PRINCIPLES OF GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
GROWTH
used to denote a
quantitative change
an increase in physical
appearance.
Increase in physical size
and weight of the body
Growth can be measured in terms
of:
Nutritional anthropometry (Weight, Height,
Head Circumference, Chest Circumference)
Assessment of tissue growth (muscle mass,
skin fold thickness)
Bone age (Radiological Assessment of
Epiphysis)
Dental Age
Biochemical and Histological Means
DEVELOPMENT
denotes a qualitative
change
increase in skill or the
ability to function.
Functional and
physiological maturation
Increase in mental,
physical, emotional, social
capabilities
PRINCIPLES OF GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 1:
GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT ARE
CONTINUOUS
PROCESSES FROM
CONCEPTION UNTIL
DEATH
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 2:
GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
PROCEED IN AN
ORDERLY
SEQUENCE
Example:
Growth in height occurs in only one sequence
from smaller to larger
Development proceeds in predictable order
Crawl
Babbles
Scribble
creep
words
write
walk
sentences
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 3:
DIFFERENT
CHILDREN PASS
THROUGH THE
PREDICTABLE STAGES
AT DIFFERENT RATES
All stages of development have a range of
time rather than a certain point at which they
are usually accomplished.
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 4:
ALL BODY SYSTEMS
DO NOT DEVELOP AT
THE SAME RATE
Certain body tissues mature more rapidly than
others
Early childhood:
rapid growth of neurologic tissue
Rapid growth of lymphoid tissues
Puberty: rapid growth during puberty
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 5:
Midline to peripheral development
Example:
Newborn: little use of the arms or hands
3 4 mos: enough arm control to support the
upper body weight on the forearms; can scoop up
objects
10 mos: can coordinate arm and thumb and index
fingers pincerlike grasp; child is able to pick
small objects
Development proceeds from head to tail
(head to lower extremities)
Newborn: lift head when in prone position
2 mos: lift head and chest off the bed
4 mos: lift head, chest, and part of the abdomen
5 mos: infant can turn over
9 mos: control the legs; crawl
1 year: stand and walk
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 6:
DEVELOPMENT
PROCEEDS FROM
PROXIMAL TO
DISTAL BODY
PARTS
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 7:
DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS
FROM GROSS TO REFINED
SKILLS
Parallels proximal to distal development
As the child is able to control distal body parts,
he or she is able to perform fine motor skills
A baby can see large objects first before he
sees small ones.
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 8:
A child cannot learn tasks until his or her
nervous system is mature enough to allow
that particular learning, however, children
who are not given the opportunity to learn
developmental tasks at the appropriate or
target times for that task may have more
difficulty than the usual child learning the task
later on.
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 9:
Neonatal reflexes are replaced by purposeful
movements
Examples:
Infant cannot grasp with skill until the grasp reflex
has faded
Infant cannot stand steadily until the walking
reflex has faded
PRINCIPLE NUMBER 10:
Infants practice over and over taking a
first step before they accomplish this
securely.
WHY IS THERE A
NEED TO
MONITOR
GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT?
TO FIND/DISCOVER DEVIATIONS AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE AND TO BRING
POSSIBLE REMEDIES
FACTORS INFLUENCING GROWTH
AND DEVELOPMENT
2 MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING
GRWOTH AND DEVELOPMENT
1.
2.
GENETIC INHERITANCE
ENVIRONMENTAL
INFLUENCES
GENETIC INHERITANCE
1. gender
2. health
3. Intelligence
4. temperament
Gender
Certain gender-related characteristics
influcence normal growth and development
Example
on the average, girls are born lighter and shorter
than boys.
Boys tend to keep this height and weight
advantage until puberty, at which time girls surge
ahead because they begin their puberty growth
spurt 6 months to one year earlier than boys.
By the end of puberty, boys again tend to be taller
and heavier than girls.
Health
A child who inherits a genetically transmitted
disease may not grow as rapidly or develop as
fully as the healthy child, depending on the
type of illness and the therapy or care
available for the disease.
Intelligence
Children with high intelligence do not
generally grow faster than other children, but
they tend to advance faster in skills.
Occasionally, a child of high intelligence will
fall behind in physical skills because he or she
spends time with books or mental games
rather than with games that develop motor
skills and so does not receive practice in these
areas.
Temperament:
The usual pattern of an individual or an
individuals characteristic manner of thinking,
behaving, or reacting to stimuli is a genetic
factor that also influences growth and
development.
Some children adapt quickly to new situations
and others adapt slowly, and some react
intensely and some passively.
Reaction Patterns (characteristics
of temperament)
A. LEVEL OF ACTIVITY
Level of activity among children differs widely
B. RHYTHMICITY
A child who has rhythmicity manifests a regular
rhythm in physiologic functions
C. APPROACH
Refers to a childs response on initial contact with
a new stimulus
D. ADAPTIBILITY
The ability to change ones reaction to stimuli
over time
E. INTENSITY OF REACTION
how intense is the reaction of the child to a
situation
F. DISTRACTIBILITY
Shifting of attention to a new situation
G. ATTENTION SPAN AND PERSISTENCE
Attention span: ability to remain interested ina
project or activity.
Varies among infants
Degree of persistence also varies
H. THRESHOLD OF RESPONSE
The intensity level of stimulation that is
necessary to evoke action
I. MOOD QUALITY
CATEGORIES OF TEMPERAMENT
A. EASY CHILD
Easy to care for
Have predictable rhythmicity, approach and
adapt to a new situation readily, have a mild to
moderate intensity of reaction, and have an
overall positive mood quality.
B. DIFFICULT CHILD
Irregular in habits, have a negative mood quality,
withdraw rather than approach new situations
C. SLOW-TO-WARM-UP CHILD
Fairly inactive
Respond only mildly and adapt slowly to new
situations, and have a general negative mood
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
1. Socioeconomic level
2. Parent-Child relationship
3. Ordinal Position in the family
4. Health
5. Nutrition
Socioeconomic Level
Children born in families with low
socioeconomic levels may not receive
adequate health supervision or good nutrition
which are important in their normal growth
and development.
Parent-child Relationship
Children who are loved thrive better than
those who are not.
Quality is better than quantity
Loss of a parent-child relationship of
whatever cause can interfere with the childs
desire to eat, improve and advance.
Nutrition
Quality of a childs nutrition during the
growing years has a major influence on his or
her health and stature.
Ordinal Position in the Family
An only child or the oldest child generally
excels in language development because
conversations are mainly with adults but may
not excel in other skills such as toilet training
at an early age
Health
Diseases that come from environmental
sources can have a strong influence on growth
and development as genetically inherited
diseases.
Developmental Task
A skill or a growth responsibility arising at a
particular time in an individuals life
Achievement will provide a foundation for the
accomplishment of future tasks
The Major Developmental Tasks
for Childhood
1. Infancy and early childhood (birth to 6 years)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
Learning to walk.
Learning to take solid foods.
Learning to talk.
Learning to control the elimination of body wastes
Learning sex differences and sexual modesty.
Achieving physiological stability.
Forming simple concepts of physical reality
Learning to relate oneself emotionally to parents,
siblings and other people
2. Middle Childhood (6 to 12 years)
a) Learning physical skills necessary for ordinary games
b) Building wholesome attitudes toward oneself as a
growing organism.
c) Learning to get along with age mates.
d) Learning an appropriate masculine or feminine role
e) Developing fundamental skills in reading, writing and
calculating
f) Developing concepts necessary for everyday living
g) Developing conscience, morality and a scale of values.
h) Achieving personal independence
i) Developing attitudes towards social groups /
institutions
Developmental Periods
STAGE
Prenatal Period
AGE PERIOD
Conception -280 days
Infancy
Babyhood
Childhood
Adolescence
Birth -10-14 days
2 wks 2 yrs
2 yrs - puberty
11 -21 yrs
