EDU 530 Quick Reference: Growth, Development & Infant-Toddler Stages

Growth: measurable physical changes as age increases. Examples: height, weight, organ development.
Height growth example: from $3$ ft to $4$ ft between ages.
Weight growth example: from $3$ kg at birth to $6$ kg at six months.
Brain development: at birth brain is about $0.25$ of adult weight; by $2$ years, about $0.75$ of adult weight.
Development: qualitative changes across physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and personality domains; continuous across the lifespan.
Main factors: hereditary factors (innate at birth) and environmental factors (home, nutrition, SES, culture).
Interaction of heredity and environment drives growth and development.

Development results from the interaction of the organism and its environment (nature and nurture).
Natural abilities must be nurtured to fully develop.
Developmental patterns show wide individual differences; no two people develop identically.
Development proceeds from simple to complex; learning builds on basic skills.
Growth and development progress from general to specific.
They are continuous processes across the lifespan.
Maturation (biological readiness) and learning (acquired skills) work together; readiness and practice are both needed.
Development is sequential and orderly; stages build on previous ones.

Prenatal Period (Conception to Birth): rapid growth; brain and body form.
Infancy (Birth to $18-24\text{ months}$ ): rapid physical/psychological development; language, motor, early social skills.
Early Childhood (End of Infancy to $5-6\text{ years}$ ): increasing independence; self-care; basic cognitive and social skills; imaginative play.
Middle and Late Childhood ( $6-11\text{ years}$ ): master reading/writing/math; broader social world; self-control and teamwork.
Adolescence ( $10-12\text{ years}$ to $18-22\text{ years}$ ): puberty; identity formation; abstract thinking; more time with peers.
Early Adulthood (Late teens to $30s$ ): independence; career; relationships; family formation.
Middle Adulthood (40-60 years): reflection; career satisfaction; caregiving responsibilities; mentoring.
Late Adulthood/Old Age (60s+): retirement; health changes; staying engaged via hobbies, volunteering, family.

Cephalocaudal Trend: development proceeds head to toe; head/upper body develop before legs.
Proximodistal Trend: development proceeds from center to periphery; trunk/arms before hands/fingers.
Height: babies grow about $0.30\text{ (30 percent) more in length in the first }$ $5\text{ months}$ .
Weight: birth weight typically doubles in the first several months and triples by the end of the first year.
Brain Development: at birth brain about $0.25$ of adult weight; by age $2$ years, about $0.75$ of adult weight; environment influences activity.
Motor Development: reflexes at birth → gross motor skills (crawling, walking) → fine motor skills (pinching, precise grasp).
Reflexes: Sucking, Rooting, Gripping, Moro (Startle), Curling (Toes), Galant, Tonic Neck.

Sensorimotor Stage (Piaget): birth to around $2\text{ years}$ ; knowledge through senses and actions.
Core processes:
- Coordination of sensory experiences with physical actions.
- Learning through actions; cause-and-effect understanding.
- Development of symbolic thought toward the end of the stage.
- Shift from self- (action-based) to world-oriented thinking; object permanence develops.
- Increasing intentionality, curiosity, and exploration.
Object Permanence: understanding objects exist even when not visible; crucial milestone in this stage.
Stages of Language Development:
1. Cooing: around $6-8\text{ weeks}$ .
2. Babbling: around $4-6\text{ months}$ .
3. One-word Utterances (Holophrastic Stage): $12-18\text{ months}$ .
4. Two-word Utterances (Telegraphic Stage): $18-24\text{ months}$ .
5. Basic Adult Sentence Structure: around $3\text{ years}$ ; more complex grammar.

Attachment: emotional bond with primary caregiver; signals (crying, cooing, smiling) promote closeness.
Separation Anxiety: typically around $7-12\text{ months}$ ; distress when caregiver leaves.
Regulating Emotions: progress from caregiver-led soothing to using language to express feelings (e.g., "I\'m mad!").
Temperament: innate traits (activity level, attention, persistence) shaping responses; caregivers adapt.
Adapting to Temperament: tailor strategies to child; support emotional management.
Social Skills: development of peer interactions and social norms.
Socialization of Emotion: modeling acceptable emotional expression; guidance from caregivers.
Social Referencing: infants look to caregiver for emotional cues in new situations.