Age, Stage of

Biological Changes
Developmental Cognitive Milestones
in the Brain
Stage Development

Babies are born with 100

billion neurons connected
by 50 trillion synapses.

A neuron has an average Newborns have

Sensorimotor of 2,500 synaptic basic reflexes for
Birth Infancy
Stage connections at birth. survival, e. g.
rooting, sucking,
Cranial nerves are startle, grasp, etc.
myelinated.

The brain reaches 25% of

adult size.

0-2 years
The cerebellum and Babies must
prefrontal cortex continue establish trusting
making new neurons. relationships with
caregivers.
Synaptic density is
reduced to half by age 2. Motor
development
Myelination continues and proceeds in
proceeds from the back to descending
the front of the brain and fashion:
from the center to the
sides.  Raises
head at 1
The brain reaches 50% of month
adult size at age 1.  Sits
without
support at 6
months
 Walks
alone at 12
months

The baby explores

the environment
 Age, Stage of
Biological Changes
Developmental Cognitive Milestones
in the Brain
Stage Development
and learns from it

Starts building
vocabulary

Walks up and
down the stairs
unsupported

Hops and skips

By age 2 or 3, each neuron
has formed an average of
Learns to speak in
15,000 synapses.
short sentences
2-4 years Pre-operational
A toddler’s brain has
Toddlerhood Stage Thinks in symbols,
about 1 quadrillion
so Piaget called
synapses.
this sub-stage the
“Symbolic
The brain grows to 80% of
Function
adult size.
Substage.” The
child engages in
role-playing and
makes up
imaginary friends.

4-7 years
Preschool Age By age 5, the brain Self-care
reaches 90% of adult size.
Plays
cooperatively with
other children

Learns to play
competitively

Learns to count,
read, draw, write,
recite the alphabet
 Age, Stage of
Biological Changes
Developmental Cognitive Milestones
in the Brain
Stage Development
Enters the Intuitive
Thought Substage.
The child develops
primitive
reasoning, asking
many questions
and wanting to
know why things
are the way they
are.

Gross and fine

motor skills are
more developed

The child’s world

view becomes
more realistic and
less fantasy-
oriented
Concrete
7-9 years Begins formal
Operational Frontal and temporal lobes
School Age schooling
Stage grow significantly.
Cognitive
functions are more
efficient.
Arithmetic, word
recall and reading
become easier.

Develops
inductive
reasoning

9-11 years
Pre-adolescence The frontal lobe reaches Growth spurt starts
adult size and neuronal
density. Secondary sexual
 Age, Stage of
Biological Changes
Developmental Cognitive Milestones
in the Brain
Stage Development
characteristics start
to form

The child becomes

Sex hormones increase in aware of body
response to pituitary and changes
hypothalamic stimulation.
Understands from
other people’s
perspective

Significant synaptic
pruning and rewiring take More conscious of
place due to marked body image and
hormonal changes. looks

The limbic system Starts to be

develops faster than the influenced by
prefrontal cortex. peers

Formal Components of the limbic Wide mood swings

11-14 years
Operational system:
Early Adolescence
Stage Much longer
 Amygdala— attention span
emotions
 Hippocampus-- Solves more
memory complex problems
 Hypothalamus—
regulates bodily Develops abstract
functions and is thinking and
influenced by the deductive
emotions reasoning

15-17 years
Middle Myelination of the brain is May engage in
Adolescence complete except in the risky behaviors
prefrontal lobe.
Becomes
 Age, Stage of
Biological Changes
Developmental Cognitive
in the Brain
Stage Development
Prefrontal maturation
picks up and involves:
18-21 years  Gray matter
Late Adolescence volume reduction
 Synaptic pruning
 White matter
(myelin) growth
22 years onwards
Adulthood The hippocampus
continues to make new
brain cells but at a slower
rate.
As many as 500 trillion
synapses are present.
Prefrontal maturation
continues until early
Milestones
romantically
interested
Parent-child
clashes may occur
more often
Height of identity
crisis. The child is
less influenced by
family and more
influenced by
peers.
Begins planning
for the future
Parent-child
conflict resolves
The young person
becomes more
self-assured
Experiences more
cognitive and
emotional growth
Gets into a serious
relationship
Raises own family
May pursue
graduate school,
get a job or both
Builds a career
 Age, Stage of
Biological Changes
Developmental Cognitive Milestones
in the Brain
Stage Development
adulthood.
Rational thinking
Good nutrition, exercise
develops with
and constant mental
prefrontal
stimulation prevent brain
maturation
aging.