PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT ● Gross Motor Skills: (e.g. climbing, hopping, running, skipping, throwing a ball, alternating feet...) ● Fine Motor Skills: (e.g. picking up small objects, use of forefinger and thumb (pincer control vs. palmer grasp), cutting, stringing, tying...) ● Spatial Relations: (e.g. body awareness in relation to objects and space, moving within a given space...) ,.k notes: infants & toddlers - BEGINNINGS - development begins with the neural tube which later forms the spinal cord. by 20 weeks of gestation, the cortex has nearly 80 million neurons/ - VISION - 20/20 vision is achieved only after about 6-12 months of age most babies’ vision at birth ranges from 20/150 to 20/600 - HEARING - infants had functional hearing even before birth young infants can distinguish a variety of sounds newborns prefer the sound of their mothers - SMELL - newborns prefer the aroma of bananas and butter but reject the odor of fish and rotten eggs infants who are breastfed can recognize the smell of their mothers they prefer sweeter solutions rather than sour and bitter - MOTOR DEVELOPMENT - newborns show rooting, sucking, moro, and grasping reflexes development goes in order from cephalocaudal ( head to tail) and proximodistal (near to far) For ex. Holding their head up before they sit alone, sit before they walk, coordinate large muscles in their arms before gaining dexterity in their fingers - CULTURE - cultural differences in exercise and stimulation can lead to small differences in the attainment of motor skills. - TOILET TRAINING - toilet training begins at around age 2 and they can remain dry during the day by the time they are 3. ex. INFANTS AND TODDLERS 0-6 months - Strong sucking reflex imitates facial expressions holds head upright rolls over 6-12 months - sits upright without help begin eating solid food crawls 12-18 months - takes first steps scribbles on paper 18-24 months - begins toilet training 24-36 months - already reached half of adult height early childhood - HEIGHT AND WEIGHT - grow about 2 to 3 inches gain over 5 pounds (on average) per year - BRAIN - brain weight increases about 10% between the ages 2 and 4 and then again between the ages of 6 and 8 glial cells are proliferating in effect providing structure, holding neurons together, provide nourishment for myelin, and perform more important functions in the brain - synaptic pruning lobes of the cerebral cortex continue to develop as axons become more myelinated - MOTOR DEVELOPMENT - motor development proceeds in head-to-tail and inside-out fashion arms are controlled before legs, and larger muscles before smaller - EXERCISE - experience, exercise, and practice opportunities are all important in the facilitation of muscle development officials recommend at least 60 minutes of structured play as well as 60 minutes of free play - CEREBRAL PALSY - cerebral palsy: a condition where motor development does not funciton properly due to damage in the brain during the prenatal phase or birth; or by head trauma or brain illness that could occur during infancy or childhood EARLY CHILDHOOD 3 years - stands on one foot holds pencil between thumb and forefinger 4 years - mature walking gait walks on balance beam, alternating feet as they step 5 years - hops several times on one foot can work smaller buttons, zippers, and tools such as scissors rides a two wheel bicycle 6 years - now 70% of adult height MIDDLE CHILDHOOD - HEIGHT AND WEIGHT - children grow around 9 inches from the ages of 7 to 11 around the ages of 7 to 11 children gain about 35 lbs overweight conditions caused by genetics and other environmental factors - BRAIN - the brain gains blood vessels, glial cells, and myelination parts of the brain will decrease in size but increase in efficiency due to synaptic pruning - MOTOR SKILLS - gross motor and fine motor skills become more controlled improvements in strength and balance flexibility decreases towards adolescence - AT RISK - groups of kids at risk for future health problems ex. barriers to physical activity and unsafe neighborhoods - ORGANIZED SPORTS - organized sports offer physical benefits such as muscle strength and endurance, cardiovascular health, improved hand eye coordination, and increased body awareness - PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS - a variety of factors help develop a mental/psychiatric disorder ADHD involves an individual to sustain attention, excessive activity levels, and minimal impulse control communication disorders makes it difficult for someone to produce speech properly autism is a developmental disorder that impaires social interaction and communication children with ASD (autism) show repetitive movements as well as low IQ, but some show areas with exceptional skills MIDDLE CHILDHOOD 7 years - average 4 feet - 55 pounds average 8 years - participates in organized sports 9 years - control and coordination of motor skills increases 10 years - synaptic pruning results in shrinkage of some brain areas - flexibility in boys decreases 11 years - average 5 feet tall - average 90 pounds - girls are 1 ½ inches taller and 8 lbs heavier Video 1: Alexander Street Press ● ● ● ● Julia the toddler with light blonde hair uses new arm muscle to pull herself on on a playground stand The toddler by the name of Christian uses his fine motor skills when teaching his classmate how to wash his hands by using his fine motor skills to grab on to the sink knobs to let water flow two toddlers, Christian and Sam, are both playing pretend with toy hammers and blocks. They both show use of gross motor skills and improvement of hand eye coordination when pressing the hammers against the blocks. the preschooler class was using their fine motor skills to make tortillas. Some students were grinding the corn and
