1. The Study of Child Development OT 500 Spring 2016 Shelley Mulligan PhD., OTR/L

2. Course Overview You will gain insight into your life up to this point…why you are who you are !!! WHY we study child development…. o To help us understand and describe what people are like at different ages, how they change as a result of age, and why developmental change happens; gain insight into human nature o To predict what an individual will be like at a later point in development; origins of adult behavior

3. WHY we study child development…. To gain insight into the origins of sex differences, gender roles and cultural influences on development To use knowledge to enhance the quality of children’s lives and optimize conditions for development To prevent and treat developmental problems

5. What is Development? Orderly appearance over time of bodily functions and structures, psychological traits, behaviors and ways of adapting to the demands of everyday life Humans develop in many areas including motor skills, cognitive skills including communication and language, social and emotional skills, and adaptive behavior ** Growth refers only quantitative changes in size, or amount; development refers to growth as well as qualitative changes

6. Course Objectives Understand theories of development and major perspectives of key theorists (learning, psychoanalytic, cognitive, biological, ecological, sociocultural). Discuss major themes/debates in human development: nature-nurture; active-passive participation; continuity-discontinuity. Apply principles, concepts, and knowledge related to normal human development from conception to emerging adulthood and how they might differ across socio-cultural contexts.

7. Course Objectives Articulate the critical role of occupational engagement as a catalyst for human development across domains, and how occupational engagement evolves throughout childhood. Describe the typical patterns of growth and development of children from birth to adulthood, including skill development in the following areas: physical/motor, cognitive, communication, social and emotional.

9. What do Child Development Experts do for Work in the Real World? o Teachers o Child care Providers o Health-care practitioners o Program developers o Provide advice for Policy –makers o Provide advice for Business and industry

10. Universally Accepted Characteristics and Principles of Development o Equips us for adapting to the environment o Proceeds from the relatively simple and global to the more complex and specific; its cumulative o is relatively enduring and occurs throughout the life span

11. Characteristics of Development Universally Accepted Development results from constant interplay of biology and the environment (nature AND nurture) AND one’s experiences, and perceptions of those experiences Development occurs in multi-layered contexts and is a dynamic, reciprocal process

13. Periods of Child Development Conception and Prenatal Infancy (first 2 years of life) Early Childhood (2-5 years) Middle Childhood (6-12 years) Adolescence (13-18 years) Emerging Adulthood (18-23 years)

14. Major Developmental Areas Physiological, Biological: height, weight, physical changes, nutrition, sleep Motor Skills: mobility, fine and gross motor, oral-motor Cognition: learning, conceptual knowledge, problem solving, thinking skills, intelligence, reading, math Communication: non-verbal, expressive and receptive language Social, Emotional, Psychological: managing emotions, personality, relating to others Adaptive Behavior: managing stress, coping skills, developing interests, self-care, community participation, and life skills Occupational Performance: self-care/self–help skills; play /leisure; instrumental ADLs-homemaking, community living skills; school-related skills; work-paid and volunteer; social/community participation)

16. Development and Occupational Performance What are Occupations? – those meaningful activities people do; how we occupy our time Development supports occupational performance Occupational engagement (doing our daily activities) supports development Eg. Getting dressed Practicing piano Hanging out with friends Sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture

17. 3 Main Controversies in Understanding HOW we development The Nature – Nurture Controversy The Continuity – Discontinuity Controversy The Active – Passive Controversy

18. The Nature – Nurture Controversy To what extent is human behavior the result of Nature (heredity)????? o Cognitive-development theories o Biological theorists To what extent is human behavior the result of Nurture (environmental influences, and one’s upbringing)????? o Learning theories Contemporary views - both nature and nurture relatively equal, BUT somewhat trait dependent

19. The Continuity – Discontinuity Controversy Do developmental changes occur o Continuously (gradually)????? OR Discontinuously (qualitative leaps)????? Maturational theories have an orientation toward continuity Stage theories (Freud, Piaget)have an orientation toward discontinuity

20. The Active – Passive Controversy Does development happen naturally? OR Do we need to teach and motivate? For learning to occur, do educators need to motivate passive learners, or encourage active learners to explore or both?? Perspectives of children as both active and passive o Bronfenbrenner’s bidirectional influence; Bandura’s mutual influencing between children and the environment How automatic is development? Do we need to teach kids to use the potty? To talk? To swim?...or will they figure it out????? Perhaps this controversy is also TRAIT dependent.