Hayat Ataya

Biology II
Professor Goff
Wayne County
6/20/2015

Based on what I read regarding chromosomes, genes, heredity and prenatal development,
describe a normal infant’s mental, brain and motor development, functioning in the first few
months of life. What biological factors contributed to their “normal” development?
A comprehensive evaluation of the new born well- being, pediatricians and other child-
development specialists sometimes administer the neonatal behavioral assessment scale or
NBAS. The NBAS is used with newborn to 2-months old to provide a detailed portrait of the
baby’s behavioral repertoire; the scale includes 28 behavioral items; (e.g. the baby‘s response to
light, sound, and touch) along with 18 items that test reflexes like those we’ve just described; the
baby performance is used to evaluate the functioning of the four systems: Autonomic, Motor,
State, Social. Loco mote is the ability to move around in the world; child can move chin up in 1
month, chest up in 2 months, reach and miss in 3 months, 2 months they sit with support, sit on
lap ; grasp object in 5 months, sit on high chair; grasp dangling object 6 months, sit alone 7
months, stand with help 8 months, stand holding furniture 9 months, creep 10 months, walk
when led 11 months, pull to stand by furniture 12 months, climb stair steps 13 months, stand
alone 14 months, walk alone 15 months. Nutrition and growth, in a typically 2 months old, 40 %
of the body energy is devoted for growth most of the remaining energy is used for body
functions like digestion and respiration. A major contribution to a baby well being in nutrition is
a mother breast feeding, human milk contains the proper amounts of carbohydrates, fat, protein,
vitamins and minerals for babies, breast feeding has several advantages then bottles feeding,
breast milk contains mother antibodies which protect the newborn from many illness problems.
The physical changes we see as infants grow are impressive and some change we cannot see
which involve the brain and the nervous system. An infant feeling hunger or pain, smiles or
laugh; how the brain accomplish many tasks: the basic unit in the brain is the neuron a cell that
specialize in receiving and transmitting information neuron includes the cell body in the center of
cell the basic biological machinery that keeps the neuron alive the dendrite is the end of neuron
looks like a three with many branches; from birth to 2 years neurons grow and creates many
synapses with other neurons. The brain weights only three quarters of a pound at birth, which is
roughly 25% of the weight of an adult brain. The brain grows rapidly during infancy and
preschool year. At 3 years of age the brain has achieved 80% of its ultimate A major
accomplishment of infancy is skilled use of the hands newborns have little apparent control of
their hands but 1 year olds are extraordinary talented during that time most parents allow their
children to try eating with a spoon and children’s first play with the spoon etc…2 year old
typically scoop food out of the dish by rotating their wrist like adults. 2 to 3 years old can put on
some clothing; 5 years old can dress and undress them.
 An infant who has chromosomal, genetic, prenatal and/ or inherited abnormalities. Why these
problems caused the disorder (i.e. Down syndrome, mental retardation, sickle cell disease, etc.).
Genetic disorders, some peoples are affected by heredity in a special way; they have genetic
disorders that disrupt the usual pattern of development First , some disorders are inherited ;
Sickle cell disease is one example of an inherited disorder. Second sometimes sperm or eggs do
not include the usual 23 chromosomes but have more or fewer chromosomes instead; Abnormal
chromosome; sometimes individuals who do not received the normal complement of 46
chromosomes if they are born with extra, missing, damaged chromosomes development always
disrupted. Down syndrome peoples have almond –shaped eyes and a fold over the eyelid, their
head, neck, and nose are smaller than normal during the first several months of life development
of Down syndrome babies seems to be normal walk at 2 years, and talk at the third year, by
childhood, most aspects of cognitive and social development are seriously retarded . Rearing a
child with Down syndrome presents special challenges , during the preschool years children’s
with Down syndrome need special programs to prepare them for school educational achievement
are limited and their life expectancy from 25 to 60 years some individual’s live full life. What
causes Down syndrome; individual have an extra 21st chromosome that is usually provided by
the egg ; why the mother provided two 21st chromosomes is unknown ; woman in her late 20s the
risk of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome is about 1 in 1,000, for a woman in her early
40s the risk is about 1 in 50s ; why ?a woman ‘s eggs have been in her ovaries since her own
prenatal development; eggs may deteriorate over time as part of aging also of exposure of
woman to hazards in the environment like x-ray may damage her eggs.