The Body and the Brain
Normally, human development occurs:
Head-to-foot direction
Proximal to distal-trunk to extremities
Large muscles to small muscles
0-12 weeks – reflexive random behavior dominates
oculomotor muscles come under control (12)
eyes, mouth predominate sensory activity
oral/respiratory regulation occurs
head lags
midline-horizontal tracking
recognizes familiar persons, smiles
coos, laughs
12-28 weeks – upper trunk comes under control – rolls both directions
head control is established
arms are loose – “reaching out” occurs – transfers objects – palmar grasp bilateral activity
28-40 weeks – lower trunk comes under control – sits alone
(crawl to stand, bearing weight, rocking back and forth)
uses whole arm
uses fingers – poking, pincer grasp
full range of babbling sounds
40-52 weeks – legs, feet come under control
stands, cruises, walks supported
says first words: no, ma-ma, da-da
starts actions – object permanence
world and self-confused – egocentricity predominates
The human organism’s development shows predictable trends, according to a maturational process. These trends are cephalo-caudal, proximaldistal, general-specific, large-small muscles, bilateral-unibilateral, maximum-minimum involvement.
The brain and the central nervous system form a complex pathway system of receptors and effectors, which are tiny delicate nerve fibers transmitting messages in both directions to and from the brain.
Reflexology also affects growth. Fundamental growth patters are connoted by terms such as phases, epiginesis, etiology, equilibrium, egocentricity, maturation, among others.
The brain is like a computer:
(receptors) Visual Mobility (effectors)
Auditory Hand Control
Tactile Language
Feedback Loop
Development occurs in an integrated way. The needs of persons remain constant throughout much of life. All children need security, love, a sense of self to develop healthy personalities.
52 weeks – 2 years – Massive integration at 15 months
full prehension – hand function
full mobility
trail and error – pursuit
obeys simple directions
cannot share
myelination building
runs, climbs
build tower of 2-3 blocks
2-3 words together – all gone
sphincters controlled
personal identity
2-3 years – words replace actions, imitates – sex roles – parallel play
memory improves
builds tower of 3, makes a train
attempts dressing – handedness, footedness
copies a circle and a square
3-4 years – counts, tells simple stories
builds taller towers
jumps, hops, rides trike
associative play
attraction for parent of opposite sex, competition with parent of same sex
regressive
forgetfulness
recalls what’s missing and parts of a series
sense of time and space why?
4-5 years – sense of initiative and purpose – cooperative play
play is oriented toward work – “playing school”
conservation of matter beings
dominance becomes fixed
Differences in Development
Reader’s Digest said it, so it must be so – “Be different and get ahead.” We are all different. Our differences are sexual, genetic, familiar, cultural, psychological, temperamental. We grow according to the principal of Epigenesis – all parts growing at different rates. We are a combination of parts all growing at different rates unedingly in discontinuous or continuous fashion, epigenetically, functionally.
We have temperamental traits which help us to learn control and self awareness. What is your assessment of your temperament?
Is your activity level high or low?
Are you rhythmic in your daily body functions, like sleeping, eliminating?
Do you approach or withdraw from new situations?
Are you adaptable?
What is the intensity of your reaction to newness?
How responsive are you to new situations?
What is your general mood? Pleasant? No?
How distractible are you?
What’s your attention span and persistence at tasks and activities?
Communication with Children
When you’re talking with babies and young children:
- Look at them – make eye contact
- Speak in complete sentences
- Repeat directions and statements
- Ask questions that require more than a yes or no answer
- Use games to communicate
- Rhyming words n/et b/et
- Counting – Ten Little Indians (using fingers and toes)
- Connections words – up, down – in, out
Prepositions:
The crayon is on the box
The crayon is in the box
- Spatial, temporal words – up, down – on top
- Use body gestures to demonstrate and illustrate (pointer finger)
- Avoid offering choices unless you mean to allow person to “freely choose”
- Vary tone and inflection of your voice
- Remember words have beginnings and endings – don’t let your voice fade away – say the whole thing
Listen actively to what is being sa
