Physical

• Growth is an increase in a measurable quantity such as heigh or weight or other dimensions
• Development is about the complex change in skills and capabilities that an individual experiences as they grow
• Birth and infancy (0-2)- Infants grow rapidly reaching approximately half their adult height by the time they are 2 years old. At around 1 years old infants can walk and by 2 years of age they can run
• Early childhood (3-8)- children continue to grow at a steady pace. They continue to develop strength And coordination
• Adolescence (9-18)- Adolescents experience growth spurts. They develop sexual characteristics during puberty.
• Early adulthood (19-45)- Young adults reach the peak of their physical fitness
• Middle adulthood (46-65)- The ageing process begins with some loss of strength and stamina. Women go through menopause.
• Later adulthood (65+)- The ageing process continues with gradual loss of mobility. Older adults will experience a loss of height of up to a few centimetres.
• Infants grow rapidly during the first 6 months of their lives.
• Healthy newborns double their birth weight by 4 to 5 months and triple it by the time they reach 1 years old.
• By the age to 2 a health infants will approximately half their adult height.
• Growth measurements help a health visor to monitor a child’s health and development they can also identify other issues.
• Centile lines (percentiles)- Lines on a graph used to show average measurements of height, weight and head circumference. The lines represent the value of the measurements taking into account age and sex.
• Development Describes changes that might be complex and involve ability levels altering
• Development happens:

  • From head to toe- An infant will first be able to control their head, then develop control over their body to enable them to sit and finally have control over their legs and feet to allow them to crawl and eventually walk.
• Development happens:

  • From the inside to the outside- An infant learns to control movement in their body first then in their arms and legs until finally the can control small muscles in their fingers
• Development happens:

  • In the same sequence but at different rates
  • Holistically- Area of developments are dependent on and influence each other
• Development norms are skills that infant, children and adolescents are expected to develop at a particular age or stage in their life.
• Milestones- An ability achieved by most children by a certain age. This can involve physical, social, emotional, cognitive and communication skills.
• Developmental milestones provide a useful guide for professionals and enable them to recognise, monitor and take appropriate action if development is delayed in one or more of the developmental areas.
• Gross motor skills- Large movements that involves using the large muscles of the body which are required for mobility. For example rolling over.
• Fine motor skills- Involves smaller movements that requires more precise direction and use smaller muscles. For example picking up a pencil.
• 2 aspects of physics development are gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
• Gross motor skills are essential for physical play because it is the control of large muscles for example legs, arms and torso so this control allows you to run, jump, throw ball, etc.
• Fine motor skills allows you to pick things up using their finger and thumb, hold a crayon, scribble, tie shoelaces, etc.
• Gross and fine motor skills development in Infancy:

  
• Development of gross motor skills in early childhood (3-8 years):

  • 3 years- Most children will be able to use pedals to ride a tricycle, run and balance on one foot for one second,
  • 4 years- Children may be able to kick and throw a large ball,
  • 5 years- Hop using each foot separately.
  • By the age of 6 of 7- A child may be able to skip and ride a bike
  • 8 years- They will have good strength and body coordination so that they can take part in many sports and activities.
• Development of fine motor skills in early childhood (3-8 years):

  • 3 years- Children should be able to control their movements enough to use a pencil to copy letters or build a tower with cubes
  • 5 years- Most children should be able to dress and undress on their own and tie their own shoelaces
  • 8 years- Have good control of their smaller muscles and be able to draw detailed pictures
• Adolescence- Male and females will experience a number of physical and growth changes.
• Puberty takes place over servers years. It is a period of rapid change and growth and is experienced by both females and males.
• Primary sexual characteristics relate to the changes and development of reproductive organs
• Secondary characteristics are outwards signs of development from a child into a man or women.
• Primary and secondary sexual characteristics:

  
• Puberty- A period of rapid growth during which young people reach sexual maturity and become biologically able to reproduce and secondary sexual characteristics develop
• Puberty in girls often start between the ages of 11 and 13 although it may begin earlier
• Puberty in boys generally start later often between the ages of 13 and 15 years of age.
• Hormones- Chemical substance produced in the body and transported in the blood stream that control or regulate body cells of body organs.
• • Sex hormones are responsible for the changes that occur in puberty.
• The pituitary gland controls the release of sex hormones In both females and males.
• The release of sex hormones control the onset and rate of puberty, the physical changes such as pubic and scullery hair growth and egg and sperm production. It can prove to be a difficult time emotionally for young people as levels of hormones going up or Down often cause mood swings.