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Recommended: Child development
Most child development causation research has focused on genetic inheritance, and environmental contexts such as social cultural and community influences as dominant factors in physical and cognitive development. I believe that prenatal environmental influences have been overlooked in much research to date. By reviewing the journal “Perinatal exposure in later psychological development and behavioral disabilities” I will emphasis the importance of healthy living to later cognitive development in infancy and early childhood.
During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the devastating thalidomide tragedy brought awareness to the public the causation between birth defects and use of chemical’s during pregnancy. An estimated 10,000 birth defects and thousands of fetal deaths worldwide as a result from failed animal testing. Women were prescribed the sedative thalidomide to reduce morning sickness. As these children grew older, many scored below average in intelligence by possible direct damage to the central nervous system (Berk, L. 2008). Damage to the central nervous system could have correlated with a negative bi-directional influence between child and parent. Subsequently, this event influenced researchers to develop a new branch of study into the causation of birth defects called Teratology.
At the time researchers speculated that during the prenatal period the child is at risk of environmental events that can cause adverse reactions from consumption of toxins to contracting viral diseases. Researchers believed that the placenta filtered toxic substances from the mother, protecting the fetus from harmful agents
(Dombrowski, Martin 2007). Through much research it is now understood that babies can be profoundly damag...
... middle of paper ...
...affected by tetragons prenatally. Cognitive delays are
overlooked and often attributed to environmental or genetic influences outside the womb.
I believe that pregnant women have most control over these contributing factors and that
to a great extent of the physical and mental deformities could be prevented by educating
pregnant women on the harmful affects of chemicals, radiation and inadequate nutrition
to the unborn child.
References
Berk, L.E. (2008). Infants and Children. Pearson Education Inc
Dombrowski, S.C & Martin, R.P. (2007). Journal of Perinatal Exposure in
Later Psychological and Behavioral Disabilities. American Psychological Association.
Greenberg, J.S., Bruess, C.E. & Conklin, S.C., (2007). Exploring the dimensions
of human sexuality. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Barlett Publishers.
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.
In this essay I will be going to consider the lifespan development process and describe the following changes in an infant from content supported in my text. Infants are one of the most amazing transformations I think the world sees. To think we all came from infancy and developed into grown adults who do amazing things everyday. I’ll be talking about the physical change in an infant,as well as the mental changes they experience,and the sensory changes they go through that we all went through and eventually brought us to adulthood.
To put a definition plainly, teratogens are agents responsible for countless birth defects. Research found suggests over eight hundred known teratogens. In this paper, you will find interesting facts based on research, the relationship between teratogens and developmental psychology and some personal views based on the information and research found for this piece.
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 statement above suggests that developmental deficiency in what children suffer from when exposed to a human less environment. When a child grows with no human contact, their ...
“If you think about the brain and the brain development if we don’t stimulate the brain then of course there is going to be lack of development.” (“Unruh”). Development is sempiternal in life, it moves through many stages into life such as learning to grasp a fork properly to grasping the thought of death. General development stages begin at birth and last till about age of 18, but the most important development stages start from birth and last till about six years of age. These early stages will affect how one will behave, interpret, and learn throughout the duration of one’s life. While bodily changes are rapidly occurring and the beginning of thought, opinion, and reason are just forming. It is important to understand as future parents or caregivers how and when their child, even if premature, is developing socially, cognitively, or physically.
The strong connection between living situations and the influences that can cause developmental issues in a child can cause great influences in the type of education that is received which is a great determining factor in the type of opportunities and future that will be achieved by a person.
Berger, K. S. (1980). 4: Prenatal Development and Birth. The developing person (pp. 93-121). New York, N.Y.: Worth Publishers.
Some childhood diseases can negatively affect a child's physical development, or cause serious health complications. Chronic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis, cancer, or asthma may also affect physical development in early childhood. Serious medical conditions such as cerebral palsy may impair fine motor skills and coordination in young children. In some cases, physical rehabilitation therapy may help improve a child's fine motor skills. According to medical experts, a child who has been vaccinated against various diseases stands a better chance of developing normally. (“What Factors Affect Physical Development in Early Childhood?”, 2017) Many credible scientists believe that hereditary factors also affect growth and development during early childhood
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).
There are many different aspects of environment that can affect the development of children. One major environmental impact that influences the development of a child is the neighborhood they are raised in. Within the neighborhood there are several other aspect of influence. Where a child is raised can affect their behavior, attitudes, emotions, personality, values, health, and so much more. This can be seen in their personal lives at home to their social lives around others in classrooms. The affects of a child’s development due to their environment can be seen in both a positive and negative aspect. The neighborhood that a child is raised in can be very critical in their development. It may have a significant effect on what he or she becomes in the future.
The distinction between nature versus nurture or even environment versus heredity leads to the question of: does the direct environment or the nature surrounding an adolescent directly influence acts of delinquency, later progressing further into more radical crimes such as murder or psychotic manifestation, or is it directly linked to the hereditary traits and genes passed down from that individual adolescent’s biological parents? To answer this question one must first understand the difference between nature, nurture, environment, and heredity. Nurture, broken down further into environment, is defined as various external or environmental factors one is exposed to which can be more specifically broken down into social and physical aspects. Nature, itself broken down into heredity, is defined as the genetics and the individual characteristics in one’s personality or even human nature.
Childhood is defined as the period in human development between infancy and adulthood(book). In a historical perspective, this is relatively new social construction. Early childhood most often refers to the months and years between infancy and school age children. Child development is influenced by a lot of factors. These factors influence a child both in positive ways that can enhance their development and in negative ways that can change developmental outcomes. To understand why childhood is such a crucial time in human life it is important to study the development before and after birth along with any factors that may alter life in between.
Child growth and development is a process that consists of some building blocks, which are components that combine in an infinite number of ways (Cherry, n.d.). As a result of the variations of building blocks in a child’s development, educators, psychologists, and philosophers have been constantly engaged in the debate of nature versus nurture debate. Many researchers agree that child development is a complex interaction between his/her genetic background (nature) and his/her environment (nurture). In essence, some developmental aspects are strongly affected by biology whereas other aspects are influenced by environmental factors. From the onset of an individu...
In the study of child development, nature and nurture are two essential concepts that immensely influence future abilities and characteristics of developing children. Nature refers to the genetically obtained characteristics and abilities that influence development while nurture refers to the surrounding environmental conditions that influence development. Without one or the other, a child may not develop some important skills, such as communication and walking. The roles of physiological and psychological needs in a person’s life are also crucial for developing children. Humanistic psychologist, Abraham Maslow, suggested that humans don’t only aim towards survival, but also aim towards self-actualization (Rathus, P. 94).