General
How many stages are there in the lifespan that we look at?
8
When does the Prenatal stage start?
At fertilisation
What is the age range for Infancy?
Birth-2
What is the age range for early childhood?
2-6 years
What are 'prenatal risk factors'?
Factors that can negatively impact the development of a child in any of the 3 stages of the Prenatal life stage.
Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social
What are the 3 stages of Prenatal development?
Germinal, Embryonic and Foetal
Define motor skill development and identify how this can occur during Infancy.
Reflexes are automatic reactions to stimulation that enable infants to respond to the environment before any learning has taken place.
An infant can place objects into a container and take them out and begin to do more functional activities, such as hold a spoon or turn pages in a book. In childhood, the elbow and wrist will be responsible for the main movements
May begin standing, kicking etc.
Identify 2 aspects of Physical development in the early childhood phase.
Slow and steady growth (approx. 6cm per year).
Bones continue to lengthen and ossify.
Body fat levels decrease.
Torso and limbs become more proportionate to the head.
First set of teeth.
Gross and fine motor skill development.
Describe 1 way that maternal nutrition can be a prenatal risk factor.
Some foods contain the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause listeria infection and increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or premature labour.
Maternal under nutrition, or mothers not consuming the correct/enough nutrients during pregnancy, can result in a higher risk of low birthweight in infants.
12-18 years of age
With major organs being developed during the embryonic stage, the embryo is very sensitive to environmental influences, called teratogens. Define the term ‘teratogen’ and provide two examples.
Teratogens: any factor that can cause abnormality to babies during pregnancy.
Examples: Tobacco smoke, drug use, maternal diet, Alchohol use.
Outline the concept of ‘object permanence’ and describe when a child is likely to develop this
Understanding that just because something is out of direct sight, does not mean it stops existing.
Develops this around 8 months old.
Provide two examples of emotional development that occur during early childhood.
Children take pride in their achievements and may want to show them off to everyone.
May show jealousy when others receive attention due to wanting to be liked.
Express feelings through play.
Begin to develop a sense of empathy and may care for people who are crying or upset.
May use physical violence to express their frustration.
Begin to develop self concept.
Describe one impact of alchohol consumption on Prenatal Development.
Low birthweight
Smaller head circumference (microcephaly)
Small eyes and epicanthal folds (a skin fold of the upper eyelid
covering the inner corner of the eye)
Flattened face, including the bridge of the nose due to earlier than
normal cell changes in the baby’s face during development
Underdeveloped vertical ridges between the nose and upper lip
Smaller lower jaw
Heart defects
Restriction of movement of elbow and knees due to tightening of
ligaments, muscles, tendons and skin around the joints
Describe the difference between emotional and intellectual development using an example from childhood to support the response.
Teacher judgement.
What is the age range of the Embryonic stage?
2 weeks-8 weeks.
Identify one example of intellectual development that happens during the Infancy stage.
Beginning of language development.
Recognition of basic names, toys etc. (memory)
Short, but growing attention span.
Describe 2 benefits of social play on two areas of development.
independence, language, expressing emotions, self-control, appropriate behaviour, conflict resolution, communication skills, sharing, sense of self, social roles and behaviour, cooperation
Explain how tobacco smoke can impact prenatal development.
low birthweight
spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
ectopic pregnancy
prematurity
complications of the placenta
birth defects
lung function abnormalities and respiratory conditions
perinatal mortality.
Relating to measures of health status, explain why the lifespan is looked at in stages.
Answer must include link to at least one measure of health status.
Answer must refer to different stages of development or life circumstances and the way these can impact on h&w.
List 2 characteristics or developmental milestones for each stage of development.
Teacher to judge.
Using an example, explain how 'play' contributes to one area of development during Infancy.
Teacher judgement.
Social roles are the expected/appropriate behaviours of certain members in communities. In early childhood, child begins to learn culturally acceptable behaviours such as listening to parents and other caregivers and not hitting others, they learn this through modelling by older counterparts and reinforcement of appropriate behaviours.
Identify and explain a protective factor for Prenatal development.
Antenatal care is important to monitor the health and wellbeing of the mother and baby, provide health education and advice to the mother, promote protective factors, identify any risk factors for the mother and baby, and provide medical interventions if necessary.
Balanced maternal diet prior to becoming pregnant is a protective factor, as the ongoing development of the foetus is dependent on the health and wellbeing of the embryo.