This document summarizes physical changes in height, weight, and performance that occur throughout the human lifespan from prenatal development through late adulthood. Key stages and age ranges discussed include prenatal, infancy, early childhood, middle/late childhood, adolescence, early/middle/late adulthood. At each stage, typical changes in height, weight, brain and motor development, and physical performance are outlined. A references section lists sources consulted for developmental information.

1. Changes in Height, Weight and
Physical Performance
By: Amanda Bruce, Devon Casanare,
Margaret Vargas, Emily Wright
5/17/11

2. Agenda
• Prenatal (Amanda)
• Infancy (Emily)
• Early Childhood (Devon)
• Middle/Late Childhood (Amanda)
• Adolescence (Emily)
• Early/Middle/Late Adulthood (Margaret)

3. Prenatal
conception - birth
• Germinal period: first 2 weeks after
conception; zygote creation
• Rapid cell division and differentiation occurs
through mitosis
• Embryonic period: 2-8 weeks after conception
- cell division increases, organs appear
(Santrock, 2009, 79

4. Fetal Period
last 2 months of pregnancy
• 3 months: 3 inches in length, 3 ounces in
weight (movement in arms/legs)
• 4 months: 6 inches, weighs 4-7 ounces
(growth spurt in lower body)
• 5 months: 12 inches, weight is close to a
pound (structures of skin formed)
• 6 months: 14 inches in length, weigh 2-2.5
pounds (fetus is viable)
(Santrock, 2009, 81)

5. Fetal Period Continued
• 7 months: 16 inches long, weight is 3 pounds
• 8-9 months: fatty tissues develop and the
fetus grows longer.
– weight is around
7 pounds
(Santrock, 2009, 81)

6. Brain
• Most significant development during prenatal
period is brain development
• At birth, baby has around 100 billion neurons
• Neurons spend most of their developmental
period moving to the right location
• First 2 trimesters: basic structure is developed
• Last trimester: neurons connect and begin
processing information
(Santrock, 2009, 81)

7. Infancy
Birth - 2 years
• Average weight for newborn: 7.5 pounds
• Average length: 20 inches long
• Gain an average of 5-6 ounces per week
• Grow an inch per month during the first year
• 2 years old: weight approximately 26-32 pounds
• 32-35 inches in height
(Santrock, 2009, 116)

8. • Cephalocaudal
– Earliest growth occurs at the top
– Physical growth of features from top to bottom
• Proximodistal
– Growth starts at center of body and moves
towards extremities.
– Ex: control trunk and arms before hands and
fingers
(Santrock, 2009, 115)

9. Brain Development
• Approximately 100 billion neurons
• EEG shows spurt in brain activity between 1.5-
2 years related to infant’s capacity for
conceptualization and language (pg. 117)
• Deprived environment=depressed brain
activity
(Santrock, 2009, 117)

10. Gross Motor Skills
• Involve large-muscle movements such as
walking
• Posture is basis for gross motor skills (it is
learned)
• Start walking between 11 and 15 months
(Santrock, 2009, 129)

11. Fine Motor Skills
• Involve small movements such as using
silverware or grasping a toy
• 2 types of grasps
– Palmar: grip with whole hand
– Pincer: grasp with thumb and forefinger (end of
first year)
(Santrock, 2009, 132)

12. Early Childhood
2-5 years
• 5-7 pound weight increase
• 2.5 inches height increase
(Santrock,2009,211)

13. Height Changes
• Genetics = strong influence
• Nutritional, hormonal, delayed puberty
• Boys & Girls grow at different rates
• Proper nutrition: Fruits, vegetables, dairy
regulate healthy growth, does NOT increase
growth.
(Santrock, 2009, 211)
(kidshealth.org, 2011)

14. Weight Changes
• Age 3, 4lb weight gain
• Childs appetite changes
• Diet dictated by parent
(livestrong.com, 2011)
(Santrock, 2009, 213)

15. Physical Development
• Engaging activity:
1hr. each day
• More active by age 4
• Appropriate
activities: Park play
structure, swings, cli
mbing structures
(kidshealth.org, 2011)
(cdc.gov, 2011)

16. Physical Development Cont.
• Brain develops
• Motor skills develop,
(Gross & Fine)
• Gross Motor Skills =
large-scale movements
(walking, jumping,
running)
• Fine Motor Skills =
articulated movements
(tie-shoes, solve puzzles)
(Santrock, 2009, 212)

17. Middle/Late Childhood
6-11 years
• 2-3 inches per year
• 5-7 pounds a year
– Mostly due to muscular and skeletal change
• Muscle mass increase, children double their
strength
• Head circumference decreases in size
• Waist decreases in size
(Santrock, 2009, 283)

18. Physical Performance
• Exercise is crucial in development
• Physical action helps to refine developmental
skills
• Regular physical activity in childhood and
adolescence improves strength and
endurance, helps build healthy bones and
muscles, helps control weight, reduces anxiety
and stress, increases self-esteem
(Santrock, 2009, 284)
(Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 2010)

19. Adolescence
10-21 years
• Puberty: rapid physical maturing
• Growth spurt about 2 years earlier for girls
than boys
– During this, girls height increases about 3.5 inches
per year, boys about 4 inches per year
(Santrock, 2009, 356)

20. Brain
• Significant structural development
– Connection between left and right hemisphere
thickens- improves ability to process information
• Pre-frontal cortex not fully developed- cannot
control passions (anger)
(Santrock, 2009, 360)

21. Early Adulthood
20-30’s
• According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention its was found that the
prevalence of obesity in the U.S. adults 20
years of age and older increased from 19% in
1997 to slightly above 25% in 2005.
• Possible reasons for obesity include:
heredity, leptin, set
point, metabolism, environmental
factors, gender, and personal lifestyle choices
during college years. (Santrock, 2009, 420-421)

22. Physical Performance
• Physical peak is between the ages 19-26
• Begin to decline in physical performance
• Around 30, changes are seen, such as muscle
tone and strength declining, sagging
chins, protruding abdomens, lessening of
physical abilities, the lens of the eye looses
some of it’s elasticity and it’s less able to
change shape and focus on near
objects, hearing declines, and body’s fatty
tissue beings to increase
(Santrock, 2009, 420-421)

23. Middle Adulthood
mid 30’s-60’s
• Loose height in middle age
– Due to bone loss in vertebrae
• Average height loss:
– Men: lose an inch between 30-50, and between 50-70
– Women: lose as much as 2 inches from 25-75
• Obesity increases the probability that an
individual will suffer multiple ailments, among
them being hypertension, diabetes, and digestive
disorders (being overweight increases risk of
dying at an earlier age)
(Santrock, 2009, 477)

24. Physical Performance
• Muscle Loss: 1-2% per year past the age of 50
– Mainly occurs in back of legs
• Exercise can reduce the decline involved in
sarcopenia.
(Santrock, 2009, 477)

25. Late Adulthood
mid 60’s-death
• Men and women become shorter
• Experience under nutrition which can lead to
harmful weight loss
• Under nutrition
– Vitamin and mineral deficiency
– Role of calorie restriction in improving health and
extending life
(Santrock, 2009, 548)

26. Physical Performance
• Older adults start to move slower to the point
that this slowing occurs for movements with a
wide range of difficulty. Ex: every day activities
(reaching and grasping)
(Santrock, 2009, 548)

27. Reference
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010).
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/YouthActivity/
• Kids Health. (2011). http://kidshealth.org
• Kids Health. (2011). Retrieved from
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growth/growth_2_to_3.html#cat1
62
• How much physical activity do children need? (March 2011). Retrieved
from
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/children.html
• Kids Health. (2011). Retrieved from
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growth/growth_4_to_5.html#cat162
• Santrock, J. W. (2009). Life-span development. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Donner, Ed. (March, 2011). The Normal Weight & Height for a 4-year old.
Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/114716-normal-weight-
height-4yearold/