Physical and Motor Development of a Child

Physical and Motor Development

• Man undergoes different stages of development in his life.

• Continuously changing organism interacting with a continuously changing environment. 

Why study child and adolescent psychology?

Key to the understanding of the adult personality.

Many kinds of adult skills and behavior are acquired during childhood.

Necessity to study the child and adolescent in his own right as an organism different from an adult.

Growth and development is an extraordinarily complicated process in living organisms.

MECHANISMS OF GROWTHInanimate/Inorganic Objects

Simple accretion

Animate/Organic Objects

Three Elements of Organic Growth:

Increase in sizeDifferentiation of structureAlteration of form

A. Physical and Motor Development of a Child

As the baby grows, it also develops. Change in size is accompanied by with developmental changes in patterns of growth and behaviour.

Developmental pattern can be observed in the direction and growth rates for the different parts of the body.

Cephalocaudal– growth starts from the head, then the trunk and finally the legs and feet.

Proximodistal– growth is coming from the central part to the peripheral.- (Ex.) Growth that starts from the trunk, shoulders, arms, fingers and toes

o Positive Acceleration – very slow growth during childhood and

extremely rapid acceleration at puberty.

– (Ex.) genital organs

o Negative Acceleration – rapid growth during the first six years of life, followed by a sharp slowing down.

– (Ex.) brain and its parts

Classification of Growth Rates of the Body Organs

o Reversal Growth – increases rapidly at first, then decreases in

size. – (Ex.) Lymphoid group – thymus, lymph nodes, intestinal

lymphoid masses

o S-shape Curve– starts and ends with rapid growth periods

separated by a long period of very little gain.

–general type of growth.

Classification of Growth Rates of the Body Organs

1. Hand Skills

a. Self-feeding – skills include: (8 mos) holding their bottles after nipples have been placed in their mouths (9 mos) putting and taking away the bottle

nipples in their mouths without assistance (12 mos) drinking from the cup by holding it

with both hands and later using only one hand (13 mos) feeding themselves using a spoon,

eventually learning to use fork but with much spilling;

(2 yrs) using spoon and fork without much spilling.

Common Skills – Early Childhood Stage

b. Self-dressing – skills include: (at the end of the first year) pulling off their socks, shoes, caps and

mittens; (middle of the second year) attempting to put on caps and mittens; (by the end of babyhood) pulling off of clothes and putting on new

shirt or dress.

c. Self-grooming self-bathing is limited to running a cloth or sponge over the face and

body (before two years old) trying to brush their hair and teeth.

Common Skills – Early Childhood Stage

1. Play Skills

a. Jumping from an elevated position by movements resembling walking

b. Climbing stairs by crawling and creeping

c. Learning to go up and down in upright position

a. Learning by splashing with their arms and kicking their legs

Common Skills – Early Childhood Stage