Created By: Emeline Swanson and Jasmine Alfonso
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN
CHILDREN 0-2 YEARS
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Motor Skills
Looking
• Development in association of what the baby sees & touches
touching
Grasping
Crawling
Sitting
Walking
• Gains the ability to hold onto different objects
• Begins mobility and can move on his or her own
• Can sit up on his or her own without assistance
• Can walk without assistance, and may even be able to run.
2
Motor Skills continued…
 The 5 motor skills that children 0-2 years go through are
milestones which occur from the 1st month to the 14th
month (based on averages)
 The rates of physical and motor development vary from
child to child due to:
 heredity
 the amount of activity the child participates in
 the amount of attention the child receives
3
Motor Skills continued…
The motor skills of a child develop in two
types of patterns; either the cephalocaudal
or proximodistal developmental pattern
Proximodistal: to develop skills from the
center of the body outwards towards the limbs.
Cephalocaudal: To develop skills first in the
upper body then the lower body.
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Sensation and Perception
 Newborns are near sighted. Visual acuity
develops quickly.
 Babies are attracted to objects of light-dark
contrast, such as the human face.
 Depth perceptions is developed a few months
after birth (rate varies child to child)
 Infants respond to tastes, smells, and sounds
such as the human voice.
 Infants are aware of size and shape constancy
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Development Changes in the Brain
 New connections form around neurons.
(synaptogenesis)
 Dendrites grow and expand their reach and
complexity.
 Initially support basic biological functions
 Later in areas of learning
 Synapses grow in density especially in areas of
vision and hearing
 Synaptic pruning beginning in certain areas
 Myelination: glial cells grow around the axons to
form a fatty coating which insulate the axons
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Eating and Sleeping Habits
Sleeping Habits
 Infants sleep 16-18 hours
every day.
 Develop wake/sleep cycles.
Eating Habits
 Gain the ability to express
hunger to adults.
 Learn to suck, chew and
swallow.
 On average infants begin
sleeping through the night
at 10 weeks and 10 pounds.
 Ability to digest food
without abdominal pain.
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Chronic Health Issues
Irregular sleep and wake cycles
Trouble being sued
Digestive problems
Breathing problems
8
Health Facts
 Less than 1% of infants suffer from birth
trauma.
 Infant Mortality: 9 out of every 1,000 babies
die within the first year of life.
 Leading causes of infant death:
 Congenital birth defects
 Sudden infant Death Syndrome
 Infant brain dysfunction
 Parental smoking
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Sources
CliffsNotes.com. Physical Development: Age 0–2. 29 Sep 2010 .
"Stages Of Play During Child Development." Child Development Guide |
Developmental Stages From Birth To Teens. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. .
Nudelman, Lauren. "Age Norms: Infant Physical Development." Parenting
Literacy. 28 Oct. 2008. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. .
Nudelman, Lauren. "Age Norms: Child and Adolescent Physical
Development." Parenting Literacy. 16 Dec. 2008. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. .
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