LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY, OJO-LAGOS

FAULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS AND

COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY

NAMES
EJIE, CYNTHIA NCHEDOCHUKWU

BASIC TERMS USED IN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

DECEMBER, 2022.

BASIC TERMS USED IN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Introduction

In the context of human development, growth is defined as an irreversible constant

increase in size, and development is defined as growth in psychomotor capacity. Both
processes are highly dependent on genetic, nutritional, and environmental factors.

Attempting to understand the context of physical development of humans, growth

predominately concentrates on the physical changes that take place across different parts of
the body while development refers to the orders of sequence that humans follow and mainly
focuses on the attainment of skills and abilities. According to Merrick (2013), growth and

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development occur across the life stages and focuses on the physical, intellectual, emotional
and social changes that humans go through. This paper will examine the basic terms that are
being used in growth and development.

Basic Terms Used In Growth and Development

1) Growth:
Growth means an increase in size. When we say that a body or any of its parts has
“grown”, it means that it has become larger and heavier. Thus increase in size height,
length and weight which can be measured, contributes ‘growth’.

Growth carries a more dynamic connotation which organically ties the present with
past and directs it towards the future; it places an emphasis on the total economy of
the individual (Gesell,1949). Thus, in a wider sense, growth and development can be
used synonymously.

Human growth is far from being a simple and uniform process of becoming taller or
larger. As a child gets bigger, there are changes in shape and in tissue composition
and distribution. In the newborn infant the head represents about a quarter of the total
length; in the adult it represents about one-seventh. In the newborn infant the muscles
constitute a much smaller percentage of the total body mass than in the young adult.
In most tissues, growth consists both of the formation of new cells and the packing in
of more protein or other material into cells already present; early in development cell
division predominates and later cell filling.

2) Development:
Development, in the strict sense of the word, implies change in shape, form or
structure resulting in improved working or functioning. Improved functioning implies
certain qualitative changes leading to maturity (Kelvin, 2012). For example, ‘arms’
do not grow larger but they also develop because they improve in their functions.
Increase in size and structure of arms enables the human individual to use them for
more complex functions which were not possible earlier.

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 Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include
adolescence, adult development, aging, and the entire lifespan. It aims to explain how
thinking, feeling, and behaviors change throughout life. It also examines change
across three major dimensions, which are physical development, cognitive
development, and social emotional development. Within these three dimensions are a
broad range of topics including motor skills, executive functions, moral
understanding, language acquisition, social change, personality, emotional
development, self-concept, and identity formation.

Developmental psychology examines the influences of nature and nurture on the

process of human development, as well as processes of change in context across time.
Many researchers are interested in the interactions among personal characteristics, the
individual's behavior, and environmental factors. This includes the social context and
the built environment.

Ongoing debates in regards to developmental psychology include biological

essentialism vs. neuroplasticity and stages of development vs. dynamic systems of
development. Research in developmental psychology has some limitations but at the
moment researchers are working to understand how transitioning through stages of
life and biological factors may impact our behaviors and development.

3) Puberty:
This is the period during which the secondary sexual characteristics begin to develop
and at which the individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction. It is the time in
life when a boy or girl becomes sexually mature. It is a process that usually happens
between ages 10 and 14 for girls and ages 12 and 16 for boys. It causes physical
changes, and affects boys and girls differently. It also represents a period of profound
transition in terms of drives, emotions, motivations, psychology and social life.
Recent preliminary evidence from developmental MRI studies has suggested that
stage of puberty might play an important role in adolescent brain development,
perhaps more so than chronological age.

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 While the sequence of physical changes in puberty is predictable, the onset and pace
of puberty vary widely. Every person’s individual timetable for puberty is different
and is primarily influenced by heredity; however, environmental factors—such as diet
and exercise—also exert some influence.

4) Psychomotor skills
When you think of psychomotor development, you might think of children
progressing from a helpless infant with limited cognitive and gross motor skills to a
full-fledged young adult who can fully fend for themselves. Children develop gross
motor skills as they gain movement of their arms, legs, and trunk. They develop fine
motor skills involving smaller muscle groups.

It is also referred to the development of organized patterns of muscular activities

guided by signals from the environment. According to Cratty & Noble (2022),
behavioral examples include driving a car and eye-hand coordination tasks such as
sewing, throwing a ball, typing, operating a lathe, and playing a trombone. Also called
sensorimotor and perceptual-motor skills, they are studied as special topics in the
experimental psychology of human learning and performance. In research concerning
psychomotor skills, particular attention is given to the learning of coordinated activity
involving the arms, hands, fingers, and feet (verbal processes are not emphasized).

Let’s look at some psychomotor examples. A child that is learning how to hit a
baseball off of a tee is developing hand-eye coordination that allows them to contact
the ball with the bat. Through practice, the child evaluates how the bat and ball
interact – if they swing and miss, they evaluate the swing path of the bat and adjust
the height of their swing accordingly, such that they can contact the ball. This is how
psychomotor learning takes place. Though this is a simplistic example, it illustrates
how cognition (evaluating the bat path) and motor skills (the finger, hand, wrist, arm,
and other body movements to swing the bat) are used together to achieve a particular
result.

5) Heredity
Every act of generation in nature is the transmission by the parents to their off-spring
of certain characteristics biological or psychological (Krout, 1931). The complex of

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the characteristics thus transmitted is known by the name of heredity”. Heredity is a
term that refers to traits and features that are inherited from one's parents and
ancestors. At birth a person inherits 50% of each parent's genetic material (genes) that
are passed along through the chromosomes found in the DNA . These control not only
physical traits like height, skin, hair and eye color, and susceptibility to some medical
conditions, as well as a great many other individual mental, physical and
psychological traits.

Different Definitions of Heredity:

Under heredity we include all the factors that were present in the organism at birth. In
other words, it is the sum-total of inborn individual tracts. Heredity has two aspects –
biological and psychological. Biologically, it means the sum total of biological traits
that are present in the fertilised ovum. Psychologically it means the traits, innate
tendencies, and capacities that resemble between the parents and the child.

 Biological Heredity:
It is a general observation that cow begets cow, horse begets horse, dog begets
dog, and human beings beget human beings. There is no exception to this rule.
Then again, in the same, the brothers and sisters bear resemblance to their
parents as regard the physical characteristics such as size, form, appearance,
colour of the skin, colour of the eyes, strength of muscles, invertible disease
etc. Identical twins resemble each other at birth in every respect. Fraternal
twins resemble in majority of the traits. Siblings resemble in many
characteristics.

 Mental Heredity:
Besides the physical characteristics, many mental characteristics are inherited.
Every child at birth instinctively sucks, breathes, laughs, cries and moves
limbs. All the instincts are inherited. Intelligence also seems to be inherited,
because in a number of cases the intellectual caliber of children resembles that
of their parents. Some tendencies to commit crime also are reported to be
inherited, as evidences by case-studies.

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6) Maturation:
Maturation is a stage of completion of growth and strengthening of acquired mental,
social and emotional development. Maturation is essentially a process of refinement
and modification from within and inborn ripening and progress of capacities of the
organism. It does not necessarily happen along with aging or physical growth, but is a
part of growth and development.

A situation a person must deal with at a young age prepares them for the next and so
on into adulthood. Maturation does not stop when physical growth ends - it continues
through adulthood (Gottlieb, 1991). An adult who loses a parent, for instance, learns
to cope with a new emotional situation that will affect the way he or she deals with
situations that follow.

Maturation is an essential precondition of learning. Its absence will stop any further
acquirement of skill. It is the basis of learning and it is via learning that makes human
development complete. Maturity is essential for overall physical and intellectual
training and expertise. Attainment of physical and mental maturity is essential to get
proficiency in daily tasks and challenges. As maturity is an automatic process, there is
no need of external arousing objects or stimulus.

There are mainly two types of Maturation:

 Physical maturation- Refers to the physical growth and development that
human go through till old age. For example; a child mainly depends on his/
her reflexes in the early stages of development. Growth in weight, height,
body mass, expansion of muscle tissue is seen in the process of maturation.
Children as they grow older, develop their motor skills and co- ordination
skills, control of gate, along with Gross motor skills and Fine motor skills.

 Cognitive maturation- This can be understood as the way we change our

thinking patterns, problem solving, attitude, judgments throughout the

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 lifespan. Some important aspects of cognitive maturation are information
processing, language development, reasoning skills, memory, etc. Cognitive
maturation begins right at Infancy and continues through adolescence
(Turkheimer, 2003). Maturation and practical understanding continue even
after completion of adolescent age and where individual keep learning new
skill and enrich their fund of knowledge about self and environment.

Factors influencing the maturation

 Physical health of the baby and mother
 Nutritional values in the food
 Exposure to various stimuli
 Training opportunities

Characteristics of Maturation:
 Sum of gene effects: Maturation is the net sum of gene and its effects
operating in a self-limiting life cycle. It is primarily based on heredity. It is the
process of describing underlying potential capacity of an individual
(Gottesman, 2005).
 Automatic process: To great extent maturation is automatic process of
transformation where various required changes occur to the baby. Maturation
is an automatic process of somatic, physiological and mental differentiation
and integration.
 Growth and development: Maturation brings growth and development
occuring simultaneously and in a time bound manner. Achievement of
maturity is necessary either before any unlearned behaviour can occur or
before baby has learned any particular behaviour. It involves both structural
and functional changes in the body as well as brain. It helps an individual with
structural change to reach at the stage of functional readiness wherein baby
can best adjust in the environment.

Maturation is a process through which baby moves towards achievements

essentials for future challenges. Process of maturation involves physical and
psychological adaptive changes in the baby. Maturation involves internal and external

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 changes in the body as well as brain. Direct exposure to the environment sharpens the
knowledge of the baby for achievement of maturation.

7) Period Of Foestus
When the organism is about nine weeks old, the embryo is called a foetus. At this
stage, the foetus is about the size of a kidney bean and begins to take on the
recognizable form of a human being as the “tail” begins to disappear.. According to
Dipietro (2010), this period of development begins during the ninth week and lasts
until birth. This stage is marked by amazing change and growth.

From 9–12 weeks, the sex organs begin to differentiate. At about 16 weeks, the foetus
is approximately 4.5 inches long. Fingers and toes are fully developed, and
fingerprints are visible. By the time the foetus reaches the sixth month of development
(24 weeks), it weighs up to 1.4 pounds. Hearing has developed, so the foetus can
respond to sounds. The internal organs, such as the lungs, heart, stomach, and
intestines, have formed enough that a foetus born prematurely at this point has a
chance to survive outside of the mother’s womb.

Throughout the fetal stage the brain continues to grow and develop, nearly doubling
in size from weeks 16 to 28. Around 36 weeks, the foetus is almost ready for birth. It
weighs about 6 pounds and is about 18.5 inches long, and by week 37 all of the
foetus’s organ systems are developed enough that it could survive outside the
mother’s uterus without many of the risks associated with premature birth. The foetus
continues to gain weight and grow in length until approximately 40 weeks. By then,
the foetus has very little room to move around and birth becomes imminent.

While development usually follows this normal pattern, there are times when
problems with prenatal development occur. Disease, malnutrition, and other prenatal
influences can have a powerful impact on how the brain develops during this critical
period.

8) First trimester
Pregnancy date counting starts with the first day of your last normal menstruation
cycle and conception takes place in week 2. The first trimester lasts from the first

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through the 12th week of pregnancy. Although you may not look pregnant during the
first trimester, your body is going through enormous changes as it accommodates
your growing baby.

In the first few weeks following conception, your hormone levels change
significantly. Your uterus begins to support the growth of the placenta and the fetus,
your body adds to its blood supply to carry oxygen and nutrients to the developing
baby, and your heart rate increases. These changes accompany many early pregnancy
symptoms, such as:
 fatigue
 morning sickness
 headaches
 constipation
The first trimester is vital for the development of your baby (Leon, 2008). The baby
will develop all of its organs by the end of the third month, so this is a crucial time.
It’s important to maintain a healthy diet, including adding an adequate amount of folic
acid in order to help prevent neural tube defects.

Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. These habits, and any drug use (including some
prescription drugs), have been linked to serious pregnancy complications and birth
abnormalities. The first test that you’ll take during this trimester will most likely be an
at-home pregnancy test that verifies that you’re pregnant.

Your first doctor’s appointment should take place 6 to 8 weeks after your last
menstrual period. Your pregnancy will be confirmed by another urine test or a blood
test. A Doppler machine will be used, or an ultrasound will be performed, to ensure
that the baby has a heartbeat and to check on the baby’s health. Your doctor may also
order a panel of blood work to check your immunity, nutritional levels, and indicators
on the health of the baby.

During the first trimester, the risk of miscarriage can be significant. If you’re taking
prenatal vitamins and avoiding harmful substances, you’re already doing your baby a
huge service and lowering the risk of miscarriage. The first trimester is a good time to

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 think about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and parenting classes, and register
for those in your community or online.

9) Second trimester
The second trimester (weeks 13 to 27) is typically the most comfortable period of
time for the majority of pregnant people. Most of the early pregnancy symptoms will
gradually disappear. You’ll likely feel a surge in energy levels during the daytime and
be able to enjoy a more restful night’s sleep. Your abdomen will start to look
pregnant, as the uterus will grow rapidly in size. It’s a good time to invest in maternity
wear, avoid restrictive clothing, and if you’re feeling up to it, spread the news of your
pregnancy to your friends and family.

While the discomforts of early pregnancy should ease off, there are a few new
symptoms to get used to common complaints include leg cramps and heartburn. You
might find yourself growing more of an appetite and weight gain will accelerate.
Work on gaining the amount of weight recommended by your doctor. Walk, choose
healthy, nutrient-dense foods, and talk to your doctor about weight gain on each visit.
Varicose veins, backaches, and nasal congestion may become apparent.

According to Kestenberg (2017), the second trimester is when most pregnant people
can feel their baby move for the first time, usually by 20 weeks. The baby can even
hear and recognize your voice during the second trimester. Some screening tests may
be performed in the second trimester. Be sure to talk to your doctor about your
medical history, your family history, or genetic issues that could put you or your baby
at risk. An anatomy ultrasound might be performed between weeks 18 and 22. At this
scan, parts of the baby’s body will be measured and assessed to make sure that they’re
functioning.

These body parts include the:

 heart
 lungs
 kidney

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  brain

At the anatomy scan, you may be able to find out the sex of your baby. Let your
doctor know if you would like to know or if you wouldn’t. During the second
trimester, doctors tend to test for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes can be
detected between weeks 26 and 28 of pregnancy. If you have a family history of
diabetes or have risk factors for developing diabetes, you may be tested earlier.
During this test, you’ll be instructed to drink a high-glucose substance. After drinking
it, you’ll wait an hour before having your blood drawn. This test will ensure that your
body reacts properly to sugar during pregnancy.

10) Third trimester

The third trimester lasts from the 28th week until the birth of your baby. During the
third trimester, you’ll start seeing your healthcare provider more frequently. Your
doctor will regularly:
 test your urine for protein
 check your blood pressure
 listen to the fetal heart rate
 measure your fundal height (the approximate length of your uterus)
 check your hands and legs for any swelling

Your doctor will also determine your baby’s position and check your cervix in order
to monitor how your body is preparing for childbirth. Somewhere between weeks 36
and 37, you’ll be screened for bacteria called group B streptococcus. A simple swab
will be taken from your vaginal area before being sent away for lab evaluation.

Travel restrictions take effect during the third trimester. It’s advised that you stay in
relatively close proximity to your doctor or midwife in case you go into labour early.
The third trimester is a good time to educate yourself about labour and delivery.

Take time out to enrol in a childbirth class. Childbirth classes are designed to prepare
you and your partner for labour and delivery. It’s a great way to learn about the

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 different stages of labour, delivery options, and gives you the opportunity to ask any
questions or voice any concerns to a trained childbirth instructor.

11) Senescence
Senescence literally means "the process of growing old." It's defined as the period of
gradual decline that follows the development phase in an organism's life (McHugh,
Gil, 2018). So senescence in humans would start sometime in your 20s, at the peak of
your physical strength, and continue for the rest of your life.

The word "senescence" is derived from the Latin word senex, meaning "old age." In
the longevity and healthy aging fields, senescence is the decline in health and function
associated with aging. There are several sub-terms that will often come up, including
cellular senescence and organismal senescence.

Science has not yet found a way to interrupt the process of senescence as it relates to
humans, and some researchers (although not all by any means) argue that we never
will be able to stop it, but we can slow it down. Your goal, then, is to slow the process
of senescence as much as possible. You can do this by:
 Eating a Healthy Diet: This provides your body with the nutrients it needs to
repair damage and fight off future damage.
 Reducing Stress: This prevents long-term damage from over-exposure to the
stress hormones and the physiological state they create.
 Avoiding Exposure to Damaging Substances: This helps limit the amount of
damage to your body’s tissues. Avoid over-exposure to UV lights, pollution,
and toxins.
 Exercising more: This helps your body to build strong tissues that resist
damage.
 Preventing Disease: See your healthcare provider for routine checkups and
keep your blood pressure, weight and other risk factors under control.

12) Fantasy
In psychology, a fantasy is an imaginary thought or image, or a set of images, that
provides a pleasurable experience for an individual, or as a means of visualizing other

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 possibilities. As children, everyone has had the experience of daydreaming where
they imagine themselves in a different situation, as a hero, or in a position of power or
glamour, or what they might do as a grown up. As an adult, fantasy can be used as a
means of visualizing changes and other possible situations as a means of setting goals
for change.

For Freud (1900), a fantasy is constructed around multiple, often repressed wishes,
and employs disguise to mask and mark the very defensive processes by which desire
is enacted. The subject's desire to maintain distance from the repressed wish and
simultaneously experience it opens up a type of third person syntax allowing for
multiple entry into the fantasy. Therefore, in fantasy, vision is multiplied—it becomes
possible to see from more than one position at the same time, to see oneself and to see
oneself seeing oneself, to divide vision and dislocate subjectivity. This radical
omission of the “I” position creates space for all those processes that depend upon
such a centre, including not only identification but also the field and organization of
vision itself.

13) Environment
Environment includes all the forces that act upon the individual from without. The
environmental influences begin even from the time of conception, in the mother’s
womb. During the pre-natal period, the nutrition received by the embryo has influence
upon its development. In the post-natal period, the environment is of two types –
physical and the social. According to Gifford & Reser (2011), environment covers all
the outside factors that have acted on the individual since he began life.”
The physical environment includes, the place of residence, the climate of the place,
the natural scenery, the food available, all other geographical, factors. Under the
social environment, we include the influence of home, neighbourhood, school, church
and the social surroundings.

Types of Environment
We know that at length the biological and experimental evidence regarding the nature
and importance of heredity. Now let us understand environment and its types.
Environment is neither:
(i) Physical,

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 (ii) Mental,
(iii) Social
 Physical Environment: Physical environment includes all the
geographical features that have an effect on the individual. Food,
temperature, climate, resources for comfortable living, the natural
belief features – are all included in it. Even in the pre-natal period the
human embryo is surrounded by the physical environment of the
womb, where it gets food and nourishment.

 Mental Environment: This means the atmosphere essential and helpful

for the mental development of a person. This will include, the
intellectual atmosphere at the home, the atmosphere at school, the
libraries, the recreation rooms, laboratories etc. The child learns new
experiences unconsciously in the mental environment.

 Social Environment: This includes the social associations that the

child has from the very beginning. It further includes the cultural
atmosphere of the society with its ingredients as religion, folk-lore,
literature, art, music, social conventions and political organisation.
Every individual inherits the cultural traits from the social
environment. The term ‘social heredity’ is thus significant, as it
emphasise the act of transmission of social and cultural patterns to
each new generation. Education is off-course transmission of culture or
of social heredity.

14) Defense mechanisms

Defense mechanisms refer to psychological strategies or behaviors that people may
use to cope with difficult feelings, thoughts, or events. They are also behaviors that
people use to separate themselves from unpleasant events, actions, or thoughts.
The idea of defense mechanisms comes from psychoanalytic theory, a psychological
perspective of personality that sees personality as the interaction between three
components: id, ego, and super-ego. These psychological strategies may help people

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 put distance between themselves and threats or unwanted feelings, such as guilt or
shame.

First proposed by Sigmund Freud (1946), this theory has evolved over time and
contends that behaviors, like defense mechanisms, are not under a person’s conscious
control. In fact, most people do them without realizing it. According to these theories,
defense mechanisms are a natural part of psychological development. Identifying
which type you, your loved ones, and even your co-workers use may help you in
future conversations and encounters.

How do defense mechanisms work?

Defense mechanisms are ways you react to situations that bring up negative emotions.
According to psychoanalytic theory, when you experience a stressor, the subconscious
will first monitor the situation to see if it might harm you. If the subconscious believes
the situation might lead to emotional harm, it may react with a defense mechanism to
protect you.
Usually, you are unaware of the defense mechanism, though the behavior may appear
odd to others around you. In the long term, mature defense mechanisms may not be
particularly detrimental to your emotional or mental health. Using more mature
mechanisms may help you face the anxieties and situations that might normally cause
stress and emotional duress. Other defense mechanisms, however, are not as mature
and helpful. Prolonged use of these defenses can lead to lingering problems. In fact,
they may prevent you from ever facing emotional issues or anxieties because they
block you from seeing the root cause.
Some signs that defense mechanisms are getting in the way of your everyday life and
mental health may include:
 feeling sad or depressed
 having difficulty getting out of bed
 avoiding usual daily activities, things, or people that once made you happy
 having difficulty forming or maintaining healthy relationships
 communication problems that hinder your professional or personal life.

Defense mechanisms can include:

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  Projection
 Displacement
 Sublimation
 Repression
 Denial
 Identification
 Introjection
 Undoing
 Compensation
 Splitting
 Suppression
 Conversion
 Dissociation
 Avoidance
 Isolation
 Humor
 Regression

15) Principle of continuity

The principle of continuity is intriguing when we look at how our brains assist us in
our daily lives. What may otherwise seem disjointed and unappealing is made
entertaining and enjoyable to behold, thanks to our desire for continuity.

Continuity psychology, as proposed by Gestalt, refers to the theory that our brains detect
what we experience or see as continuous even if it is, in reality, disjointed. This theory can be
applied to our character and personality, implying that what we experience growing up
defines our adult identity. When considering its application in psychology, we are led to
wonder how far we can take our brain’s desire for continuity and how much weight it holds
for the understanding we possess of ourselves and our world.

Considering how a movie or music is made, we can see these things are made of many small,
disjointed parts. A movie is created using millions of still images shown in succession. Music
is made of individual notes played by different instruments, one after the other. Still, our
brains discern an entire movie or piece of music as one complete product. Our brains have

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 created continuity from parts of a whole. Our brains attempt to understand an image as
quickly as possible when we see it. This action sometimes leads us to see things we expect to
be there instead of those that indeed are. For example, we may be shown a complex pattern
and discern known shapes within it, like triangles or faces. In reality, it may simply be a
pattern with no distinct images. Our brains work this way to help us access information and
gain understanding as quickly and efficiently as possible.

16) Menstruation
"Fairly painful, menstruation involves losing a clump of blood and endometrial tissue from a
woman's uterus (Jarvis & McCabe, 1991). Menstruation is triggered by falling progesterone
levels and is a sign that pregnancy has not occurred.

The first period, a point in time known as menarche, usually begins between the ages of 12
and 15. Menstruation starting as young as 8 years would still be considered normal. The
average age of the first period is generally later in the developing world, and earlier in the
developed world. The typical length of time between the first day of one period and the first
day of the next is 21 to 45 days in young women. In adults, the range is between 21 and 31
days with the average being 28 days. Bleeding usually lasts around 2 to 7 days. Periods stop
during pregnancy and typically do not resume during the initial months of breastfeeding.
Menstruation stops occurring after menopause, which usually occurs between 45 and 55
years of age.

Up to 80% of women do not experience problems sufficient to disrupt daily functioning

either during menstruation or in the days leading up to menstruation. Symptoms in advance
of menstruation that do interfere with normal life are called premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Some 20 to 30% of women experience PMS, with 3 to 8% experiencing severe symptoms.
These include acne, tender breasts, bloating, feeling tired, irritability, and mood changes.
Other symptoms some women experience include painful periods and heavy bleeding during
menstruation and abnormal bleeding at any time during the menstrual cycle. A lack of
periods, known as amenorrhea, is when periods do not occur by age 15 or have not re-
occurred in 90 days.

Counselling Implications

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The knowledge and understanding of these terms by the counsellor goes a long way to
facilitate his/her job as a counsellor. For instance, a counsellor who understands the basic
terms in growth and development will be able to know when the need arises for referral.

Conclusion

In conclusion, growth is the act or process, or a manner of growing; while, development is

the gradual increase. Human development encompasses the physical, cognitive and
psychosocial changes that occur throughout a life time. That is, it refers to the physical,
cognitive and psychosocial development of humans throughout the lifespan.

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Cratty, B. J., & Noble, C. E. (2022). psychomotor learning. Encyclopedia Britannica.,

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