Unit 1 health and social care

• Human Lifespan Development


  Understanding human lifespan development, the different influences on an individual's development and how this relates to their care needs is important when you are establishing your career in the health or social care professions
• Health and social care professionals meet and work with a wide range of individuals who have diverse needs
• Biological, psychological and sociological theories


  Associated with human lifespan development
• Physical, intellectual emotional and social development


  Aspects of development across an individual's lifespan
• Factors affecting an individual's growth and development


  Environment or genetic inheritance, and the positive and negative influences these have on development, including the impact on an individual's concept of self
• Physical effects of ageing

  Theories that help to explain psychological changes
• You will be assessed by a paper-based examination, lasting for 1 hour 30 minutes that is worth 90 marks
• The examination will consist of short- and long-answer questions
• The questions are intended to assess your understanding of growth and development throughout an individual's lifespan and how this may be affected by personal and environmental factors, health and the effects of ageing
• You will be expected to make reasoned connections between theories and models of human growth and development to demonstrate your understanding
• You will give your answers in response to the information you are given in case studies about members of one family
• Physical growth and development continues throughout a person's life but you will have noticed that development is not always smooth
• Key features of growth and physical development at each life stage

  • Birth and infancy (0-2 years)
  • Early childhood (3-8 years)
  • Adolescence (9-18 years)
  • Early adulthood (19-45 years)
  • Middle adulthood (46-65 years)
  • Later adulthood (65 years onwards)
• Growth


  An increase in a measurable quantity such as height or weight or other dimensions
• Development


  Complex changes in skills and capabilities that an individual experiences as they grow
• Growth is continuous, but the rate is not smooth
• There can be periods of more rapid growth in infancy and again during puberty
• Growth rates also vary in different parts of the body, for example the head circumference grows more rapidly than other areas in the first months of life
• At birth and then between six to eight weeks, a baby's head circumference will be measured to check the size and growth of the brain
• Infants grow rapidly during the first six months of their lives
• Healthy newborns double their birth weight by four to five months, and triple it by the time they reach a year old
• By the age of two, a healthy infant will be approximately half their adult height
• Growth measurements can help a health visitor to monitor a child's health and development, and identify other issues for example if an infant is under- or overweight or growing too slowly
• Infants will grow on average about 12 cm (4 inches) and gain about 2.5 kg (5 lbs) between one and two years of age
• Between their second and third birthday, an infant will gain another 2 kg (4 lbs) and grow about 8 cm (3 inches) more
• A health visitor will carry out the measurements and plot the results on a growth chart to ensure that an infant is meeting their milestones
• Centile lines (percentiles)


  Lines on a graph used to show average measurements of height, weight and head circumference. The lines represent the values of the measurements taking into account age and sex
• Development norms


  A description of an average set of expectations with respect to a young child's development
• Milestone


  An ability achieved by most children by a certain age. It can involve physical, social, emotional, cognitive and communication skills
• Gross motor skills


  Large movements that involve using the large muscles of the body which are required for mobility
• Fine motor skills


  Involve smaller movements that require more precise direction (dexterity) and use smaller muscles
• Gross and fine motor skills developmental milestones in infancy (0-2 years)


  • Newborn
  • 1 month
  • 3 months
  • 6 months
  • 9-10 months
  • 12-13 months
  • 18 months
  • 2 years
  • 2 and a half years
• By the age of three, most children will be able to use pedals to ride a tricycle, run and balance on one foot for one second
• By the age of four, children may be able to kick and throw a large ball
• At five years, they can hop using each foot separately
• By the age of six or seven a child may be able to skip and ride a bicycle
• At eight years old they will have good strength and body coordination so that they can take part in many sports and activities
• By the age of three, children should be able to control their movements enough to use a pencil to copy letters or build a tower with cubes
• By the age of five, most children should be able to dress and undress on their own, including tying their own shoelaces
• At eight years of age, they will have good control of their small muscles and be able to draw detailed pictures