Unit 4: P1

Key Words
Growth- An increase in some measured quantity, such as height or weight.
Development- Complex changes including an increase in skills, abilities and capabilities.
Developmental Norms- Description of an average set of expectations with respect to an infant or child’s development.
Developmental Milestones- Developmental milestones can describe the skills children may be expected to develop during the first months and years of life.
Life course- A life course is a map of what is expected to happen at the various stages of the human life cycle.
Maturation- When development is assumed to be due to a genetically programmed sequence of change.
Life expectancy- An estimate of the number of years that a person can expect to live (on average).
Holistic Development- A person’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social development as a whole. Development can be analysed under each of the individual categories to help identify issues but, in life, the categories can interact. Physical Development- Physical development is the changes within the body over periods of time for example the development and growth of organs, muscles and bones. These developments are often marked by stages such as puberty.
Intellectual Development – We do not simply learn more as we grow older- we also develop more useful ways of thinking. It is believed there are four stages of intellectual development which mature or ‘unfold’. Your ability to use formal logical thought may depend on how much encouragement you have received to think logically. The ability to use formal language may not be part of a process of maturation- it may depend on education.
Language Development- It is the ability to develop a signed or spoken language that is genetically programmed into us, children often develop language at faster rates, language develops because of maturation. (It is unfolding of our biological potential.) Some children will develop speech much more rapidly than others. Just because language development involves a maturation process.
Emotional Development – The way we understand and feel about ourselves and other people develops as we grow older. Some key stages of emotional development include: infancy and adolescence.
Social Development- The development of social skills a lifetime that allow us to understand differences in society and its norms, but to also cultural variations. It allows a person to develop their social relationships.
Delayed Development- When a child’s development lags behind the developmental norms or developmental milestones for his or hers age.
Arrested Development- This means development that has stopped. The term ‘arrest’ means to stop something or someone. In the past people with severe mental disabilities were sometimes regarded as ‘arrested’. The term can be argued as being misleading if used to refer to people with learning difficulties or disabilities.

Physical Development
Conception and pregnancy -
Conception is the first stage within the life stages. A fertile woman will produce an egg within her ovaries. If sexual intercourse takes place while the egg is in the fallopian tube, there is a possibility of conception. If the man ejaculates then the sperm will fertilise the female egg. Fertilisation means that the genetic material in the sperm joins with the genetic material in the egg to start new life. During pregnancy the fertilised egg turns into an embryo and physically develops into a fetus then a baby. The organs within the baby develop and grow allowing it to survive at birth. After 8 weeks the physical differences between the embryo and the fetus are obvious as the embryo grows between 3 and 4 cm, and also has an obvious heart beat. By 32 weeks the fetus is about half the birth weight and is usually fully developed. At this point the fetus recognises the mother’s voice and often responds with physical movement such as kicking.
Birth and Infancy – 0-3 years –
Around 9 months after conception the baby will be fully developed and ready to be born. The newborn baby has to take easily digestible food in order for it to physically develop. Infants are born with various temporary and primary reflexes. A newborn baby will turn their head towards any touch on the cheek. This reflex is called the rooting reflex and helps the baby to get to get the nipple into their mouth and feed. Infants have the physical ability to recognise and interact with people. Babies are helpless physically and rely on the help of other when it comes to muscle coordination and control. Babies cannot hold their head, roll over, sit up or use their hands to move objects deliberately. During the infant years children develop and start crawling as a form of movement this helps them gain independence and shows they are less reliant on their parents. Eventually crawling leads to walking and this is symbolic of the child’s physical development entering the ‘childhood stage’.
Childhood- 4-9 years
Within childhood, children grow steadily at this time but less rapidly than during infancy. The body still has lots of growing to do and reproductive organs remain small until the onset of puberty. Physical changes during this time include: at the age of two children are able to run; by the age of four the children may be able to kick a large ball, showing a development in their coordination skills; and by the age of six the child may be able to ride a bike. These physical changes cause the child to gain independence from their parents as it allows the changes mean they don’t rely on them as much for support and that they have increased their practical abilities.
Adolescence 10-18
Adolescence is a general stage of lifespan development that includes puberty. During this life stage puberty causes the biggest physical change to the body. Puberty is the development stage which prepares the body for sexual reproduction. It is triggered by the action of hormones that control sexual development. Within girls puberty occurs around the ages of 11 and 13, boys generally start puberty later often between the ages 13 and 15 years of age. Physical changes that occur during this stage for girls include the enlargement of breasts, development of pubic hairs and the start of the menstrual cycle. The physical changes during puberty differ between boys and girls. Boys experience the enlargement of testes, development of pubic hair and increased muscle strength.
Adulthood 19-65
Young adults are often at their peak of fitness between the ages of 18 and 25. As people grow older physical changes occur in the body for example older adults generally tend to lose some strength and speed with age. However exercise can help develop physical fitness and athletic skills. An older adult could easily achieve a personal peak of fitness at 40 or 50. Age related changes become apparent as we grow older, they are called the effects of ageing. During the forties many people find they need to wear reading glasses and often find they cannot hear high pitched sounds as well. The most common effect of ageing within men is thinning of hair and weight loss; within women it is the menopause. The menopause is the process of fertility reducing then coming to an end in women. Stages of the menopause include: the gradual ending of menstruation; reduction in sex hormones; an increase in hormones called gonadotrophins which can cause irritability and hot flushes.
Older adulthood 65+
Older adults often put on more weight which is often referred to as the “middle aged spread”. This occurs when adults still eat the same amount as food as they did when they were younger as they do less physical activities than when they were younger. Due to the ageing process older adults are more at risk of disease and disabilities.
The final stages of life
The human body is unable to survive forever as a range of processes limit our lifespan. It is believed the body’s cells have a limited ability to renew themselves and if they cannot renew themselves then we cannot repair ourselves and stay healthy. Doctor Hayflick suggested that the reasons our bodies can’t survive for long periods of time are because cells stop renewing causing physical changes such as the decrease in body tissue. It is also suggested that hormone production decreases with age and this reduction results in an inevitable breakdown on biological systems.

Intellectual Development
Conception and pregnancy
Intellectual development starts to occur during the pregnancy. This is because during the contraception the baby hasn’t physically developed and is only a collection cells that form an embryo. During pregnancy the baby develops intellectually as it is able to recognise its Mother’s voice and loud noises, this is due to the physical development of the baby’s ear which allows it to filter sounds.
Birth and Infancy 0-3 years
Babies are born with the ability to sense objects, it is also believed that they are born with a ‘language acquisition device’ that enables them to recognise and develop languages they experience.