Growth + Development
Growth: an increase in some measured quantity such as height or weight
Development: complex changes including an increase in skills, abilities + capabilities
Continuous but not smooth
More rapid during infancy + puberty
Different rates for boys + girls
When referencing growth include
Weight
Length/height
At birth and between 6 + 8 weeks, a baby's head circumference will be measured to check the size + growth of the brain
Healthy infants will be approximately half their adult height by 2
Measurements help a health visitor to monitor a child's health
Infants will grow on average about 12cm and gain about 2.5kg between 1 + 2
Between 2 and 3 an infant will gain another 2kg and about 8cm more
The health visitor will carry out the measurement + plot results on a growth chart to ensure the child is meeting their milestones
Weight will rise steadily following the centile lines marked on their centile lines marked on their growth chart in a personal child health record
Development happens
From head to toe: infants control their head them develop control over their body to sit, have control over legs to crawl + walk
From the inside to the outside: infant learns to control movements in their body first then in their arms + legs until, they can control small muscles in their fingers
In the same sequence but at different rates
Holistically: areas of development are dependent on + influence each other
Can be seen as a journey as we process we reach key milestones which are referred to as developmental norms
Children pass through the same milestones but at different types