Growth & Development

Suellen Concessio Fernandes

An Introduction
 Psychologically important
 Good and effective teaching by arranging learning situations.
 Anticipate behaviour and changes.
Growth & Development; terms used interchangeably.
Complementary and related changes
Growth
 Quantitative changes.
 Progresses with
chronological age
 Measureable and
observable changes
 Weight, height etc.
Development
 Quantitative and
Qualitative changes.
 Improved functioning
 Progressive series of
changes leading to
maturation
 Not always measureable
 Directional – forward
not backward.
Principles of Development
P1: CHANGE
 This implies that Physical
the human being Mental
is constantly Pyschological
evolving as a
result of
accumulation of
experience; Developmental
proportionate
Change
conception to
death.
 This takes place
due to biological Disappearance/
and acquisition
of features
environmental
factors
 P2: Continuous Development
 This principle implies that development is a continuous
process
 Disease, malnutrition or accidents can disturb the
developmental process for some time
 One stage of development lays the foundation for the next
stage
 Tempo is not always the same
 P3: Developmental Direction
Cephalo-caudal
Development
proceeds from the
Head downward
Eg. Child gains control
of head and arms Proximo-distal
before feet in order to Development
walk proceeds from the
central axis outward
to the extremities.
Eg. Child gains control
over arms and hands
before fingers.
 P4: Sequential Development
 The developmental process, guided by the interaction of
maturation and learning, follows a predictable pattern.
 The stages that one goes through from birth to death are
always in the same order.

Childhoo Adolesce Adultho Middle

Infancy Old age
d nce od age
P5: General to Specific Responses
 At the infancy level, a child’s motor movements are
undirected and reflexive, However with maturation and
learning comes more controlled, coordinated and goal
oriented movements
 In motor development, growth occurs from large muscle
movement to smaller muscle movement
P6: Product of Maturation and
Learning
 Nature and nurture
 Although people are genetically endowed with certain
characteristics, learning allows individuals to develop the
innate potentialities.
 Through exercise and effort, people can act on their
environments and develop their competencies.
 Among the environmental factors one can mention
nutrition, climate, the conditions in the home, the type
of social organization in which individual moves and
lives.
P7: Individual Differences

 Although children follow a predictable pattern of

development, a step-by-step progression, all children do not
reach these developmental stages all at the same time or all at
the same age.
 These differences in development are often ascribed to both
genetic and environmental influences, where each individual
is either born or exposed to varying factors.
P8:Developmental Tasks
 This principle clearly states that at any point in the
individual’s development, each one is expected to fulfil
certain social expectations
 Also known as developmental tasks, they enable
individual to blend into society based on the set norms
and standards
P9: Critical Period (Environment)
 It refers to a crucial period
in time when and only
when an environmental
event affects development.

WHEN SHOULD I
START
SCHOOL?????
P10: Readiness (genetic)
 A specific stage of
maturation has to be
attained for the
environmental event to
have effect
 Potty training.
Stages of Development
Life-span Model
Stages of development
 In utero
 Neonate
 Infancy
 Toddlerhood
 Childhood
 Tweens – Pre teens
 Adolescence
 Adulthood
 Geriatricity
In Utero
 Conception – sperm
and ovum unite.
 Zygote - 23 pairs of
chromosomes
combine, it travels
through the fallopian
tube to attach on the
uterine wall. There is
rapid cell division
(cleavage) to make an
embryo and placenta
 Embryo to Feotus
 Three Trimesters
BIRTH
Neonate
 0-2 weeks after birth
 No marked changes in
development – plateau
period
 The behavior of a neonate
gross in nature
 4 major adjustments take
place
 Temperature
 Breathing
 Taking nourishment
 Elimination
Infancy
 Second week to two
years of life
 Rapid and Critical
growth and
Development – physical,
emotional, social,
mental domains etc.
Infancy – physical development
 Toddlerhood – 2 – 6 years
 Physical  Cognitive  Language and
Communication
development development
 Rapid rate  Interest in play,
 Uses language to
 Physical strength creativity and express needs
improves imagination  Says 2 and 3 word
 Fine and gross  Symbolically represents sentences
motor skills the world around
improve  Learning through  Points to pictures,
 Increase in concrete objects knows body parts
independence, self  Since thinking is still  Uses adjectives
control and self care immature the child
develop illogical ideas of  Counts, understands
the world around opposites
 Ego centric behavior  75% speech
 Memory develops understandable
 Understands concepts  Defines words
of time, direction
 Childhood – 7 – 10 years
 Physical  Cognitive  Language &
communication
development development
 Slows down  Adopt adult speech
 Steady increase  Logical thinking patterns
height and weight develops, although  Grammar enhances and
concretely vocabulary increases
 Increased
 Interpret complex
coordination and  Language, vocabulary sentences
strength enhances  First understand
 Enjoy using new  Conservation, sentences literally and by
skills, gross and reversibility develops the end of the stage they
fine motor understand double
 Explain by relating meaning sentences and
examples from real phrases eg; as cool as a
life cucumber etc
Tweens 10- 12 years
 Physically there is a plateau in growth.
 Behaviour is adult like interspersed with child like outburst.
 Meta cognition begins and executive skills are developed
 Increase in complexity of language, learns second language
using first language as a scaffold.
 Adolescence
 Rapid physiological and psychological changes
 Rebellious behavior and demand for independence
 Teens typically strive to become more independent and often
focus more on friendships and romantic relationships.
 Physical development  Cognitive  Language &
 Rapid growth in body development communication
structure and size  Use of language on a
 Development of higher level
secondary sex  Abstract thinking and  Use more complex
characteristics at the logical reasoning sentences (syntax) and
onset of puberty  Improvements in to adapt his/her oral and
memory written communication
to her audience
 Problem solving (pragmatics)
Adulthood (18- retirement)
 From love – Intimacy / Isolation
 Parenthood – Generativity/ stagnation
 life crises – Use of all executive functions and metacognition
to lead a comfortable life.
 Fulfilment and self improvement
 Friendships – positive contributors
 birth and death
 Physical decline – onset of illnesses
 Language generation
Geriatricity (60+)
 Life worth
 Reflection of life
 Satisfaction or sense of failure
 Physical decline - death
Thank You