Chapter 2

Physical and Motor

Development of
Children and
Adolescents
Objectives
At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to:
1. Identifythe physical and motor development in childhood and
adolescence
2. describe brain development during childhood and adolescence
3. Give the factors affecting development
4. Differentiatebexceptional development in terms of:
• physical and sensory disabilities
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorders
 I. Physical and Motor Development
Early Childhood
• Age ranging from 2 to 6
• Preschool age
• Follows a directional patterns

Directional Patterns
1. The rapid increase in size of the two years tappers off into a slower growth pattern.
2. Larger muscles develop before small muscles.
3. The center of the body develops before the outer regions.
4. Developmental goes from the head to toes.
Physical and Motor Development
Middle Childhood
• Aging from 6 to 12
• Elementary age

Physical Development
• bones broaden dramatically
• Grow on average 2-3 inches every year
• Both are building muscles
• Girls tend to retain more fatty tissue
Motor Development
• Boys slightly faster in Gross Motor Skills
• Girls slightly faster in Fine Motor Skills
Physical and Motor Development
Adolescence
• The early signs of maturation is the adolescent growth spurt. Usually adult
height is attained at age 14 or 15 for girls and 18 for boys.
Significant changes
• Adolescent (pubertal growth spurt)
• refers to a rapid acceleration in height and weight.
• Puberty
• Spermarche – first ejaculationof semen containing ejaculate for the Male
• Menarche – beginning of the menstrual cycle for the female.
II. Brain Development
Early Childhood
• The brain continues to develop after birth. It doubles the weight after 6
months at which time it weighs about half that of the adult brain. There are
100 billion neurons or brain cells present at birth which conduct brain
impulses. The neurons are nourished by the global cells. These glial cells
outnumber neurons 10 to 1 but are smaller than neurons, thus making up
only about half of the brain tissue.
 Brain Development
Middle Childhood
• 95% of brain growth is reached by the time a child reaches the age of 9.
• in this stage, a child is able to identify and act a relationship between objects in
space. This results from the lateralization of spatial perception, occurring at the
right cerebral hemisphere.
• A behavioral test of the lateralization of spatial perception involves relative right-
foot orientation, or the ability to identify what is right and what is left.
Brain Development
Adolescence
• In the teenage years, there are two major brain growth spurts:
1. occurring between ages 13 to 15
• The cerebral cortex becomes thicker and neuronal pathways become more efficient.the
spurts control the spatial perception and motor functions. That is why in mid-teens,
adolescents’ abilities in this areas far exceeds the children’s ability.
2. Beginning around age 17
• brain growth spurt has the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex as focus of development.
• Among older teens dealing with problems requiring cognitive functions is easier than
with younger teens.
Environmental Influences on
Development of the Brain
• Life’s experienced whether better or worse have lasting effects on the capacity of the
central nervous system to learn and store information. This is why an enriched
environment can enhance the growth and structure of the brain.

So during development particularly in brain development, it is important to a child to have

a good experience and less unfortunate experience because it will affect his or her present
and even his or her future.

• The midbrain and medulla are the most fully developed at birth. Thes parts regulate
vital functions like heartbeat and respiration, as well as attention, sleeping, walking,
elimination, and movement of the head and neck. These are actions a newborn
performs moderately well.
III. Factors Affecting Development:
Maternal Nutrition, Child Nutrition,
Early Sensory Stimulation
Human development is affected by both genetic and environmental
Influences.
Maternal Nutrition
• a mother supplies all the nutrients to the inborn fetus through the food
intake so that she should take care of her diet for her sake and that of the
fetus. It is important that she gets a continuous supply of fresh vegetables,
fruits, minerals, and vitamins needed.
Child Nutrition
• Adequate Nutrition contributes to a continuous brain growth, rapid skeletal,
and macular development. It is not the amount of food that children eat but
what they eat that contributes to healthy living such as fruits, veggies, meats,
grains, root crops, milk and etc. that are reach in vitamins and mineral.
Early Sensory Stimulation
• Children under 6 years of age tend to be farsighted, because their eyes have
not matured and are sharper differently from those of adults. After that age,
the eyes not only are more mature but can focus better.
Factors That Affect Growth
1. Genetic History
• according to Lynne Levitsky, the child’s genetic history Influences to a large extent his
growth. As a matter of fact, it is the number one in the list. By just looking at the parents’
height, the taye of growth of the child can more or less be predicted.
2. Nutrition
• “Without a good diet, kids won’t grow normally,” says Jo Anne Hattner
• Sometimes parents miss an assuming and wholesome calories for the child,
thus, derailing his chances for a healthy diet. A child, no matter how fat,
should never be iput on diet. He must have his diet, nutritious food but less in
juice or soda which can interfere with the appetite for food rich in needed
nutrients.
Medical Conditions
• children born or develop serious medical conditions can have stunted growth
if not treated. Some of these are: gastrointestinal disorders such as celiac
disease; food allergies; thyroid problems;hormone deficiency;heart kidney, or
liver ailments; and certain chromosomal abnormalities.
Exercise
• Regular physical activity promotes growth by strengthening bones and
muscles. However, caution should be observed in doing high-impact sports
like running and gymnastics because they too, can impede growth if done
excessively. Moreover, they can cause trauma to developing bones.
Sleep
• About 70 to 80 percent of growth hormone is secreted during sleep
according to Paul Saenger.
Emotional Well-Being
• children must be nurtured with love, patience, and understanding. They
need a supportive family environment. When children experience anxieties
brought by emotional neglect and too much tension growth is also stunted.
The condition called “psychosocial growth failure” by doctors – is extremely
rare, but its consequences are real as malnutrition.
Exceptional Development: Physical
Disabilities, Sensory Impairments,
Learning Disabilities, and Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders
Impairment
• Any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical
structure of function.
Disability
• any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within
the range considered normal for human being.

Handicap
• A disadvantage for a given individual that limits or prevents the fulfillment of
a role that is normal.
A. Physical Disabilities
• the physically handicapped have impairments that are temporary or permanent such as:
paralysis, stiffness or lack of motor coordination of bones, muscles or joints so that they
need special equipment or help in moving about.
• Incapacity to function normally, caused by a bodily deficiency or injury.
• Any type of physical condition that significantly impacts one’s major life.
Causes of Handicaps
1. Prenatal factors
• These are factors that affect normal development before and after
conception virtuality lasting up to the first trimester or the third trimester of
life.
a. Genetic or chromosomal aberrations
• this results from blood incompatibility of the husband and wife.
b. Prematurity
• birth of the fetus is usually earlier than the ninth month of pregnancy
c. Infection
• this is caused by bacteria or virus on the fetus in the womb of the mother, the germs usually
come from highly communicable diseases like rubella and venereal diseases.
d. Malnutrition
• insufficient intake of food nutrients necessary to sustain growth and development of the
fetus and the mother.
Causes of Handicaps
e. Irradiation
• Pertains to the exposure of the pregnant mother to radioactive elements like
x-ray. Exposure of the mother also affects the fetus.
f. Metabolic disturbances
• inability of the mother or the fetus to make use of food intake.
g.Drug abuse
• Entry of large quantities of medicines into the body thus affecting the fetus.
Thalidomide used by mothers has affected thousands of babies who were
born without limbs and other extremities.
Causes of Handicaps
2. Perinatal factors
• These are factors that cause crippling conditions during the period of birth.
a. Birth injuries
• these are injuries suffered by the newborn baby. Injury to the spine will cause paralysis
(kernikterus).
b. Difficult labor
• hard and prolonged labor before the actual birth which interrupt the oxygen intake of mother
of fetus.
c. Hemorrhage
• profuse bleeding of the mother during birth which might be caused by damage of the uterus.
 Causes of Handicaps
3. Postnatal factors
• These are factors causing crippling conditions after birth. .
a. Injections
• these are caused by illness like diphtheria, typhoid, meningitis, encephalomyelitis, and rickets in infants.
b. Tumor and abscess in the brain
• they destroy the brain cells connected with movement thus impairing mobility.
c. Fractures and dislocations
• These are destructions of mobility organs either through falls and other accidents causing bone fractures
or dislocation
d. Tuberculosis of the bones
• TB germs are likely to attack the bones of the very young causing crippling condinjuinjurie.e
e. Cerebrovascular injuries
These are injuries in the head region enough to cause brain damage.
f. Post-seizure or post-surgical complications
• These are convusions after the delivery of the baby which cause crippling conditions.
g. Arthritis, rheumatism
• These are diseases affecting the spinal column and the muscles of locomotion at the back.