Knowing the stages of growth and development
throughout the human lifespan - Lesson 9
Learning Outcomes of Unit 4
 You will be able to:
1. Identify and define the stages of growth and
development through the human lifespan,
2. Identify, define and apply the potential effects of
life factors and events on the development of the
individual,
3. Identify and define the physical and psychological
changes of ageing.
Presentation time
Biological influences before
birth
 The environment inside a mother womb can have a
dramatic influence on the development of a child,
 Smoking or drinking during pregnancy can affect
the development of the child in the womb.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2JUuQOlEzs
Foetal alcohol syndrome
 Alcohol can have a negative influence on a child’s
development before birth,
 Mothers who drink large amounts of alcohol when
pregnant may give birth to children with foetal
alcohol syndrome,
 Children with this condition tend to be smaller,
have smaller heads than normal and can also
suffer with heart defects and learning difficulties.
Infections during pregnancy
 Infections such as rubella and cytomegalovirus can
attack the foetus if a mother becomes infected,
 Rubella may lead to a baby being born with
impaired hearing , impaired eyesight or even a
damaged heart,
 Cytomegalovirus can cause deafness and learning
difficulties.
 The extent to which these biological influences will
affect the quality of life of an individual will
depend on the way in which deaf or disabled
people are treated by others.
Effects of diet
 Our biological life starts at conception nine months
before we are born,
 Babies will be affected by what their mother ate
during pregnancy and during brest feeding,
 A high diet in sugar and fats will increase the risk
of high cholesterol and heart disease in children
later in life,
 Malnutrition and a lack of healthy food on the other
hand will may result in a lifetime of poor health.
Food Standard Agency (FSA)
 Read pages 150 on the effects of diet and in pair
plan the diet of a 5 months pregnant woman for a
week.
 You must have a detailed plan for breakfast, lunch,
dinner and including all drinks and snacks
throughout the day
Environmental Influences
 Air and water pollution can influence development
and be a major source of ill health,
 In the past a lack of sanitation and sewerage in
cities led to life threatening diseases such as
cholera,
 Until lead was removed from paint and petrol
there were major concerns that led pollution in the
air might affect the brain development of young
children,
What do you think?
In addition to traffic what else might affect
air quality?
What do you think ?
How might the quality of
housing affect an
individual’s health ?
Poor
Increased risk
of crime in the
Architectural
features
that
Dampness
and
the risk
of
Pollution
from
nearby
traffic
neighbourhood
createsquality
a safety
hazards
associated
allergies
and and
Poor facilities such as shops
infections
housing
Noise
from
other
high density
parking in the
neighbourhood
Poor heating
and ventilation in
housing
lead
to
Stresscan
from
overcrowding
the winter
including noise,
lack of privacy
....
etc
Access to recreational facilities
 Low income may restrict access to travel and other
recreational activities,
 Social Trends (2009) reported that in 2007, 54% of
households in the lowest income groups did not
have access to a car,
 92% of households with a high income had access
to a home computer and had internet,
 35% of households with a low income had access to
a computer and only 25% had an internet
connection
Have a think
What barriers to accessing leisure
facilities could occur depending on the
income an individual is in ?
Just to identify a few ...
 Money,
 Travel,
 Information,
 Time,
 Culture,
 Location
Access to health and social
care services
 Areas with high proportion of low income
households have poorer facilities than wealthy
areas,
 NHS although it provides a free service for
everyone it is believed that some groups may not
receive the same quality of healthcare,
 National Statistics (2006) found that reports that
11% of households without access to a car said
they had difficulty in seeing their local GPs,
 People with no access to the internet would also
struggle to access NHS direct.
Helpful Tips
Write 5 top tips or golden rules about the topic for students
taking the lesson next year.
Develop with snowballing, group answers or posters etc.
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