The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence by

The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence by Kathleen Stassen Berger Seventh Edition Chapter 5 The First Two Years: Biosocial Development Slides prepared by Kate Byerwalter, Ph. D. , Grand Rapids Community College

Body Changes n An average newborn is 7½ lbs, 20 inches. n Infants triple their birthweight by 1 year. n By age two, they are about ½ their adult height (!) and ¼ their adult weight. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Body Changes ALL: INES YVETTE LARAYA ERESE Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Body Changes (cont. ) n Percentile ranks: allow comparisons of an individual infant to group norms ¨A sudden drop in percentile rank might indicate a developmental problem. n Head Sparing: in cases of inadequate nutrition, the brain keeps growing Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

The Wonderful World of SLEEP n Newborns sleep 17+ hours a day. DAVID YOUNG-WOLFF / PHOTOEDIT, INC. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Infant Sleep (cont. ) n Infants gradually adjust to the family’s sleep schedule. ¨ 80% of 1 year olds sleep “through the night” ¨ Sleep cycles are influenced by brain maturation, diet, child-rearing practices, and birth order Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Make It Real: Co-Sleeping n Some families practice “co-sleeping, ” in which the family shares a bed. n Why might a family do this? Do you think it could benefit or harm an infant? Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Research on Co-Sleeping n CULTURE influences the decision (it is more common in Eastern culture) n It is not harmful to an infant, under normal circumstances (e. g. , if adult is not drunk) n It may increase dependence on parents Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Brain Development n Brain development during infancy is fascinating and rapid. ¨ By the age of 2, the brain is 75% its adult weight ¨ Neural connections in the brain also develop Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Brain Development (cont. ) n Regional specialization: neurons in certain areas of the brain correspond to different tasks ¨ Examples: language, vision, smell, emotional processing, recognizing faces vs. objects, etc. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

The Developing Cortex Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Brain Development (cont. ) n Transient exuberance: rapid proliferation of new neural connections in infancy ¨ As many as 15, 000 new connections per neuron and 100 trillion synapses by age 2! n Pruning makes the brain more efficient by eliminating underused connections. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

What influences early brain development? n Brain development is influenced by maturation and experiences. n Experience-expectant brain functions require basic common experiences. ¨ Example: No matter where an infant lives, he or she hears sounds and language. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

What influences early brain development? (cont. ) n Experience-dependent brain functions depend on exposure to particular events. ¨ Example: The particular sounds and language heard (and learned) varies across infants. ¨ Example: The development of impulse control depends on both maturation and practice. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Why are neural connections so important? n A certain level of neural connections indicate healthy brain development. n Lack of connections may result from child abuse or neglect early in life, and can have lasting consequences. ¨ Example: Infants in orphanages Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Make it Real: Activities n Make a list of toys and activities that can stimulate healthy brain development in the first two years of life. PHOTODISC Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Implications for Caregivers n Is it possible to overstimulate an infant? YES! n The key is to follow the infant’s lead n Self-righting: an infant’s inborn drive to use whatever experiences available to develop the brain (wow!) Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Infant Senses n All five senses function at birth ¨ Vision, n hearing, taste, touch, smell Perception (the brain’s processing of the sensation) develops over time. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Infant Senses (cont. ) n Hearing: is well developed at birth ¨ Infants respond to sudden noises, human voice, phonemes of language n Vision: is the least mature sense at birth ¨ Bionocular vision develops around 14 weeks ¨ “Adult” vision (20/20) by one year Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Infant Senses (cont. ) n Taste, touch, smell function well at birth All: CINDY CHARLES / PHOTOEDIT, INC. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Motor Skills n Motor skills develop according to two principles: ¨ Cephalocaudal: growth proceeds from headto-toe (e. g. , head lift before sit, stand, walk) ¨ Proximal-distal: growth proceeds from torso outward (e. g. , sucking before kicking) Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Motor Skills (cont. ) n Reflexes account for the first motor skills. n Survival reflexes include sucking, breathing, body temperature. n Other reflexes include the Babinski, Moro, and stepping reflexes. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Infant Reflexes ASTIER / BSIP / SCIENCE SOURCE / PHOTO RESEARCHERS, INC. JENNY WOODCOCK; REFLECTIONS PHOTOLIBRARY / CORBIS PETIT FORMAT / PHOTO RESEARCHERS, INC. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Make it Real: Motor Skills n At what age do you think most infants learn to walk? n What about you? PHOTODISC Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Motor Skills (cont. ) n Gross motor skills involve large muscle movements. ¨ Examples: crawling, sitting, walking ¨ Walking typically occurs around 12 months, with great variability across infants. ¨ Walking requires muscle strength, brain maturation, and practice. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Motor Skills (cont. ) n Fine motor skills involve small muscle movements. ¨ Examples: learning to grasp, shake, pull an object, hold a spoon, write, draw, etc. n Motor skills are influenced by genes, culture, and patterns of infant care. Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Public Health Measures n Infant survival rates have increased significantly in the past century, due to better nutrition, cleaner water, and immunization. n Although not without controversy, immunization has been hailed as a major achievement (e. g. , significantly reducing polio, small pox, measles). Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome n SIDS is infant death of an unknown cause. n Protective factors (although not a guarantee) include: NO cigarette smoke in house, noise and touch during sleep, breast feeding, sleeping on back Berger: The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 7 th Edition, Chapter 5