This blog is to help parents, educators, and students learn more about child development. It will cover biological beginning, physical development, intelligence, language, family, culture, and community information.
Group Members –
Ellen Meyer
Karol Lopez
Ali Oliva
Noelle Kent
Heldy Hernandez
Prenatal Development –
When you have a baby, your body changes and grows with the fetus. This growth is tracked and occurs in several identifiable stages:
Below is a break down what month and trimester a mother in:
Located at:
http://sheenafertilityjourney.blogspot.com/2013/04/counting-trimesters-months-weeks-in.html
The fetus body develops in specific changes through the months of development (McDevitt 126):
Medical Care –
Before couples think about having a baby, women need to discuss this with their doctors, when at all possible. A woman’s health is important to the health of the baby. Due to the symbiotic relationship between mother and fetus, what a mother puts into her body directly affects the health of the baby. A doctor may want to advise the woman to take vitamins supplements, diet, exercise and over look prescriptions or other medications that she taking. The doctor may also want to discuss potential obstacles that may keep the mother from having a healthy pregnancy. Issues that may keep a pregnancy from being healthy are the age, preexisting conditions (diabetes and hypertension), poor health choices (smoking, drinking, poor eating) and environmental factors for the mother. After conception, a woman may continue to see her doctor or move over to OB/GYN (obstetrics/gynecology).
During pregnancy, women undergo several medical procedures to confirm healthy and continuous growth on the part of the child, specifically an ultrasound examination (ultrasonography). Other medical procedures a pregnant woman may go through are:
These tests are important to make sure that the health of mother and fetus remains well. Some of these tests can detect genetic abnormalities.
You need to have an understanding on what genes are and why it’s important to know during fetus development. Human genes normally consist of 46 chromosomes. Of these 46 chromosomes, they are placed into pairs and create 23 pairs that work together. The information created in these chromosomes comes from the mother’s and the father’s DNA. From these mixtures of DNA, you may have chromosomal and genetic disorders.
Chromosomal disorders are where irregular chromosomes occur, for example:
Genetic Disorder is single gene defects with a problem with dominant gene example:
(McDevitt, 118-9)
Pregnant women need to be aware of teratogen. Teratogen is an agent like a virus, a drug, or radiation that a woman may be exposed to during pregnancy which causes abnormal or functional damage to the fetus.
Some examples of teratogens factors:
Below is the chart on when to be careful the fetus development:
Birth of Baby –
Pregnant women can choose to either do a home birth or hospital with professionals. Most women choose to deliver in a hospital than home birth.
Pregnant women can deliver their babies in several methods:
McDevitt, Teresa and Jeanne Ormrod. Child Development and Education, Fifth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2013.
Emerging language in children is an interesting process. As parents we marvel at how quickly they learn and grow. As educators and scientist we are intrigued by the progression of language in terms of development and mental procedures.
Research has shown that children begin to develop language as early as the fetal stage, where a fetus is able to recognize its own mother’s speech pattern. Around four months of age infants are able to discriminate sounds. Infants up to ten months of age are able to discriminate between speech sounds from all languages, not just their native tongue. At two years they will have a vocabulary of approximately 150 to 300 words and by the age of four their vocabulary will have reached an astounding 3,000 words.
There are many theories on the process of language development. Two important theories to note would be those of B.F Skinner and Noam Chomsky. Behaviorist, B.F Skinner proposes that the emergence of language is the consequence of imitation and repetition. Noam Chomsky, a nativist, believes that children are born with a language acquisition device and this allows them to yield language once they learn necessary vocabulary. Parents have a direct influence on language development as well. Infant-directed speech, which is basically “baby talk”, will support language development by helping children learn words faster and easier.
Stages of Language Development Birth to Age 2
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Babbling (3-9 months) |
This pre-linguistic (cooing) stage is the first stage of language development. At this time infants begin to make vowel sounds. At around 5 months it is usual for babies to add consonants to their sounds to create sound like pa-pa or ma-ma. |
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Single Words (10-13 months) |
The second stage is the holophase or one-word stage. This is the stage where children will begin to say their first real words. Even though they can say only a handful of words they are able to understand much more at this point. Children comprehend language twice as fast as they produce it. |
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Two Words (18 -24 months) |
This third stage is the beginning of the use of two-word sentences. Usually just made up of nouns and verbs. Example: “big truck!” or “where momma?” |
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Multi-word sentences (24 months) |
Around 24 months children will begin to make short multi-worded sentences with a subject and predicate. Example: “I want Daddy” or “I like that”. |
This chart from the Child Development Institute maps out what to expect for children from 6 months to 8 years of age in regard to language development:
Language Development Chart
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Age |
Typical Language Development |
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6 Months |
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12 Months |
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18 Months |
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24 Months |
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36 Months |
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48 Moths |
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60 Months |
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6 Years |
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7 Years |
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8 Years |
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By Ali Oliva
WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?
Theorists think of intelligence in a variety of ways, but most agree that it has several distinctive qualities:
McDevitt, Teresa M.; Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis (2012-01-17). Child Development and Education (5th Edition) (Page 285). Pearson. Kindle Edition.
THEORIES ON INTELLIGENCE-
There are no definite answers as to how intelligence is measured, but there are some theories that talk about how intelligence can be determined.
The Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory of cognitive abilities-
The Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory of cognitive abilities is a blend of views that was originally inspired by the work of Raymond Cattell, a British psychologist who worked in the United States. Extending the ideas of Spearman, Cattell found evidence for two distinctly different components of general intelligence. First, Cattell proposed, children differ in fluid intelligence, the ability to acquire knowledge quickly and adapt to new situations effectively. Second, they differ in crystallized intelligence, the knowledge and skills they have accumulated from their experiences, schooling, and culture. These two components may be more or less relevant to different kinds of tasks. Fluid intelligence relates more to novel tasks, especially those that require rapid decisions and are largely nonverbal in nature. Crystallized intelligence is more important for familiar tasks, especially those that are heavily dependent on language and prior knowledge.
According to Cattell, fluid intelligence is largely the result of inherited biological factors, whereas crystallized intelligence depends on both fluid intelligence and experience and so is influenced by both heredity and environment.
Fluid intelligence peaks in late adolescence and begins to decline gradually in adulthood. In contrast, crystallized intelligence continues to increase throughout childhood, adolescence, and most of adulthood.
GARDNERS MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES-
American psychologist Howard Gardner argues that traditional definitions of intelligence are too narrow (Gardner, 1995, 2003, 2009). He concedes that a general factor of intelligence may exist but questions its usefulness in explaining people’s performance in particular situations. In his view, children and adults have at least eight distinctly different abilities, or multiple intelligences. Furthermore, Gardner argues that each of the intelligences has its own symbolic operations and has played an important role over the course of human evolution, allowing people to adapt successfully to their environments.
THIS THEORY DIFFERS FROM OTHER THEORIES BECAUSE IT DOES NOT RELY HEAVILY ON TRADITIONAL TEST SCORES.
Activities that appeal to different forms of intelligences:
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Verbal-Linguistic |
Logical-Mathematical |
Visual-Spatial |
Bodily-Kinesthetic |
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choral speaking storytelling retelling speaking debating presenting reading aloud dramatizing book making nonfiction reading researching listening process writing writing journals |
problem solving measuring coding sequencing critical thinking predicting playing logic games collecting data experimenting solving puzzles classifying using manipulatives learning the scientific model using money using geometry |
graphing photographing making visual metaphors making visual analogies mapping stories making 3D projects painting illustrating using charts using organizers visualizing sketching patterning visual puzzles |
hands on experiments activities changing room arrangement creative movement going on field trips physical education activities crafts dramatizing using cooperative groups dancing |
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Musical |
Interpersonal |
Intrapersonal |
Naturalistic |
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humming rapping playing background music patterns form playing instruments tapping out poetic rhythms rhyming singing |
classroom parties peer editing cooperative learning sharing group work forming clubs peer teaching social awareness conflict mediation discussing cross age tutoring study group brainstorming |
personal response individual study personal goal setting individual projects journal log keeping personal choice in projects independent reading |
reading outside cloud watching identifying insects building habitats identifying plants using a microscope dissecting going on a nature walk build a garden studying the stars bird watching collecting rocks making bird feeders going to the zoo |
TRIARCHIC THEORY-
The triarchic theory of intelligence characterizes intelligence in terms of distinct components rather than as a single ability. Formulated in the 1980s by Robert Sternberg, the triarchic theory distinguishes three aspects of intelligence: analytic skills, such as the ability to think abstractly and evaluate information; creativity, the ability to invent novel solutions or ideas; and practical skills, which enable one to cope with concrete situations. Sternberg believed that intelligent tests often wrongly ignored creativity and practical skills. He also argued that intelligence involves distinct cognitive processes: metacomponents (planning and decision-making skills), performance components (what people do while carrying out plans), and knowledge-acquisition components (skills necessary for learning).
TESTS THAT MEASURE INTELLIGENCE-
Listed below are some tests you can take to measure a child’s IQ–
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, or WISC-IV designed for children and adolescents ages 6 to 16 (O’Donnell, 2009; Wechsler, 2003). The WISC-IV consists of 15 subtests, with certain subtest scores being combined to obtain composite scores in Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed.
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-
The Stanford Binet can be used with children (as young as age 2), adolescents, and adults. The individual being assessed is asked to perform a wide variety of tasks, some involving verbal material and responses (e.g., defining vocabulary words, finding logical inconsistencies in a story, or interpreting proverbs) and others involving objects or pictures (e.g., remembering a sequence of objects, copying geometric figures, or identifying absurdities in pictures). The Stanford-Binet yields an overall IQ score, and its most recent edition also yields Verbal and Nonverbal IQs, plus more specific scores in Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Working Memory, Visual-Spatial Processing, and Quantitative Reasoning.
The Cognitive Assessment System-
The Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) is a multidimensional measure of cognitive processes (Naglieri & Conway, 2009). The CAS was founded on the premise that cognitive processes identified in neurological research are the basis for intelligence. It includes four scales: an Attention scale (examines selective attention to a particular stimulus, e.g., finding particular numbers on a page despite many distracters); a Simultaneous scale (tests the ability to integrate separate stimuli into a single representation, e.g., after looking at a geometric figure, finding it embedded in a more complex pattern); a Planning scale (checks the ability to formulate a plan for solving a novel problem, e.g., rapidly matching letters and numbers on separate pages); and a Successive Subtest scale (assesses the ability to process information in a specific order, e.g., repeating words in the same order as stated by the examiner).
McDevitt, Teresa M.; Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis (2012-01-17). Child Development and Education (5th Edition) (Page 296). Pearson. Kindle Edition.
ARE YOUR CHILDREN MEANT TO JUST BE ‘AVERAGE’?
THE BELL CURVE- The bell curve is used by teachers in theorists to measure the intelligence of students. The bell curve is designed not for most people to be above intelligence, but actually just average. Teachers use this scale to determine if their tests are too easy, or too hard, depending on if most of the students receive an “average’ grade.
Physical Development
Along with other areas of development, a child’s physical development is just as important. This is a natural occurrence and is different in every age group. From birth to adolescence, it’s important to know the physical changes of children and when they will occur. During early childhood children change a lot because they start losing their baby features. They will also start to become more proportioned with their body. After time they will begin to gain more energy and gain more movement . It’s imperative to remember that physical development provides children with abilities which they will use to explore the world around them. It provides them with strength and eventually results in the coordination of their body parts. Physical development ties into muscular development because it helps them remain healthy and active. Through physical development the child will be able to acquire various skills such as motor skills, gross motor skills and fine manipulative skills. Remember every child develops differently, but it’s important to take notice of each of your child’s milestones.
Below is a chart that provides the typical skills for children according to their age group.
by Heldy Hernandez
Family in Child Development
It is often said that in order for a child to grow into a happy individual it often depends on the loving relationships and their culture as well as their surroundings (community). Family, foremost is considered the key to a happy childhood.
A family can consist of one or two parents. It can either be one female or one male adult, or both female and male adults. There are also families that might consist of two female or two male adult parents. (The sexual orientation of the parents does not prohibit anyone from being called family.) The parents or otherwise known as the “heads of the family” exercise authority and care for the family. They are also responsible for the wellbeing of the children.
In a family there can be other family members as well that may be related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Such as grandmothers, uncles, aunts, cousins, brother or sisters and lets not forget to mention our pets, which many of us consider as part of our family. There is no such thing as a perfect family. Everyone’s family is special in their own way. Children succeed by living in a home with individuals who care for them, provide support, love, understanding, a good education and a base such as foundation to help a child succeed in life.
Family members also provide an important key to whom the child socializes with.
Culture Importance
Culture adds an intellectual dimension by exposing children to the accumulated wisdom, advances, discoveries and active works of society (Child Development & Education. McDevitt; Ormrod. P68.).
What is Culture?
Culture is said to be the characteristics of a particular group of people. These characteristics can be defined by anything such as language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. The culture of longstanding social groups is what gives meaning to habits and relationships in the family and community.
Bronfenbrenner Biological Model
http://www.vvc.edu/academic/child_development/droege/ht/course2/faculty/lecture/cd6lectmicro.html
Community
The community is that which is considered the local neighborhood or otherwise known as the “bridge to the outside world” for children.
Communities vary depending on the wealth, and characteristics of the local neighborhoods. In the bio ecological model (shown above) shows that the community provides resources for the parents. However, these resources can also influence the child indirectly.
Family culture and community are considered to be the fountains of culture. McDevitt and Ormrod explain in their book Child Development and Education (p.70) that family cares for children, while culture gives meaning to children’s lives and the community supplies the child with good social contacts and descent living conditions. All of which are important aspects of a child’s development.
(Note: many factors contribute to child development- this is a great website that has an abundance of information http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/ )
By Karol Lopez
What is Child development?
Child development is described as occurring in linear and universal stages an is considered to be the “lawful and, with some minor adjustments the same for everyone over time and place. In addition, it is considered to be as an individualistic process that occurs through children’s’ “direct encounters with the world rather than mediated through vicarious encounters with it in interacting and negotiating with others (Amy Johnson Lachuk ). Furthermore, the study of Human Development allows us to understand how human beings change from the time of conception through maturation into adulthood and into old age and then eventually death (Child Development & Education. McDevitt; Ormrod. P4.)
There are three developmental domains which child development are said to be organized or most commonly known for the three areas of study
By Karol Lopez
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