Assignment
farie20
InfantDevelopmentPhysical1.pptxInfant Development (Physical)
Learning objectives
We’ll learn about…
The nervous system, structure and function
Environmental and nutritional impact on development
Motor and sensory abilities
Warning: lots of cute babies
So many cute baby pictures and videos. I promise I’m a serious professional.
Growing
Babies are tiny little weirdos
Avg weight at birth: 7lbs
Avg weight at 5 months: 15 lbs
Avg weight at 1 year: 22lbs
Doubles again in a year!
Imagine if you tripled your weight in a year.
Infants have really big heads, proportional to their body (1/4 of their size)
Principles of Growth
Cephalocaudal- development moves top to bottom(infants can hold their head up way before they can walk)
Proximodistal- development moves from the center out (arm movement before hand/finger control)
Hierarchical Integration- skills develop separately and independently, later we put them together to do complex stuff (leg movement + balance + core strength = walking)
Independence of Systems- different body systems grow at different times and rates (body size vs brain vs reproductive system)
Neurons
What terms do you need to know?
Plasticity- how well the brain adapts to new learning
Synaptic pruning- neurons die when not used
Can you label this?
A
C
F
D
E
B
Label THIS too
A
B
C
D
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT
More plasticity = more adaptability in case of brain injury
Environment can be stimulating or not
Less stimulation can lead to developmental delays
Actually impacts brain size in certain areas
Can lose abilities in non-stimulating environment during sensitive period
How do we encourage healthy brain growth?
Cuddling, talking, and signing to babies
Holding children and reading to them- multisensory
Infant routines
Generally, we try to get things working in harmony
Rhythms- cyclical patterns of behavior
Sleep-wake cycle
Breathing
Feeding
Certain movements
States- degree of awareness
Awake states
Falling asleep states
Sleep states
Transitional Sleep states
Infant sleep
Irregular- rarely all at once (until about 16 weeks)
Out of sync with the rest of the world
No dreams before 3-4 months, or at their brains do it differently
What Determines Sleep Patterns?
Guess!
What Determines Sleep Patterns?
Genetics
What Determines Sleep Patterns?
Genetics
Stress
What Determines Sleep Patterns?
Genetics
Stress
Culture
Sids- Sudden infant death syndrome
Motor development
Motor development
Gross movement
Wiggle
Lift head
Drag themselves
Crawling
Walking
Fine movement
Reaching
Holding large objects
Picking up small objects
Drinking without spilling
Pincer grasp
Nutritional impact on development
50 calories per pound is recommended, that’s a lot!
I’m 220lb, 11,000 calories per day. No wonder they double their size in a year
Diet
Malnutrition- 13 million children in the US live in poverty
Slower growth rate, marasmus in extreme cases
Kwashiorkor- limbs, stomach, face swell
Lower IQ scores, poor performance in schools
Obesity
Excess fat cells for life
May predict obesity in adulthood
Food
Bottles are more controlled, consistent
Breast milk is probably better nutritionally
Better for immune system
More digestible- less diarrhea
Endorphins and oxytocin!
May benefit mother’s health
May lower rates of cancer!
Hormones produced in breastfeeding may help uterus heal and inhibit ovulation
Formula can be used at 12 months, solids can start 4-6 months, gradual transition onto all solid diet
Sensory Development
Sensation- physical stimulation of sense
Perception- interpretation and integration of stimuli
Senses
Sight
Hearing
Smell
Taste
Touch
Infant vision
Newborn vision 20/200 to 20/600
20/20 at six months
Attracted to constrast
Binocular vision at 14 mo.
Depth perception by 6 mo.
Visual Preferences
Preferences for:
Curved lines
3D figures
Human faces
Especially mother’s face
9 months- distinguish humans better
Auditory Development
More sensitive to high and low range sounds at first
Tiny heads, closer ears, poorer sound localization
4.5 months- learn name is different than other words
5 months- distinguish languages
6-months: can notice changes in tone, rhythm, key
Interest is measured by “sucking vigor”
More vigorous when listening to mother’s voice, compared to stranger
Smell and Taste
Pretty much same ability as ours
Breast fed babies can distinguish their mothers on smell alone
Prefer sweet things, like breast milk
Taste preference influenced by mother’s food consumption while pregnant
Touch- Pain
Infants feel pain- show distress
Delayed response to pain for first few months
Painful experiences as a newborn/infant lead to higher pain sensitivity
Anesthesia recommended during circumcision
Touch
At 32 weeks of pregnancy- whole body is sensitive to touch
Think of the reflexes related to touch
Massages stimulate growth
Multimodal Perception
The view that each sense collects information about a single object, brain integrates that information
More stimulation = better integration
Carrying in different ways
Less physical containment
“Rough-and-tumble” play
Play with your food
Multisensory toys
