INFANT DEVELOPEMT
The development of infants comprises of series of psychological events that determine the behavior in the later stages. Children are often considered to develop numerous senses in the early stages or at the infantry stages. Such thoughts are normally useful in the latter stages of human life and the adoption of certain behaviors that identify individuals. It is paramount to highlight that the understanding of infantry is fundamental in understanding the child behavior and their subsequent interactions in the future (Salomonsson & Sleed, 2010). The caregivers are one group in the society that must understand the development of the child to provide unparalleled care for the child.
The children develop the hearing, social, emotional, and physical attributes. Therefore, understanding the infantry stage will offer limelight into the behavioral orientation of the child. During infantry, the child develops the body and the emotions through which they engage the real world. These attributes develop into social mastery and emotional capabilities that are important for the early experiences. The experience shape the personalities. The brain of the child often develops rapidly in the womb and the third trimester. The combinations of neural connections are vital for the coordination of nerve cells develops after the childbirth (Salomonsson & Sleed, 2010). They contribute towards the child’s abilities to talk, walk, as well as remembering events. However, the development of infants must be accompanied by the enriched environments for healthy delivery and the baby's matured in the womb. Research has revealed that massage and touch are the main actions that help provide an enriched environment.
Infant reflexes
The newborns exhibit numerous reflexes during their stages of development that enable the behavior acquisition. The reflexes include; Moron reflex which enables the baby to react to sudden changes in the environment such as loud noise. The baby normally reacts by stretching out their legs and arms as a reaction to the environmental changes. Babinski reflex is also exhibited by the infants during the early stages. The reflex enables them to show the outward projection of their toe if the sole of the shoe experiences touch (Rovee-Collier et al., 2010). Sucking reflex; the baby shows some reaction to the objects that come into contact with the lips. It is characteristically common of babies to react in a sucking manner to objects that come close and in contact with their lips. Mostly, the babies are in the application of the sucking reflex, especially when they are hungry. It is very common for babies to react to stimulus in a manner that suggests they are eating or sucking the breast. Rooting reflex; the baby has been found to respond to certain stimuli by turning their head towards the stimulus.
The reaction of babies towards the stimulus is shown when they are responding to the breast stimulus. Grasping reflex; infants are always drawn towards objects and often attempts to grasp the objects that come into contact with their palms. Infants typically have the affinity for grasping the objects vigorously and thus are mostly kept away from sharp objects. The babies are also prone to curling under their toes in a bid to react to touch on the toe. In many babies, the touch on the toe of a child, especially, the ball will always yield a curling reaction from the baby (Rovee- Collier et al., 2010). It is important to understand such reactions as it will help shape up the behavior towards children. Plantar reflexes are responsible for the behavior. The reflexes can be used to assess the rate at which the infant undergoes development.
Newborn babies are characterized by a series of developments that evolve in a certain sequence. Ordinarily, children tend to roll over when they hit about two and half months after birth. They also start siting without being supported when they six months. At twelve months, the infant begins to walk alone and starts to turn gradually from an infant to a child. Normally, the development process in the child begins from the head downwards including the trunk up to the feet. It is always referred to as the cephalocaudal direction (Clearfield et al., 2012).
Perception and sensory development
The infants are responsive to a wide range of stimuli. At birth, the human senses normally function to certain limits. The sense of touch is normally the most developed, whereas vision sense remains the least developed at infantry. Through the use of visual cliff, some infants have been found to have a perception that is a bit deep and can without hesitation recognize the images and photos of their mothers (Clearfield et al., 2012). Their perceptions and senses are developed at the age and thus, interact emotionally with the environmental stimuli.
Cognitive development
Infants develop certain capabilities during development. They often acquire and exhibit the abilities and capabilities to manipulate symbols, think, and represent events mentally. Infants have shown a pattern of assimilation and accommodation in which they acquire information and handle the new information.
Language development
At the infantry, the child begins to acquire new communication skills that are for use in communication during early stages and at adulthood (Salomonsson & Sleed, 2010). They begin to adopt immature communication, then they later mature their communication for the betterment of all.
Social development
The child normally forms an attachment with parents and the primary caregivers. The emotional attachments are very vital to the overall development of the child. Through imprinting, infants acquire the parental behavior as well as that of the caregiver. During the development, they develop personalities as well.
Conclusion
The development of an infant involves a multiplicity of events and sequential developments that define the behavior and the overall growth of the infant. Infants develop the senses at a very early stage, including touch, visual as well as reaction to stimulus. During infantry, children develop visual senses that they later use to see and glance at objects. The visual sense is often critical to the well being of children. They also develop speech recognition abilities as well as cognitive capabilities.
References
Salomonsson, B., & Sleed, M. (2010). The Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional: A validation study of a mother-report questionnaire on a clinical mother-infant sample. Infant Mental Health Journal Infant Ment. Health J., 31(4), 412-431.
Rovee-Collier, C., & Barr, R. (2010). Infant Learning and Memory. Bremner/The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Infant Development The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Infant Development, 271-294.
Clearfield, M. W., & Niman, L. C. (2012). SES affects infant cognitive flexibility. Infant Behavior and Development, 35(1), 29-35.
