Human development occurs throughout the lifespan, from conception through old age. It includes physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional changes. Development follows general principles - it is relatively orderly, varies between individuals, and takes place gradually through the interaction of biological, cognitive, and social processes. Approaches to development include the traditional view that most occurs by adulthood and the lifespan view that development continues throughout life in a multi-dimensional, plastic, and contextual manner focused on growth, maintenance, and regulation. Principles of child development state that all domains are interrelated, development proceeds at varying rates and is shaped by both nature and nurture through sensitive periods.

1. Basic Concepts and
Issues on Human
Development
EDUC 21 – Child and Adolescent
Development
Ferdinand C. Importado

2. Human Development
• Human development is the pattern
of movement or change that begins
at conception and continues through
the life span.
• It includes growth and decline.
• Development can be positive or
negative.

3. Some Major
Principles of Human
Development

4. Principle 1
Development is relatively orderly.

5. Proximodistal pattern
The muscular growth of
the trunk and the arms
comes earlier as
compared to the hands
and fingers.

6. Cephalocaudal pattern
During infancy, the greatest growth always occurs at the top –
the head – with physical growth in size, weight and future
differentiation gradually working its way down from top to
bottom.

7. Principle 2
While the pattern of
development is likely to be
similar, the outcome of
developmental process and the
rate of development are likely
to vary among individuals.

8. Principle 3
Development takes place gradually.

9. Principle 4
Development as a process is
complex because it is the
product of biological,
cognitive and socio-emotional
process.

10. Biological
Involves changes in the
individual’s physical nature.

11. Cognitive
Involves changes in the
individual’s thought,
intelligence, and language.

12. Socio-emotional
Includes changes in the individual’s relationship with other
people, changes in emotions, and changes in personality.

13. Approaches to Human Development

14. Traditional
Human development shows extensive change from birth to
adolescence, little or no change in adulthood and decline in the
late old age.

15. Life-span
Human development occurs al throughout the life-span of an
individual.

16. Characteristics of
Life-span
Development

17. Life-long
It does not end by
adulthood and no
development stage
dominates the
development.

18. Multi-dimensional
Development consists of
biological, cognitive, and socio-
emotional dimensions.

19. Plastic
Development is
possible throughout the
life-span.

20. Contextual
Individuals are changing beings in a changing world.

21. Growth, maintenance and regulation
These are considered goals
in that varies in every
developmental change.

22. Principles of Child Development and
Learning that Inform Practice

23. All the domains of development and learning (physical, social,
emotional and cognitive) are important and closely-related.

24. Many aspects of children’s
learning and development follow
well documented sequences, with
later abilities, skills, and
knowledge building on those
already acquired.

25. Development and
learning proceed at
varying rates from
child to child, as well
as at uneven areas
across different areas
of a child’s individual
functioning.

26. Development and
learning result from a
dynamic and continuous
interaction of biological
maturation and
experience.

27. Early experiences have
profound effects
(cumulative and
delayed) on a child’s
development and
learning; and optimal
periods exist for certain
types of development
and learning to occur.

28. Development proceeds toward
greater complexity, self regulation,
and symbolic or representational
capacities.

29. Children develop best when they have secure, consistent
relationships with responsive adults and opportunities for
positive relationship with peers.

30. Development and learning
occur in and are influenced
by multiple social and
cultural contexts.

31. Always mentally active in seeking
to understand the world around
them, children learn in a variety of
ways; a wide range of teaching
strategies and interactions are
effective in supporting all these
kinds of learning.

32. Play is an important vehicle
for developing self-regulation
as well as promoting
language, cognition and social
competence.

33. Development and learning
advance when children are
challenged to achieve at a
level just beyond their
current mastery, and also
when they have many
opportunities to practice,
newly acquired skills.

34. Children’s experiences shape their
motivation and approaches to learning
such as persistence, initiative, and
flexibility; in turn, these dispositions
and behaviors affect their learning and
development.