Growth and development is a continuous process from conception through adulthood. Growth refers to physical maturation and increases in size, while development is the functional and physiological maturation. There are predictable patterns and sequences of development, such as from head to tail and simple to complex skills. However, individual children develop at different rates due to genetic and environmental factors. Understanding growth and development principles helps nurses provide appropriate care for children.

2. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

3. INTRODUCTION
• The process of growth and development starts
before the baby born i.e. From the conception in the
mothers womb.
• The period extends through out the life cycle , but
the principle changes from the conception to the
end of adolescence.
• Growth and development are closely interrelated.
• Each child has individualised pattern of
growth and development.

4. GROWTH
▶ This is the process of physical maturation.
▶ Refers to an increase in physical size of the
whole body and various organs .
▶ It occurs by multiplication of cells and an
increase in intracellular substance.
▶ It is a quantitative changes of the body.
▶ It can be measured in Kg, pounds, meters,
inches, etc.
▶ It is progressive and measurable phenomenon.

5. CHILD GROWTH (IMAGE: WHO)

6. CHANGES IN BODILY
PROPORTIONS WITH AGE

7. DEVELOPMENT
▶ It is the process of functional and physiological
maturation of the individual.
▶ It is progressive increase in skill and capacity to
function .
▶ it is related to maturation and myelination of the
nervous system, it includes psychological ,
emotional and social changes.
▶ It is qualitative aspect of maturation and difficult to
measure.
▶ It is orderly.

8. MATURATION
▶ It is an increase in competence and
changes in behaviour and ability to function
at a higher level depending upon the
genetic inheritance

9. IMPORTANCE OF GROWTH &DEVELOPMENT
FOR NURSES :
▶ To learn what to expect from a particular child
at particular age.
▶ To assess the normal growth and development
of children.
▶ Gaining better understanding of the reasons
behind illnesses.
▶ Helping in formulating the plan of care.
▶ Helping in parents’ education in order to achieve
optimal growth & development at each stage

10. STAGES OF GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
PRENATAL
Embryonic (Conception- 8
W) Foetal Stage (8-40 Or 42
W)
INFANCY
▶ Neonate
Birth To End Of1 Month
▶ Infancy
1 Month To End Of 1
Year

11. EARLY CHILDHOOD
▶ Toddler
1-3 Years
▶ Preschool
3-6 Years
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
▶ School age
6 to 12 years

12. LATE CHILDHOOD
▶ Adolescent
13 Years To Approximately
18 Years

13. FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
▶ The heredity of a man and women determined that
of a children.
▶ Some children's are small not because of endocrine
and nutritional disturbances but because of their
genetic constitution.
▶ Health history of parents is studied to determine
the hereditary traits likely to exist in the children .
HEREDITY OR GENETIC FACTORS

14. Sex :
▶ After birth the male infant is both longer and heavier than the
female infant.
▶ Boys maintain these superiority until about 11 years of age.
▶ Girls mature earlier , reach the period of accelerated growth
earlier than boys and are taller on the average , bone
development is more advanced in girls during prepubertal spurt
of growth and development.
▶ Earlier eruption of the permanent teeth in girls.

15. RACE AND NATIONALITY
▶Race : distinguishing characteristics called racial or subracial
development in prehistoric humans as too height , tall and
short.
▶Nationality : we think of physical characteristics of national
groups because the inhabitants of various nations
:

16. ENVIRONMENT
▶
PRENATAL ENVIRONMENT :
Prenatal environment is very important for intra uterine
development of the foetus ,particularly since the uterus shields the
foetus from the full impact of external adverse condition .
▶ HARMFUL PRENATAL FACTORS : The foetus may
Suffer from nutritional deficiencies when the mothers diet is
insufficient in quantity or quality.
▶ Mechanical problems may be present owing to malposition in
utero.

17. • Endocrine disturbances in mother affect the foetus.
• Erythroblastosis foetalis due to rh- incompatibility of blood
types of mother and foetus.
• Smoking or the use of certain drugs such as alcohol and
phenytoin may result in prematurity or deformity of the
child.

18. POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENT
:
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
:
CULTURAL INFLUENCES – cultural influences has A major role in the
pattern of growth and development.
• The effect of a particular culture on a child begins birth because
of the manner in which culture view and treats the members of
the pregnant women's family.
• The place to which mother deliver the baby also determined
by the culture .

19. ▪ After the birth ,the child is cared for according to the culturally
sanctioned pattern of child rearing .
▪ The child is fed the diet that is dictated , dressed in appropriate
clothing and given health care as defined by the culture.
▪ The child learns the language of the family and begins to
internalize the tracts and observations of cultural group.
▪ Ideals human values and disciplinary practices are learned
by children determined by there particular culture.

20. SOCIOECNOMIC STATUS OF THE FAMILY
• Environment of the lower socioeconomic group may be
less favourable than that of the middle and upper groups.
• Parents in financial circumstances are less likely to
understand the principles of modern scientific child care
,the principles of modern scientific child care ,they lack
money to buy the essential of health and diet and
,unwilling or unsure of how to obtain medical care and hospital.

21. NUTRITION -
• Nutrition is related to both the quantitative and
qualitative supply of food elements, proteins ,fats ,
carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins .
• If these essential nutrients are received in the balanced
amounts necessary to sustain life ,to promote growth and
development child is well nourished.
• The nutritional needs of the children's depends on the age,
sex, rate of growth and level of activity.
• During periods of rapid growth such as the prenatal period,
infancy, puberty and adolescent the need for protein and
calorie is increased.

22. CLIMATE AND SEASONS
• Climate variations influences the infants health .
• During the summer seasons ,children are more prone to suffer
from diarrheal diseases and cholera.
• The seasons of the year influences growth rates in height and
weight, especially in older children(weight gain are lowest in
spring and early summers) and greatest in late summer and
autumn.

23. DEVIATIONS FROM POSITIVE HEALTH-
• These may be caused by hereditary or congenital conditions
such as illness or injury and may result in altered levels of
growths and development.
▪ Hereditary or congenital conditions may contribute to
growth impairment or to an increase height .Conditions
causing shortened stature include various type of
dwarfism, turners syndrome and x y turner phenotype
among others.
▪ Long term are chronic illness of any type may have an
adverse effect on growth and development

24. ▪ Certainly illness like cystic fibrosis or malabsorption
syndrome may lead to growth retardation .
▪ Long term illness such as congenital cardiac anomalies or chronic
infections that are present during rapid growth period have A
temporary or permanent delaying effect on the achievement of
normal growth and development.

25. EXERCISE –
Exercise , there by increasing the circulation promotes
physiological activity and stimulates muscular development
favour growth and development.
Ordinal position in the family –
• The behaviour of parent towards and their expectations of
each child are different , yet predictable , according to the
child position in the family .
• The ordinal position of the child has a bearing on the
parent- child relationship and the child rearing practices
that are following.

26. ▪ The first born child may be raised rigidly and with anxiety
because less experience of the parents about child care ,
child develops perfectionistic personality than do the later
sibling and is more conforming ,intelligent and achievement
oriented .The first born may learn at an early age to control
and organize the behaviour of others.
▪ An only child is likely to develop more rapidly intellectually
than are children with siblings because constant
companionship with adult is mentally stimulating .An only
child may be dependent to others.

27. ▪ Motor development may be how because single children do not
have other siblings to lead them to various activities.
▪ The middle child many times get him attention from the parents
than does the first born ,especially .If their both dates are close
together. The child between the first born and the youngest
learn how to be adaptable and how to compromise traits that
will be valuable in adult life.

28. • The youngest child may be relatively slow in certain areas of
development because of finding little need for exploring the
unknown .They receives great deal of love and affection and
tends to develop A good natured,friendly, warm personality and
high self esteem .
▪ The youngest child in A family tends to be more oriented
,less intellectually inclined and less achievement oriented than
the older siblings.

29. INTERNAL ENVIROMENT :
Intelligence
It is correlated to somedegree of
Physical development ,that is the child of high intelligence is likely
to be taller and better developed than in the less gifted child
intelligence influence mental and social development.
Hormonal influences
All the hormones in the body affect growth in some manner
.Although three hormones such as somatotropin ,thyroid hormones
and

30. PRINCIPLES OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
1. Growth proceeds from the head down to the tail
or in cephalocaudal direction.
This is evident during the period of gestation and the first year of
gestation and the first year of life. Before birth , the head end of the
embryo and foetus enlarges and develops before the tail end does
.Postnatally the infant can control the movement of the head before
being able to stand or control the feet .

32. 2. Growth proceeds from the centre or midline of the body
to the periphery , or in a proximo-distal
During the prenatal period, the limb buds develop before
the rudimentary fingers and toes. During infancy , the large
muscles of the arms and legs are subject to voluntary control
earlier than are fine muscles of the hands and feet .

34. 3. Development depends on maturation and learning
Maturation refers to the sequential characteristics of
biological growth and development . the biological changes
occur in sequential orders and changes in the brain and
nervous system account largely for maturation.
These changes in the brain and nervous system help children
to improve cognitive abilities and motor skills.

36. 4. DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX.
• Children's development is from very broad , global pattern
of behaviour ,more specific. All areas of development physical ,
mental , social and emotional proceed in this direction

38. 5. Growth and development is continuous process.
As a child develops , he/she adds to the skill already
acquired and new skills become the basis for the further
achievements and mastery of skills.
E.G.; In motor development , there is a predictable sequence of
development that occur before walking. The infant lifts and turn
the head before he/she can turn over. Infant can move there
limbs before grasping an object.

40. 6. Growth and development proceeds from the general
to specific
As growth proceeds , child learn specific activities.
In motor development , the infant will be able to grasp
an object with the whole hand before using only the
thumb or forefinger.

41. 7. Principles of lack of uniformity on the development rate
• Development though continuous does not exhibit steadiness and
uniformity.
• In terms of the rate of development on various dimensions of
personality or in the developmental period and stages of life
Development usually starts showing almost no changes as one
time and a sudden spurt at another .

42. 8. Principle of predictability
Development in predictable ,which means that with the
help of the uniformity of the pattern and sequence of
development to a great extent, the general nature and
behavioural of A child in one or more aspects.
Eg :-1) with the knowledge of the development of the bones of a
child it in one or more aspects.
2) with in the knowledge of the bones of a child it is possible to

43. 9. Principles of interrelation
The various aspects or dimensions of ones growth and
development are interrelated .
A healthy body tends to develop a healthy mind and an
emotionally stables and socially consciousness personality.
Inadequate physical or mental development may on the other hand
result in a socially or emotionally maladjusted personality .

44. 10. THERE IS INDIVIDUALISED RATES OF GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
▶ Each child is different and the rates at which the individual
children growth is different from other child.
▶ Although the patterns and sequences for the growth and
development usually same for all, children reach developmental stages
will be different .
▶ There is a range of ages for any development task to take place
,this dismisses the Notion of the “average child ” .

45. ▶ Some children will walk at 10 months ,While others will walk at
18 months of age .
▶ Some children are more active while others are more
passive. Rates of growth and development are not uniform
with in an individual child.

46. CONCLUSION
The process of growth and development starts before
the baby born i.e. from the conception in the mothers womb the
period extends through out the lifestyle .The study of growth
and development is essential to the nurses to provide
appropriate care to the children.