Conception to Birth Prenatal Development Prenatal Development Prenatal

Conception to Birth Prenatal Development

Prenatal Development • Prenatal defined as “before birth” • Prenatal stage begins at conception and ends with the birth of the child.

Zygote • A newly fertilized egg • The first two weeks are a period of rapid cell division.

Embryo • 14 days until the end of the eight week • Most of the major organs are formed during this time. • Heartbeat, Red Blood Cells Embryo – 45 Days

Prenatal Development

• Prenatal Development Overview: – Zygote – Conception to 2 weeks – Embryo – 2 weeks through 8 weeks – Fetus – 9 weeks to birth

Fetal Period • The period between the beginning of the ninth week until birth • Now referred to as a Fetus

Prenatal Development – 2 months

11 Weeks

Placenta • A cushion of cells in the mother by which the fetus receives oxygen and nutrition • Acts as a filter to screen out substances that could harm the fetus

Teratogens • Substances that pass through the placenta’s screen and prevent the fetus from developing normally • Includes: radiation, toxic chemicals, viruses, drugs, alcohol, nicotine, etc.

Smoking and Birth Weight

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) • A series of physical and cognitive abnormalities in children due to their mother drinking large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy

• Swallowing and Kicking

• Make it’s first movements

28 Weeks

2 -D

3 -D and 4 -D National Geographic Channel In The Womb

The Beginnings of Life: The Newborn

Newborn Reflexes – Automatic and Unlearned Responses • Within the 1 st 30 minutes, newborns will turn their heads to watch a human face even it is a picture or a drawing • Human Voices • Taste preferences – no spoiled milk please!

Rooting Reflex • Infants’ tendency, when touched on the cheek, to move their face in the direction of the touch and open their mouth • Child is looking for nourishment. Sucking & Swallowing Reflexes • Allows for food to be received at birth

left leg extends when infant gazes to the left, while right arm and leg flex inward, and vice versa. takes brisk steps when both feet placed on a surface, with body supported. infant closes its hand "grips" your finger The infant raises up (upper torso, shoulders, and head) with arms when lying face down (on his tummy).

Newborns are great at grasping… …but not at letting go!

• Newborns are able to see, but are nearsighted. • -prefer faces over other stimuli in the environment. • Prefer the sounds of their parent’s voices over others

Temperament • A person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Temperament • A baby’s temperament is apparent after just a few hours of birth –“easy” babies – eat and sleep regularly –“difficult” – unpredictable, intense, & irritable –Relatively stable personality aspect

Physical Development in Infancy and Childhood

Infant, Toddler, Child • Infant: First year • Toddler: From about 1 year to 3 years of age • Child: Span between toddler and teen

Maturation! • An orderly sequence of biological growth • genetically programmed (nature) • But, can be adjusted by experience (abuse/deprivation) (nurture)

Maturation!

Maturation and Motor Development • Includes all physical skills and muscular coordination • When did you first roll over, sit up, walk, ride a bike? ? ?

Module 4: Prenatal and Childhood Development Cognitive Development in Infancy and Childhood: Piaget’s Cognitive Stages

Cognition • All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, and remembering • Children think differently than adults

Jean Piaget (pee-ah-ZHAY) • Developmental psychologist who introduced a stage theory of cognitive development

Schema • As we develop, we struggle to construct understanding by building SCHEMA(s) – A concept or framework that organizes or interprets understanding – What are your schemas for: • • Dogs Love Chairs Etc…

When a child encounters something new, he must adjust his schema • ASSIMILATION: ASSIMILATION • Incorporate the item into an existing schema – Ø All 4 legged animals are called dogs • ACCOMODATION: ACCOMODATION • Change your existing schema or create a new schema to fit the new information Ø Create a new schema for cats and refining the dog schema

Stage 1 - Sensorimotor Stage • From birth to 2 years • Child gathers information about the world through senses & motor functions • Child learns object permanence

Object Permanence • The awareness that things continue to exist even when they cannot be sensed • “Out of sight, out of mind”

Object Permanence Clip the baby to see object permanence in action!

Even when they get older, kids figure out objects don’t go away, but the “A” not “B” Effect gets ‘em every time! Check out this clip!

toast permanence?

Stage 2 - Preoperational Stage • From about 2 to 6 or 7 yrs • Children can understand language but not logic • Fantasy Play

Egocentrism • The child’s inability to take another person’s point of view • Includes a child’s inability to understand that symbols can represent other objects

Theory of Mind • Children develop a “theory of mind” around the age of 4 or 5 • The ability to infer others’ mental states and realize that they may hold false beliefs • …just because I think something doesn’t mean other people do too!

Conservation • Certain properties remain constant despite changes in their form • The properties can include mass, volume, and numbers.

Conservation

Conservation

Conservation

Types of Conservation Tasks

Stage 3 - Concrete Operational Stage • From about 7 to 11 yrs • Child learns to think logically • understands the concept of conservation

Stage 4 - Formal Operational Stage • Child can think logically and in the abstract • About age 12 on up • Can solve hypothetical problems (What if…. problems) Check out this clip the 1 st kid is in stage 3 – logic; the last person is stage 4, she thinks hypothetically

Assessing Piaget’s Theory • Piaget underestimated the child’s ability at various ages. • Piaget’s theory doesn’t take into account culture and social differences.