period of infancy in developmental psychology

infants

1. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS Presented by: Rabia Javed Iqbal

2. CEPHALOCAUDAL The postnatal growth from conception to 5 months when the head grows more than the body. The greatest growth always occurs at the top – the head. The infants learns to use their ‘ ’UPPER LIMBS ‘’before heir ‘ ’LOWER LIMBS ‘’. The same pattern occurs in the head area _. The top parts of the head= the eyes and the brain- grow faster than the lower parts such as the jaw.

3. PROXIMODISTAL The pre- natal growth from 5 months to birth when the fetus grows from the inside of the body outwards. The muscular control of the trunk and the arms comes earlier as compared to the hands and fingers. MOTOR DEVELOPMENT Refers to the development of motor skills from the center of the body outward.

4. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENTS HEIGHT & WEIGHT Its normal for new born babies to drop 5 to 10 percent of their body weight within a couple of weeks of birth.(Due to the baby’s adjustment to neonatal feeding / once they adjust to sucking, swallowing and digesting, they grow rapidly). Low percentages are not a cause for alarm as long as infants progress along a natural curve of steady development.

5. Breastfed babies are typically heavier than the bottle- fed babies through the first 6 months.(After 6 months, breastfed babies usually weigh less than bottle- fed babies. In general, an infant’s length increases by about 30% in the first 5 months. A baby’s weight usually triples during the first year but slows down in the second year of life.

6. WHAT INFANTS and TODDLERS can do Physically? DOMAIN: Physical Health, Well- Being and Motor Development PHYSICAL HEALTH STANDARD 1_ The children demonstrates adequate growth ( weight, height, head circumference). STANDARD 2_ The child has adequate sensory systems to participate in daily activities. 0- 6 months Startles to loud sounds Visually follows a moving object from side to side Visually follows a moving object up and down Reacts to pain by crying Withdraws or reacts with surprise when in contact with something cold Reacts with pleasure/smiles or relaxed expression when he/she tastes something delicious Reacts by making a face/frowns/grimaces when he/she tastes something he/she does not like

7. 7- 12 months Reacts with pleasure when he/she smells something nice Reacts by making a face when he/she smells something fouls STANDARD 3_ The child has adequate stamina to participate in daily activities. Pushes and/or pulls moderately heavy objects (e.g.. chairs, large boxes) Walks without tiring easily

8. LANGUAGE (Expressive Language) The child is able to use words and gestures to express his thoughts and feelings. 0- 6 months Makes gurgling; cooing, babbling or other vocal sounds Uses gestures (e.g. stretching his/her arms, pointing) to indicate he/she wants

9. 7- 12 months Repeats sounds produced by others Says meaningful words like papa, mama, to refer to specific persons Uses animal sounds to identify animals (e.g. meow- meow for cat) Uses environmental sounds to identify objects/events in the environment (boom for thunder)

10. Cognitive Development in Infancy Sensory Exploration: Infants use their senses (sight, sound, touch) to explore and understand their environment . Object Permanence : Around 8-12 months, infants begin to understand that objects continue to exist even when out of sight . Attention and Perception : Infants show increasing ability to focus attention and distinguish between different sensory inputs . Memory Development : Infants start to form short-term and long-term memories, recognizing familiar people and objects . Imitation : Infants learn by imitating the actions and expressions of caregivers and others around them.

11. Cause-and-Effect Understanding : Infants begin to understand that their actions can cause certain outcomes, such as shaking a rattle to make noise . Problem-Solving Skills : Infants start experimenting with different actions to achieve desired results, showing early problem-solving abilities . Language Acquisition : Infants start babbling, recognizing words, and understanding basic communication cues, laying the foundation for language development . Symbolic Thinking : Toward the end of infancy, children begin to use symbols or gestures to represent objects and concepts, indicating early symbolic thought . Social Cognition : Infants develop awareness of others’ emotions and intentions, showing early signs of empathy and social interaction skills

12. Language Development in Infancy Cooing (2-3 months) : Infants produce cooing sounds, such as " oo " and "ah," reflecting early vocalization . Babbling (4-6 months) : Repetitive consonant-vowel combinations like " bababa " and " dadada " emerge . Responding to Name (6-7 months) : Infants begin to recognize and respond to their own names . Gestural Communication (8-10 months) : Use of gestures like pointing and waving to communicate desires and responses . First Words (10-12 months) : Infants start to say their first meaningful words, typically "mama" and "dada."

13. Word Comprehension (9-12 months) : Understanding of simple words and commands increases, even if they can't speak them yet . Holophrastic Stage (12-18 months) : Use of single words ( holophrases ) to express whole sentences or complex ideas, such as "milk" to mean "I want milk .“ Vocabulary Growth (18-24 months) : Rapid increase in vocabulary, with infants learning new words almost daily . Two-Word Sentences (18-24 months) : Formation of simple two-word phrases, such as "more juice" or "big truck .“ Simple Sentences (24-36 months) : Development of simple sentences and more complex language structures as vocabulary and understanding grow.

14. Socio-Emotional Development in Infancy Attachment Formation (0-12 months) : Infants develop strong emotional bonds with primary caregivers, essential for security and trust . Social Smiling (6-8 weeks) : Infants begin to smile in response to social interactions, indicating early social engagement . Stranger Anxiety (6-12 months) : Awareness of unfamiliar people leads to anxiety and wariness, showing developing attachment and recognition abilities . Separation Anxiety (8-14 months) : Distress when separated from primary caregivers, reflecting strong attachment bonds.

15. Emotional Expression (0-12 months) : Infants express basic emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, and fear, helping them communicate needs and feelings . Temperament (0-12 months) : Early display of individual differences in emotional reactivity and self-regulation, forming the basis of personality . Social Referencing (8-12 months) : Infants look to caregivers for cues on how to react to unfamiliar situations or people . Imitative Play (6-12 months) : Engaging in play that involves imitating actions and behaviors of others, fostering social learning . Empathy Emergence (12-18 months) : Beginning signs of empathy, such as comforting others in distress, reflecting early social understanding . Self-Awareness (18-24 months) : Development of self-recognition and awareness, often tested by the "mirror test," indicating growing sense of identity and individuality.