HKIN 425Child Growth and Development

Day 2: September 4, 2014

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed”

Mahatma Gandhi

Overview Questions from the introduction? Reminders

MANDATORY “working with children” session on: Thursday, September 11, in the AUX gym, from 3

– 4:30 p.m. Friday, September 12, in the AUX gym, from 3 –

4:30 p.m. Copy of driver’s license or health card on Monday Tell Angie when your birthdate is …

A professor/student that gives 100% … Consider the following … Definitions Generalizations

Consider the following …

Females adapt better than males to the external environment (that is everything but genetics), why?

Definitions

Growth, Maturation, Development

Interacting yet distinct processes

Occur for ~ first two decades of life

Growth An increase in the size of the body as a whole

and of its parts An incremental process

Examples Increase in size (height, weight, etc.) Differentiation in structure (physique) Alteration of form (bone)

Often involves differential timing - within (legs vs. torso) and between individuals (maturational differences)

End point differs in each individual – all though each finishes as “fully grown”

Maturation Progress towards the biologically mature

state Examples:

Primary and permanent dentitionCartilage boneMenarche and other secondary sex

characteristics Operational concept Common end point … “fully mature”

Development

Acquisition of behavioural competence – learning appropriate behaviours as expected by society Culture specific

The process by which children and adolescents learn to behave in culturally appropriate ways

Difficult to measure; difficult to identify

Growth vs. Development

Growth size structural easily measured

height weight hormone levels etc.

Development complexity and process

(culturally appropriate behaviours)

functional difficult to measure

neuromuscular control skill social behaviours etc

Development always follows growth

Function follows structure

Adaptation The body’s accommodation to the immediate

environment (external processes) Also occurs beyond the ‘growth’ period Examples:

Antibodies in response to infection Lean body mass and/or bone in response to

training Reduced growth in height in response to

second hand smoke Reduced overall growth due to malnutrition

Human Growth Characteristics

Of the primates, humans are the longest growing25% of lifespan

Long period of infant dependency Extended childhood growth Rapid growth at adolescence Intensity of growth spurt

Advantages of Human Growth

Extended period for brain developmentTime to acquire survival skillsTime to develop social and cultural

patternsTime to increase capacity for fine

motor skills, coordination, etc. Early neurological maturity vs. late

sexual maturity

Growth Generalizations

Pattern of growth - every child passes through the same stages

Tempo and timing – varies for each child tempo = rate = how fast timing = when = at what age?

Growth Generalizations

Correlations between various aspects of growth (growth, maturation, development, adaptation)SimultaneousInteraction

Genetics Environment

Growth Generalizations

Physical Changes with Development kind - sperm and ovum number - dentition size - growth spurt(s) shape - body proportion position - elbow and knee; sway back

Growth Generalizations

Physical Changes with Development colour - hair texture - skin function - sphincter composition - fat timing - growth spurt(s)

Growth Generalizations

Cephalocaudal rule – growth from head to feet (head trunk legs)

Proximodistal rule – distal parts of limbs in advance of proximal segments

Center Periphery

* Remember growth happens everywhere, this simply refers to differential timing

Definitions

Neonatal: birth to end of 4th week Infancy: 5th week to end of 1st year Childhood:

Early: 2-6 yearsMiddle: 7-10 yearsLate: pre-pubertal

Definitions

Adolescence: onset of puberty to maturity

Adulthood:Prime: 20-65 yearsOld age: 65 + years

Growth and Development

Somewhat more recently a field of study (compared to other fields in Kinesiology)Objective measurement techniques

Crosses many disciplines AUXOLOGY