Test 2 Chapter 5 10 Dr Montford Patterns of growth cephalocaudal and proximodistal trends End of 1st year infant s height is about 32 2 years it s 75 greater 36 5 months birth weight has doubled to 15 lbs o o o 1 year tripled to 22 lbs 2 years quadrupled to 30 lbs Cephalocaudal head to tail growth always starts from top and proceeds downwards At birth head takes up of total body length and legs only 1 3 by age 2 head takes up only 1 5 and legs nearly of body length height weight gains are greater in thr 1st 2 years than at any other time after birth body fat is laid down quickly during 1st 9 months while muscle development is slow gradual Proximodistal in to out growth happens from the inside to the outside For example children can control their large muscle movements of their arms before they have control of their fingers fine motor In prenatal period head chest trunk grow 1st then arms legs and finally hands feet during infancy childhood arms legs continue to grow somewhat ahead of the hands feet Cultural differences in physical development It s a universal sequence but pace is different Some cultures actively promote physical development while others stop it they may pull babies back onto laps when starting to crawl all catch up with each other Toddlers in developing countries do not grow as fast as toddlers in developed countries Around 6 months children in developing countries receive less protein and begin to lag in their growth by age 1 the children in these developing countries have height weight as low as the bottom 5 of children in developed countries this continuing throughout life into adulthood all of this can cause the developing country children to die young and or get diseases Marasmus wasted condition of body caused by diet low in essential nutrients usually appears in 1st year of life when baby s mom is too malnourished to produce enough breast milk bottle feeding inadequate Kwashiorkor condition caused by unbalanced diet very low in protein usually occurs after weaning between 1 3 years old o Children who have experienced these conditions are physically smaller and have damaged organs like the heart and brain More American mothers breastfeed than moms from other countries as these moms don t know much about it the benefits also American babies have a higher chance of obesity than non American babies since the American ones have a sufficient regular supply of food nutrition Brain development in infancy toddlerhood sensitive periods brain plasticity During infancy toddlerhood neural fibers synapses increase at a fast rate At birth brain is 25 of adult weight there is major brain growth in 1st few years of life Babies in deprived environments have different brain growth than babies in enriched environments Brain is rapidly growing until age 3 reaches 90 of adult weight By birth spinal cord brain stem developed breathing 3 rate body temp sleep wake cycle cerebral cortex largest structure in brain responsible for intelligence cerebrum largest brain part divided into R L hemisphere continues developing t o life Lateralization specialization of functions in 2 hemispheres of cerebral cortex L is better sequential analytic processing piece by piece for language communication R is better at processing in a holistic integrative manner for understanding spatial info regulating emotion Brain plasticity a highly plastic cerebral cortex in which many areas are not yet committed to specific functions has a high capacity for learning if part of cortex damaged other parts can take over tasks it would have handled brain is more plastic in first few years than it will ever be again Sensitive periods General quality of overall environment affects brain growth things such as vision could be affected by light exposure at young age i e babies born with cataracts who do not have surgery will have severe damage to vision as adults Another example is cognitive catchup with kids in orphanages vs adoptive families it can also affect their psychological development and studies showed that kids who were institutionalized for a while had severe intellectual deficits like autistic behaviors and inattention Experience expectant experience dependent 2 types of brain development o Experience expectant brain growth brain growth that depends on ordinary experiences Children s brains expect to have these experiences and brain grows normally when they do Provides foundation for EDG Occurs early naturally as caregivers offer babies preschoolers age appropriate materials and engage them in fun daily activities i e shared meals peekaboo game bath before bed picture book discussion sing along to a song resulting growth provides foundation for later occurring experience dependent development Essentially consists of opportunities to see touch objects hear language other sounds and to move about explore environment As a result of millions of years of evolution brains of all infants toddlers young children expect to encounter these experiences and if so grow normally o Experience dependent growth EDG occurs throughout our lives additional brain growth refinement of established brain structures results from specific learning experiences which vary widely across individuals cultures Examples reading writing computer games weaving a detailed rug playing violin Brain of a violinist differs from brain of a poet because each has exercised different brain regions for a long time o No evidence exists for a sensitive period in first few years of life for mastering skills that depend on extensive training like reading musical performance gymnastics o Rushing early learning though harms brain by overwhelming neutral circuits thereby reducing brain s sensitivity to everyday experiences it needs for healthy start in life Breastfeeding benefits o About 2 3 moms breastfeed their baby o For the child Fewer gastrointestinal constipation respiratory tract infections Less likely to develop allergies asthma middle ear infections For physical growth less likely to be overweight obese even as adults Less likely to die of SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Best nutrition for babies iron nutrient in breast milk is good for baby and easily absorbed by it o For the mother o General Lower risk of breast ovarian cancer and or diabetes Provides correct balance of fat protein compared w milk of other mammals human milk is higher in fat lower in protein which is ideal for a rapidly myelinating nervous system Protects against many
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