Chapter 1 Introduction to Child Development Concept of Development Developmentalists researchers and practitioners who study the development process Development the gradual accumulation and integration of relatively permanent age related changes change sin biological and psychological systems through transactions with the environment Development is gradual o Relatives will notice the changes more because they see the child less frequently than the parents o To facilitate your child s development you must both be persistent and consistent in your efforts about to change over extended periods of time Development is cumulative o The creeping moments of an infant help to build strength and balance which leads to walking o Virtually every change is a potentially important advance in some skill or ability eve if the final form of the ability remains unclear Developmental change is relatively permanent o Changes are irreversible the do not go backwards when a toddler can make full sentences he she will never go back to using single words to convey their meaning o Regression more serious reversal may be brought on my illness injury deprivation abuse or severe trauma unlikely to self correct may require special interventions o Exceptions when a newborn is introduced the older child may revert to infantile behaviors in order to gain attention usually corrects itself Development is transactional Development takes place in an ecosystem o Children influence their environment as much as their environment influences them Examples a child has highly aggressive behavior caused by a frustrating conflict at home but the aggression may be the major source of conflict in the family o Every actions you direct towards your child has some important reaction in the child regardless of you original intention you will find yourself reacting to the child s reaction to your original reaction these are not cause and effect these are transactions o Ecology the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environments the ecology of human development refers to the study of the transactions between an active growing human being and the in which the developing person lives aka an ecosystem o The ecosystem has 4 levels Microsystem children interact with family peers and services such as day care and school family is typically dominant Includes family school peers religious affiliation workplace neighborhood Mesosystem describes the relationships among elements of the microsystem Example the relationship between the family and the day care Exosystem social supports available to the family in the community Some employers are flexible when it comes to the employees children being sick etc some don t care and wont allow you to take time off or whatever is needed Includes economic system political system education system government system and religious system Macrosystem deals with the cultural context of development societal values reflected in social policies toward children Overarching beliefs and values Development at Risk Risk threatens to undermine development and sacrifice the child s potential Opportunity supports development and promotes the realization of that potential Resilience the tendency to overcomes risk Vulnerability the tendency to fall prey to risk Most childhood experiences involve both risk and opportunity For example when a toddler attempts to climb stairs for the first time the opportunity to improve her motor skills and expand her range of exploration is balanced against the risk of physical injury Individual differences in resilience and vulnerability have critical effects on a child s developmental outcome For instance children show wide individual differences in their reaction to divorce one child after some initial difficulty adapts to the situation and shows normal developmental progress Another child becomes chronically depressed noncompliant and does poorly in school Facilitating Development Knowing that development is gradual suggests that we must take our time and be patient Knowing that it is cumulative and irreversible suggests tat every experience is important Knowing that development is transactional suggests that development change does not result from doing something to a child or simply by sitting back and passively observing We can promote favorable development outcomes only by entering into transactions with our children encouraging change as we experience change in ourselves The children don t need to know for the test but can t hurt Lashonda Martin o Lives in Bed Stuy in Brooklyn NY mostly African America poor hazardous stray bullets have entered her house drugs are sold on the corner o She is lean muscular striking in appearance o Street wise o Enjoys school studies a lot and is respected by her peers Heather Allen o White working class o Mom is depressed never knew her dad physical verbal abuse o Expelled from school starting drinking at 10 years old drugs at 12 years old and sex at 13 years old o Clever assertive dependable persistent loyal o Has avoided addiction pregnancy disease and depression Carlos Rodriguez o Middle class lives with mom and dad o Shy socially incompetent no close friends known as the fat kid lonely and depressed o Described as a nerd bright creative honors plans for college very dedicated to his hobbies and collections Chapter 3 Conception and Prenatal Development Prenatal stage of development begins with conception and ends with birth of the baby the average length is 266 days 38 weeks has the highest amount of o Risk o Opportunity when the egg and sperm move toward each other in the fallopian tube the developing baby when a genetically healthy couple decide to conceive at a precise moment that a viable egg ovulates is exposed to potentially harmful agents that could hamper and distort the development of the embryo fetus o Vulnerability with the normal process factors the baby has many forms that makes it possible to overcomes many or all of the risk may derive from the genetic factors within the developing fetus that can interfere o Resilience Conception Female reproduction o Menstrual cycle the timing of hormonal secretions and the processes they regulate based on a typical 28 day cycle but timing and duration vary from one woman to another the cycle begins with the onset of the menstrual period typically 4 5 days of bleeding from the vagina toward the end a hormonal secretion from the pituitary gland stimulates the growth of
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