Powerpoint made for our Human dev report.. -includes early reflex -role of experience -early sensory capacities

1. EARLY PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
 Early Reflexes
 Molding the Brain : Role of Experiences
 Early Sensory Capacities

2. EARLY REFLEXES

3. WHAT IS A REFLEX?
 Involuntary reaction or respone of our body to a
stimulus
 REFLEX BEHAVIOR

4. REFLEX BEHAVIOR
- automatic innate response to stimulation.
- Control by the lower brain centers that govern
involuntary processes sung as breathing and heart
rate.

5. REFLEXES OBSERVED IN
HUMAN INFANTS
 Primitive reflex - early reflexes, present at birth or
soon after.
-Related to instinctive needs for survival and
protection or may support early connection to the
caregiver.
Human infants have an estimated 27 major
reflexes.

6. PRIMITIVE REFLEX
 These reflexes disappear or are inhibited by
the frontal lobes as a child moves through
normal child development.
 Most early reflexes disappear during the first 6 -12
months.
 Reflexes that continue to serve protection remains.
( blinking, yawning, coughing, sneezing)

7. EARLY HUMAN REFLEXES
 Moro reflex/ startle reflex
Stimulation :
Baby is dropped or hears loud
noise.
Baby’s Behavior :
Extend arms, legs and fingers,
arches back, draw back head.
Typical age of appearance :
7th month of gestation
Age of Disappearance :
3 months

8. EARLY HUMAN REFLEXES
 Darwinian / grasping reflex
Stimulation :
Palm of baby’s hand is
stroked.
Baby’s behavior :
Makes strong fist; can be
raised to standing position if
both hands are closed to a
stick.
Typical age of appearance :
7th month of gestation
Age of Disappearance :
4 months

9. EARLY HUMAN REFLEXES
 Tonic neck reflex
Stimulation :
Baby is laid down on back.
Baby’s Behavior :
Turns head on one side,
assumes fencer position,
extends arm and leg on
preferred side, flexes opposite
limbs
Typical age of appearance :
7th month of gestation
Age of Disappearance :
5 months

10. EARLY HUMAN REFLEX
 Babkin Reflex
Stimulation :
Both of baby’s palms are
stroked at once
Baby’s Behavior :
Mouth opens , eyes close,
neck flexes, head tilts
forward.
Typical age of appearance :
birth
Age of Disappearance :
3 months

11. EARLY HUMAN REFLEX
 Babinski Reflex
Stimulation :
Sole of baby’s foot is
stroked
Baby’s Behavior :
Toes fans out; foot twist
in
Typical age of
appearance : Birth
Age of Disappearance :
4 months

12. EARLY HUMAN REFLEX
 Rooting Reflex
Stimulation :
Baby’s cheek or lower lip is
stroked with finger or
nipple.
Baby’s Behavior :
Head turns; mouth opens;
sucking movement begins
Typical age of appearance :
birth
Age of Disappearance :
9 months

13. EARLY HUMAN REFLEX
 Walking Reflex
Stimulation :
Baby is held under arms, with
barefoot touching the floor.
Baby’s Behavior :
Makes step like motions that
looks like well- coordinated
walking
Typical age of appearance :
1 month
Age of Disappearance :
4 month

14. EARLY HUMAN REFLEX
 Swimming Reflex
Stimulation : Baby is put
into water face down
Baby’s Behavior : Makes
well – coordinated
swimming movements.
Typical age of
appearance : 1 month
Age of Disappearance : 4
months

15. MOLDING THE BRAIN
The Role of Experiences

16.  Up until the 1960s, researchers believed that
changes in the brain could only take place during
infancy and childhood. By early adulthood, it was
believed that the brain's physical structure was
permanent.
 Modern research has demonstrated that the brain
continues to create new neural pathways and alter
existing ones in order to adapt to new experiences,
learn new information and create new memories.

17.  Brain is continually modified, both positively and
negatively by environmental experiences.
 Plasticity – Modifiability , or molding of the brain
through experience.
-May be an evolutionary mechanism to
enable adaptation to environmental
change.
-Enables learning.
Brain Plasticity / Neuroplasticity

18. NEUROPLASTICITY / BRAIN PLASTICITY
 Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain:
1– At the beginning of life: when the immature
brain organizes itself.
2– In case of brain injury: to compensate for
lost functions or maximize remaining
functions.
3– Through adulthood: whenever something
new is learned and memorized

19.  Early experiences can have lasting effects on the
capacity of the CNS to learn and store informations.
 During formative periods, the brain is especially
vulnerable.

20. FACTORS THAT CAN THREATEN THE DEVELOPING BRAIN.
 Exposure to hazardous drugs, environmental toxins
 Maternal stress
 Malnutrition
 Early abuse / sensory impoverishment

21. EARLY SENSORY
CAPACITIES

22. TOUCH AND PAIN
 Touch is the first sense to develop.
 Pain perception may emerge by the 3rd trimester of
pregnancy.
 Prolonged or severe pain can do long-term harm to
newborns.
 Pain relief during surgery is essential.

23. SMELL AND TASTE
o Begin to develop in the womb.
o Preference for pleasant odors, seems to be learned
in uterus and during first few days of birth.
o Odor transmitted from the mother’s breast milk may
further contribute to learning.

24.  Certain taste preference seem to be largely innate.
 Newborns prefer sweet taste. It helps baby to adapt
to life outside the womb.
 Newborn’s rejection of bitter taste is another
survival mechanism, as many bitter substances are
toxic.

25. HEARING
 Functional before birth
 Early recognition of voices and language
heard in the womb may lay foundation for
the relationship with the mother.
 Auditory discrimination develops rapidly
after birth.

26.  At 1 month, babies can distinguish sounds as close
as ba and pa.
 Hearing is a key to language development
 Hearing loss occurs in 1-3 of 1000 live births.

27. SIGHT
 Vision is the least developed sense at birth.
 Visual perception and the ability to use visual
information become more important as infants
become more alert and active.

28.  Eyes of newborn :
 -retinal structures are incomplete.
 - optic nerve is underdeveloped.
 Neonate’s eyes focus from about 1 foot away
 Their field of peripheral vision is very narrow.
 - well developed at 3 months

29.  Ability to follow a moving target also develops
rapidly in the 1st months, as does color perception.
 Visual acuity at birth is approximately 20/400
 Reaching 20/20 level by about 8 months.

30.   Binocular vision usually
does not develop until
4-5 months.

31. FINISH….
  
Prepared by: Hazel Panabe
BSPT -3