Chapter 4(6) - Physical Development

• Cephalocaudal trend: Head to toe proportions, growth up and down
• Proximodistal trend: limb to limb distance. (arm to arm, toe to toe) grown inwards to outwards
• Neurons: basic units of the brain, travel along synapses
• Nerve cells are called Glia
• Synaptogenesis: Happens most in prenatal development, and is defined as creating a new neural connection
• Brain Plasticity: the ability to adapt and synaptic pruning happens
• Myelination: process where axon sheathing occurs, which allows faster transmission of information
• Frontal cortex is not fully myelinated until adolescence or even early adulthood
• Cerebral Lateralization, preference for using one side of the body, 90% of adult are right handed, so they rely on their left hemisphere
• The brain is lateralized, meaning it favors one side over another. no other organ like to do that
• Factors that change development: Environment, genetic, and cultural effects
• Voluntary reaching: choosing to actually grab things, usually at 3 months ish
• Manipulatory Skills: Ulnar and pincer grasps
• Optical flow: perceived movement of objects in SPACE
• Motor development: physical activities and proper nutrition help later in life
• Adolescents starts in girls at 10 peaks @ 12, and boys 13 peaks @ 14
• Menarche: first menstruation
• Spermarche: development of sperm
• How you are treated (maturity) can affect your maturation
• Onset of Puberty (pubertal tempo): boys who mature earlier have a higher rate of depression
• Girls who mature earlier have a higher rate of depression, anxiety, and high risk behaviour
• Thyroxine: from the thyroid, helps promote brain and nervous system growth
• Pituitary Gland: regulates the endocrine system and releases Growth Hormone releases
• Girls produce estrogen and Boys produce testosterone, Growth Hormones encourage overall growth
• Due to acute undernutrition, we can 'catch up growth" to make up for our nutrition at the time
• Marasmus: not enough protein and calories as a child. A child will die
• Kwashiorkor: insufficient protein, abdomen face and legs swell up
• Anemia: Low iron deficiency
• Obesity: risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease. Typically a problem of poor habits, and sometimes a genetic problem
• Nonorganic failure to thrive: early growth disorder, troubles with feeding. Usually have parents who are impatient, a snowball effect
• Deprivation Dwarfism: growth is slow, linked with emotional deprivation