Individual Life Cycle - Humble Independent School District



Individual Life Cycle

I. Individual Life Cycle is a description of the stages of change people experience throughout life. The stages are age related. Although exact ages for a specific person may vary, average ages are given.

A. Prenatal Stage: begins at conception and ends at about 9 mos. later or birth. The rate of growth is the fastest it will ever be in life. A single cell grows into a complete organism.

B. Neonatal Stage: From birth through the second week of life. The baby physically adapts to life outside of the mother’s body. Examples of changes: gravity, sound, light, noise, smells, eating, eliminating wastes, crying, etc.

C. Infancy Stage: begins at 2 weeks and ends about first birthday (12 mos.) The infant develops the foundation for motor skills, thinking and language and social skills.

D. Toddler Stage: 12 mos. (1st birthday) through 36 mos. (3rd birthday). During this stage the child continues to develop thinking, motor and language skills. They also begin to test their independence.

E. Preschool Stage: begins at 3 years and ends at the 6th birthday. During this time the child becomes more self-sufficient, spends many hours in play exploring the physical and social world, and develops a rather stable self-concept.

F. School Age child: 6 years to 12 years. The child masters academic skills, social interaction and self control.

II. Two main factors that influence Growth and Development are heredity and environment.

Heredity - Traits are passed to a child from blood relatives. Some traits are constant throughout life like eye-color. Other traits affect growth and development like facial features, mental ability and emotional traits. Sometimes, heredity provides potential. An individual must work to achieve their potential. Also they must have the proper nourishment and rich environment to achieve their potential.

Environment is determined by food and rest, relationships with others and everything a person hears, smells, tastes, sees. Babies’ brains develop at a slower rate if no one holds or talks to them. Conversely children that receive attention, physical activity and many chances to learn, develop to their fullest potential.

Neither environment nor heredity is more important than the other. The two factors are intertwined and dependent on each other.

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