Prenatal Development: Physical: During prenatal development, the mother's general health and age is very important. Nutrition, anxiety, and stress are a big part of the physical development during the prenatal stages. Referenced by Eysenck & Schoenthaler (1997) in our text, “A rapidly growing body of evidence reveals that when food sources are short on protein or essential vitamins and minerals during prenatal and early postnatal development, an infant’s physical, socio-emotional, and intellectual development can be compromised” (as cited by Broderick & Blewitt, 2010, p. 56).Genetic and chromosomal problems can begin at conception. Many disorders can be transmitted through the operation of dominant and recessive genes. Most recessive disorders are diagnosed in early childhood. Some genetic disorders include the following: sickle cell disease, hemophilia, night blindness, cystic fibrosis, extra fingers, high blood pressure, and huntington's disease. Chromosomal errors also effect the prenatal development stage. The most common is Down syndrome, in which a child has 3 copies of chromosome 21. The risk of bearing a child with this condition depends on the age of the mother. Social/Cultural: It is know that HIV and AIDS is more prevalent in some cultures. Environmental: The environment can influence a lot during prenatal development. Broderick & Blewitt (2010) state “genes can do nothing without environmental input—and that environmental effects are shaped by genetic constraints” (p. 34). Teratogens and disease can cause birth defects during prenatal development. Pregnant mothers should avoid things like drugs, radiation, and stay away from people or places that could be infested with viruses. These can result in a defect in th... ... middle of paper ... ...nced by genetics and environmental factors. Individuals start to become very concern about their body images and their appearance. During this phase there is a lot of "horse playing", play which involves hitting, wrestling, chasing, laughing, and screaming at times. Boys tend to become more active in sports while girls are really into the way they look. Boys tend to develop more muscle while girls develop more fatty tissue. During middle childhood through adolescence, individuals should have all of their immunizations. This maybe the stage where they may start to have acute medical condition or chronic medical conditions. Parents who encourage physical exercise tend to have youngsters who enjoy it more and who are also more skilled. Works Cited Broderick, P. C. & Blewitt, P. (2010). The life span (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Childbirth is nothing short of a miracle. The placenta—the organ connecting a developing fetus to the uterine wall and allowing for waste elimination, nutrient uptake and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply—filters most harmful substances that threaten an embryo, though some may still pass on to the fetus. These harmful substances, called “teratogens,” range from environmental chemicals to the transmission of maternal diseases, and can negatively impact the normal developmental cycle of a fetus. The title “teratogen,” however, refers to any substance or chemical exposure with the potential to cause birth defects in prenatal development. Exposure to teratogens can result in a broad spectrum of physiological and psychological issues in later life, including malformations of the body.
Although there are many factors that affect the development of the fetus, research on the specific effects of prenatal maternal stress and the resulting negative outcomes for the development of the fetus will be reviewed. While there is knowledge of these harmful effects in scientific and medical communities, researchers are still in the midst of discovering the results of these negative effects on human development. An overall review of the literature suggests that this topic is still relatively new in research as most of the articles make note that despite the amount of current research studies, there are still many unanswered questions.
Down syndrome, a genetic disorder, is the most common cause for intellectual disabilities, occurring at an average of one out of every 700 births (CDS, 2006). This disorder is caused by the extra chromosome 21 (also known as Trisomy 21). According to Hassold and Sherman (2002), the probability of giving birth to a child with DS is not linked to any race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. Maternal age seems to be the only etiological factor that may cause DS.
Tobacco use during pregnancy is another environmental influence. The nicotine, carbon monoxide, and many other harmful chemicals mixed together in cigarettes are very harmful to the mother and especially the unborn child. This can cut off the baby’s oxygen supply, increase the risk of
We are exposed to many harmful substances in our daily lives. Some of these substances are especially harmful for a developing zygote, embryo, or fetus. When a woman makes the decision to become pregnant, or if she finds herself pregnant, she can also make some decisions of what kind of precautions she will make during her pregnancy. While some substances such as pollution are mostly unavoidable for pregnant women in today’s society, other harmful substances can be easily avoided to ensure the proper healthy development of her unborn child.
There are many factors that are integrated into the successful development of a child from Prenatal growth into toddlerhood. Teratogens (outside factors) have a great impact on the babies’ inutero development. Some outside factors like second-hand smoke, smog, or fumes from cleaning chemicals can cause negative effects on the child inside the womb. A few major affects from teratogens could result in low birth weight, head circumference, slow physical growth as well as an effect on mental, behavioral and motor skills (Berk, 2003). The environment around the mother provides many of these outside factors affecting the baby’s growth. But the main link to teratogens during the gestation period is most likely the mother. Daniel S. Messinger and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 2.8% of pregnant women admitted to using illicit drugs during their pregnancy (1996). Through illicit drug use, tobacco use and alcohol use, the mother disrupts her baby’s growth with possibly permanent damage.
The unborn child must be protected from and must endure certain teratogens, depending on the lifestyle of the mother, to be successfully born as a healthy baby.
Health complications can occur during pregnancy with the woman or the fetus. During pregnancy, a woman can have an ectopic pregnancy, which is where the fetus develops outside of the uterus. While giving birth, a woman can risk her life if she encountered any difficulties. A fetus can develop birth defects, for instance, down syndrome, as well as diseases and infections. If a fetus’ has a life-threatening illness, a mother may decide to end the pregnancy so the baby does not have a painful life. However, a doctor may say the baby may have birth defects, but the baby can be born perfectly
In this report I will be discussing the development issues on prenatal development, and the newborn. Developmental psychology is basically a branch of psychology that studies cognitive, physical, and social change throughout our life span. In prenatal development we learn about nature and nurture, continuity and stages, and stability and change. Prenatal development refers to the process in which a baby develops from a single cell after a conception into an embryo and later a fetus. An embryo is the development of a human organism from about 2 weeks after the fertilization through the second month.
Feldman, Robert S.. Development across the life span . 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.
However, studies have demonstrated that cells in a state of meiosis are particularly sensitive to environmental influences such as viruses, x-rays, and cytotoxic chemicals. It is possible that environmental influences may play a role in nondisjunction events (Arlene, 2014). Scientists and researchers are now aware that there is a correlation between the mother’s age at the time of conception and the risk of having a baby born with DS, most would argue that the older the mother, the higher the chances are. Studies comparing the chromosomes of the affected offspring with those of both parents have shown that the nondisjunction event is maternal about 75 percent of the time. This maternal age effect is thought to result from the different manner in which the male and female gametes are produced. Gamete production in the male is a continual, lifelong process, while it is a one-time event in females (Arlene, 2014). A woman 's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. By age 35, a woman 's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome is about 1 in 350. By age 40, the risk is about 1 in 100, and by age 45, the risk is about 1 in 30
...rait” on to offspring, along with the possibility of environmental factors. There are many ways a fetus or embryo can be affected, and the more known causes for problems, the more problems doctors and scientists can prevent.
Every woman when pregnant has a 3-5% chance of having a baby born with a birth defect, and these chances increase when the developing fetus/ embryos are exposed to teratogens, whether it’s intentional or unintentional (Bethesda (MD), 2006). Teratogens can cause severe birth defects, malformations, or terminate the pregnancy altogether (Jancárková, & Gregor, 2000). The placenta is known as an effective barrier from any detrimental pathogen that can potentially hurt the fetus. The timing of exposure of any teratogen is critical to the impact of prenatal development (Bethesda (MD), 2006). The most vulnerable time of the fetus for severe damage is during early pregnancy when all the major organ and central nervous system (CNS) are developing. Miscarriages have an important role in keeping a pregnancy from evolving when there is something serious going on with the developing fetus/embryo. Miscarriages are more common than we think and are the most familiar type of pregnancy loss (Bethesda (MD), 2006).
Physical and motor development are two similar but different areas that describe child development. Physical development encompasses all of the various changes a child's body goes through. Those changes include height, weight, and brain development. Motor development is the development of control over the body. This control would involve developing reflexes such as blinking, large motor skills like walking, and fine motor skills like manipulating their fingers to pick up small objects like Cheerios. It is important to objectively study physical and motor development in children to gain knowledge on what characteristics are considered typical for each age and stage of development. This will enable me to be aware of when a child or children are developing at an irregular pace, and devise recommendations or find experiences and other resources that can aid in stimulating their development and to work towards closing achievement gaps. This particular assignment was to observe the selected child and reaffirm the importance of studying physical and motor development, and to develop ideas on how to involve it in my work as an early childhood professional.
From preschool into early elementary school, children have begun to develop their gross motor skills. They have developed a “mature pattern of walking” and are ready to test their physical abilities to the limits. Also fine motor skills have begun to develop, however more slowly. Along with motor skills children are developing their visual, tactile, and kinesthetic senses. A child’s sensory skills are helpful in learning language.