T
AF
DR
Human Lifespan
Development 1
,UNIT 1
Getting to know your unit
Understanding human lifespan development, the different influences on
an individual’s development and how this relates to their care needs is
Assessm ent
important when you are establishing your career in the health or social
You will be assesse d using care professions. Health and social care professionals meet and work
an extern ally set written with a wide range of individuals who have diverse needs.
task worth 90 marks. In this unit, you will be introduced to the biological, psychological and
sociological theories associated with human lifespan development. You
will explore the different aspects of physical, intellectual emotional and
social development across an individual’s lifespan. You will examine
factors affecting an individual’s growth and development such as the
environment or genetic inheritance, and consider the positive and
negative influences these have on development, including the impact on
an individual’s concept of self. You will explore the physical effects of
ageing and the theories that help to explain psychological changes.
T
How you will be assessed
AF
You will be assessed by a paper-based examination, lasting for 1 hour 30 minutes that
is worth 90 marks. The examination will consist of short- and long-answer questions.
The questions are intended to assess your understanding of growth and development
throughout an individual’s lifespan and how this may be affected by personal and
environmental factors, health and the effects of ageing. You will be expected to
make reasoned connections between theories and models of human growth and
development to demonstrate your understanding. You will give your answers in
DR
response to the information you are given in case studies about members of one
family.
2 Human Lifespan Development
, UNIT
Getting started
W hat do you already know about lifespan development? Using the life
stages infancy, early childhood and adolescence, write a short description
about your development so far. For early and late adulthood, predict how you
think your development will progress. Reflect at the end of this unit to see
whether you would change your description or predictions.
Human growth and development through the
A life stages
A1 Physical development across the life stages
Physical growth and development continues throughout a person’s life but you
will have noticed that development is not always smooth. During puberty you may
have suddenly grown a few centimetres in a short period of time and then stayed
T
the same height for a while. You may have noticed a small child who suddenly goes
from crawling to climbing the stairs. In this section you will look at the key features of
physical growth and development across the life stages.
AF
▸▸ Table 1.1: Key features of growth and physical development at each life stage
Life stage Age Key features
Birth and infancy 0–2 years Infants grow rapidly reaching approximately half
their adult height by the time they are two years
old. At around one year old infants can walk and by
DR
two years of age they can run.
Early childhood 3–8 years Children continue to grow at a steady pace. They
continue to develop strength and coordination.
Adolescence 9–18 years Adolescents experience growth spurts. They
develop sexual characteristics during puberty.
Early adulthood 19–45 years Young adults reach the peak of their physical
fitness.
Middle adulthood 46–65 years The ageing process begins with some loss of strength
and stamina. Women go through menopause.
Later adulthood 65 years onwards The ageing process continues with gradual loss
of mobility. Older adults will experience a loss of
height of up to a few centimetres.
Growth and development are different concepts
Key terms
Growth is an increase in a measurable quantity such as height or weight or other
dimensions. Development is about the complex changes in skills and capabilities that Growth – an increase in
an individual experiences as they grow. some measured quantity,
such as height or weight.
During their lifespan, an individual will pass through the different stages shown in
Development – complex
Table 1.1. Life stages are marked by physical, physiological and psychological changes.
changes including an
increase in skills, abilities and
capabilities.
3
, Skills and abilities such as gross and fine motor skills and thinking and language skills
develop alongside the social roles and expectations associated with different stages of
the lifespan. These are referred to as milestones.
Principles of growth
Growth describes an increase in quantity. For example, children grow taller as they get
older. As height increases, so does weight – this is referred to as a process of growth.
Although growth is continuous, the rate is not smooth. There can be periods of more
rapid growth in infancy and again during puberty which means there can be quite a
difference between the rates of growth of two people who are the same age. There
are also differences in the growth rates of boys and girls. Growth rates also vary in
different parts of the body, for example the head circumference grows more rapidly
than other areas in the first months of life. When referring to growth it is important to
consider two dimensions:
▸▸ weight
▸▸ length/height.
At birth and then between six to eight weeks, a baby’s head circumference will be
measured to check the size and growth of the brain.
T
Infants grow rapidly during the first six months of their lives. Healthy newborns double
their birth weight by four to five months, and triple it by the time they reach a year old.
By the age of two, a healthy infant will be approximately half their adult height. Not
AF
only can growth measurements help a health visitor to monitor a child’s health and
development, they can also identify other issues for example if an infant is under- or
overweight or growing too slowly. Infants will grow on average about 12 cm (4 inches)
and gain about 2.5 kg (5 lbs) between one and two years of age. Between their second
and third birthday, an infant will gain another 2 kg (4 lbs) and grow about 8 cm (3
inches) more. A health visitor will carry out the measurements and plot the results on a
growth chart to ensure that an infant is meeting their milestones.
DR
22 22
20 20
18 18
16 16
14 14
Weight (kg)
12 12
10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4
2 2
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110
Length (cm)
▸▸ Figure 1.1 An example of a height–weight chart for girls
4 Human Lifespan Development
AF
DR
Human Lifespan
Development 1
,UNIT 1
Getting to know your unit
Understanding human lifespan development, the different influences on
an individual’s development and how this relates to their care needs is
Assessm ent
important when you are establishing your career in the health or social
You will be assesse d using care professions. Health and social care professionals meet and work
an extern ally set written with a wide range of individuals who have diverse needs.
task worth 90 marks. In this unit, you will be introduced to the biological, psychological and
sociological theories associated with human lifespan development. You
will explore the different aspects of physical, intellectual emotional and
social development across an individual’s lifespan. You will examine
factors affecting an individual’s growth and development such as the
environment or genetic inheritance, and consider the positive and
negative influences these have on development, including the impact on
an individual’s concept of self. You will explore the physical effects of
ageing and the theories that help to explain psychological changes.
T
How you will be assessed
AF
You will be assessed by a paper-based examination, lasting for 1 hour 30 minutes that
is worth 90 marks. The examination will consist of short- and long-answer questions.
The questions are intended to assess your understanding of growth and development
throughout an individual’s lifespan and how this may be affected by personal and
environmental factors, health and the effects of ageing. You will be expected to
make reasoned connections between theories and models of human growth and
development to demonstrate your understanding. You will give your answers in
DR
response to the information you are given in case studies about members of one
family.
2 Human Lifespan Development
, UNIT
Getting started
W hat do you already know about lifespan development? Using the life
stages infancy, early childhood and adolescence, write a short description
about your development so far. For early and late adulthood, predict how you
think your development will progress. Reflect at the end of this unit to see
whether you would change your description or predictions.
Human growth and development through the
A life stages
A1 Physical development across the life stages
Physical growth and development continues throughout a person’s life but you
will have noticed that development is not always smooth. During puberty you may
have suddenly grown a few centimetres in a short period of time and then stayed
T
the same height for a while. You may have noticed a small child who suddenly goes
from crawling to climbing the stairs. In this section you will look at the key features of
physical growth and development across the life stages.
AF
▸▸ Table 1.1: Key features of growth and physical development at each life stage
Life stage Age Key features
Birth and infancy 0–2 years Infants grow rapidly reaching approximately half
their adult height by the time they are two years
old. At around one year old infants can walk and by
DR
two years of age they can run.
Early childhood 3–8 years Children continue to grow at a steady pace. They
continue to develop strength and coordination.
Adolescence 9–18 years Adolescents experience growth spurts. They
develop sexual characteristics during puberty.
Early adulthood 19–45 years Young adults reach the peak of their physical
fitness.
Middle adulthood 46–65 years The ageing process begins with some loss of strength
and stamina. Women go through menopause.
Later adulthood 65 years onwards The ageing process continues with gradual loss
of mobility. Older adults will experience a loss of
height of up to a few centimetres.
Growth and development are different concepts
Key terms
Growth is an increase in a measurable quantity such as height or weight or other
dimensions. Development is about the complex changes in skills and capabilities that Growth – an increase in
an individual experiences as they grow. some measured quantity,
such as height or weight.
During their lifespan, an individual will pass through the different stages shown in
Development – complex
Table 1.1. Life stages are marked by physical, physiological and psychological changes.
changes including an
increase in skills, abilities and
capabilities.
3
, Skills and abilities such as gross and fine motor skills and thinking and language skills
develop alongside the social roles and expectations associated with different stages of
the lifespan. These are referred to as milestones.
Principles of growth
Growth describes an increase in quantity. For example, children grow taller as they get
older. As height increases, so does weight – this is referred to as a process of growth.
Although growth is continuous, the rate is not smooth. There can be periods of more
rapid growth in infancy and again during puberty which means there can be quite a
difference between the rates of growth of two people who are the same age. There
are also differences in the growth rates of boys and girls. Growth rates also vary in
different parts of the body, for example the head circumference grows more rapidly
than other areas in the first months of life. When referring to growth it is important to
consider two dimensions:
▸▸ weight
▸▸ length/height.
At birth and then between six to eight weeks, a baby’s head circumference will be
measured to check the size and growth of the brain.
T
Infants grow rapidly during the first six months of their lives. Healthy newborns double
their birth weight by four to five months, and triple it by the time they reach a year old.
By the age of two, a healthy infant will be approximately half their adult height. Not
AF
only can growth measurements help a health visitor to monitor a child’s health and
development, they can also identify other issues for example if an infant is under- or
overweight or growing too slowly. Infants will grow on average about 12 cm (4 inches)
and gain about 2.5 kg (5 lbs) between one and two years of age. Between their second
and third birthday, an infant will gain another 2 kg (4 lbs) and grow about 8 cm (3
inches) more. A health visitor will carry out the measurements and plot the results on a
growth chart to ensure that an infant is meeting their milestones.
DR
22 22
20 20
18 18
16 16
14 14
Weight (kg)
12 12
10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4
2 2
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110
Length (cm)
▸▸ Figure 1.1 An example of a height–weight chart for girls
4 Human Lifespan Development
