STAGES OF

DEVELOPMENT
ACTIVITY

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PSYCHOLOGY
• Psychology means knowledge of the soul or mind.

• Child psychology (child development ) refers to the study of the

psychological processes of children and how these processes differ
from those of adults, how they develop from birth to adolescents and
from one child to another.

• Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior(APA).

What is human development?
• The pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and
continuous through the life span is called development.
Laws of development
• In children specific changes occur at specific ages of life known as
developmental milestones.
• These changes can help you to track whether the child is developing
at the correct pace.
• Failure to reach these milestones may indicate developmental
disorders or genetic conditions.
• Stages of developments…..
Newborn( birth-3 months)
• First 2 months
• React automatically to external stimuli
• Can move their head from side to side
• See close up objects
• Turn towards sound
• Crying for indicating need
• 3 months- begin to smile
 Infant (3 months-1 yr.)
• a lot of new abilities develop quickly by the time a child turns 1 yr old.
• 3-6 recognize familiar faces
• Begin to babble
• Control their head movements and bring their hands together.
• 6-9 start sitting without support
• Respond to people calling their names
• Start communicating with gestures
• 9-12 can point at things
• Pickup objects
• Crawl, stand with support
• Imitate sound and gestures
Toddler 1-3 years old
• Can stand alone
• Learn to walk without help
• Begin to run and climb stairs with short steps
• They can wave bye-bye
• Hold a pencil or crayon
• Draw a circle
• Follow simple instructions
• Learn to say several words
Preschool 3-5 years
• Motor skills developed
• Can throw and catch balls
• Learn to dress themselves
• Draw proper structure such as flowers
• Can speak big sentences (2-3 sentences)
• By the age of 4 they get toilet training
School age 6-17 years old
• Become independent and have their own opinion
• Academic skills improved
• Develop emotions like love and jealous
• Can express though words and gestures
• Make friendship
• Sexual development may happen

If these developments are not attained in a particular stage we need to

consult a doctor
Prenatal development
• New life begins with the union of a male sex cell and a female cell .
• Gonads (reproductive organs)
• Spermatozoa or sperm (male sex cell )
• The ova (female sex cell)
Conception/fertilization
• Process by which sperm and ovum fuse to form single new
cell(zygote)
• If its not fertilized the ovum travels from the ovary and eliminate
through menstruation.
Intra uterine growth
Intra uterine growth
• The sperm and egg unite in the fallopian tube---moves to the uterus----
cell multiplies----implants in the uterine wall.
• 3 trimesters are there in pregnancy
• 1st trimester – 1-3 months
• 2nd trimester– 3-6 months
• 3rd trimester – 6-9 months.
First trimester
8 weeks
• Major organs start to develop
• Heart beat forms
• Sex organs begin to develop
• Sex of the child visible
• Facial features are present
 End of 12 weeks

• Has well formed body

• Baby can kick, turn its head, curl the toes, open and close mouth,
swallow amniotic fluid
• Mother cant feel the movement.
3rd month

• Hormonal changes takes place

• Breast start to develop
• Nausea, tiredness
• Less energy
• Feel more emotional
• Food cravings
Second trimester
• Muscular and movements are stronger
• Sleep wake cycle similar to newborn
• They can hear voices
• 4-5 month mother can feel the baby movement
3rd trimester
• Baby gains weight
• Child receives antibodies from mother
• Baby occupies more space in the uterus
• Child sucks its thumb and breath
• Receives oxygen
• Child can hear voice and make eye movements
• The child drops down in to position for the birth process.
• At Last the baby is ready to birth
Language development
• Language skills are essential to a child’s ability to communicate and
develop.
• It enable children to engage with other people and learn from their
surroundings and in the classroom.
• Language is made up off 4 main areas:
• Phonology
• Semantics
• Grammar
• pragmatics
• Phonology – the way sounds are structured and sequenced in speech

• Semantics– how vocabulary is used to express concepts

• Grammar– syntax( words are arranged in a sentences ), morphology (

use of grammar)

• Pragmatics– how to communicate effectively or how to participate in a

conversation.
Early stages
• The baby's brain is ready to pay attention to the sounds used in speech
so they can attempt to mimic and repeat them
Preschool age
• Familiar enough with language rules
• Quantify and express their thoughts
• Enjoy telling stories
• May begin to form some letters and try to write their name
Elementary school age
• Child continues to expand their use of spoken language
• Learn how to read and write
• Continue improving their vocabulary and Grammer
Theories of language development
1. Behaviouristic perspective
• Behaviours are learned through interaction with the environment
• Innate factors are less
[Link] perspective
• Humans are preprogrammed with the innate ability to develop
language
• Noam Chomsky
• LAD (language acquisition device) it’s the organ wired with our brain
from birth
[Link] approach

• They learn language for a desire to communicate with others

• Social interaction
Sensory and motor development
• 1 month
• 3 month
• 4-6 months
• 6-9 months
• 9-12
• 9-15
Sensory development
• vision
• Hearing
• Touch
• Smell and taste
Language development
• Its essential for the child
• Phonology: how to put sounds together to form words
• Semantics: how to interpret meaning of words and sentences
• Grammer
• Pragmatics: how to participate in conversations
Stage 1: Crying ( first 2 months )

• Babies cry a lot during this period.

• Crying act as a signal for new born babies.
• Thus through this signal they communicate with
others and fulfil their desires.
• In the beginning crying is very intensive but with
the time it decreases.
Stage 2: Cooing ( Between 3 and 5 months )

• In this period babies begin cooing. coo means to speak in a soft and
gentle voice. E.g.: ahh
• Different mouth muscles engaged while cooing. sometimes this is
referred as the first stage of language development. Therefore it is
also called para linguistic stage.

Stage 3: Babbling ( Between 6 and 8 months )

• In this period babies begin to make sounds like ma/ma,da/da etc.

• This is the phase when the child in the real sense starts
communicate.
Stage 4: One word stage ( Between 9 months and 1.5 years )

• During this period child starts speaking one word sentence( like cat,
no, etc. ).
• Child expresses his views in a single word. Therefore this is also
known as holophrastic phase.
- Baby is able to identify their body parts like nose, ear or toe.
- He frequently uses head movements and gestures.
Stage 6: Pre-school period ( 3 years to 5 years )
• This is also known as early childhood stage.
• There is rapid increase of vocabulary in this stage.
Child learns many new words each day.
• In this stage -child stars speaking complex sentences.
-child begins to use verbs correctly in the sentence.
-Speech is clear.
-No difficulty in communication with family members.
-Try to familiar with unknown words
Speech development
• Speech is the verbal expression of language
• It is giving and getting information
• Its understanding and being understood through communication
Speech language delay
• Doesn’t respond to sound
• 12 months- not using gestures, bye bye
• 18 months- prefer gestures, trouble imitating sounds, trouble
understanding simple verbal requests
• 2 yr.- only imitate sound or actions
• don’t produce words or phrases
• cant follow simple directions
• unusual tone of voice
Delays due to
• Oral impairment
• Fold beneath the tongue
• Brain disfunction with hearing neurons
• Hearing problems
• Ear infections

• Speech therapy if needed

How to encourage speech
• Focus on communication
• Read to the child
• Use everyday situations
• Birth to 2 weeks
• Shortest period
• Fetus must adjust to life outside the uterine walls
• 1. period of the partunate ( birth -30 minutes)
• Last till umbilical cord cuts
• Till this they are parasite
• 2. period of neonate ( cutting-2weeks)
• Individual
• Make adjustment
• It is not possible to predict what the individuals future development
will be on the basis of the development apparent at birth.
• However the newborns development provides a clue as to what to
expect later on
• Physical because of the difficulties of making the adjustments to the
totally new and different environment.
• High infant mortality rate
• Psychologically it is the time when the attitudes of significant people
towards the infant are crystalized.
Foundation age
Individual differences in early mental
development
• Physical difference
• Mental difference
• Difference in motor ability
• In achievement
• Emotional difference
• Interest and attitude
• Self concept
• Learning
• Social and moral development
Sensitive periods
• Sensitivity to order
• Refinement of senses
• Sensitivity of language
• Sensitivity for walking
• For small objects
• To social aspects of life