LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

Physical Development

Sreevalsan. V.K

1
 Body Growth and Change
• Patterns of growth
– Cephalocaudal pattern – from top (head)
and gradual to bottom
– Proximodistal pattern – From center of the
body to outward extremities

2
Growth Pattern
 Periods of Development
Prenatal Conception to birth
Infancy Birth to 18/24 months
Early 24 months to 3–5 years
childhood (preschool years)
Middle\late 3-5 years to 11 years
childhood (elementary school years)
Adolescence Ages 10–12 to ages 18–22
 Changes in Proportions of
the Human Body During Growth

5
Fig. 3.1
 Child development
Children grow and develop at different paces.
They generally pass a set of milestones.

“Child development” is a child’s progression and

describe how they can perform certain tasks and
develop functional skills as they grow older.
 Child Development
The Development falls into four main categories
Physical development refers to child’s progression of
Height, Weight, movements, use of muscles and fine
motor skills.
Language skills refer to the child’s communication
capabilities, how they speak, use their body language
and gestures.
Cognitive development involves thinking skills, for
instance, how your child learns, how they understand
and solve problems.
Social and emotional development comprise of
interaction, cooperation and relationship skills
 Development During Infancy and Childhood
Physical development
Height and Weight in Infancy

At birth:
Average length = 50 cms &
Infancy Average Weight = 3.400 Kg
Triple weight by 1 year

By age 2 -- ½ adult height &

20% of adult weight
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 Development During Infancy and Childhood
• Physical development
– At birth, the newborn’s brain weight = 300 gm
– 350 gm
– (25% of its adult weight (average about 1.2–
1.4 kg)
• Body weight (3.40 – 3.50 kg) is only 5% of its adult
weight
– Newborns enter the world with an estimated
100 billion neurons
• After birth, the brain continues to develop rapidly
– The number of dendrites increases dramatically during
the first two years of life
– The axons of many neurons acquire myelin:
» the white, fatty covering that increases a neuron’s
communication speed
 Physical Development in Infancy and
Childhood
LO 8.5 Physical Changes in Infancy and Childhood

• Five Infant Reflexes

– Grasping
– Moro (Startle)
– Rooting
– stepping
– Sucking -
 Five Infant Reflexes
(1) Grasping reflex - When an object is placed in the
infant's hand and strokes their palm, the fingers will close
and they will grasp it with a palmar grasp.
– the baby will grip your fingers so tightly that he or she
can be lifted upright

Grasping reflex;
 Five Infant Reflexes
• (2) Startle Reflex (Moro reflex) - The sudden cry, jerky
extending movement of arms and legs, arching the back and
then curling everything, when a new baby is startled by a loud
noise, a sudden movement, or feels like falling.

Startle reflex (Moro reflex)

 Five Infant Reflexes

(3) Rooting Reflex – When touched on baby‘s cheek , the

infant turns toward the source of the touch and opens the
mouth.

Rooting Reflex
 Five Infant Reflexes
(4) Stepping Reflex - When the soles of their feet touch a
flat surface they will attempt to walk by placing one foot
in front of the other.

Stepping Reflex
 Five Infant Reflexes (continued)
(5) Sucking Reflex- When the roof of the baby's mouth is touched, the baby
will begin to suck. Just touching the newborn’s lips evokes this reflex

Sucking Reflex- (e) sucking reflex

 Infant Reflexes

Infants are born with reflexes that help them

enhance the chances for survival

These infant reflexes can be used to check the

health of an infant’s nervous system.

If a reflex is absent or abnormal, it may

indicate brain damage or some other
neurological problem
 Six Motor Skill Milestones
(1) Raising head and chest—2 to 4 months,
(2) Rolling over—2 to 5 months
(3) Sitting up with support—4 to 6 months

(1) raising head and chest (2) rolling over (3) sitting up with support
 Six Motor Skill Milestones
(4) Sitting up without support—6 to 7 months,
(5) Crawling —7 to 8 months and
(6) Walking —8 to 18 months.
The motor skills develop as the infant gains greater voluntary control
over the body muscles, typically from the top of the body downward.
This pattern is seen in the early control of the neck muscles and the
much later development of control of the legs and feet.

(4) sitting up without support (5) crawling (6) walking

 Development During
Infancy and Childhood
• In addition, the newborn’s senses – vision,
hearing, smell, and touch – are keenly attuned
to people
– helping the infant quickly learn to
differentiate between the mother and others

The newborn’s senses, except for vision, are fairly

well developed at birth
 Physical Development in Infancy and
Childhood

• Brain development
– synaptic pruning: unused synaptic
connections and nerve cells are cleared
away to make way for functioning
connections and cells
 Development During Infancy and
Childhood
• Vision is the least developed sense at birth
– Optimal viewing distance for the newborn is about
15 – 30 cms
• The perfect distance for a nursing baby to easily
focus on his mother’s face and make eye contact

• Newborns respond with increased alertness to

the sound of human voices