Whilst pregnant in the last months you can talk to your baby and it will recognise your voice. The baby can't really have any social needs until it is born and it can interact with parents.
Birth and Infancy (0-3 years)
At around 9 months after conception the baby is born a new baby is also known as a neonate. The new born baby has to take easily digestible food such as mother's milk in the first weeks in order to grow. Babies develop rapidly during the first three years of life. They are born with a number of physical reflexes these are rooting which is when you stroke your baby's cheek they will turn towards you, usually looking for food, startle which is when the arms of your baby will thrust outward and then seem to embrace themselves as their fingers curl, this may because of a loud noise or a sudden shock, grasp this is when you touch the palm of your baby's hand, the fingers will curl around and cling to your finger or an object and the walking reflexes is when you hold your baby upright and place their feet on a flat surface they will make a walking movement by placing one foot in front of the other.
Physical
At ages one to six months the baby can lift head up slightly, pass objects from one hand to the other hand and roll over. At 9-10 months a baby may start to crawl, then at 12 months a baby may progress onto standing alone and shortly after this they will start to take their first steps. At around 2 years old a child will be able to run and climb one step at a time.
Intellectual
The most important intellectual development a child makes is the ability to use and understand language. At around 3 moths babies will start to make babbling noises, as muscles associated with speech are controlled. A child may start to recognize familiar objects and people at a distance. At around 6-9 months a child may start to understand simple words such as ‘bye-bye’. Around 12 months a child will be able to imitate sounds made by carers they will develop single use of words. Children can use words but don’t know what they mean for example once a child learns how to say the word mam, they may start to call everybody else’s around them mam. At 2 years of age a child can make two word sentences such as ‘my din-din’, and they will be building their vocabulary. At 3 years they will start to use simple sentences with grammatical errors. Intellectual development is helped by play, children can look at books to help stimulate them and increase their ability to recognise objects.
Emotional
At this stage a child has an emotional attachment to their parent, the first stages of emotional development will affect them for the rest of their life’s this is really important. A baby cries when they are feeling uncomfortable such as, being cold, wet, and hungry or when they are hurt. At 2 months a baby can show signs of emotion by smiling at a human face. At around 6 months a baby may show signs of shyness to other strangers. Also a 2 year old may show jealousy to a younger brother or sister. Their feelings are very sensitive and can sense happiness, distress and anger and be guided by their parent's emotions by the age of one. As a child gets older he or she will be more interested in other children.
Social
In the first couple of years babies are exposed to family members, and other close family friends. Family provides a solid base of self-esteem and confidence, in order to build a stronger social relationship with other individuals. A child will enjoy playing with other people and may cry when playing stops, as a child interacts more with other children, there social development will improve.
Childhood 4-9 years
Childhood is the stage where a child develops control over their bodies. They will develop more emotions and be able to start to control take control of them. Children learn to develop more communication skills and learn to relate to others.
Physical
Physical growth will be gradual than infancy, although there is a spurt at ages 5-7 years old. They improve their co-ordination and control. At this age a child will have the ability to run smoothly using varying speeds. A hop on one, balances on one foot, bounces a ball with beginning control, they can kick a ball, skip, ride a bike and throw and catch a ball.
Intellectual
At around 4-5 years of age a child will start school and they will begin to organise their thoughts, and they will also learn new vocabulary as they listen to other children in their class, also they will be learning new words from their teachers. They start to see things form someone else’s point of view. At this stage children will start to work things out, but will need to see and touch things to understand and solve problems. A child at this stage will Listen eagerly to stories and will be able to repeat what happened, to be able to follow directions e.g., “above,” “under”, Defines words in terms of use e.g., car, pencil. Asks many questions e.g., why, what, how.
Emotional
Children still depend on their carers and close family. Children begin to imagine a ‘me’ – an idea of self. Relationships with other family members may influence how a child feels valued – a sense of self-worth. At this stage a child cam shows concern and sympathy, Loves adventure, excitement, anything new. As a child gets older they will be able to expresses emotions freely and openly. They may have anger outbursts and want to disobey. some children may show jealousy among classmates.
Social
By the age of 4 children need other children to play with. They understand how to take turns. They can be separated by their main carers without distress. By this age children are attending school and meeting lots of new children, and choose their group of close friends. They co-operate in games and understand rules and fairness. Because children understand more how others are feeling it becomes more important for them to have the approval of other children. Furthermore at around 7 years children are aware of sexual differences and prefer to play with the same sex this will continue till adolescence.
Adolescence 10-18 years
It begins from age 10 and typically ends at about 18 years of age. The process of growth that happens in this life stages is called puberty. This progress results in a lot of physical growth. The adolescent is no longer a child, but they haven't reached adulthood yet
Physical Development
In boys caused by the hormone called testosterone which is produced by testes.
growing taller and heavier, grow public hair , facial and underarm hair, penis and testes grow larger ,shoulders and chest broaden and muscles develop, larynx grows so the voice breaks or deepens, secretions ejaculation including wet dreams, oily skin may result in spots,
In Girls caused by the hormone oestrogen which is produced by ovaries.
Grow taller and heavier, Menstruation (periods) start, develop breast, hips broaden and shape changes, grow public and Underarm hair, sweat a lot, oily skin may result in spots.
Intellectual
They are rapid changes in the mind as well as the body. It is time when adolescence think in different ways changes from abstract thinking to concrete. At this stage they will be able to solve problems in their head (abstract thinking). Also can think scientifically and work until a problem is solved. They will be able to work out complicated ideas in their heads without concrete picture.
Emotional
At adolescents you are more independent. The hormone changes that affect the body also affect their emotions. They have mood swing may be happy and excited one minute and sad and depressed the other minute. At the same time they will be looking for a sense of personal identity, or to discover who they are.
Social
Adolescents need to develop their independents from their parents. In early adolescents teenagers tend to do things in together in groups. With increasing sexual maturity, adolescents begin to look for a partner; they may start to experiment with sexual relationships.
Adulthood 19-65 years
The period of time in your life after your physical growth has stopped and you are fully developed. Period in the human life span in which full physical and intellectual maturity have been attained. Compulsory education has finished and a young adult goes onto find work or higher education.
Physical
Females reach their adult heights by age 18, and, except for some males who continue to grow in their early 20s, most have reached their adult heights by the age of 21. However, muscles continue to gain mass - especially among males, and both genders continue to add body fat. Physical maturity is reached in adulthood. This is the phase of the life course where most people are at their physical peak. As you progress through adulthood, you might notice that your skin becomes thinner and loses elasticity, and you start to get wrinkles. Your hair might start to turn grey and loss of hair will affect both sexes. Hearing decline is most noticeable in your mid-40s. You also might have less focus and lose near vision, causing you to need more light for tasks such as reading. Somewhere in middle adulthood, women will experience menopause. In menopause, hormonal changes cause a stop in menstruation, completely reducing fertility. Men have reduced fertility because of a lower sperm count and a decline in testosterone levels, but they still can produce. As you start to get older bones may start to become brittle and you’re less likely to do physical activity, so more prone to gain weight.
Intellectual
Intellectual development continues through adulthood, getting a job involves learning new skills. Many skills are also need when a person leaves home and lives independently. These include cooking and managing a home in budget. As we age adults can react more slowly, and can find it difficult to remember things under pressure.
Emotional
During the early part of adulthood major emotional transition takes place. At the beginning of the adulthood life stage you begin to separate from your parents and family and no longer rely upon your peers to support you in a practical way- such as doing you’re washing and also in an emotional way, you begin to find you’re your parents aren't such a big fixture in your life. During our early adulthood we spend a lot of our time finding a partner and once we do we become emotionally attached and begin to rely upon our spouse for support as we once did our parents. Becoming a parent is a major life event which usually happens in adulthood. As a parent you must learn to deal with a whole new type of emotions and love which you possibly haven't felt before. Becoming a parent creates a greater feeling of self- worth. As life expectancy is increasing it is normal to have one parent, still living yet it is not uncommon to have to deal with the death of at least one parent which is emotionally unbalancing. Greif is, emotionally, one of the hardest life events to deal with. It can take people years to get over the death of a loved one and some people never recover and can't learn to deal with the huge sense of emptiness and loneliness the death of a loved one can leave. Towards the end of adulthood you have to deal with the feelings that your children no longer need you, which can be particularly hard when the youngest child leaves home as for most of their adulthood their identity has being invested in the role of their mother so to some it can feel like a huge loss of self- identity.
Social
When young adults leave home, they have to develop new relationships, they may have a partner or get married, all this means making decisions, accepting responsibilities and sharing. Relationships with parents change. Starting a new job involves forming new relationships. Formal relationships like those at work where certain rules have to be followed and informal relationships such as casual or social relationships.
Older adulthood 65+
Physical
This is has a lot of physical decline, some of which may be due to lifestyle, such as poor diet and lack of exercise, rather than illness or the aging process. Cells decay. Muscle mass decreases. The immune system is no longer as capable as it once was. Body systems and organs, such as the heart and lungs, become less efficient. Skin losses more elasticity and more wrinkles appear on the skin. Small blood vessels break beneath the surface of the skin, and warts, skin tags, and age spots (liver spots) may form on the body. Hair thins and turns grey as melanin decreases, and height lessens perhaps by an inch or two as bone density decreases. Sense of smell and taste may decline due to medication. Elderly women produce less vaginal lubrication, and the vagina becomes less stretchable because of reduced levels of female hormones. Older men are less able to attain erections and orgasms than are younger men. This may be due to reduced levels of testosterone. An elderly person may be incontinent due to old age or illness. Develop problems with arthritis, risks of any sort of diseases, breathing and circulation become weaker.
Intellectual
Individuals at this stage become less able to solve problems and cope with difficulties. Other individuals who enjoy a good health and exercise their mind keep their mental abilities and continue to develop the knowledge. Some older individuals increase their ability to make wise decisions; the development of wisdom may increase at this age. Retirement at age 65 is a choice for many people, but some do work until later.
Emotional
Individuals continue to develop their sense of self as life progresses. The main sense of old age is keeping their sense of self-esteem despite the problems that can occur. Some old individuals have a risk of losing their self-confidence and self-esteem because of the way other people treat them. Old age individuals will have a good manner of behaviour, and they will also have a good bonding relationship with their grandchildren.
Social
Older individuals lead varied and different lives. Many retired people have a greater opportunity for meeting and making new friends that they did while they were working. A network of family and friends can provide vital practical and emotional support. Health problems and impairments can sometimes cause social isolation. They will have more relationships with people the same age as them; they will also take their norms and beliefs into more consideration. This will make them think more.
The final stages
The average life expectancy for men is about 72 years old, for women is about 79 years old.
Physical
Body cells have a limited ability to renew themselves. If cells cannot renew themselves, then we cannot repair ourselves and stay healthy. There is a tendency to sleep more. There is less desire to talk. This is the beginning of letting go of life and preparing for death, becomes less and less responsive to voice and touch. Lose interest in food and drink. The ability to swallow becomes impaired. Vital organs are shutting down. Constipation and incontinence, loss of control over bowel and bladder functions. Constipation may be caused by lack of mobility, pain medication, and decreased fluid intake.
Intellectual
Emotional
The last stages of life can be very stressful for the dying person and those caring for him/her.
Social
