lifespan development Flashcards
(131 cards)
what is growth?
growth is an increase in measurable quantities e.g. height, weight
principles of growth
growth rates are not constant, different parts of the body grow at different rates, growth rates tend to vary between children and the growth rate of boys is usually faster on average than that of girls, as men tend to be taller than woman
measuring height
infants grown rapidly and will reach roughly half their adult height by the age of two, adolescents experience growth spurts during puberty and full height is reached by the start of early adulthood
head dimensions
head circumference is measured at birth and at 6-8 weeks to identify any abnormality in brain or skull growth, skull growth is faster in the 1st two years of life but continues into early adulthood. head circumferences is measured across the forehead, just above the ears and at the midpoint of the back and the head
recording growth
growth is an indicator of children’s health and wellbeing, measurements are plotted on a growth chart. centile lines represent the values of measurement from a a large number of children to show ‘norms’ of growth in each age group. growth charts give the length or height, weight and head dimensions expected at a particular age, comparing children’s growth against norms is important to identify signs of ill health and development problems, growth charts are different for both boys and girls as their expected rate of growth varies.
what is development?
acquiring skills and abilities in an orderly sequence, head to toe, inside and out
what are the 4 areas of development?
physical, intellectual, emotional and social
physical development
growth and other physical changes that happen to our body throughout life
intellectual/cognitive development
the development if language, memory and thinking skills
emotional development
the ability to cope with feelings about ourselves and towards others
social development
the ability to form friendships and relationships, and to learn to be independent
developmental milestones
the rate of development may vary between individuals but it follows the same sequence, with each stage called a milestone (developmental norm), development is observed and cannot be measured in the same way as growth
what are gross motor skills?
they allow children to control the large muscles in their torso, arms, legs, hands and feet.
gross motor skills in infancy
infancy develop their gross motor skills from the head down, around six months, infants gradually control muscles in their neck an back so they can roll, sit and crawl. at around 11-13 months, the muscles in their legs develop so that they can stand, cruise and walk. at around 2 years, infants can climb onto low furniture and propel a sit on toy, and at 2 and half yrs they can kick a ball.
gross motor activity
crawling, walking, running, balancing, coordinating, bending, climbing, pulling, pushing, kicking, scooting, jumping, skipping
3-4 ; gross motor skills
- they can pedal and control a bicycle
- they can hope on one foot
- they can throw a ball and they can aim it
- they can run forwards and backwards
- they can balance and walk along a line
5-8 ; gross motor skills
- they can ride a bicycle
- they can hop, skip and jump with confidence
- they can accurately throw and catch a ball
- they can skip with a rope
- they can balance on a low beam
what is fine motor skills?
they are important in controlling and coordinating movement of the small muscles in the fingers and hands
fine motor skills & development
- newborns - able to grasp an adult’s finger
- 3 months - hold a rattle for a short amount of time
- 6 months - grasp a toy and pass it to his other hand
- 12 months - l pick up small objects using a pincer grip
- 18 months - build blocks and use spoon and make marks with crayons using a palmar grasp
- 2 yrs - will be able to shoes on and control crayon to draw circles and dots
- 3 yrs - developing tripod grasp, can use fork and spoon, turn the pages of a book, button and unbutton clothing
- 4 yrs - will be able to thread small beads and color in pictures
- 5 yrs - control muscles in fingers to manipulate the block and use hand eye coordination to fit the piece into the correct place, can write own name forming letters correctly
- 8 yrs - can use joined up handwriting
activities that support fine motor skills
- gripping is where they have the strength in fingers and hands to hold an object firmly; activities: holding a rattle, tricycle handle or spoon
- manipulation is where they have the skillful movement of objects using fingers and hands, such as tuning, twisting and passing objects from one hand to another; activities: building with block, playing a musical instrument, playing with and placing farm animals or cars
- hand eye coordination is the control of eye movement at the same time as finger and hand movement; activities: writing, sewing or completing jigsaw puzzles
what are the stages of development?
infancy - 0-2
early childhood - 3-8
adolescence - 9-18
early adulthood - 19-45
middle adulthood - 46-65
later adulthood - 65+
puberty (adolescence)
during adolescence, young people experience a physical change during puberty, this takes place in girls around 11-years and in boys around 13-years. puberty starts when a hormone in the brain sends a signal to the pituitary gland, which releases hormones that stimulate the ovaries in girls and the testes in boys to produce sex hormones. during this stage, a young persons height can increase rapidly over a short time - this is known as a growth spurt.
the role of hormone in sexual development
boys - the hormone testosterone is produced by the testes. stimulates growth of the penis and testes, pubic hair growth, the development of muscle and lowering of the voice.
girls - the hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced by the ovaries. they stimulate the growth of breasts and reproductive system and help to regulate the menstrual cycle.
primary sexual characteristics
these are the processes that are related to the sex organs that are present at birth and mature when sex hormones are released.
girls:
- menstruation begins
- uterus and vagina grow
- ovulation occurs
boys:
- penis enlargens
- prostate gland produces secretions
- testes enlarge and produce sperm