CE114 Unit Four Seminar: Psychosocial and Cognitive Development of the Infant

Unit Four Course Outcomes CE114-1: Discuss age appropriate behavioral expectations and intervention strategies for the early childhood care professional educator. CE114-2: Identify milestones in infants, toddlers, and early childhood development

Thought for the Day… “We can whenever we choose successfully teach all children… We already know more than we need to know in order to do that!” Ron Edmonds

UNIT 4 PROJECT Using the charts on milestones of development found in our text along with other unit material, create a chart of your own. This chart needs to combine some landmarks in each of the following stages from birth to three years of age: ·                   physical and motor development ·                   psychosocial development ·                   cognitive development When creating your chart, choose a reasonable sampling from each area; these could be milestones of development that strike you as most meaningful. Expected developmental milestones are based on the idea that children tend to follow similar developmental patterns. When doing this activity, keep in mind that current thinking about expected patterns of growth and development tells us that multiple biological and environmental influences affect both the sequence and timing of motor skills. In addition, include a one-paragraph analysis addressing the fact that individuals develop at varying rates. To complete this project, use the template provided. You will add the appropriate information into the correct areas (at least 6 milestones for each area) and save your changes. Remember to refer to the PBS website in the Unit 4 Reading for valuable information for your chart. It is; http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=32357

Unit Four Project Directions Cont. Expected developmental milestones are based on the idea that children tend to follow similar developmental patterns. When doing this activity, keep in mind that current thinking about expected patterns of growth and development tells us that multiple biological and environmental influences affect both the sequence and timing of motor skills. In addition, include a one-paragraph analysis addressing the fact that individuals develop at varying rates.

Unit Four Project Directions Developmental Stages Chart - Using the charts on milestones of development found in our text along with other unit material create a chart of your own. This chart needs to combine some landmarks in each of the following stages from birth to three years of age: physical and motor development; psychosocial development; and cognitive development. When creating your chart, choose a reasonable sampling from each area; these could be milestones of development that strike you as most meaningful. Download the Developmental Stages Chart and save the graph in a Word document. Then add the appropriate information into the correct areas (at least 3 milestones for each area)

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: BIRTH TO AGE THREE Age 1 to Age 2 Age 2 to Age 3 Physical and Motor Lifts head. You must have 6 milestones in each box!!! Points to things. Turns pages of book. Social and Emotional Cognitive and Language

physical and motor development; 20 points Unit 4 Project Rubric You used the charts on milestones of development found in the text along with other unit material to create a chart. A paragraph reflected current thinking about expected patterns of growth and development, that multiple biological and environmental influences affect both the sequence and timing of motor skills. ___/15 points   The chart combined some landmarks and a reasonable sampling of meaningful milestones from each area in each of the following stages from birth to three years of age: physical and motor development; 20 points psychosocial development; 20 points and cognitive development 20 points ___/60 points Project was free of grammar, usage, mechanics and spelling errors ___/10 points Total Points out of a possible 100 ___/100 points

Topic One Do you believe that the attachments made in infancy have an effect on us throughout life? Please share an example from your own experience to illustrate your point of view.

John Bowlby In this first year, the baby has formed an attachment to mom. In fact, Bowlby researched this attachment in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Bowlby has conducted his research on infants raised in an institutional setting. The attendants of the institution saw that the babies received food, clothing, and baths. However, these babies did not receive hugs or affectionate touches. What do you think happened to those infants? What sorts of problems might they demonstrate?

Important Names to Remember John Bowlby: researched the separation and attachments infants develop. Mary Ainsworth: her work was instrumental in defining different types of attachment behaviors. Important Names to Remember

Bowlby In this first year, the baby has formed an attachment to mom. In fact, Bowlby researched this attachment in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Bowlby has conducted his research on infants raised in an institutional setting. The attendants of the institution saw that the babies received food, clothing, and baths. However, these babies did not receive hugs or affectionate touches. What do you think happened to those infants? What sorts of problems might they demonstrate?  

Bowlby Four phases of Attachments In Phase I: This phase lasts for about 12 weeks in the newborns life. The baby is quick to respond to those who meet his or her daily needs. The infant will not be more discriminating about his or her caregiver until around 3 to 6 months in Phase II. In Phase III, the infant is moving towards the toddler stage. This phase occurs when the child is 6 months to 3 years of age. The child wants to be near others, especially those persons that the child has formed an attachment.

Mary Ainsworth Mary Ainsworth has conducted her research with the mother, the infant, and the stranger. She wanted to see how the baby acted with the mother to various situations. Other research has found that the baby that falls into the secure attachment category has the ability to form attachments between one to four months of age. The mother of the securely attached infant is sensitive to the baby’s cues or communication efforts. Can you name one of these cues? How can we tell if the baby is trying to communicate?

Topic Two Describe ways infants communicate throughout the first year. How can we encourage communication with our infant?

Babies are constantly communicating with us Babies are constantly communicating with us. However, since babies cannot talk, this communication comes in many different forms. As a parent, it's up to you to pick up on these different types of communication. You can also help to give your baby the tools she needs to communicate with you as effectively as possible given her limited means. The most common way a baby communicates is through his tears. Crying is the first--and often, most effective--way he knows how to communicate, and he uses it often in his first year. Your baby's cries may mean any number of things, and it's your job to interpret his cries. According to KidsHealth, each of his needs has a different sort of cry, helping you to understand what he needs and helping him to communicate better.

Smiling The opposite of crying, a smile from your baby shows you that she is totally content and happy. It can also be a sign that she likes something she's doing or something you're showing her. However, smiling isn't as natural as crying, and it's something she has to work at in order to master. She will smile for the first time around the time she is 2 months old, and you can help encourage her to smile by smiling at her as often as you can. She will soon associate smiling with happiness and use her new skills to proclaim her satisfaction with you. Separation Anxiety Perhaps the most profound way an infant can communicate before he can talk is when he experiences separation anxiety. This happens when you leave the room and he becomes convinced you aren't coming back, or he doesn't want to be held by a stranger. This is his way of showing how much he loves you and feels safe with you, as he only wants to be held by you, and he doesn't want you to leave his side. When babies grow out of this phase, it's in part because they are better able to communicate their needs and desires.

Baby Sign Language Baby sign language is a series of commands you can teach your baby to use. According to Parents.com, the theory behind baby sign language is that they can contort their hands to communicate much earlier than they can use their voices to form words. By the time babies are 8 or 9 months old, they are capable of communicating in this way. Baby sign language helps babies to feel empowered while helping parents to understand what their babies are thinking and feeling. This is an effective way for baby to communicate with you. Talking Eventually, your baby will learn how to talk. Around the time when she's 8 months old, she'll begin to babble and string syllables together. Shortly after her first birthday, she'll begin using actual words with the full knowledge of what they mean. By the time she's 18 months old, she may be capable of putting two words together to form sentences. Even though she'll learn how to talk, she will continue to use many different methods to communicate with you right through toddlerhood. http://www.livestrong.com/article/228961-how-do-babies-learn-to-communicate-before-they-can-talk/#ixzz1agvOlbhh

Topic Three What are some ways to help infants develop their language skills?

Topic Four Share some specific ideas for age-appropriate toys, books, and experiences. 

Web Resources Early Intervention: Illinois Department of Human Services Read the article "Developmental Milestones": http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=32357 You may also find the following website sponsored by PBS valuable in completing your developmental stages chart http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/

The ABC's Of Child Development Developmental Milestones For Your Child's First Five Years http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/ Some of the statements on that website I think address this issue well. “Children grow and develop at different rates. While their pathways through childhood differ, most pass a set of predictable milestones along the way.” “In reality, these areas overlap, as development in one area is reinforced and enhanced by growth in others. The milestones suggested for each area offer examples of the developmental leaps that young children make. These are not complete lists.” “.As you follow this map, keep in mind that each child develops differently and that an individual child may develop more quickly in one area than in another.”

Varying Rates of Development What are your thoughts on how individuals develop at varying rates? Can you provide an example from your own experience?

Things to do… Complete the readings Participate in discussion Participate in seminar Complete the Project

Think about…. The teacher is one who made two ideas grow where only one grew before.