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Physical Development in Infancy
1. Height and Weight Development
* Infants grow very quickly in the first 2 years.
* Birth weight usually doubles by 5–6 months and triples by age 1.
* Height increases rapidly, especially during the first year.
2. Cephalocaudal & Proximodistal Development
* Cephalocaudal: development happens from head to toe.
* Babies control head movements before legs/feet.
* Proximodistal: development happens from center outward.
* Babies control arms before fingers.
3. Brain Development
* Rich environments with:
* talking
* music
* touch
* play
* interaction
* These create more neuronal connections in the brain.
4. Deprivation & Brain Development
* Lack of stimulation can delay development.
* Some effects can improve with early intervention, but severe deprivation may cause permanent damage.
5. Infant Stages of Consciousness
* Regular sleep
* Irregular sleep
* Drowsiness
* Quiet alertness
* Waking activity/crying
6. Sleep
* Newborns: about 16–18 hours daily.
* Infants up to 2 years: around 11–14 hours including naps.
7. Infant Nutrition Concerns in Canada
* Iron deficiency
* Food insecurity
* Breastfeeding support
* Vitamin D deficiency in breastfed babies
8. Malnutrition
* Marasmus: severe lack of calories and nutrients causing extreme thinness.
* Kwashiorkor: protein deficiency causing swollen stomach and weakness.
9. Seven Infant Reflexes
* Rooting reflex
* Sucking reflex
* Moro/startle reflex
* Grasping reflex
* Babinski reflex
* Stepping reflex
* Swimming reflex
10. Gross vs Fine Motor Skills
* Gross motor skills use large muscles (walking, crawling).
* Fine motor skills use small muscles (fingers, hands).
* Gross motor skills develop first.
11. Sensory & Perception
* Vision improves over time.
* Depth perception develops around crawling age using visual cues.
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Infant Cognitive Development
12. Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage
* Birth to age 2.
* Babies learn through senses and actions.
13. Six Sub-Stages of Sensorimotor Development
1. Reflexes (0–1 month)
2. Primary circular reactions (1–4 months)
3. Secondary circular reactions (4–8 months)
4. Coordination of reactions (8–12 months)
5. Tertiary circular reactions (12–18 months)
6. Mental representation (18–24 months)
14. Language Acquisition
* Recasting: correcting speech indirectly.
* Echoing/Mimicking: repeating sounds/words.
* Expanding: adding more words to child speech.
* Labelling: naming objects/actions.
15. Non-Linguistic Communication
* Crying
* Cooing
* Babbling
* Gestures/body language
16. Risks to Cognitive Development
* Neglect
* Poor nutrition
* Lack of stimulation
* Exposure to toxins/drugs
* Extreme stress
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Infant Socio-Emotional Development
17. Emotions & Regulation
* Primary emotions: joy, anger, fear, sadness.
* Self-conscious emotions: shame, pride, guilt.
* Emotional regulation develops with caregiver support.
18. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory
* Strong caregiver attachment helps healthy emotional and social development.
* Early relationships affect future relationships.
19. Secure Attachment vs Bonding
* Bonding: emotional connection from parent to child.
* Secure attachment: child feels safe, loved, and trusts caregiver.
20. Ainsworth’s Attachment Styles
* Secure: upset when caregiver leaves, comforted when they return.
* Insecure avoidant: avoids caregiver.
* Insecure resistant: clingy but hard to comfort.
* Disorganized: confused or fearful behaviour.
21. Harlow’s Contact Comfort Study
* Baby monkeys preferred soft “comfort” mothers over wire mothers with food.
* Shows comfort and affection are important for attachment.
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Play in Childhood
22. Importance of Play
* Helps physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development.
* Encourages creativity and problem-solving.
23. Elements of Play
Play is:
* enjoyable
* voluntary
* meaningful
* active
* imaginative
24. Types of Play
Cognitive Play
* Functional: simple repeated actions.
* Constructive: building/creating things.
* Dramatic: pretend play.
Social Play
* Onlooker: watches others play.
* Solitary/Independent: plays alone.
* Parallel: plays beside others without interaction.
* Associative: interacts casually.
* Cooperative/Organized: works together with rules/goals.
25. Parten’s Theory
* Play becomes more social and cooperative as children grow older.
26. Play Deprivation
* Lack of play opportunities.
* Can cause:
* poor social skills
* emotional problems
* delayed development
* stress/anxiety
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Feral/Wild Children
27. What is a Feral Child?
* A child raised with little or no human contact.
28. Critical Period of Development
* Early childhood is critical for:
* language
* attachment
* cognitive development
* Severe isolation during this period can permanently affect development.
29. Can a Feral Child Become “Normal”?
* Usually not completely, especially if rescued later in childhood.
* Language and social skills may never fully develop.
* They are still human biologically, but isolation deeply affects development.
30. Most Significant Impact of Extreme Isolation
* Severe delays in:
* language
* social skills
* emotional regulation
* attachment
* cognitive development
The malnutrition condition characterized by a severe lack of calories and nutrients, leading to extreme thinness.
Marasmus
Which category of motor skills typically develops first in infants?
Gross motor skills
A common nutrition concern for infants in Canada.
Iron deficiency
Walking and crawling are examples of what type of motor skills?
Gross motor skills
Which type of malnutrition results from a protein deficiency, causing a swollen stomach and weakness?
Kwashiorkor
An example of non-linguistic communication in infants.
Babbling sounds
The developmental principle stating that development happens from head to toe.
Cephalocaudal
Babies gaining control of their arms before their fingers is an example of which developmental principle?
Proximodistal
The Sensorimotor sub-stage where coordination of reactions occurs, according to Piaget.
8-12 months
In Ainsworth's attachment styles, how does a securely attached child typically behave when their caregiver returns?
Comforted
One of the recognized stages of consciousness in infants.
Regular sleep
The rate at which infants grow in height and weight during their first two years.
Very quickly
Which of these is considered a self-conscious emotion?
Deep shame
Which reflex causes an infant to automatically turn their head toward a touch on their cheek?
Rooting reflex
Which of these contributes to creating more neuronal connections in an infant's brain?
Regular interaction
What language acquisition technique involves adding more words to a child's speech?
Expanding
The emotional connection that a parent forms with their child.
Parental bonding
How many hours of sleep do newborns typically need daily?
16-18 hours
What kind of exposure can be a risk to an infant's cognitive development?
Exposure to toxins/drugs
The language acquisition technique of correcting a child's speech indirectly by restating it correctly.
Recasting
Around what age, linked to motor development, does depth perception begin to develop in infants?
Crawling age
According to Bowlby's Attachment Theory, what does strong caregiver attachment help foster in a child?
Healthy emotional and social development
An infant's birth weight typically doubles by what age range?
5-6 months