Normal child
development
Definition
Aquisition of functional skills by a child from 0-5y
in the fields of gross motor, fine motor and vision,
speech and language and social
Principles
Influencing
factors
Genetics
Determines the childs potential
Environment
Fields of development
Developmental
milestones
Similar sequential pattern of milestones in all children, consider longitudinally; BUT varies in rate between children
Developmental milestones
should be achieved by a certain age
Healthy Child Programme
Screening, immunisation, development reviews,
child health promotion
Hearing assessed at birth, visual acuity at school entry,
earlier vision problems relies on parental observation
Pathophysiology
Development 0-5y
Rapid gains in mobility, speech and language
and communication skills
Follows a cephalo-caudal pattern in maturation of CNS and myelination, most rapid in first two years
School years
Most gains are in cognition and abstract thinking
Continues well into adolescence, with myelination of frontal lobe
Assessment
Parents (Birth to Five book)
Routine development checks
Heath professionals
Aims
Help children achieve their max potential
Provide prompt treatment when needed
Entry point for investigation and care in special needs
Types
Physical: warmth, clothing, shelter, activity, health, food, vision and hearing
Psychological: identity, respect, independence, affection, care, play, learning, role models, security
Impact
Determines extent to which potential is achieved
Needs by age
Infants: dependent on parents for physical needs, limited psychological needs
Children: meet some of own physical needs and social
Adolescents: meet most of physical needs, increasingly complex psychosocial needs
Fine motor and vision
Smaller dextrous movements
Major development from 1y onwards
Speech, language and hearing
All interdependent, thus grouped
Major development from 18m onwards
Gross motor
Gross movement of the body
Major development in 1st year
Social, emotional, behavioural
Psychological development
Major development from 2.5y onwards
Median age
Age when 50% population have achieved the milestone
Guide to what to expect, doesn't indicate if child is normal or not
Limit ages
Age when milestone should have been achieved
(2SDs from mean); identifies children outside normal range
Prematurity
Adjust by correcting from weeks born prior to 40w
Required up until 2y of age
Assessment
Determine level child has
reached for each field
Consider the individual
four developmental fields
Relate level to chronological age
If delay, is it specific (1 field) or
global (2+ fields affected)
Cognitive
Preschool child: egocentric (they are centre of the world),
everything has a purpose, inamiate objects are alive, magical thinking
School age children: practical/orderly/logical thinking,
primarily immediate surroundings
Mid teens: abstract thinking