Human Growth and Development HPD 4C Working with School Age Children and Adolescents - Mrs. Filinov

Characteristics of Human Development  Development is similar for everyone. Children go through the same stages in the same order.  Development builds on earlier learning. Development follows a step-by-step pattern.  Development proceeds at an individual rate The rate of growth differs from one child to another.  The different areas of development are interrelated. Changes in many areas are taking place at the same time.  Development is continuous throughout life. The rate of development changes, but never stops.

Why study Human Development  Enables you to be more empathetic and a better caregiver  Helps you recognize what is normal and what situations may need professional attention  Helps you develop a better understanding of how you develop into the person you are today  Helps you make thoughtful choices about your future.

Reasons for Studying Child Development  To Understand Children –Why they act, feel, and think as they do (typical behaviors) –To understand the importance of caregivers (giving affection, guidance, support, etc.  To Gain Skills –Learn what they need at each stage of development –Opportunities to apply your knowledge  To Build For The Future –May help you become a better babysitter, teacher’s aide or playground supervisor –May help you as a parent or in a career related to children –Can help you make decisions about your future career  To Understand Yourself –Learn more about what makes you the person that you are –Look at how you were as a child and compare it to who you are right now (no one changes completely

The Five Areas of Human Growth and Development Physical  Involves the actual growth of all body tissue.  The other four areas depend on physical redness, which is achieved as children grow. –Fine-motor skills – based on growth on small muscles –Gross- motor skill – based on large muscles Social  Progress from self centered and dependent infant to independent adult.  Self –confidence, co- operation, and a sense of trust are keys to social development

Emotional This is the process of developing positive feelings about oneself, family, friends, other individuals, and the world at large. Each child seems to be born with a certain temperament, one of three: Sensitive – children react intensely to their environment and cry easily Placid – children a easy going and more content Aggressive – children respond to and interact with their environment more vigorously and are more wakeful as infants Moral  Development of sense of right and wrong  Described as a conscience, which governs thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Intellectual or Cognitive  How we learn  Learning depends on brain growth as well as stimulation of the brain and central nervous system by the five senses.  Brain development through the earliest years of life is critical to cognitive development and is related to every area of human development.

Discussion Questions 1. In your own words explain what is Human growth and Development 2. Describe and give examples of the five ways in which human beings grown and develop 3. Explain why knowledge of human growth and development is valuable for all adults.

Stages in the individual life cycle with the correct age range THE INDIVIDUAL LIFE CYCLE

Influences of heredity and environment  Heredity is the sum of all the qualities a person inherits from his or her parents at birth. –eye color and shape  Environment includes a person’s surroundings and everything in them, including both human and non-human factors. –family and friends –home and community –life experiences

Which has the stronger influence? Heredity or Environment?  Most scientists and philosophers agree that the two work together. HEREDITY YOU ENVIRONMENT

The Role of Nurture in Human Development There are three key elements of nurturing relationships identified by early ears experts:  Comfort – Parents need to acknowledge child’s discomfort and offer appropriate responses. –Example: Gentle rocking and soothing are appropriate for infants, while calming words may be more appropriate for an older child  Play – is a form of exercise for the growing body and mind while providing a way to express emotions, develop social abilities, and explore moral thinking  Teach – provides children with the “how to” accomplish important tasks at each developmental stage.

Discuss and Share  In your opinion, is one area of growth and development more important than others? Explain.  Which area of development, do you think, is the easiest to identify in children? Explain your reasoning.  Describe a parent-child activity for any age level in which a parent uses all the comfort, play, and teach elements appropriately for the child age level.

Observing Children Why Is Observing Children Important?  To better understand their development  To learn about individual children  To identify children who have special needs or disabilities  So you can receive feedback about your own approach to parenting or teaching Subjective vs. Objective How To Observe Young Children  Subjective – uses personal feelings and opinions rather than facts  Objective – just the facts! What the observer saw and heard…nothing more! –Most research on young children is based on observation –Objective is much more valuable than subjective –Subjective is based on false assumptions and may be misleading

Types of Observation Records  Running record –Writing down for a set period everything observed about a particular person about a particular person  Anecdotal Record –The behavior recorded all has to do with the same issue (how a child behaved at lunch, on the playground, etc.)  Frequency Count –Tally of how often a certain behavior occurs –Find a baseline – the count before you try to change the behavior  Developmental Checklist –Identifies skills or behaviors that a child of a certain age should master – just check off the skills that you observe

As an observer...  Avoid being noticed  Interpret the information  Follow the rule of confidentiality