Running head: INFANCY

Periods of Development Fact Sheets: Infancy and Toddlerhood

Terrance White
ECE 497
Instructor Sandi Levinson
April 10, 2015

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Periods of Development Fact Sheets: Infancy and Toddlerhood

The milestones of physical development explains major factors that support growth and
maturation. The normal development of the brain explains the exploration and organization that
children need concerning motor skills and brain activity. Two developmental periods occur
during optimal brain development: fine motor and gross motor skills. Brain development
provides reasoning for neurological structures and behavioral complexity. The amount of
interrelatedness during infancy and toddlerhood shares developmental perspectives of growth.

The knowledge of motor skills shares in the importance of physical developmental

periods. Mossler (2011) stated, Movements are usually categorized into gross motor skills and
fine motor skills (p. 139). Reflexes are one of many important issues that explains the
development of motor skills. Berk (2014) stated, A reflex is an inborn, automatic response to a
particular form of stimulation (p. 130). The critical periods of development explains several
milestones that determine optimal growth.

Infancy and toddlerhood are two very important areas of development for children. The
child begins to develop skills that influences the environment and cognitive development.
Cognitive development begins to develop the way a child is able to think, learning, and their
intelligence shaping their experience by exploration. The child innateness builds skills that
allows organization and adaptation. The challenges of developmental milestones in child
development are continual throughout their lifespan.

The brain grows from two types of development: experience-expectant and

experiencedependent. The link between the brain and the nervous system are fine-tuned by

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ordinary experiences and those that consists of additional growth challenging cognitive
development.
Diamond (2000) said, Connections between the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex also support
thinking (as cited in Berk, 2014, p. 189). Both the impacts and environmental factors in
cognitive development produces desired outcomes for memory, planning, and language.

Infancy and toddlerhood affects periods of development causing many factors that affect
atypical development. The impacts of pregnancy can make incomplete and inconsistent patterns
and sequences until birth. Complications such as ecological factors contribute to the
development. Marotz and Allen (2013) stated, The term atypical describes children with
developmental differences, deviations, or marked delayschildren whose development appears
to be incomplete or inconsistent with typical patterns and sequences (p. 34). The retrospectives
of atypical development provides several understandings of developmental delay and complex
transitional processes.

In infancy and toddlerhood, families can determine internal and external motivations in
childrens environment. Children are programmable and have built-in capabilities to explore.
Berk (2014) stated, From an evolutionary perspective, the association may have adaptive value
(p. 208). The information a child processes can eliminate stressors that in early childhood
determines emotional and behavioral stability associative to attachment and cognitive theories.

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Reference

Berk, L.E. (2014). Child development, 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Mossler, R. (2011). Child and adolescent development. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint
Education, Inc.
Marotz, L.R. & Allen, K.E. (2013). Developmental profiles: Pre-birth through

adolescence. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.