Unit # 2

Child Development

Adele Piliterri, Child Health Nursing, Lippincott

 Specific Objectives:
By the end of this lecture, the student will be able to:

• Identify the importance of growth and development.

• Define growth and development.
• Mention the principles of growth and development.
• List factors affecting growth and development.
• Development and Education
• Innovations in Child Development Study

  n
Growth
Growth refers to an increase in physical size of
.the whole body or any of its parts

It is simply a quantitative change in the child’s

.body

It can be measured in Kg, pounds, meters,

inches, ….. etc
.Changes in bodily proportions with age
Development
• Development refers to a progressive increase
in skill and capacity of function.

• It is a qualitative change in the child’s

functioning.

• It can be measured through observation.

By understanding what to expect during each stage of development,
parents can easily capture the teachable moments in everyday life to
enhance their child's language development, intellectual growth, social

development and motor skills.

Maturation
• Increase in child’s competence and
adaptability.

• It is describing the qualitative change in a

structure.

• The level of maturation depends on child’s

heredity.
Principles of Growth & Development

• Continuous process

• Predictable Sequence

• Don’t progress at the same rate (↑ periods of GR in early childhood and

adolescents & ↓ periods of GR in middle childhood)

• Not all body parts grow in the same rate at the same time.

• Each child grows in his/her own unique way.

• Each stage of G&D is affected by the preceding types of development.

Principles of Growth & Development

G & D proceed in regular related directions :

- Cephalo-caudal(head down to toes)

- Proximodistal (center of the body to
the peripheral)
- General to specific
Factors affecting growth and development:
• Hereditary

• Environmental factors

Pre-natal environment
1-Factors related to mothers during pregnancy:
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Diabetic mother
- Exposure to radiation
- Infection with German measles
- Smoking
- Use of drugs
Internal environment

• Child’s intelligence
• Hormonal influences
• Emotions
Types of growth and development
Types of growth:
- Physical growth (Ht, Wt, head & chest circumference)
- Physiological growth (vital signs …)

Types of development:
- Motor development
- Cognitive development
- Emotional development
- Social development
 Stages of Growth and Development

• Prenatal • Middle Childhood

- Embryonic (conception- 8 w) - School age
- Fetal stage (8-40 or 42 w)
• Infancy
- 6 to 12 years
- Neonate
- Birth to end of 1 month
- Infancy • Late Childhood
- 1 month to end of 1 year
- Adolescent
• Early Childhood
- Toddler
- 13 years to approximately 18
- 1-3 years
years
- Preschool
- 3-6 years
Simulation for vital signs
• Senses
- Touch
- Vision
- Hearing
- Taste
- Smell
 Gross Motor Development

Motor development:
The newborn's movement are random,
diffuse and uncoordinated. Reflexes carry
out bodily functions and responses to
external stimuli.
Fine motor development
• Holds hand in fist.
• When crying, he draws arms and legs to body.

Cognitive development :
• The cognitive development of newborn infant
is difficult to understand or observe it.
 Emotional development
The newborn infant expresses his
emotion just through cry for hunger,
pain or discomfort sensation
 :Emotional development
• His emotions are instable, where it is rapidly
changes from crying to laughter.
• His affection for or love family members
appears.
• By 10 months, he expresses several beginning
recognizable emotions, such as anger, sadness,
pleasure, jealousy, anxiety and affection.
• By 12 months of age, these emotions are clearly
distinguishable.
 Social development
• He learns that crying brings attention.
• The infant smiles in response to smile of others.
• The infant shows fear of stranger (stranger anxiety).
• He responds socially to his name.
• According to Erikson, the infant develops
sense of trust. Through the infant's interaction with
caregiver (mainly the mother), especially during
feeding, he learns to trust others through the relief of
basic needs.
 :Normal toddler

Toddler stage is between 1 to

3 years of age. During this
period, growth slows
.considerably
:Teething
• By 2 years of age, the toddler has 16
temporary teeth.

• By the age of 30 months (2.5 years),

the toddler has 20 teeth
 Issues in parenting – toddler
(emotional development)
• Stranger anxiety – should dissipate by age 2 ½
to 3 years
• Temper tantrums: occur weekly in 50 to 80%
of children – peak incidence 18 months – most
disappear by age 3
• Sibling rivalry: aggressive behavior towards
new infant: peak between 1 to 2 years but may
be prolonged indefinitely
• Thumb sucking
• Toilet Training
 :Cognitive development
• Up to 2 years, the toddler uses his senses
and motor development to different
self from objects.
• The toddler from 2 to 3 years will be in
the pre-conceptual phase of
cognitive development (2-4 years),
where he is still egocentric and can not
take the point of view of other people.
 :Social development
• The toddler is very social being but still
egocentric.
• He imitates parents.
• Notice sex differences and know own sex.
• According to Erikson,
• The development of autonomy during this
period is centered around toddlers increasing
abilities to control their bodies, themselves and
their environment i.e., "I can do it myself".
Emotional development
The school–age child:
• Fears injury to body and fear of dark.

• Jealous of siblings (especially 6–8 years old

child).
• Curious about everything.

• Has short bursts of anger by age of 10 years

but able to control anger by 12 years.
Social development
The school–age child is :
• Continues to be egocentric.
• Wants other children to play with him.
• Insists on being first in every thing
• Becomes peer oriented.
• Improves relationship with siblings.
• Has greater self–control, confident, sincere.
• Respects parents and their role.
• Joints group (formal and informal).
• Engage in tasks in the real world.
Cognitive development:
Through formal operational thinking, adolescent can deal with a
problem.

Emotional development:
This period is accompanied usually by changes in emotional
control. Adolescent exhibits alternating and recurrent episodes
of disturbed behavior with periods of quite one. He may
become hostile or ready to fight, complain or resist every
thing.

Social development:
He needs to know "who he is" in relation to family and society,
i.e., he develops a sense of identity. If the adolescent is unable
to formulate a satisfactory identity from the multi-
identifications, sense of self-confusion will be developed
according to Erikson:-
Adolescent shows interest in other sex.
He looks for close friendships.
 Developmental theory

 Freud theory
(sexual development).
 Piaget theory
(cognitive development ).
 Erikson theory
(psychosocial development).
 Freud theory
(sexual development)
Oral-sensory
Infancy stage stage

Toddler
Anal stage
stage 
Preschool
Genital stage
stage 
School-age
Latency Stage
stage 
Adolescence
Pubertal stagestage 
 Piaget theory
(cognitive development
Infancy stage  Up to2 years  sensori -motor
years  pre-conceptual 2-3
Toddler stage  .phase
Preschool stage  Up to 4years  pre-conceptual
.phase
School-age stage 
years  concrete- 7-12
.operational
Adolescence stage  years  preoperational 12-15
formal operations
years - through life  15
formal operations
 Innovations in Child Development
Study
An innovation-friendly n
environment allows
people to work
together, test new
ideas, and engage in
 .active learning