Newborn Reflexes and Piaget's Stages

Newborn Reflexes

• Root reflex: Newborn turns head toward touch on cheek, aiding feeding.
• Suck reflex: Initiates sucking when roof of mouth is touched.
• Moro reflex: Startle reflex; extends arms, arches back, brings arms together.
• Tonic neck reflex: "Fencing position"; arm on turned side extends, opposite arm bends.
• Grasp reflex: Baby closes hand around object in palm.
• Babinski reflex: Sole of foot stroked, big toe moves up, other toes fan out.

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensorimotor (Birth-2 years): Explore through senses & actions; develop object permanence.
• Preoperational (2-7 years): Use symbols (words, images); lack logical reasoning.
• Concrete operational (7-11 years): Logical thinking about concrete events; grasp conservation & classification.
• Formal operational (12 years +): Abstract reasoning & hypothetical thinking.

Teams in Early Intervention

• Multidisciplinary: Professionals work independently, limited collaboration, focus on expertise.
• Interdisciplinary: Collaborative approach; integrated goals, separate evaluations, services.
• Transdisciplinary: Shared roles & expertise; one primary provider integrates strategies.

Risk Categories

• Established risk: Diagnosed medical condition (premature birth, Down syndrome, etc.) likely to cause developmental delay.
• At-risk: Susceptible to delay due to factors like family history & environment; may show signs later.

Gestures

• Deictic gestures (8-12 months): Point, show, give, to direct attention.
• Showing (8-10 months): Gestures to express interest in something.
• Giving (8-10 months): Giving object or person attention.
• Pointing (10-12 months): Indicating something with finger.
• Ritual Request (10-12 months): Gestures as part of a specific routine with a specific meaning.
• Representational gestures (12-16 months): Visual representation of meaning; iconic & symbolic.
• Iconic gesture: Gestures resembling concept.
• Symbolic Gesture: Abstract gesture unrelated to object/concept.
• Emblem gestures (24-27 months): Socially learned gestures—e.g., thumbs up, high five.
• Beat gestures (24+months): Used for emphasis or rhythm in speech.

Stages of Communication

• Perlocutionary (Birth-8 months): Pre-intentional; caregivers interpret behaviors (crying, cooing).
• Illocutionary (8-12 months): Intentional communication; gestures, vocalizations, eye gaze.
• Locutionary (12-18 months): Use words with intent, often with gestures.

Prelinguistic vs. Linguistic

• Prelinguistic: Communication before spoken words (cooing, babbling, gestures).
• Linguistic: Spoken or signed language; first words to complex sentences.

Speech/Language Development (Birth-3 Years)

• Specific milestones in receptive and expressive language are outlined by age.
• At each age, examples are provided of typical/atypical behaviors.

Important Words Development

• 1 year: 1 word
• 18 months: 10-15 words
• 2 years: 50+ words, 2-word phrases emerge

Family-Centered Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)

• Definition: Range of services & support for young children at risk for delays or disabilities.
• Rationale: Families are primary in child development; family engagement leads to generalization of skills in daily life.
• Benefits: Enhances confidence, consistency in skill reinforcement at home.
• Team Models (in ECI): Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary.
• ECI Assessments: Use variety of standardized tools, caregiver interviews, naturalistic observations. Include developmental history; communication & play.

Assessment Guidelines

• Gather comprehensive data (standardized tools, caregiver interviews, observations).
• Involve families for prioritization and concerns.
• Assess children in various settings (home, school).

Assessment Tools: Different Assessments focus on specific domains

• DAYC-2 (Developmental Assessment of Young Children, Second Edition)
• REEL-4 (Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Test, Fourth Edition)
• PLS-5 (Preschool Language Scale, Fifth Edition)
• BDI-3 (Battelle Developmental Inventory, Third Edition)

Language Intervention Strategies

• Guiding Considerations: Focus on specific needs, incorporate into routines, etc.
• Approaches: Responsive, Directive, Blended.
• Interactive strategies: Turn-taking, joint attention, imitation, simplified language, expand on utterances, provide choices.
• Specific Programs: Hanen Program.

Hanen Program Focus

• Responsiveness: Active listening, following child's lead, modeling language, matching pace.
• Child-Directed Speech (CDS): Adapting language to child's level, interests, and style for effective communication and learning.
• Strategies: Simplified language, higher pitch, slower speech, repetition, exaggerated facial expressions/gestures.

This quiz covers essential newborn reflexes and Piaget's stages of cognitive development. Understand the various reflexes infants exhibit and the cognitive growth they experience from birth to adolescence. Test your knowledge of early childhood milestones and interventions.