L13 - Development through the lifespan - child dev and adolescence

Question 1

Why is it important to understand child development?

Answer 1

1. To recognise abnormal and normal development
2. Help to treat and interact with children - not little adults
3. Dr.s often expect more of children than they are able to understanding

Question 2

What do children develop?

Answer 2

1. Cognitive
   - Psychomotor skills
   - Perception
   - Memory
   - Language
   - Reasoning
2. Social
   - Attachments
   - How to behave/ rules
   - Relationships
   - Peer friendships

Question 3

What are the different cognitive developments that children experience from birth - old age?

Answer 3

Birth - 2 yo = Sensorimotor
2 - 7 yo = Preoperational
7 - 12 yo = Concrete operations
12+ yo (earliest) = Formal operations

Question 4

What is included in the sensorimotor cognitive development of people?

Answer 4

BIRTH - 2 YO

• Acquire knowledge through sensory experiences and motor activity
• Change from babies who respond through reflexes into goal-orientated toddlers
• 6 sub-stages

Question 5

What is included in the preoperational cognitive development of people?

Answer 5

2 - 7 YO

• Aware only of immediate environment
• Thought remains empirical rather than logical
• Development of locomotion
• Cannot generalise from one experience to another
• Differentiate poorly between selves and outside world
• Developing language skills
• Does not understand permanence of death
• Do not spontaneously conceptualise the internal parts of the body
• Magical thinking? - ppl have powers over others

Question 6

What is included in the concrete operations cognitive development of people?

Answer 6

7 - 12 YO

• Emergence of clear differentiation between self and others
• Understand more than one dimension of situation
• Can still only understand phenomena from real world and not hypothetical situations

Question 7

What is included in the formal operations cognitive development of people?

Answer 7

12+ YO

• Begin to think hypothetically and abstractly
• Fill in gaps in their knowledge with generalisations from prior experiences
• Differentiate selves from external world

Question 8

What could you look out for in children up to 24 months for abnormal development?

Answer 8

1. At any age - any loss of skills of language
2. By 12 months - no babble or gesture (e.g. no pointing)
3. By 18 months - no single words
4. By 24 months - no two spontaneous word

Question 9

What could you look out for in children of 2 - 3 years onwards for abnormal development?

Answer 9

1. Communication problems (e.g. little no smiling or social response)
2. Lack of poor eye contact
3. Extreme emotional reactions and aggression
4. Over or under sensitivity to stimuli (e.g. light, sound, touch)

Question 10

What could be some reasons for variation in development?

Answer 10

1. Individual differences
2. Environmental factors
3. Developmental or congenital disorders
   (4. Child abuse or neglect)

Question 11

What are some possible signs of physical and emotional abuse?

Answer 11

• Unexplained or repeated injuries (bruises or burns)
• Injuries in the shape of an object
• Injuries not likely to happen given age or ability of child
• Disagreement between child’s and parent’s explanation of injury
• Obvious neglect
• Fearful behaviour
• Aggressive or withdrawn behaviour
• Afraid to go home

Question 12

What are some possible signs of sexual abuse?

Answer 12

• Difficulty in walking or sitting
• Stained or bloody underwear
• Bruises or other injuries in genital or rectal area
• Genital or rectal pain, itching, swelling, redness or discharge
• Withdrawing from activities and others
• Talking about or acting out sexual acts beyond normal sex play for age
• Soiling or wetting pants or bed after being potty trained