 18-24 mths

Increased confidence

• Manipulate play dough

• Stacking four or more blocks

• Dressing/undressing

• Pincer grasp

• Feed self with spoon

• turn pages of book (2/3 pages at a time)

Sensorimotor stage 8-18 months

Intentional behaviour

• Begins problem solving (uncovering hidden toy on string)

• Imitation of adult actions

• trying different actions to achieve outcome

Sensorimotor stage 18-24 months

Mental representation

• Mental pictures/images of objects, people, places, and concepts by grouping together similar objects/events

• Experiment with actions in their heads not just trial and error

Language at age 2

Two word sentences

Extend object permanence to consistencies of many times

Start to represent the world with symbols and language

Language milestones 12 mths

Balbbing inclduing sounds and intonation of community language

Turntaking games

First recognisable workincluding

Language milestones 18-24 months

Vocabulary expands to 50-200 words. Can combine 2 words to make short sentences.

2nd year of life erikson’s psychosocial stage

Autonomy- doubt

Autonomy vs doubt favourable outcome

Sense of self control and adequacy

Autonomy vs doubt unfavourable outcome

Feelings of shame and self-doubt

Bowlby’s theory of attachement (6-8months - 18-24 months)

Clear-cut attachment: infant displays separation anxiety

Bowlby’s theory of attachement (18-24 months on)

Infant starts to understand parent coming and going and that they will return

Circle of security

develop enduring affectionate tie with caregiver that use as a secure base in parent’s absence. Provides a guide for all future close relationships

cognition

process by which sensory inputs are transformed reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used. includes attention, reasoning, sequencing, planning, decision making, wayfinding, problem solving, and comprehending/producign language

sensory capabilities at birth

Hearing, Gustatory (taste), Olfactory (smell), Tactile (light, touch, pressure, temp, pain), and vestibular (balance)

Anatomical development at 6 months gestation

Eye, ear, nose, tongue (and associated neural pathways) are well developed

Sequence of functional development

1. Touch

2. taste

3. smell

4. hearing

5. sight

6. balance

Sensory receptors

Interoreceptors, exteroreceptors, proprioceptors

Interoreceptors

internal sensory stimuli (blood pressure, thirst, pain)

Exteroreceptors

Sensory stimuli from environment (light, sound, smell, touch, taste)

Proprioceptors

Somatosensory stimuli from orientation of body in space (joints, muscles, tendons, inner ear)

poorly development senses at birth

Vision and proprioception

Vision at birth

Visual acuity and focusing limited. Some (not a lot) colour perception.

Vision development infant

Visual pursuit (following moviing object with eyes) by 1-2 weeks

Depth perception by 2-3 months

Eye contact and limb movmeent to engage adult by 3 months

hold rattle and bring into visual field (4-6 months)

Discriminate details by 6-7 months (close to adult capacity)

Increase in density of visual cortex synapses rapid up to 8 months

Visual perception

Close objects stimulate reach and grasp.

Object permanence (6-12 months)

Start to understand that picture represents object

Follows gaze of parent to object

Shows object to parent

Learns about object from parent’s response

Hearing development infant

At birth able to discriminate wide range of sounds. (eg 3 day old newborn prefers mum’s voice to strangers)

Auditory nerve is well myelinated

Auditory cortex less well developed

taste (infant)

Able to discriminate smells and tastes at birth (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami)

Vestibular at birth (infant)

Well developed

Semicircular canals in inner ear detect movement (linear and angular accelerations

Important for development of postural control

Proprioception development (infant)

Touch and pain well devleoped but sensors in joints and muscles poorly developed at birth

Important for development of postural control

Intermodel perception

Integrating sensory info from multiple systems

Amodal perception

Single perceptual info

Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory

build schemas through direct interaction with the environment

Change occurs throguh adaptation: assimilation and accomodation.

Schemas are linked internally together to develop cognitive system

Sensorimotor stage birth-8 months

Repeating chance behaviours:

• Actions may be reflex initially but baby starts to volitionally repeat to get the visual/auditory/tactile response

Sensorimotor stage 8-18 months

Intentional behavious=r:

• Beginning of problem solving (eg uncovering hidden toy)

• Imitation of adult actions

• Try different actions to achieve an outcome

Sensorimotor stage 18-24 months

Mental representation

• Create mental pictures (images) of objects, people, places, and concepts by grouping together similar objects/events

• Experiment with actions “in their heads” not just trial & error

Language milestones by month infant

2 months: infants coo, making pleasant vowel sounds

4 months: observe caregiver playing turn-taking game

6 months: Babble, adding consonant sounds

8-12 months: comprehend some words, establist joint attention with caregiver who names objects. Can wave, show, point, etc.

Language development up to age 1

Changes from relxive to self-assertive and purposeful

Cognition and language mutually support each other

1 yr old: 1 word sentences

Starting to represent world with symbols and language

Extending object permanence

Erikson’s psycho-social stages

Each stage features a core social conflict that shapes personality

Erikson’s psycho-social stage 1st year of life

Crisis: trust vs mistrust

Favourable outcome: faith in environment and future events

Unfavourable outcome: suspicion, fear of future events

Personality

An individual’s disposition to respond and distinctive mode of behaviour:

• Openness to experience

• Conscientiousness

• Extraversion/introversion

• Agreeableness

• Neuroticism

Temperament

Personal characteristics or behaviour dispositions (more permanent but not unchanging)

• Activity level

• rhythmicity

• Approach/withdrawl

• Adaptability

• Sensory threshold

• Mood quality

• Intensity of reactions

• Distractibility

• Persistence

• Attention

Positive outcome of trust vs mistrust crisis

When resolved with responsive attuned parenting, infant feels secure to venture out.

Factors affecting parental responsiveness to infant

Personal happiness

Life conditions

Culturally valued child-rearing

Infant emotional development

Emotional expression become more organised (6 months)

Social referencing 8-10 months:

• seeking emotional info from trusted person in uncertain situation

• voice plus facial expression more effective reassurance than expression alone

Behavioural theories - Bowlby (infant)

Pre-attachment (birth to 6 weeks)

• babies’ built in signals attract adults to provide care

Attachment in the making (6 weeks to 6-8 months)

• expect caregiver to respond but not concerned if separated

“Clear-cut” attachment (6-8m to 18-24m)

• displays separation anxiety.

• can attach to several people (eg childcarer, parent, grandparent)

Formation of a reciprocal relationship (18-24m onwards)

• start to understand parent coming and going and that they’ll return.

Circle of security (infant)

Develop enduring affectionate tie with caregivier to use as a secure base in parent’s absence

Attachment security factors

Opportunity for attachment:

• lack of opportunity → disrupted formation of neural structures involved in reading emotions

Quality of caregiving

Infant characteristics

Securely attached babies were rated

Higher in self-esteem, social skills, and empathy at age 4-5.

Better social skills at age 11.

Disorganised/disorientated attachment (babies) struggle with:

internalising problems, externalising problems

APGAR

five physical traits assessed at birth: Activity (muscle tone), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (irritability/reflex response), Appearance (skin colour & oxygenation), and Respiration (crying/breathing effort).

Apgar score assessment

A physical condition test performed at $1$ minute and $5$ minutes after birth; a combined score of $7$ or higher out of $10$ signifies a good condition.

Growth

Physical change in quantity, such as increases in body size involving height, weight, bone growth, and brain growth, rather than skill acquisition.

Maturation

Progression along a predefined timeframe to a more advanced stage.

WHO Child Growth Standards

Charts used to plot expected weight-for-age, height/length-for-age, and head circumference against percentiles, reflecting genetic and environmental variability.

Cephalocaudal development

A developmental principle where progress proceeds from head to foot.

head control developing before leg control.

Proximo-distal development

A developmental principle where progress proceeds from the midline to the extremities, such as the trunk before arms and legs.

Reciprocal interweaving

Gesell's concept describing three directional shifts: gross to fine motor (differentiation), simple to complex (integration), and involuntary to voluntary.

Posture principle

development moves from stability to mobility; an infant must be stable before becoming mobile.

Reflex

An involuntary movement produced in response to a specific sensory stimulus.

Reflex Inhibitory Process

The brain cortex encodes a pattern then decodes or inhibits the reflex as the brain develops, allowing voluntary control to take over.

Gallahue's Movement Phases

Reflexive (conception to $6$ months), Rudimentary ($0$-$24$ months), Fundamental ($1$-$6$ years), and Specialised ($5$ years+).

Gallahue's Functional Tasks

The three categories movement is classified into: Stability, Locomotion, and Manipulation.

Sucking reflex

An automatic response where the infant sucks when an object touches the mouth; it disappears around $4$ months as feeding becomes voluntary.

Rooting reflex

A response where the head turns and mouth opens when the cheek or corner of the mouth is touched; it disappears around $1$ month.

Moro (startle) reflex

A response to sudden stimulation where the infant arches the back, throws the head back, and flings limbs out before closing them; it disappears around $6$ months.

Babinski reflex

A response to pressure on the sole of the foot where the toes fan out and the foot twists medially; it disappears around $4$-$5$ months.

Palmar grasp reflex

A tight automatic grasp when the palm is touched; it weakens around $3$-$4$ months as voluntary grasping develops.

Plantar grasp reflex

A response to pressure under the toes where the toes flex and legs extend; it disappears around $6$-$9$ months as weight-bearing begins.

Asymmetric tonic neck reflex

Also known as the 'fencing posture,' where rotating the head to one side causes limbs on the face side to extend and limbs on the skull side to flex.

Symmetric tonic neck reflex

A response where arms and legs extend or flex together to balance the body when the infant is tipped forward or backward; disappears around $4$ months.

Stepping reflex

A response where the infant takes 'steps' when held vertically with feet touching a surface; it disappears around $2$ months.

Pull-up reflex

An involuntary response where the infant grabs a person's hands and attempts to pull themselves into an upright position.

Parachute reflex

A protective postural response where the arms and legs extend outward as if the infant is being dropped; appears around $3$ months.

Neuron proliferation

The rapid creation of neurons before birth, occurring at a rate of roughly $250,000$ per minute.

Neuron migration

The process where neurons travel to their designated parts of the brain, reaching completion by birth.

Neuron differentiation

The process where neurons specialise into different types based on their function and the stimuli an infant experiences.

Synaptogenesis

The formation of synapses or connections between neurons, influenced significantly by early experiences.

Synaptic pruning

The process where unstimulated neurons lose their synapses, following the principle of 'use it or lose it.'

Neuron death

A normal refinement process where roughly $40$-$60$% of all neurons die soon after birth to refine brain connections.

Myelination

A process that increases the speed of neural impulses; it begins before birth and continues until puberty.

Gross motor development systems

motor behaviour emerges from interacting systems—nervous, musculoskeletal, perceptual/environmental, and infant motivation—rather than just the CNS.

Stereotypies

Normal, repetitive movements of constant form, like leg-kicking or rattle-banging, that decline as voluntary control develops. occur from 1-12 months

Static gross motor postures

The four stationary motor positions: Prone, supine, sit, and kneel/stand.

Dynamic gross motor postures

The four movement-based motor positions: Crawl/creep, roll, pivot, and walk.

Prone (Birth-$4$ weeks)

A position where the infant is tummy down with arms and legs flexed, unable to lift the head.

Supine (Birth-$4$ weeks)

A position on the back where gravity pulls limbs down and the infant cannot roll or move independently.

Pulled to sit ($3.5$-$5$ months)

A milestone where the head stays in line with the trunk, arms flex to assist, and neck flexion (chin-tuck) is maintained.

4-point kneel ($7$-$9$ months)

A posture with weight on hands and knees, where legs are flexed and abducted, often involving rocking back and forth.