Physical development of

TS AND TODD
FAN LER
IN S

Presented by: Adelaine Arma A course requirement in The Child and Adolescent Learners
 trace the physical development that
you have gone through as infants
and toddlers

LEARNING
OUTCOMES
identify the factors that
enhance/impede the physical
development of infants and toddlers

present your own or others' research

on the physical development of
infants and toddlers

draw implications of these

principles and processes to child
care, education, and parenting
 INFANCY &
TODDLERHOOD
The period that comes after the pre-natal or
antenatal stage is infancy which, in turn, is
followed by toddlerhood.

Infancy and toddlerhood span the first years

of life.
Examine the figure below:
 Cephalocaudal
Cephalocaudal Trend
Trend

when the head grows more than the body

Cephalocaudal growth and development
proceed from head to toe or tail.
also applies in the first months after birth
Infants learn to use their upper limbs before
their lower limbs.
The same pattern occurs in the head area - the
eyes and the brain grow faster than the lower
part such as the jaw.

CEPHALOCAUDAL AND PROXIMODISTAL PATTERN

 Proximodistal
Proximodistal Trend
Trend

Proximodistal growth and development

proceed from the center outward.
also applies in the first months after birth as
shown in the earlier maturation of muscular
control of the trunk and arms, followed by the
hands and fingers.

CEPHALOCAUDAL AND PROXIMODISTAL PATTERN

HEIGHT AND
WEIGHT
 Newborn babies may drop 5 to 10 percent
of weight within a couple of weeks of birth
HEIGHT AND while adjusting to neonatal feeding.

WEIGHT
Grow rapidly once they adjust to sucking,
swallowing, and digesting

Generally, length increases by about 30%

in the first 5 months.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

 Babies' weight usually triples in the first
year but slows down in the second year.
HEIGHT AND
WEIGHT
Low percentages are not a cause of alarm
as long as infants progress along a natural
curve of steady development.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

 BRAIN
DEVELOPMENT
 Review:
Review:

A neuron (or neurone) is a nerve cell that carries electrical impulses.

Neurons are the basic units of our nervous system. Neurons have a cell
body (soma or cyton), dendrites and an axon. [1]

The cell body produces

Dendrites are the branches
the proteins that the other
of neurons that receive
parts of the neuron,
signals from other neurons.
including the dendrites,
The signals go into the cell
axons, and synapses, need
body (or soma). [3]
Cell Body to function properly.[4]

The axon is the part of a Myelin Sheath insulates

neuron that sends the the axon and increases
signal to the synapse. Myelin Sheath
the speed at which
Axons are long, thin and Dendrite neurons convey their
Axon
tendril-like. [2] message.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
Myelination
Myelination or
or Myelinization
Myelinization

the process by which the axons are

covered and insulated by layers of
fat cells, begins prenatally and
continues after birth.

This process increases the speed at

which information travels through the
nervous system.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
 At birth, the brain is about 25% of its adult

BRAIN weight.

DEVELOPMENT Shortly after birth, the brain produces trillions

of more connections between neurons that it
can possibly use. The brain eliminates
connections that are seldom or never used.

Enriching the lives of infants who live in

impoverished environments can produce
positive changes in their development.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
 MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT
Reflexes
Reflexes

An action that is performed as a response to

a stimulus and without conscious thought
(Oxford Languages Dictionary).

The newborn has some basic reflexes,

which are automatic and for survival
before they have the opportunity to learn.

REFLEXES
 Initiated when something touches the
roof of an infant's mouth.
Sucking
Sucking Reflex
Reflex

Infants have a strong sucking reflex

which helps to ensure they can latch
unto a bottle or breast.

The sucking reflex is very strong in

some infants and they may need to
suck on a pacifier for comfort.

REFLEXES
Rooting
Rooting Reflex
Reflex Most evident when an infant's cheek is
stroked.

The baby responds by turning his or her

head in the direction of the touch and
opening their mouth for feeding.

REFLEXES
Gripping
Gripping Reflex
Reflex Babies will grasp anything that is placed
in their palm.

The strength of this grip is strong, and

most babies can support their entire
weight in their grip.

REFLEXES
 When the inner sole of a baby’s foot is
Toe
Toe Curling
Curling Reflex
Reflex stroked, the infant will respond by
curling his or her toes.

When the outer sole of a baby’s foot is

stroked, the infant will respond by
spreading out their toes.

REFLEXES
 Infants will respond to sudden sounds
or movements by throwing their arms
Startle/Moro
Startle/Moro Reflex
Reflex and legs out, and throwing their heads
back.

Most infants will usually cry when

startled and proceed to pull their limbs
back into their bodies.

REFLEXES
 The galant reflex is shown when an
Galant
Galant Reflex
Reflex infants middle or lower back is stroked
next to the spinal cord.

The baby will respond by curving his or

her body toward the side which is being
stroked.

REFLEXES
 The tonic neck reflex is demonstrated in
Tonic
Tonic Neck
Neck Reflex
Reflex infants who are placed on their
abdomens.

Whichever side the child’s head is

facing, the limbs on that side will
straighten, while the opposite limbs will
curl.

REFLEXES
Gross
Gross Motor
Motor Skills
Skills

Gross motor development involves skills that

require the coordination of the large muscle groups
of the body, such as the arms, legs, and trunk.
[6]

Examples of gross motor skills include sitting,

walking, rolling, standing, and much more.

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Milestones in gross motor development — Credit: Santrock, J. W. (2011) Child Development
(13th ed.) McGraw-Hill [6]
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
Year 1
The first year of a baby’s life is filled with major
motor milestones that are mastered quickly.

The motor accomplishments of the first year

bring increasing independence, allowing infants
to explore their environment more extensively
and initiate interaction with others more
readily. [6]

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Year 2
In the second year of life, toddlers become
more motorically skilled and mobile.

Motor activity during the second year is vital to

the child’s competent development, and few
restrictions, except for safety, should be placed
on their adventures. [6]

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Fine
Fine Motor
Motor Skills
Skills

Fine motor skills are skills that involve a refined use

of the small muscles controlling the hands, fingers,
and thumb.

The development of these skills allows one to be

able to complete tasks such as writing, drawing, and
buttoning.

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

 Fine
Fine Motor
Motor Development
Development

The grasping reflex slowly integrates and allows

the development of more mature grasping
patterns.

At 4 months, babies will begin to reach out for toys

with their arms and hands more frequently. The
reach looks more like a swipe because the baby is
learning how to control the arm and hand.
 SOME RESEARCH
FINDINGS REGARDING
NEWBORNS' SENSES
Can
Can newborns
newborns see?
see?

The newborn's vision is about 10 to 30 times

lower than normal adult. It gets better by 6
months.

At 1 year old, it approximates that of an

adult.

Preferred to look at patterns such as faces

and concentric circles rather than at color
or brightness.
Among the first few things recognized is
mother's face.
Can
Can newborns
newborns hear?
hear?

An infant's sense of hearing develops much

more before birth.

Inside the womb, it can hear mother's

heartbeats, the grumbling of her stomach,
her voice, and music.

Infant's sensory thresholds are somewhat

higher than those of adults.
Can
Can newborns
newborns differentiate
differentiate odors?
odors?

"young infants who were breastfed showed a

clear preference for smelling their mother's
breastp pad when they were 6 days"

It requires several days of experience to

recognize their mother's breast pad odor.
Can
Can newborns
newborns feel
feel pain?
pain?

They do feel pain. Newborn males show a

higher level of cortisol after circumcision than
prior to the surgery.

Babies respond to touch as mentioned

during the discussion on Reflexes.
Can
Can newborns
newborns distinguish
distinguish the
the different
different tastes?
tastes?

In a study conducted with babies only two

hours old, they made different facial
expressions when they tasted sweet, sour, and

bitter solutions.

When saccharin was added to the amniotic

fluid of a near-term fetus, increased
swallowing was observed.
Do
Do infants
infants relate
relate information
information through
through several
several senses?
senses?

Intermodal Perception is the ability to relate,

connect and integrate information about two
or more sensory modalities such as vision and
hearing.

As early as 3.5 months old, infants looked

more at their mother when they also heard
her voice, and longer at their father when they
also heard his voice.
 LINKS
[1] - https://kids.kiddle.co/Neuron
[2] - https://kids.kiddle.co/Axon
[3] - https://kids.kiddle.co/Dendrite
[4] - https://www.verywellmind.com/structure-of-a-neuron-2794896
[5] - https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/synapse
[6] - https://www.edubloxtutor.com/motor-milestones-from-birth-to-age-twelve/