Stages of Development and Developmental Tasks

Discussant: Torrano, Jhade-Dy C.

Stages of Development are the steps, process or period of change or growth throughout
one’s life span or simply what we call maturation. While the Developmental Task is a piece of
work assigned to someone to be undertaken.

Before we head on to eight Stages of Development and Developmental tasks, let us first
discuss of what might happen if those Developmental tasks are not achieved at the corresponding
Developmental stage. Also what can we do to help children achieve the corresponding
developmental task.

According to Dr. John Santrock’s Stages of Development and Developmental task, there
are eight stages. For every developmental stage, there is an expected developmental task.

1. Pre-natal Period –While you might think of child development as something that begins
during infancy, the pre-natal period is also considered an important part of the
developmental process. Pre-natal development is a time of remarkable change that helps
for future psychological development. The brain develops over the course of the pre-natal
period, but it will continue to go through more changes during the early years of
childhood.
 Germinal stage- (the first two weeks) The germinal stage begins at
conception when the sperm and egg cell unite in one of the two fallopian
tubes. The fertilized egg, known as a zygote, then moves toward the uterus, a
journey that can take up to a week to complete. Cell division begins
approximately 24 to 36 hours after conception. When implantation is
successful, hormonal changes halt a woman’s normal menstrual cycle and
cause a whole host of physical changes. For some women, activities they
previously enjoyed such as smoking and drinking alcohol or coffee may
become less palatable, possibly part of nature’s way of protecting the growing
life inside her.
 Embryonic stage- (two weeks to two monthys) At this point, the mass of
cells is now known as an embryo. The beginning of the two or third week
after conception marks the start of the embryonic period, a time when the
mass of cells becomes distinct as a human. The embryonic stage plays an
important role in the development of the brain. Around the fourth week, the
head begins to form quickly followed by the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. The
cardiovascular system is where the earliest activity begins as the blood vessel
that will become the heart start to pulse. During the fifth week, buds that will
form the arms and legs appear. By the time the eighth week of development
has been reached, the embryo has all of the basic organs and parts except
those of the sex organs. It even has knees and elbows! At this point, the
embryo weighs just one gram and is about one inch in length. By the end of
the embryonic period, the basic structures of the brain and central nervous
system have been established. At this point in development, the basic structure
of the central and peripheral nervous system are also defined.
 Fetal stage- (2 months to birth) Once cell differentiation is mostly complete,
the embryo enters the next stage and becomes known as a fetus. The fetal
period of prenatal develop marks more important changes in the brain. This
period of development begins during the ninth week and lasts until birth. It is
during the period between the 9th and 12th week at the earliest reflexes begin
to emerge and the fetus begins to make reflexive motions with his arms and
legs. This stage of prenatal development lasts the longest and is marked by
amazing change and growth. During the third month of gestation, the sex
organs begin to differentiate and by the end of the month, all parts of the body
will be formed. At this point, the fetus weight around three ounces. During the
second trimester or months four through six, the heartbeat grows stronger and
other body systems become further developed. Fingernails, hair, eyelashes,
and toenails form. Around 28 weeks, the brain starts to mature faster with an
activity that greatly resembles that of a sleeping newborn. During the period
from seven months until birth, the fetus continues to develop, put on weight,
 and prepare for life outside the womb. The lungs begin to expand and
contract, preparing the muscles for breathing.

Pre-natal stage is a crucial stage because how mothers carry their child can affect to the
development of the children. The development of the children might be late or worst they
will have health complications. Here are some causes that can lead to late development.
Premature, poor nutrition, use of alcohol that may lead to babies’ alcohol syndrome (brain
damage and problem to growth development, small head size, heart defects, irritability,
hyperactivity, mental retardation, an slow motor development), smoking, radiations, illness.
Kallman syndrome also can occur, it is a condition of lack of production of certain hormones
that direct sexual development and it prevents a person from starting or fully completing
puberty.

2. Infancy- Birth- two years. The Beginning Stages of Life and Learnings. The stage
of infancy lasts from birth until approximately the age of 2. During infancy, a great deal
of initial learning occurs. This learning is provided through environmental cues, such as
a behaviour. Very basic skills are mastered during this time period, such as crying,
nursing, co-ordination and the ability to represent images and objects with words. An
important influence in the child's life at this stage is the parents. It is very common to see
a child at the ages of 7-9 months old become upset when they are separated from their
primary caregiver. This phenomenon is known as attachment, and is important in
determining how a child will behave in future relationships as they mature. Extreme
dependence on adults, beginning psychological activities: language, symbolic thought,
sensorimotor coordination, and social learning, language of newborn, usually eats
every2-3 hours, uncoordinated movements, toothless, poor vision (focusing range 8-12
inches), usually doubles weight by 9 months, respond to human voice or touch.

 1 year old- change from plump baby to leaner more muscular toddlers, begins to
walk and talk, ability for passive language (better understanding of what’s being
said), tentative sense of independence, determined explorer.
  2 years old- begins to communicate verbally, can usually speak in 3-4 sentences,
famous for negative behavior, will play side by side other children but not
actively play with them, great imitators.
3. Early Childhood- 3 to 5 years. Early childhood is a time of remarkable physical,
cognitive, social, and emotional development. Infants enter the world with a limited
range of skills and abilities. Watching a child develop new motor, cognitive, language,
and social skills is a source of wonders for parents and caregivers.
 3 years old- wants to be just like parents, vocabulary and pronounciation continue
o expand, climbs stairs with alternating feet. Can briefly stand on one foot.
 4 years old- sentences are more complex, speaks well enough for strangers to
understand, imagination is vivid, line between reality and imaginary is often
indistinct, develops fear (common fears).
 5 years old- can hop on one foot and skip, can accurately copy figure, may begin
to read, socialize to with other children their age.
4. Middle and Late Childhood- 6 to 12 years old. Middle and late childhood bring many
changes in child’s life. Having independence from family becomes more important now.
Friendships become more and more important. Physical, social, and mental skills develop
quickly at the time. This is a critical time for children to develop confidence in all areas
of life, such as through friends, school works, and sports. In physical changes, both large
and small muscles are well developed, develop complex motor skills, from independent
activities to same sex group activities, acceptance by peers, parental improval still
important.
5. Adolescence- 13 to 18 years old. Adolescence is the period of transition between
childhood and adulthood. It includes some big changes—to the body, and to the way a
young person relates to the world. The many physical, sexual, cognitive, social, and
emotional changes that happen during this time can bring anticipation and anxiety for
both children and their families. Understanding what to expect at different stages can
promote healthy development throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. This
stage is considered as traumatic life stage for child and parent, puberty occurs, extremely
concerned with appearance, trying to establish self-identity, comfrontations with
authority. Young adults tend to have a more egocentric perspective. They often focus on
 themselves and believe that everyone else is focused on them too. They may grapple with
insecurities and feelings of being judged. Relationships with family members sometimes
take a back seat to peer groups, romantic interests, and appearance, which teens perceive
as increasingly important during this time. The transition can naturally lead
to anxiety about the physical changes to one’s body and his or her evolving relationship
with others and the larger world. Mild anxiety and other challenges are typical, but
serious mental health conditions also emerge during adolescence. Addressing a disorder
early on can help ensure the best possible outcome.
6. Early Adulthood- 19 to 29 years old. By the time we reach early adulthood, our physical
maturation is complete, although our height and weight may increase slightly. In early
adulthood, our physical abilities are at their peak, including muscle strength, reaction
time, sensory abilities, and cardiac functioning. Most professional athletes are at the top
of their game during this stage, and many women have children in the early-adulthood
years. Physical development complete, emotional maturation continue to develop, usually
learned to accept responsibility, accept criticism, usually knows how to profit from
errors, socially related from age-related peer groups to people with similar interests.
7. Middle Adulthood- 30-60 years old, physical changes begin to occur like hair begins to
thin gray, wrinkles appear, hearing and vision decrease. Muscles lose tone, your main
concerns are your children, health, job security, aging parents, and fear of aging, love and
acceptance still take a major role. There are many negative stereotypes of aging, which
lead many middle-aged adults to fear physical changes. These stereotypes are also more
likely applied to women. The ideal of a "perfect" sexually attractive woman plays a key
role in this double standard. Middle aged men are shown in the media as successful,
handsome images of competence and security, whereas middle aged women are shown in
cosmetic commercials about hiding signs of aging. This double standard has been
recently declining as more people view middle adulthood as a promising and upbeat time
for both genders.
8. Late Adulthood- 61 years old and above, this is the fastest growing age of bracket of
society, physical deterioration, some memory problems, cognitive changes, intellectual
changes, widowhood, denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance, coping with retirement and
 forms of entertainment, very concern with health and finances, become depressed and
suicide rate is high.

Reference: Chinly Ruth Alberto (2018), Santrock and Havighurst's Developmental Stages,
https://www.slideshare.net.

tin072787 (2016), Module 2- The Stages of Development and Developmental