Infant Development Student Notes PDF

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT – THE INFANT NURS 2510 CLIENT AND CONTEXT 1: HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Unless otherwise cited – all photos and images included have been created by the author, been given permission to use or by unknown authors and licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA) At the end of the cl...

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT – THE INFANT NURS 2510 CLIENT AND CONTEXT 1: HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Unless otherwise cited – all photos and images included have been created by the author, been given permission to use or by unknown authors and licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA) At the end of the class, students will be able to: 1. Describe the normal physical development, early motor skills, and perceptual abilities of infants 2. Examine sleep and variation in infancy 3. Identify newborn reflexes and the purpose they serve 4. Explore the basic principles of cognitive development in infancy using Piaget’ theory of cognitive development 5. Examine language acquisition in infancy 6. Describe the significance of attachment in human development 7. Differentiate between various attachment qualities Topics and/or Exemplars: Sleep and Attachment Picture – Stock Photo Why is this info important for you/the becoming nurse? Unparalleled growth in the first year Milestones – What are potential benefits and challenges to having standardized development milestones of infancy? Developmental milestones are specific skill attainments occurring in a predictable sequence over time, reflecting the interaction of the child’s developing neurological system with the environment Synapse development results from growth of both dendrites and axons. Synaptogenesis , the creation of synapses, occurs rapidly in the cortex during the first few years after birth, resulting in a quadrupling of the overall weight of the brain by age 4 (Johnson, 2011). However, synaptogenesis is not smooth and continuous. Instead, it happens in spurts. NOT PRESENT AT BIRTH Typically, each synaptic growth spurt generates many more connections between neurons than the individual actually needs. Thus, each burst of synaptogenesis is followed by a period of synaptic pruning , in which unnecessary pathways and connections are eliminated Review of Pre learning Physical Changes: Body systems The Brain and Nervous system: Synaptogenesis, Synaptic Pruning, Neuroplasticity, Myelinization. Because infants have more unused synapses than adults, they can bounce back from a host of insults to the brain (e.g., malnutrition, head injury) much more easily than an adult can. Neuroscientists use the term neuroplasticity to refer to the brain’s ability to change in response to experience. Another crucial process in the development of neurons is the creation of sheaths, or coverings, around individual axons, which insulate them from one another electrically and improve their conductivity. These sheaths are made of a substance called myelin; the process of developing the sheath is called myelinization. The sequence of myelinization follows both cephalocaudal and proximodistal patterns. Myelinization is most rapid during the first two years after birth, but it continues at a slower pace throughout childhood and adolescence Reflexes: Adaptive Reflexes and Primitive Reflexes- Why Do Primitive Reflexes Disappear? Motor Development Sensory Skills Cognitive Development: Language Acquisition Psychosocial Development Self concept Humans are born with many adaptive reflexes that help them survive. Some, such as those that aid in obtaining nourishment, e.g., the rooting reflex (when a newborn’s cheek is touched, it will turn its head to that side) and the sucking reflex (newborns automatically begin sucking any object that enters the mouth), disappear in infancy or childhood. Others protect us against harmful stimuli over the whole lifespan. These adaptive reflexes include withdrawal from a painful stimulus and the opening and closing of the pupil of the eye in response to variations in brightness. Weak or absent adaptive reflexes in neonates suggest that the brain is not functioning properly and that the baby requires additional assessment. The purposes of primitive reflexes , so called because they are controlled by the less sophisticated parts of the brain (the medulla and the midbrain), are less clear. For example, if you make a loud noise or startle a baby in some other way, you’ll see her throw her arms outward and arch her back, a pattern that is part of the Moro, or startle, reflex. Stroke the bottom of her foot and she will splay out her toes and then curl them in, a reaction called the Babinski reflex. By 6 to 8 months of age though, primitive reflexes begin to disappear. Most infants move through these states in the same sequence: from deep sleep to lighter sleep and then to alert wakefulness and fussing. After they are fed, they become drowsy and drop back into deep sleep. The cycle repeats itself about every two hours. Neonates sleep as much as 80% of the time, as much in the daytime as at night Motor development depends on ossification to a large extent. Standing, for example, is impossible if an infant’s leg bones are too soft, no matter how well developed the muscles and nervous system are. Changes in all of the body’s systems are responsible for the impressive array of motor skills children acquire in the first two years. Developmentalists typically divide these skills into three groups. Locomotor skills, also often called gross motor skills, include abilities such as crawling that enable the infant to get around in the environment. Non- locomotor skills, such as controlling head movements, improve babies’ ability to use their senses and motor skills to interact with the objects and the people around them. Many of these skills are used in play as well. Manipulative skills, or fine motor skills, involve use of the hands, as when a 1-year-old stacks one block on top of another. At birth, acuity is in the range of 20/200 to 20/400, but it improves rapidly during the first year as a result of synaptogenesis, synaptic pruning, and myelination in the neurons that serve the eyes’ and the brain’s vision processing centres.The process of following a moving object with your eyes is called tracking , the types of cells in the eye (cones) necessary for perceiving red and green are clearly present by 1 month (and perhaps present at birth); those required for perceiving blue are probably present by then as well (Bornstein, 1992). Thus, infants can and do see and discriminate among various colours. Indeed, researchers have determined that infants’ ability to sense colour, even in the earliest weeks of life, is almost identical to that of adults auditory acuity is actually better than their visual acuity. within the general range of pitch and loudness of the human voice, newborns hear nearly as well as adults do Nativists claim that most perceptual abilities were inborn, while empiricists argue that these skills were learned. Piaget assumed that a baby assimilates incoming information to the limited array of schemes she is born with—looking, listening, sucking, grasping—and accommodates those schemes based on her experiences. Piaget called this form of thinking sensorimotor intelligence. Thus, the sensorimotor stage is the period during which infants develop and refine sensorimotor intelligence primary circular reactions , refers to the many simple repetitive actions seen at this time, each organized around the infant’s own body. the baby repeats some action to trigger a reaction outside her own body, a secondary circular reaction means–end behaviour , or the ability to keep a goal in mind and devise a plan to achieve it exploration of the environment becomes more focused, with the emergence of tertiary circular reactions. In this pattern, the baby doesn’t merely repeat the original behaviour but tries out variations. Attachment The emotional tie to a parent experienced by an infant, from which the child derives security Attachment Theory: the view that the ability and need to form an attachment relationship early in life and genetic characteristics of all human beings According to Bowlby, infants create internal models related to their relationships by age 5 The majority of parents manage to respond to their infants in ways that foster the development of a close relationship It is important to look at both sides of the relationship equation When mothers observe or interact with their infants, their bodies release oxytocin, a hormone that is correlated with empathy, the desire for physical closeness with another person for whom one feels affection, and physical relaxation. By contrast, watching and interacting with babies stimulates vasopressin in fathers, a hormone that is linked to stimulatory contact—physical activity and joint attention to objects. social referencing Infants use cues from the facial expressions and the emotional tone of voice used by their attachment figures to help them figure out what to do in novel situations, such as when they are about to be examined by a health care provider The second major task is for the toddler to come to understand that she is also an object in the world. This self-awareness is the hallmark of the second aspect of identity, the objective self , sometimes called the categorical self , because once the child achieves self-awareness, the process of defining the self involves placing oneself in a whole series of categories Attachment Attachment Behaviours Stranger anxiety Separation anxiety Social referencing Types of Attachment Secure attachment – most common in every country Insecure attachment Avoidant attachment Ambivalent attachment Disorganized/disorie nted attachment Attachment Five factors influencing secure attachment: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Emotional Responsiveness Tactile Responsiveness Contingent Responsiveness Marital Conflict Mental Health Attachment Characteristics of securely attached children: More sociable positive in behaviour towards siblings and friends Less clinging and dependent on teachers Less aggressive and disruptive Empathetic and emotionally mature in school and outside the home Attachment What does it look like when loss of attachment happens on a much broader scale? Close to home – Colonization: the social, cultural, and geographic displacement of Indigenous peoples by European settlers Around the world – the USA where children are being taken from their families when they cross the boarder, war ravaged countries Large-scale prevention measures are required Picture – Stock Photo https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cdc/div/schedules.fr.html#child Health Promotion Immunizations Vaccines help the immune system recognize and fight bacteria and viruses that cause diseases Supporting breastfeeding Nutrition Illness in first two years Second-hand smoke Safe Sleep Sleep – States of Consciousness Drowsy Cycle repeats itself every 2 hours Deep Sleep By 8 weeks some develop day/night routine and can sleep up to 2-3 hours 6 months - babies sleep about 13 hours and have defined sleep routines Cultural beliefs can play a role related to parents’ responses to sleep patterns Central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea Lighter Sleep Feed Wakefulness Fussy Colic is a condition in babies that causes them to cry excessively and regularly at about the same time each day, typically starting a few weeks after birth and often resolving by the time they are 3 to 4 months old. The exact cause of colic is unknown, but it's thought to be a combination of an immature digestive system, gas, hormone changes that cause stomach discomfort, or overstimulation by light or noise. Babies with colic might cry for several hours at a time despite being otherwise healthy and well-fed. Colic Colic Typically appears at 2-3 weeks and disappears around 3-4 months Important to reassure parents that this is normal and self limiting with no long-term effects Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant under 1 years Parents and caregivers are encouraged to provide a safe sleep environment which includes: Placing baby on their back (evidence-based) Eliminating quilts, duvets, pillows, soft toys, crib bumpers Only a fitted sheet is recommended Avoiding laying the baby on a soft surface Having the baby sleep in a crib or cot near the parent's bed for the first six months Avoiding bedsharing or otherwise sleeping with the baby on a sofa especially if parents smoke, are more tired than usual, and/or have consumed alcohol or other substances that promote fatigue Providing a smoke free environment during pregnancy and post birth Picture – Stock Photo Think about Sexual-Ill Being factors Sexuality Physiological Psychological Environmental Maturational Attitudes and behaviours of families play a big role in sexuality development – more in later childhood [NURS 2510 Human Growth and Development] February 5, 2024 Concepts: Individual Development – Infant Topics and/or Exemplars: Sleep and Attachment Weekly Student Learning Outcomes: At the end of the class, students will be able to: 1. Describe the normal physical development, early motor skills, and perceptual abilities of infants 2. Examine sleep and variation in infancy 3. Identify newborn reflexes and their purpose(s) 4. Explore the basic principles of cognitive development in infancy and apply Piaget’s theory of cognitive development 5. Examine language acquisition in infancy 6. Describe attachment and its significance in infancy and human life span development 7. Differentiate between various attachment qualities Pre-class: Required Readings, Videos & Guiding Questions: Readings: Use SLOS and guiding questions to focus reading. 1. Boyd, D., Johnson, P. and Bee, H. (2021). Lifespan Development (7th Canadian Edition). Toronto: Pearson. Chapters 4 - ALL Chapter 5 - pp.135-143 Chapter 6 – ALL 2. Optional addition to chapter 6 - text readings on Attachment: Video under integrations -YuJa - Theory of Attachment (7.35min) – to get a sense of the concept and types. Online textbook reading guidance – E-Book Sections 4.1-4.3 (if using Boyd E-book) Pre-class Exercises (please read and work through the following exercise to be ready for class): Infancy is from birth to 2 years of age. An unparalleled amount of growth occurred during this time. Variations exist among individual infants; however, as nurses, we need to understand what normal growth and development is to understand how it can affect assessments and interventions. Physiological Development The brain and nervous system develop rapidly during the first two years of life. The midbrain and medulla that regulate vital functions are most fully developed at birth. The least developed part of the brain is the cortex, which is the part that is involved in perception, body movement, thinking and language. Below are some key terminology you should be familiar with: Synaptogenesis: Creation of synapses, the process of synapse development Synaptic Pruning: When extra neurons or unused/unnecessary neuronal pathways and synaptic connections are eliminated in order to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmissions. This process occurs throughout the lifespan. It makes the brain more efficient. Neuroplasticity: the ability of the brain to reorganize its neural structures and functioning in response to experiences Myelinization: myelin gradually covers individual axons and electrically insulates them from one another; this improves the conductivity of the nerve. It occurs rapidly in the first two years after birth and continues into childhood and adolescence. Key Reflexes Normal and abnormal development Indigenous teachings Take way Attachment Health Promotion and SIDS Sexuality