FACTORS INFLUENCING GROWTH AND

DEVELOMENT:

SOCIO-
ECONOMICAL

ENVIRON
MENTAL,
SEASONAL

NUTRITIONAL

Growth and Development are regulated by a complex balance between the heredity/genetic
constitution and the environmental factors, all interdependent. Heredity determines the
extent of growth and development that is possible, but environment determines the degree
to which the potential is achieved.

1. Heredity; The most important influencing on a child's growth and ultimate size i.e.
heredity. Birth length is related primarily to maternal size and intrauterine environment.

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 As the child grows genetic influences are gradually expressed. They are largely
responsible for transmission of abnormal genes, familial illnesses etc.

2. Sex; Sex is determined at conception. After birth, the male infant is both longer and
heavier than the female infant. Boys maintain this supiriority till 11 yrs of age, than girls
mature. Again during pubertal spurt boys are taller than girls.

3. Race and Nationality;

4. Nutrition; Both prenatal and postnatal nutritional have long lasting effects on growth
and ultimate size. At any age malnutrition results in decreased growth of the child.

5. Environment:

A) Physical Surrounding - like of sunshine and poor hygiene may produces differences in
rate of growth.

B) Climate and Season; Climatic variations influence the child’s health.

C) Psychological Factors - like inter-relationships with parents, teachers and others may
affect growth and development.

D) Socio-Economic Factor - like poverty, is associated with poor nutrition.

E) Cultural Influences

6. Intrauterine Environment; The influence of the intrauterine environment on the child's

future development is great. Fetus may suffer when there is:

• Nutritional deficiencies of mother during pregnancy. . Mother is suffering from any

endocrine disorder or infectious disease during gestation. . Mother is Rh -ve.

• Mother smokes or takes alcohol or drugs.

• Faulty placental implantation.

• IUGR

• Congenital malformations etc.

7. Deviations from Positive Health: This may be caused by hereditary or congenital

conditions, illnesses or injury and may result in altered levels of growth and development.

8. Ordinal Position; in the family.

9. Intelligence; Intelligence is correlated to some degree physical development. Also

intelligence influences mental and social development.

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10. Hormonal Influences/Endocrine factor - like hypothyroidism and hypopituitarism
causes retardation.

11. Emotional Factors; Lack of love and security in childhood may distort the Childs
personality and impede emotional maturity. Relationship with significant other persons,
mother, father, siblings, teachers, peers play a vital role in the total development of the
child.

12. Birth Injuries.

13. Socio-Psychological Factors; Play an important part in the development of children.

The balance between the socio-psychological and physical changes in the child and his
environmental and social codes of conduct, determine his final development.

BLUE PRINT OF DEVELOPMENT:

(BASIC PREDICTABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF
DEVELOPMENT)
1. Development is Similar for All.

• All children follow a similar pattern of development with one stage leading into the
next. e.g. the baby stands before he walks, the baby draws circle before a square. In
no instance is this order normally reversed.

• The very bright child and the very dull child likewise follow the same developmental
sequence as the average. The very bright child develops at a more rapid rate and the
very dull at a slower rate.

2 Development Proceeds from General to Specific.

• In mental as well as motor responses general activity always precedes specific

activity. Before birth the fetus moves the whole body but is incapable of making
specific responses.

• Generalized body movements occur before fine muscle control is possible. At first
the infant can make random movement of the arm.

• There is a normal sequence in the development of physical abilities just as it is for

mental development and emotional and social adequacy.

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 • A child should be given an opportunity to practice the skills by either experience or
instruction wherever readiness occurs.

3. Development is Continuous.

• Development is continuous from the moment of conception to death but occurs at

different rates sometimes slowly and sometimes rapidly.

• What happen at one stage has influence on the following stage. e.g. the speech, in a
child does not develop overnight; the child coos, gurgles and babbling sounds are
made by the child from the time of birth and keep getting refined into language.

4. Development Proceeds at Different Rates.

• During the period of growth and development of the total body and its subsystems,
growth is sometimes rapid and at times it slows down.

• Rapid growth occurs during gestation and infancy.

• In the preschool years growth levels off. It slows down again during school years.

• A spurt of growth occurs in puberty and early adolescence. The pubertal growth
broadens the physical difference among boys and girls. Women become the weaker
sex but become physically attractive to men.

5. There is correlation in Development.

• Correlation in physical and mental abilities is especially marked.

• There is marked relationship between sexual maturation and patterns of interest and
behavior.

6. Development comes from Maturation and Learning.

• The sudden appearance of certain traits that develop through maturation is quite
common; for example a baby may start to walk literally overnight. Behavioral
changes occur at the time of puberty suddenly without any reason.

• Learning is development that comes from exercise and effort on the part of an
individual. Unless the child had opportunity for learning, many of his hereditary
potentials will never reach their optimum development.

• A child may have aptitude for musical performance because of his superior
neuromuscular organization but if he is deprived of opportunity for practice and
systematic training, he will not reach his hereditary potential.
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 • Maturation sets limits beyond which development cannot go even if learning is
encouraged. Intrinsic growth is the gift of the nature. It can be guided, it cannot be
created. Innate capacities however should be stimulated by environmental factors.

7. There are Individual Differences:

• Although the pattern of development is similar for all children, each child follows a
predictable pattern in his own way and at his own rate.

• Each child with his unique heredity and nurture (environment) will progress at its
own rate in terms of size, shape, capacity and developmental status.

• Mental development too is influenced by heredity and environment. Therefore, we

cannot expect all children of the same age to be ready for the same learning
experience at the same time.

8. Early development is more significant than later development.

• In building the house the foundations are more important than the superstructure, so
is the development of physical and mental traits.

• Unfavorable environmental conditions during prenatal and postnatal period can have
damaging effect on the later growth and development of the child.

9. Development proceeds in stages.

• Development is not abrupt; it proceeds in various stages such as fetal, infancy,

babyhood, childhood and adolescence.

10. Predictable patterns of Development.

• Both during the prenatal and postnatal period, two laws of predictable pattern of
development emerge.

– The cephalocaudal law.

– The proximodistal law.

• According to the cephalocaudal law development spreads over the body

from the head to foot. This means that improvement in structure and
functions of the body comes first in the head region than in the trunk and
last in the leg region.

• According to the proximodistal law development takes placed from near

to far that is outward from the central axis of the body towards the
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 extremities. In prenatal period the head and trunk are fairly well
developed when the limb buds appear. Slowly the arms lengthen
followed by hands and fingers. Functionally too the baby can use his
arms before his hands and child can use the whole hand before his
fingers.

• Teeth also follow the predictable pattern of physical development. The

lower teeth erupt before the upper teeth