Infancy/Toddlerhood

Physical Development
Three key sequences of physical development are cephalocaudal, proximodistal
development and differentiation.
Infant Growth
Infants double their birth weight in 5 months and triple it by their first birthday. Height
increases by about half in the 1st year. Infants grow another 4-6 inches and gain another 4-7
pounds in their 2nd year. The head gradually diminishes in proportion to the rest of the body.
Brain Development
The brain triples in weight by the 1st birthday, reaching nearly 70% of its adult weight.
Motor Development
It refers to the development in the activity of muscles and is connected with changes in
posture, movement, and coordination. Children gain in the ability to move their bodies through
a sequence of activities that include rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and the like.
Sensation and Perception
Neonates are nearsighted and have poor peripheral vision. Acuity and peripheral vision
approximated adult levels by the age of 26 months.
Perceptual Constancy
A perceptual constancy is a tendency to perceive an object to be the same, even though
it produces different sensations under different conditions. Size constancy appears to be
present by 2 ½ to 3 months of age; shape constancy develops by age 4-5 months.
Hearing
Neonates reflexively orient their heads toward a sound. By 18 months of age, infants
locate sounds about as well as adults. Infants discriminate caregivers’ voices by 3 ½ months of
age. Early infants can perceive most of the speech sounds throughout the languages of the
world, but by 10-12 months of age, this ability lessens.
Sequence of Reaching and Grasping
Prereaching.
Ulnar grasp, in which they hold objects clumsily between their fingers and their palm
Pincer grasp- infants use their thumb to pick up tiny objects.
Cognitive Development
Piaget’s sensorimotor stage refers to the 1st two years of cognitive development, during
which changes are shown by means of sensory and motor activitiy.
Language Development
Prelinguistic Vocalizations. They do not represent objects or events such as cooing and
babbling. Babbling is the 1st vocalizing that sounds like human speech.
Development of Vocabulary
In general, children’s receptive vocabulary development outpaces their expressive
vocabulary development (Lickliter, 2001; Ouetllette, 2006 as cited in Rathus, 2008). The former
refers to the sum total of the words whose meaning one understands while the latter refers to
the sum total of the words that one can use in the production of language.
The Child’s First Words
Some children prefer a referential approach in their language development, whereas
others take a more expressive approach (Hoff, 2006; Nelson 1981 as cited in Rathus, 2008).
Children who show the referential language style use language primarily to label objects in their
environments. Children who use an expressive language style use language primarily as a
means for engaging in social interactions.
Overextension
Young children try to talk about more objects than they have words for. To accomplish
their linguistic feats, children often extend the meaning of one word to refer to things and
actions for which they do not have words (McDonough, 2002). This process is called
overextension.
Telegraphic Speech
The infant’s first sentences are typically one-word utterances but these utterances
appear to express complete ideas and therefore can be thought of as sentences. Roger Brown
(1973) called brief expressions that have the meanings of sentences of telegraphic speech.
Social and Emotional Development
Attachment. This refers to an affectional bond between individuals characterized by a seeking
of closeness or contact and a show of distress upon separation. Babies and children try to
maintain contact with caregivers to whom they are attached. When they can’t maintain
contact, infants show behaviors suggestive of separation anxiety. This refers to fear of being
separated from a target of attachment,usually a primary caregiver.
Patterns of Attachment
1. Secure Attachment
A type of attachment characterized by mild distress at leave-takings, seeking nearness
to an attachment figure, and being readily soothed by the figure.
2. Insecure Attachment
a. Avoidant Attachment. A type of insecure attachment characterized by apparent
indifference to the leave-takings of and reunions with an attachment figure.
b. Ambivalent/Resistant Attachment. A type of insecure attachment characterized by severe
distress at the leave-takings of and ambivalent behavior at reunions with an attachment figure.
c. Disorganized-disoriented Attachment. A type of insecure attachment characterized by
dazed and contradictory behaviors toward an attachment figure.
Stages of Attachment
1. The initial-preattachment phase. It lasts from birth to about 3 months and is characterized
by indiscriminate attachment.
2. The attachment-in-the-making phase. It occurs at about 3 or 4 months and is characterized
by preference for familiar figures.
3. The clear-cut attachment phase. It occurs at about 6 or 7 months and is characterized by
intensified dependence on the primary caregiver, usually the mother.
Temperament. It refers to individual differences in styles of reaction that are present early in
life.
Temperament Easy Difficult Slow to Warm Up
Category
Regularity of Regular Irregular Somewhat Irregular
biological functioning
Response to new Positive Negative Negative withdrawal
stimuli approach withdrawal Adapts slowly
Adaptability to new Adapts easily Adapts slowly or Mild
situations Mild or not at all Initially negative, gradually
Intensity of reaction moderate Intense more positive
Quality of mood Positive Negative

Reference:

Rathus, Spencer A (2008). Childhood and Adolescence Voyages in Development. US: