Basic Concepts in Child and Adolescent

Development

Mr. Rodel Bryan C. Valdez

WHY STUDY CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT?

• The physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth that takes place in the first years of a child’s life sets the foundation for success or failure in learning and life.

• With the knowledge that you have, you can better identify, interpret, and respond to a child’s individual differences. Whatever your field, you’ll be prepared to respond effectively to the needs, challenges, and capacities of children and their families, helping them get the best start in life.

What is development?

• a progressive series of orderly, coherent changes (Hurlock, 1972)

• the integration of constitutional and learned changes which make up an individual’s ever developing personality (Maier, 1969)

What is growth?

• generally refers to change in body structure including the size of muscles, size of brain, and the appearance of secondary sex characteristics

Difference between

Growth• change of physical

aspects of the organism•  change in shape, form,

structure, size of the body• stops at maturation• can be measured

accurately

Development• overall changes and

progressive changes of the organism

• structural change and functional progress of the body

• continues till death of the organism

•  subjective interpretation of one’s change

What is childhood?

• Childhood refers to the time or state of being a child, the early stage in the existence or development of something.

• It connotes a time of innocence, where one is free from responsibility but vulnerable to forces in his environment.

General definitions for the ages and stages of a child include:

• Newborn or Neonate - birth to 28 days• Infant - 1 to 12 months• Toddler - 1 to 3 years• Preschooler - 3 to 5 years• School Age - 5 to 11 years• Preteen or Tween - 11 to 12 years• Teen - 13 and older

What is adolescence?

• From the Latin word “adolescere” which means “to grow up”

• It is the period of psychological and social transition between childhood (juvenile) and adulthood (adult).

• The age of adolescence vary by culture. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescence as the period of life between 10 and 19 years of age.

• In US, adolescence begins between ages 12 and 14 and ends at 19 or 20.

• Philippines consider those aged 15-24 years as young adults and those aged 15-19 years as adolescents

PRINCIPLES OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Growth and development are influenced by maturational, environmental, and genetic factors.

• All humans follow the same pattern of growth and development. There are sequences in growth and development that even individual differences cannot change.

• The sequence is predictable although the time of onset, the length of each stage, and the effects of each stage vary from one person to another.

• Learning can either help or hinder the maturation process, depending on what is learned.

• Growth and development occur in cephalocaudal and proximo-distal direction.

• Cephalocaudal direction starts from the head and moving to the trunk, the legs, and the feet.

• Proximo-distal direction is from the center of the body outward.

Cephalocaudal Trend

Proximodistal Trend

• The child grows as though seeking a target to be reached by using any available resources.

Sources:• Acero, Victorina D., et al. Child and Adolescent Development.

Manila: Rex Bookstore, 2008.• Meece, Judith L. Child and Adolescent Development for

Educators. USA: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1997.• Lupdag, Anselmo D. Educational Psychology. Metro Manila:

National Bookstore, 1984.• http://www.slideshare.net/bembem12/principles-of-growth-and-dev

elopment• http://

www.erikson.edu/prospective-students/the-experience/why-child-development/

• http://kidedotals.com/book/iii-principles-human-development-and-their-educational-implications/567/2012-05-08-1238