The development of the child

Synonyms in a broader sense

Milestones in development
Somatic, motor, sensory, mental and spiritual development

The development of the child includes on the one hand the maturation of body and mind of the child in a certain period of time and on the other hand the expansion of abilities which are already present through genetic dispositions and which can be influenced by the environment of the child. Although the development of the child is an individual and continuous process, standard values (for example for height and weight) and so-called “milestones of development” are named for the respective age groups. The milestones or rather boundary stones of an age range in the child’s development mark time periods in which most children (>97%) reach a certain ability.

For example, most children can walk freely at 13-16 months. In terms of content, one can describe different (chronologically parallel) levels of the child’s development. On the one hand, we look at the physical (somatic) development, which includes the development of height and weight and the development of gender.

Furthermore, one considers the development of movement patterns such as walking and grasping (gross and fine motor development) and the development of social skills such as laughing or speaking. Developmental delays-accelerations, interruptions or even regressions can be indications of physical or mental developmental disorders, which in turn can be of an innate or acquired nature. The early detection of such developmental disorders is of great importance, as this allows for targeted intervention.

In this context, preventive examinations in childhood are indispensable. Height and body weight increase during the development of the child according to age. The proportions shift, as not all body parts and organs grow at the same rate (this is called allometric growth).

For example, the head of a newborn baby is a quarter of its total length, whereas in adults it is only an eighth. The determination of body measurements is a component of every pediatric examination, as this allows the child’s physical developmental stage to be assessed and possible growth or nutritional disorders to be recognized early. The paediatrician enters the values in diagrams (somatograms) and combines them into curves.

These are compared with curves whose values apply to the “norm”, i.e. 97% of the children (percentile curves). Other physical abnormalities, such as bow legs in babies, can also be clarified during these examinations. The speed of growth varies during the development of the child, so that there are two growth peaks.

Initially, the newborn baby grows very quickly (at a rate of approx. 2cm/year); this high growth rate decreases in the first year of life. In puberty, there is then another “growth spurt“.

5x birth weight) 6. Disorders such as short or tall growth, declining or accelerated growth rate and lack of weight gain require closer examination. They can be familial (familial small/large growth), the result of genetic defects (e.g. Down syndrome) or due to metabolic and hormonal imbalances; they can also occur due to damage to the fetus in the womb by harmful substances such as drugs or alcohol or due to the child’s lack of or incorrect nutrition.

Head growth or head circumference is another value that is determined by the paediatrician and compared with standard values. Head growth normally corresponds to the mass increase of the brain. The bones of the skull grow in areas that are not yet ossified (cranial sutures); recessed areas between the bones of the skull (small and large fontanel) close up only shortly after birth (small fontanel) or at 6-24 months (large fontanel).

Deviations from the norm also indicate growth and developmental disorders. The first teeth appear at about 6 months until the milk teeth are complete at about 3 years of age with 20 teeth. The tooth change begins at the age of 6 years and is completed at about 12 years.

When the egg and sperm cells fuse, the human sex is genetically determined. As a result, a female or male sex develops in the embryo.During puberty, hormonal changes lead to the development of so-called secondary sexual characteristics: In girls, the breasts grow and pubic and axillary hair begins to grow. The physique becomes more feminine in the form of broader hips and narrower waist and shoulders.

In boys, body hair is now more abundant, the voice change begins and through increased musculature a more masculine appearance with broad shoulders and narrow hips is built up. In addition, there are changes in the genitals (including growth of labia or testicles). Puberty begins in girls at around eleven years of age and in boys at around 13 years of age.

Shortly after the enlargement of the breast or testicles, the second growth spurt sets in. The first menstrual period (menarche) occurs in girls between the ages of 12 and 13; final sexual maturity is finally reached at 15-19 years of age. Disorders of sexual development can be genetically or hormonally determined, but nutrition also plays a role; for example, an eating disorder can lead to delayed puberty.

Many movements of the baby are initially based on reflexes, the so-called primitive reflexes. These should be detected during the examination of the newborn, but are lost in the next months of life during further development. In the “crying reflex”, for example, there is a striding movement of the newborn baby if you hold it so that its feet touch a surface.

Another example is the grasping reflex. Here, the child closes its fingers as soon as you touch its palm. This reflex cannot be triggered after the 4th month, the above-mentioned crying reflex already from the 2nd month of life.

Learning to walk is an essential step in the child’s gross motor development. In its first months of life, the infant first learns to lift its head out of a lying position, so that at about 4-6 months it can turn independently and sit with support. At about 9 months he begins to pull himself up by objects and to stand with support.

Before the age of one year the infant should already be able to crawl. Walking is finally learned at the age of about one year, and at 1.5 years the child finally walks independently and relatively safely. 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, it develops coordination between the eye and hand. The initial “pawing” for objects such as toys develops into more precise gripping (“pincer grip”) after about 3-4 months.

These fine motor skills are constantly being developed in the course of further development: From the correct use of scissors to writing with a fountain pen, etc. The development of language is closely linked to social development. A prerequisite is an intact hearing ability.

While the infant initially babbles, understands and speaks its first words at the age of one, at 2 years of age it has a vocabulary of approx. 200 words and at about 4 years of age it has mastered an essentially grammatically correct language. The first social developments already take place in the first weeks of life with the first targeted smile.

At the age of half a year the infant reacts to facial expressions, whereupon in the 8.9. month of life a distinction is made between strangers and familiar faces and the infant reacts accordingly (“strangers”). With the acquisition of language, the way of communication also develops further. KITA or childminder – Which form of care is suitable for my child?