Untitled Quiz

Child and Adolescent Development

• Unit 3 objectives include describing newborn reflexes, evaluating their importance, outlining motor development in the first two years, explaining reaching/grasping development, and detailing how early experiences influence these skills.

Major Newborn Reflexes

• A reflex is an automatic response to specific stimulation. Newborn reflexes are inherent organized patterns of behaviour.
• Typically, developing newborns respond to stimuli with these reflexes.

Major Reflexes

• Eye Blink: Stimulation - bright light to eyes or hand clap near head. Response - eyes quickly close. Age of disappearance - permanent. Function - protects infants from strong stimulation.
• Rooting: Stimulation - stroking or brushing near the mouth corner. Response - infant turns head in that direction. Age of disappearance - 3 weeks (transition to voluntary head-turning). Function - helps infants find food/nipple.
• Sucking: Stimulation - newborn lips are touched. Response - baby makes a sucking motion. Age of disappearance - replaced by voluntary sucking after 4 months. Function - helps find and consume food such as from a bottle or breast.
• Swimming: Stimulation - infant face down in water. Response - baby paddles and kicks in swimming motion. Age of disappearance - 4-6 months. Function - survival mechanism to help infants if they fall in water
• Moro: Stimulation - held horizontally, swiftly lowered a few inches, or a loud sudden noise. Response - arms fling out, then come together in a clutching motion. Age of disappearance - 6 months. Function - assists in clinging to the mother; absence might indicate a severely disturbed CNS.
• Palmer Grasp: Stimulation - place fingers in infant's hand, press against the palm. Response - infants grasp the object firmly. Age of disappearance - 3-4 months. Function - prepares infants for voluntary grasping.
• Tonic Neck: Stimulation - head turned to one side. Response - arm and leg on the side of head turn extend, while the opposite arm and leg contract. Age of disappearance - 4 months. Function - prepares infants for voluntary reaching.
• Stepping: Stimulation - hold newborn in upright position, lightly touch one foot to a flat surface. Response - infant makes walking motions with both feet. Age of disappearance - 2 months in infants who gain weight quickly. Function - prepares infants for voluntary walking.
• Babinski: Stimulation - sole of foot is firmly stroked. Response - big toe moves upward, other toes fan out. Age of disappearance - 12 months. Function - absence may suggest immaturity of the central nervous system (CNS), a defective spinal cord or other issues.

Importance of Assessing Newborn Reflexes

• Reflexes in newborns indicate the condition of the nervous system.
• Assessment is critical for weak or absent reflexes, exaggerated reflexes, and reflexes that persist/re-appear.
• Absence or weakness of Moro reflex might suggest severely disturbed CNS.
• Absence of Palmer grasp reflex may signal damage to the spinal cord.
• Absence of Babinski reflex can point to immature CNS, spinal cord issues, or other problems; if it reappears after vanishing around 3-4 months, it could highlight CNS malfunction.

APGAR Scoring

• Some infants struggle to adjust after birth and require assistance.
• To assess infants' physical condition immediately after birth, the APGAR scale is used.
• APGAR evaluates appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration.
• A rating of 0, 1, or 2 is assigned to each category at 1 and 5 minutes after birth.
• An APGAR score of 7 or higher indicates strong physical condition, while a score of 4 or 6 necessitates special assistance (e.g. ventilator).
• Low scores relate to potential long-term neurological damage, like hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or seizures.

Sequence of Motor Development

• Gross motor skills entail controlling large body movements (e.g., crawling, standing, walking).
• Fine motor skills involve smaller movements (e.g., reaching, grasping, using lips/tongue).
• Development follows a pattern where skills emerge first and become refined over time.
• Specific developmental milestones for fine and gross motor function are outlined in different age ranges (2-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-15 months, and 15-18 months + 2-3 years)

Sequence of Motor Development in the First Two Years

• Cephalocaudal trend - development progressing from head to feet during the first two years.
• Proximodistal pattern - development occurring from the central axis of the body outward, toward the extremities.
• Infants' head and legs represent 25% of their body length at birth.
• Physical growth encompasses the cephalocaudal trend, starting with the head, followed by the body, and finally, the extremities.
• Body proportions evolve throughout life, with patterns reversing during puberty.

Cultural Variation

• Cultural contexts influence infant physical development.
• Early movement opportunities and stimulating environments impact development.
• Practices differ across cultures; e.g., in some cultures, rapid motor development isn't encouraged (illustrated by Japanese, Rural Indian, and West Indian examples).

Manipulation (reaching, grasping, releasing)

• Reaching, grasping, and releasing are crucial infant motor skills.
• These skills facilitate exploring the environment and developing cognitive abilities.
• Three stages of reaching, grasping, and releasing in the first two years:
  • Phase 1: 4 months old – visually initiated but not controlled, can reach in the dark for light
  • Phase 2: 6-7 months old – more controlled hand, wrist, and finger movements, pincer grasp appears, visually guided reaching
• Manipulation, especially bimanual control emerges when infants are fully mobile (can sit and walk). Infants can hold more than one item at a time.
• Reaching and postural control contribute greatly to development and social interaction.
• Proprioception, the sense of body position and movement, is critical in reaching without visual guidance, aiding infants in developing ulnar (clumsy) and pincer grasps (using thumb and index finger which develops later in the year).

Early Experience and Reaching

• Early experiences greatly impact reaching development
• Environments should facilitate visual stimulation to support reaching.
• While intensive experiences are helpful, exceeding current developmental capabilities can hinder the proper development of motor skills.