Child development

Synonyms in a broader sense

• Development milestones
• somatic, motor, sensory, mental and emotional development

English: child development

definition

The development of the child includes, on the one hand, the maturation of the child's body and mind in a certain period of time as well as the expansion of abilities that are already present through genetic predisposition and can be influenced by the child's environment.

Also read: Early Childhood Development

Summary

Although the development of the child is an individual and continuous process, standard values ​​(for example for height and weight) and so-called "development milestones" are named for the respective age groups.
The milestones or rather the boundary stones of an age range in the child's development indicate the time ranges in which most children (> 97%) achieve a certain ability.
For example, most children can walk freely by 13-16 months. In terms of content, one can describe different levels of the child's development (running in parallel). On the one hand, one looks at the physical (somatic) development, including the development of height and weight and the gender development fall. Furthermore, one looks at the development of movement patterns such as running and grasping (gross and fine motor development) and the development of social skills such as laughing or speaking.
Development delays / accelerations, interruptions or even regression can be indications of physical or mental development disorders, which in turn can be of a congenital or acquired nature. The early detection of such developmental disorders is of great importance because it allows targeted intervention.
In this context, preventive examinations in childhood are essential.

For more detailed information, also read the article: Development in the toddler

Height and weight

height and body weight take during the Development of the child according to age. The proportions shift because not all body parts and organs grow at the same rate (one speaks of the so-called allometric growth). For example, the head makes up a quarter of the total length in the newborn, but only an eighth of the total length in the adult.
The determination of the body measurements is part of every pediatric examination, because so the physical development level of the child can be assessed and possible growth or nutritional disorders can be identified at an early stage. The values ​​are from Pediatrician entered in diagrams (somatograms) and connected to curves. It is compared with curves whose values ​​for the "norm", i.e. 97% of children apply (percentile curves). Other physical abnormalities, such as Bow legs on the baby, can be clarified during these examinations.
The speed of growth varies during the child's development, so there are two growth peaks. In the beginning the newborn grows very quickly (at a rate of about 2 cm / year); this high rate of growth decreases in the first year of life. In the puberty there is then another “growth spurt”.

Key data for average height and weight

For birth 50cm 3-3.5kg

6 months 60cm 7kg (about 2x birth weight)

1st year of life 75cm 9-10.5kg (about 3x birth weight)

4. age 100cm (2x birth size) 15-17.5kg (about 5x birth weight)

6. age 120cm 18-21kg (about 6x birth weight)

Disorders in the development of the child

Disorders such as short or tall stature, falling or accelerated growth rates and insufficient weight gain require closer examination. They can occur in families (small / large families), as a result of genetic defects (e.g. in Down's syndrome) or due to disorders in metabolism and hormonal balance; they can also occur through damage to the fetus in the womb through harmful substances such as drugs or alcohol or through insufficient or improper nutrition in the child.

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The head growth or the head circumference is another value that is determined by the pediatrician and compared with normal values. Head growth usually corresponds to the brain's increase in mass. The skull bones grow in the area of ​​not yet ossified areas (skull sutures); Recessed areas between the skull bones (small and large fontanels) do not close until shortly after birth (small fontanels) or at 6-24 months (large fontanels).
Deviations from the norm also suggest growth and development disorders.
The first teeth appear at around 6 months until the deciduous dentition is complete with 20 teeth at around 3 years of age. The change of teeth begins at the age of 6 years and is completed at around 12 years.

Read more on the topic: Short stature

Gender development

In the Fusion of egg and sperm cells human gender is determined genetically. This creates a female or male gender in the embryo.
During the puberty Due to hormonal changes, what are known as secondary sexual characteristics then develop: girls' breasts grow and pubic and armpit hair begins to grow. Of the anatomy becomes in the form of wider hip and narrow waist and shoulders more feminine. She kicks the boys body hair now increasingly on, the voice break sets in and through increased Musculature a more masculine appearance is built with broad shoulders and narrow hips.

Besides, it comes to Changes to the genitals (including growth of Labia or testicles). Puberty begins at around eleven in girls and around 13 in boys. Shortly after the Breast enlargement or des Testicle sets the second Growth spurt a. The first Menstrual period (Menarche) occurs in girls between the ages of 12 and 13; the final Puberty is eventually reached at 15-19 years.
Sexual development disorders can be genetic or hormonal, but diet also plays a role; for example, a eating disorder to delayed puberty to lead.

Development and refinement of movement patterns (gross and fine motor development)

Many of the baby's movements are initially based on reflexes, the so-called primitive reflexes. These should be detected when examining the newborn, but will be lost in the next few months of life during further development. In the case of the “walking reflex”, the newborn baby, for example, strides if you hold it so that its feet are touching a surface. Another example is the grasping reflex. The child closes their fingers as soon as you touch the palm of their hand. This reflex can no longer be triggered after the 4th month, the above-mentioned walking reflex already from the 2nd month of life.
Learning to walk is an essential step in a child's gross motor development. In the first few months of life, the baby first learns to lift its head from lying down so that at around 4-6 months it can turn independently and sit with support. At about 9 months he begins to pull himself up on objects and to stand with support. Before reaching the age of one, the toddler should be able to crawl (see also: When does a baby crawl? - you should know that!). Running is finally learned at the age of about one year, with the child finally walking independently and relatively safely at 1.5 years of age.

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In order to be able to perform more precise movements, the child develops fine motor skills. The hand plays a major role in this. Before the child learns to grip properly, they develop coordination between the eye and the hand. The initial “slap” for objects such as toys develops into more targeted gripping (“pincer grip”) after approx. 3-4 months. These fine motor skills are continuously developed in the course of further development: from the correct use of scissors to writing with a fountain pen, etc.

Read more on the topic: When does my child start to walk?

Language development and development of social contacts (sensorimotor development)

The development of language is closely related to social development. Intact hearing is a prerequisite. While the baby is babbling at the beginning, the child understands and speaks the first words at the age of one, has a vocabulary of approx. 200 words at the age of 2 and masters an essentially grammatically correct language at around 4 years of age.
The first social developments already take place in the first few weeks of life with the first targeted smile. At the age of six months the infant reacts to facial expressions, whereupon in the 8th / 9thMonth of life between strangers and familiar faces / people and reacting accordingly ("strangers"). With language acquisition, the way of communication also develops.

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