Post on 04-Jan-2016
DEVELOPMENT IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
by
Dr. Azher ShahAssociate Professor
Department of Paediatric Medicine
GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
Growth
• Quantitative increase in size of body and can be measured in terms of HEIGHT and WEIGHT
Development
• Qualitative functional maturation assessed in terms of acquisition of skills and ability to cope with the situation
Growth and development are so closely related that they are usually assessed simultaneously
Normal Child Development
Children acquire functional skills throughout childhood
Child development is used to describe the skills acquired by children between birth and about 5 years of age
From Birth to Five years, there is a rapid progress in mobility, speech and language, communication and independence skills
During school age, evidence of developmental progression is predominantly through cognitive development, abstract thinking and skills of conceptualization
Who Should Monitor the Development of a Child?
Parents Health Care Professional
Main Objective to Assess the Development of a Child
Early detection of delayed or abnormal
development• Early Detection Can help •Children achieve their maximum potential •Provide treatment or therapy promptly •An entry point for the care and management of the child with special needs
Influence of Heredity and Environment on Development
Child's development represents the interaction of heredity and the environment on the developing brain
• Infants• Primary school age children• Adolescents
Heredity determines the potential of the child, while the environment influences the extent to which that potential is achieved
For optimal development, the environment has to meet the child's physical and psychological needs
Physical and Psychological needs vary with age and stage of development:
Influence of Heredity and Environment on Development (Cont…)
Fields of Development
Fields of Development (Cont…)Four fields of Developmental Skills• Gross Motor • Vision and Fine Motor • Hearing, Speech and Language • Social, Emotional and Behavioural
Gross motor skills are the most obvious initial area of developmental progress
Fine motor skills require good vision, these are grouped together
Normal speech and language development depends on reasonable hearing
Social, emotional and behavioural skills are a spectrum of psychological development
Deficiency in any one skill area can have an impact on other areas
DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Gross Motor Fine Motor and Vision
Hearing and Speech
Social Behaviour
Influenced by child’s illness, hunger, thirst and alertness or drowsiness
GROSS MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
FINE MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
SPEECH, LANGUAGE & HEARING