Physical and Motor Development of Children and Adolosecents

8/11/2019 Physical and Motor Development of Children and Adolosecents

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PHYSICAL AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND

ADOLESCENTS

PHYSICAL AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT

Early Childhood

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Known to us as preschool age

Physical Development during Early Childhood

Physical development in children follows a directional pattern.1. The rapid increase in body size of the first two years tapers off into a

slower growth pattern. On average, children add 2 to 3 inches in heightand about 5 pounds in weight each year. Boys continue to be slightlylarger than girls.

2.

Large muscles develop before small muscles. Muscles in the body's core,legs and arms develop before those in the fingers and hands. Childrenlearn how to perform gross (or large) motor skills such as walking beforethey learn to perform fine (or small) motor skills such as drawing.

3. The center of the body develops before the outer regions.Muscles locatedat the core of the body become stronger and develop sooner than those inthe feet and hands.

4. Development goes from the top down, from the head to the toes. This iswhy babies learn to hold their heads up before they learn how to crawl.

Motor Development during Early ChildhoodAs child grows, his nervous system becomes more mature. As this happens,

the child becomes more and more capable of performing increasing complex actions.Motor development may vary somewhat. However, nearly all children begin toexhibit these motor skills at a fairly consistent rate unless some type of disability ispresent (Bayley, 1993). When a child is healthy, he strengthens all his muscles,establishes his coordination, acquires equilibrium, fine tunes movement of his smallmuscles, and learns to move for specific purposes progressively (Gines, et al., 1998).There are two types of motor skills:

Gross (or large) motor skills involve the larger muscles including the arms andlegs. Actions requiring gross motor skills include walking, running, balance andcoordination. When evaluating gross motor skills, the factors that expertslook at include strength, muscle tone, movement quality and the range ofmovement.

Fine (or small) motor skillsinvolve the smaller muscles in the fingers, toes, eyesand other areas. The actions that require fine motor skills tend to be moreintricate, such as drawing, writing, grasping objects, throwing, waving andcatching.


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MEM 505: CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT 2

Brain Development during Early Childhood

Between ages 2 and 6, the brain increases from 70 percent of its adults weightto 70 percent. At the same time, children improves in a wide variety of skills- theseare physical coordination, perception, attention, memory, language, logical thinking,

and imagination. Aside to increasing in weight, the brain undergoes much reshapingand refining. By age 4, many parts of the cortex have overproduced synapses. Insome regions, such as the frontal lobes, the number of synapses is nearly double theadult value. Together, synaptic growth and myelination of neural fibers result in ahigh energy level.

Further, language skills, typically housed in the left hemisphere of the brain,increase at an astonishing pace in early childhood, and they support childrens

increasing control over behaviour, also mediated by the frontal lobes. In contrast,spatial skills, usually located in the right hemisphere, such as giving directions,drawing pictures, and recognizing geometric shapes, develop gradually over

childhood and adolescence (Berke, 2008).

HANDEDNESS

Handedness is established between 3 to 6 years. During this period, childrenabandon the tendency to shift from the use of one hand to the use of the other hand.They begin to concentrate on learning skills with one hand as the dominant hand andthe other as auxiliary hand.

Parents and teachers are advised to train and encourage the child to use hisright hand because he is born into a right-handed world. (Gines, et al., 1998)

Middle Childhood

Age range: 6 to 12 years Known as Grade 1 to 6 pupils

Physical Development during Middle Childhood

Childrens bodies change a lot during this development. Bones broaden andlengthen dramatically. In general, children will grow an average of 2-3 inches tallereach year throughout this stage. As young children enter to this period, boys aregenerally taller than girls, but at the end of middle childhood, the growth trend inheight will reverse. Furthermore, both boys and girls are building muscle. Generally,children will gain 6 to 7 pounds a year each during the period. Girls tend to retain

more fatty tissue than boys in preparation for puberty.

Motor Development during Middle Childhood

Gross Motor Skills DevelopmentDuring middle childhood, children can do large-scale body movements.

Typically, boys develop these skills slightly faster than do girls, except for skillsinvolving balance and precise movements such as skipping, jumping and hopping.


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Children in this stage also refine their control over gross motor skills. They areable to gain this improved control and coordination due to increases in theirflexibility, equilibrium, and agility. They also learn how to synchronize the movementof their body's various parts, allowing for the development of smoother, morecoordinated whole-body movement routines such as are needed for participating in

organized sports.Fine Motor Skills Development

Children in middle childhood also continue to hone their fine motor skills.Contrary to gross motor skills development, girls tend to develop fine motor skillsslightly faster than do boys.

Specifically, middle-childhood-aged children show dramatic improvementswith their penmanship. Their artistic ability can truly begin to shine during this periodas they also develop the ability to draw complex and detailed pictures incorporatingdepth cues and 3D elements and they become more imaginative.

During this stage, children also learn how to use their hands to successfully

complete manual activities other than drawing or writing. For example, they becomecapable of executing complex detail-oriented craft projects involving beading,sewing, scrap booking, building models, and good at using simple tools.

Brain Development during Middle Childhood

1.

The frontal lobes of the cortex show a slight increase in surface area betweenages 5 and 7 due to continuing myelinization.

2. The corpus callosum thickens, leading to improved communication betweenthe two cortical hemispheres.

3. Synaptic pruning continues, and lateralization of the cerebral hemispheresincreases over the school years.

4.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that permit neurons to communicate acrosssynapses. Secretions of particular neurotransmitters are related to cognitiveperformance.

5.

Brain functioning may also change because of an increase in androgens thatoccurs in both boys and girls around age 7 to 8.

Adolescence

Physical Development during Adolescence

During this developmental stage, adolescents experience two significantchanges in physical development. These are:

1.

Adolescent or Pubertal Growth Spurt. This refers to the rapid acceleration inheight and weight. Girls enter the rapid growth earlier than boys. Girls maybegin as early as age 9 or as late as age 12, while boys may begin as early as 12or as late as 16. Typically, the spurt for girls occurs two years earlier than boys.Aside from growing taller and heavier, the body assumes an adult-likeappearance.


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2.

Puberty. This is the emergent of primary and secondary sex characteristics,and the point which the individual becomes physically capable of sexualreproduction.

Primary sex characteristics include development of gonads (testes forboys and ovaries for girls), and production of sex hormones.

Secondary sex characteristics include development of body form(triangular for boys and hourglass for girls), growth of pubic hairs, andmenarche (first menstrual period for girls) and penis growth for boys.(Gines, et al., 1998)

Motor Development during Adolescence

Gross Motor Skills Development & Fine Motor Skills DevelopmentGross and fine motor skills improve continuously during adolescence.

Adolescents can do more complex and strenuous activities compare when they werein their middle childhood.

Brain Development during Adolescence

1.

Frontal lobes, responsible for reasoning and problem solving, develop.2.

Synaptic growth spurts most in temporal and parietal lobes.3. Synaptic pruning occurs mostly in frontal lobes, and adolescent loses three

percent matter in frontal lobes.

ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Life Experience

Increased Stimulation

FACTORS AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT

Maternal Nutrition

Maternal Nutrition during Pregnancy

Womens nutrient needs increase during pregnancy and lactation. It is

essential to increase the nutrient requirements to protect maternal and infanthealth. Otherwise, it may lead to serious problem for women and infants.

During pregnancy, all women need more food, a varied diet andmicronutrient supplements as prescribed by doctor. When energy and othernutrient intake do not increase, the womans body own reserves are used,

leaving her weakened. In the second and particularly the third trimester,energy needs increase. Energy boosters can be found in whole-wheat bread,ginger bread and other wheat products. Banana is also a good source ofenergy and fiber. Inadequate weight gain during pregnancy often results inlow birth weight, which increases an infants risk of dying. Pregnant womenalso require taking more nutrients such as foliate, protein, iron, iodine, andvitamin A. A sufficient amount of these nutrients will prevent maternal


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complication and death, birth defects, and increased physical and mentalpotential of the child (Linkages & CORE, 2004).

It is good to eat food that is rich in foliate especially during the firsttrimester. Foliate is good for the development of babys nervous system and it

is one of the B complex group vitamins which has important role in normaldevelopment of the fetus. Good sources of foliate are found in fortifiedcereals, citrus fruits, dried beans and peas, and green and leaf vegetables.

It is highly recommended to eat food that is rich in calcium and vitaminD during the onset of second trimester. They help for babys development ofstrong bones and teeth. Calcium may also help in mother's nervous,circulatory, and muscular system. Foods which contain omega 3 fatty acids arealso essential for babys brain development.

Maternal Nutrition during Lactation

Lactation places high demands on maternal stores of energy, protein,and other nutrients. Eating foods which provide energy and rich in proteinand other nutrients help to produce adequate amount of breast milk andsustain milk production. Mothers who do not get ample energy and nutrientsin their diets risk maternal depletion.

Brest milk is best for baby because it contains all the vitamins andnutrients that baby needs for growth and development during the first sixmonths of life. It is filled with disease-fighting substances that protect thebaby from having illness. Garlic, oatmeal, spinach, sweet potato, and

garbanzo beans are foods that promote breath health and milk production.Oatmeal helps to produce the hormone oxytocin which is essential for milkproduction and helps mother to bond with her child and sweet potatoes arerich in beta-carotene which helps to increase milk supply.

Child Nutrition

Malnutrition remains a major health issue in the Philippines and itseriously affects the physical and mental development of children nowadays.Poverty is the chief reason why Filipino children do not get nutrients andenergy required for their growth and development.

Child nutrition does not mean allowing your children to eat what theywant but it should be a balance between nutrients and energy as required intheir developmental stage. Childs diet should be focused on natural, fresh of

nutrient and energy that are found in milk, fruits, and vegetables. Parentsshould encourage their children to have a positive attitude towards healthyeating and should also avoid fad foods and drastic dieting for their children.


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Pre-school childrens diet must be high in vitamins and minerals, and atthis stage, an adequate supply of calcium, iron, protein and vitamins A and B isessential. Calcium helps children to have healthy bones and teeth. Goodsources of calcium are found in dairy products, fortified cereals, dark leafyvegetables and white bread. Iron-rich foods such as red meat help to prevent

delay in development, poor weight gain, and anemia.

Pre-school children are required to have food that provides high inenergy along with foods that give vitamins and minerals because in thisperiod, children grow fast and become more active. Parents should rememberthat children should have small and frequent meals to sustain their energylevel.

Schoolchildrens diet should include a good supply of vitamins,

minerals, and protein the same nutritional and energy requirements as

required for pre-schoolers. But during this developmental period, children areprone to obesity or overweight. Parents should encourage their children tohave a healthy lifestyle.

Early Sensory Stimulation

FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH

Genetic History

Nutrition

Exercise

Sleep

Emotional Well-Being

EXCEPTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Physical DisabilityThis is any impairment which hinders or limits gross or fine motor ability.

Examples of physical abilities are:1. Cerebral palsy2. Muscular dystrophy3. Paraplegia (acquired spinal injury)4. Arthritis

Sensory ImpairmentThis means impairment of one of the senses. Examples of sensory

impairment:1. Visual Impairment: e.g. myopia- nearsighted and hyperopia- farsighted2. Auditory Impairment e.g. presbycusis (age-related hearing loss) 3. Olfactory Impairment e.g. anosmia (inability to smell) and dysosmia

(things smell different than they should be)


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4. Somatosensory Impairment e.g. insensitivity to stimuli such as pain,heat, or cold

5. Gustatory Impairment e.g. ageusia (complete loss of taste) anddysgeusis (distortion in sense of taste)

Learning Disability

This refers to learning challenges characterized by inadequatedevelopment of specific academic, language, and speech abilities. Amongthese are:

1. Dyslexia- reading disability2. Dysgraphia- writing disability3. Dyscalculia- math disability.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)It is neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a persons ability to pay

attention.

Works Cited

Bayley, N., 1993. Bayley Scales of Infant Development. 2nd ed. New York: Psychological

Corporation.

Berke, L., 2008. Infants and Children: Prenatal Through Middle Childhood. 6th ed. Illinois:

Person-Longman.

Gines, A. C. et al., 1998. Developmental Psychology: A Textbook for College Students in

Pschology and Teacher Education. Manila: Rex Bookstore, Inc..

Linkages & CORE, 2004. Maternal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation. [Online]

Available at:

http://www.coregroup.org/storage/documents/Workingpapers/MaternalNutritionDietaryGuide

_AED.pdf

[Accessed 4 September 2013].

Documents

Physical and Motor Development of Children and Adolosecents