CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT - Fetal stage (8-40 or 42 weeks)

All children pass through predictable stages of Infancy

growth and development as they mature. - 1 month to end of 1 year
•Each child’s progress is unique. - Neonate: birth to end of month
•A child cannot be forced to achieve a milestone Early Childhood
faster than that child’s own timetable will allow. - Toddler: 1 to 3 years
- Preschool: 3 to 6 years
Growth and development are similar words but
Middle Childhood
different from each other though it is not possible to
- School age 6 to 12 years
separate them totally. Late Childhood
- It is a whole process which includes growth of - Adolescent
the body as well as growth of various aspects of - 13 years to approx. 18 years
child’s personality, e.g., the physical, emotional,
social and cognitive development. GROWTH PATTERN
•Growth is quantitative What is growth pattern?
•Growth comprises of height, weight, size and shape A growth curve is graphical representation of how a
particular quantity increase over time. Growth
of body organs like brain etc.
curves are used in statistics to determine the type
•It is due to cell division of growth pattern of the quantity – be it linear,
•Growth is for limited period exponential, or cubic. An example of growth curve
•Growth can be measured is a country’s population over time.
•Growth tells about one aspect of personality but in
limited people.
GROWTH PATTERN
TYPES OF GROWTH
The child’s pattern of growth
- Physical growth (height, weight and chest
is in a head-to-toe direction,
circumference)
or cephalocaudal, and in an
- Physiological growth
inward to outward patter
called proximodistal.
Development is a progressive change the child
undergoes which increase the physical, social, •
mental and emotional capacities of the child. PRINCIPLE OF GROWTH
•Development is quantitative as well as quantitative AND DEVERLOPMENT TO
In this with the physical changes cognitive social REMEMBER:
and emotional change are also included. • It’s a continuous process from the day we are
•It happen due to motor and adjust mental
conceived until death
processes and their interplay.
•Development takes place till death. • It proceeds in an orderly sequence
•It can be observed by matured behavior. • It happens at different rates.
•Development deals with all the aspect of personality • It is cephalocaudal (from head to feet)
and has a vast scope. • It proceeds proximodistally (from center out)
TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT • It continues from gross to fine motor skills
- Motor Development
- Cognitive Development PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT
- Emotional Development
1. DEVELOPMENT INVOLVES CHANGE
- Social Development
- The human being is never static. From the
Maturing involves growth in ability to perform skills, moment of conception to the time of death, the
to think, to relate to people, to trust, to have person undergoes continued and progressive
confidence in oneself. changes. At every age, some of the
developmental changes are just beginning,
Development refers to increase in skill or ability to some are at the peak and other are in the
function.
process.
• Psychosocial development refers to personality
development. 2. DEVELOPMENT IS CONTINUOUS
• Moral development refers to knowing right from - One stage of development lays the foundation
wrong. for the next stage of development. Infants can
• Cognitive development refers to the ability to move their limbs (arms and legs) before
learn and understand from experience, acquire grasping an object. Mastery of climbing stairs
and retain knowledge, respond to new
involves increasing skills from liking one.
situations and solve problems.
3. THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERN IS
STAGES OF GROWTH AND DEVLOPMENT PREDICTABLE
Prenatal - The environmental in which the children live
- Embryonic (conception – 8 weeks) during early formative years of life has a strong
 impact on their hereditary potentials. Favorable and reflexive, waxing arms or kicking before being
relationships with members of the family, liberal able to reach or creep toward an object.
child training methods, a stimulating 7. THERE ARE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE IN
environment result in the development of better DEVELOPMENT
adjusted individual in the later life. - Although the pattern and sequences for growth and
4. DEVELOPMENT IS PRODUCT OF development are usually the same for all children,
MATURATION AND LEARNING the rates at which individual children reach
- Maturation refers to the sequential developmental stages will be different. Some
characteristic of biological growth and children are more active while other are more
development. The biological changes occur in passive.
sequential order and give children new abilities.
Changes in the brain and nervous system
account largely for maturation. These changes
in the brain and nervous system help children
to improves in thinking (cognitive) and motor
(physical) skills.

5. THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERN IS 8. THE CHILD DEVELOPS AS A UNIFIES

PREDICTABLE WHOLE
Developmental proceeds from the head downward. - His intellect is related to his physical well-being.
- This is called cephalocaudal principle. This principle Physical well-being is affected by his emotions
describes the direction of growth and development. and emotions are affected by his successes
Accdg. to this principle, the child gains control of the and failures in school and by the environment
head first, then the arms, and then the legs. Infants in the family. The children who are physically
develop control of the head and face movements weak are slow in the development of metal
within the first two months after birth. process also.
9. DEVELOPMENT ALLOWS AN ORDERLY
PROCESS
- The development of the child takes place in an
orderly sequence. A child learns to stand
before he walks, he babbles before he speaks
clearly and he learns to sit before he stands.
10. EACH DEVELOPMENT TAKES PLACE IN
STAGES
- The development of the child takes place in
stages. Each stage has certain unique
characteristics and in each stage, certain types
of behavior or traits are more conspicuous than
Development proceeds from the center of the body
others.
outward.
The entire period of development is divided into
- This is the principle of proximodistal development
following five stages.
that also describes the direction of development.
a. Prenatal period – it is mainly physiological and
This means that the spinal cord develops before
consists of growth of all body parts.
outer parts of the body. The child’s arms develop
b. Infancy – this period of newborn. Growth is
before the hands and the hands and feet develop
temporarily at a standstill. Babyhood – at this
before fingers and toes.
stage, the babies are completely helpless
during the early part. Gradually they learn to
control the muscles so that they can become
independent.
c. Childhood – this period lasts from 2-13 years of
age. It is divided into two parts:
6. DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS FROM GENERAL • Early childhood – the child learns to gain
TO SPECIFIC control over the environment and starts
- In motor development, the infant will be able to learning to make social adjustments.
grasp an object with the whole hand before using • Late childhood – it is the period when
only the thumb and forefinger. The infant’s first sexual maturity occurs and adolescence
motor movement are very generalized, undirected begins. The major development is
socialization and is referred as “gang age”
d. Adolescence – it is 12 years onwards till the 1. Gender
individual assume adulthood. It is again divided Females: born weighing less and measuring in less
into two stages: length than boys.
• Early adolescence – physical growth is Boys: more taller and heavier than girls during pre
rapid in both boys and girls. There is puberty.
enhanced mental activity in general. Growth spurt: for females – 6months to 1 year
earlier than boys end of puberty (14 to 16 years),
• Later adolescence – it is characterized by
males show a tendency to be taller and heavier
tapering off of physical growth but the
than females.
psychological development continues in
2. Race and Nationality
many complex ways preparing him to - Affects height and weight
adjust to the demands of society as an 3. Intelligence
adult. - Children with high intelligence do not generally
e. Adulthood – by this time, physical changes re grow faster physically because they tend to
nearly complete but the psychological advance in books than in physical skills.
adjustments continue throughout the entire 4. Health
stage. - A child who is chronically ill may not grow as
11. EACH DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE HAS well as a healthy child.
CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS TRAIT 5. Environmental factors
- There are some peculiar traits that are - Prenatal environment
observed in children at a particular - Health: diseases coming from environmental
developmental stage and go away after some sources have strong influence on growth and
time. The child’s behavior should be development
understood against the expected behavior of - Discipline: setting rules or road signs so that
his age. the child knows what she is expected to do.
12. THERE ARE PERIODS OF ACCELERATED - Play: a medium through which children learn. A
GROWTH AND DECELERATED GROWTH medium through which children will develop
- During babyhood and the early pre-school increasing cognitive, psychomotor and social
capabilities.
years the growth is rapid. During the school
Internal Environment
years, the growth rate decreases. Growth is
- Child’s intelligence, hormonal influences and
again rapid during adolescence but physical
emotions
growth tapers off during the later part of
adolescence and by the time, an individual FACTORS RELATED TO MOTHERS DURING
touches adulthood. PREGNANCY
13. DEVELOPMENT IS INFLUENCED BY - Nutritional deficiencies, diabetic mother,
HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT exposure to radiation, infection with German
- A child’s genetic inheritance (i.e., behavior) measles, smoking and use of drugs
provides the basic foundation for many
physical and personality attributes, but the
influences of social, cultural, and familial
variables (i.e., environment) also contribute to
development.
14. DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS AT DIFFERENT
RATES FOR DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR
- Development of mental and physical traits is
continuous but is never uniform for the entire
individual. Development of memory and
understanding is fast during childhood while
abstract thinking, reasoning and capability to
take decisions is at its peak during
adolescence.

FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH AND

DEVELOPMENT
A. Genetic Influence – a child will not grow taller,
smarter, that what is his genetic composition
dictates.
Following considerations concerning genetic
influences: