Human Development Patterns

Principles of Growth and Development

• Growth and development are continuous processes from conception until death.
• All body systems do not develop at the same rate, with certain tissues maturing more rapidly than others.
• Development proceeds in an orderly sequence, with predictable stages at different rates.

Cephalocaudal Development

• Development proceeds from head to tail (downward).
• Motor development proceeds in a cephalocaudal order, from the head to the lower extremities.
• Examples:
  • Newborn can lift only the head off the bed.
  • By 2 mo, the infant can lift the head and chest off the bed.
  • By 3 mo, the head, chest, and part of the abdomen.
  • By 5 mo, the infant has enough control to turn over.
  • By 9 mo, he or she can control the legs enough to crawl.
  • By 1 yr, the child can stand upright and perhaps walk.

Proximal to Distal Development

• Development proceeds from the center of the body outward.
• Development of upper extremity development:
  • Newborn makes little use of the arms or hands.
  • By 3 or 4 mo, the infant has enough arm control to support the upper body weight on the forearms.
  • By 10 mo, the infant can coordinate the arm and thumb and index fingers sufficiently well to use a pincerlike grasp.

Gross to Refined Skills

• Development proceeds from gross to refined skills.
• Example: Fine motor skills, such as using a pincerlike grasp, require control of distal body parts.

Intelligence and Health

• A child who inherits a genetically transmitted disease may not grow as rapidly or develop as fully as a healthy child.
• Children with high intelligence do not generally grow faster physically than other children, but they do tend to advance faster in skills.

Temperament

• Temperament is an inborn characteristic set at birth and is not developed by stages.
• It is an individual's characteristic manner of thinking, behaving, or reacting to stimuli in the environment.
• Understanding that children are not all alike will help parents deal with their children.

Reaction Patterns

• Each child's pattern is made up of a combination of individual elements, including adaptability, intensity of reaction, distractibility, attention span and persistence, threshold of response, and mood quality.

Adaptability

• Adaptability is the ability to change one's reaction to stimuli over time.
• Examples:
  • Infants who are adaptable can change their first reaction to a situation without exhibiting extreme distress.
  • Infants who cry for months whenever they are put into a bathtub or who cannot seem to accustom themselves to a new bed or new caregiver.

Intensity of Reaction

• Some children react to situations with their whole being, with intense symptoms of anger or have a mild or low-intensity reaction to stress.

Distractibility

• Children who are easily distracted or who can easily shift their attention to a new situation can be easily managed.

Attention Span and Persistence

• Attention span is the ability to remain interested in a project or activity.
• Persistence is the ability to keep trying to perform an activity even when failing.

Threshold of Response

• The threshold of response is the intensity level of stimulation that is necessary to evoke a reaction.
• Children with a low threshold need little stimulation; those with a high threshold need intense stimulation before they become upset over a situation.

Mood Quality

• Mood quality is the overall tone of a child's emotional state.
• A child who is always happy and laughing has a positive mood quality.

Categories of Temperament

• The Easy Child: predictable rhythmicity, approach and adapt to new situations readily, mild to moderate intensity of reaction, and an overall positive mood quality.
• The Intermediate Child: some characteristics of both easy and difficult groups are present.
• The Difficult Child: irregular in habits, negative mood quality, and withdraw rather than approach new situations.
• The Slow-to-Warm-Up Child: overall fairly inactive; respond only mildly and adapt slowly to new situations, and have a general negative mood.