Describe the concept of ‘developmental programming’ and discuss why it is of increasing importance to population health.
INTRODUCTION:
This essay will describe the concept of developmental programming and the importance of it in population health. It will also provide recommendations on how the New Zealand health care system can incorporate the advice put forward from developmental programming into and neonatal prenatal care services. It is suggested that illnesses such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and many other chronic diseases are unnecessary, and resulted from changing patterns in human development (Barker, 2012).
DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING
The concept:
Developmental programming (figure 1) refers to the idea that adverse impacts on the foetal and neonatal environments can change the gene expression during the development and construction of major organs and tissue (Langely-evans, 2006). These changes could result in in many health consequences in adulthood, including chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease (Langely-evans, 2006).
Figure 1: The developmental programming hypothesis (Ozanne & Constância,2007)
History:
Epidemiologist, David Barker identified the concept of developmental programming using evidence derived from many historical studies. Barker observed in a British study that the “differences in rates of death from coronary heart disease in parts of England and Wales paralleled previous differences in death rates among new born
It is an important part of a practitioner’s job to observe and assess children in order to establish where a child is at with regards to their development, health and well being and if they require extra support. The factors that need to be taken into account when assessing development are:
Early childhood is the most important phase of development in one’s lifespan as the experiences during childhood sets the course for later stages of development. It has been noted that a mother’s actions during pregnancy may influence the development of an infant. The developmental influences include prenatal, perinatal and neonatal environments. (Santrock, 2002) Although babies come into the world with no say or control over which family they will be placed into, or the environment in which they will begin to live in, theorists agree that the first two years are crucial, with early emotional, physical and social development influenced by the infant’s biological and environmental factors (Sigelman, Rider, & De-George Walker, 2013). The
An evolutionary psychologist, like Kevin LaLand (2011) may discuss the importance of prenatal learning by discussing that “modern humans are not just primitive savages struggling to make psychological sense of an alien contemporary world.” The baby is genuinely trying to learn about the world it is going to enter. The baby relies on the clues the mother gives it through her diet and the environment in which she lives. Paul stated (2011), Hinting to the baby, by malnourishing it, that we live in a world of deprivation when we actually live in a world of plenty could have harsh adverse health effects.
In order to apply theories and models of child development to support children’s development we must get to know each individual child by building a good relationship with the children through play, communication and answering to their personal needs. Observation and assessment is also key so that we know what each child is capable of and what they are working towards/could be encouraged towards. Good communication with parents is also beneficial as it helps the carer to see what the child is doing at home and to identify if there are things they do or don’t do at nursery that is different from home. It also helps to work out ways of encouraging development at home and at nursery.
Learning Outcome: Understand the expected pattern of development for children and young people from birth - 19 years.
* Be able to provide routines for babies and young children that support their health and development.
Effective practice can support children’s well-being and development when looking at a child’s health and physical development. Effective practice means ‘About ensuring that all children get optimum benefit from their experiences in the EYFS. This apparently simple outcome can only be achieved when adults work together to get to know the children s that they can support their play, development and learning.’ (Early years’ matters,2017.) Children’s well-being means the quality of the child and how their life is, and to ensure that they child is happy, comfortable and stable throughout their everyday life. Children all develop at different stages, whether this is through additional needs or family issues or they might have a gap in there learning.
This assignment is intended to provide evidence of a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of children and young people’s development birth to 19 years. By completing all tasks within the assignment, the candidate will provide evidence that meets the Learning Outcomes and assessment criteria for Unit 022, Understand Child and Young Person Development.
Understand how to monitor children and young people’s development and interventions that should take place if this is not following the expected pattern.
* Physical Development through describing actions (which increases conscious control) and through talk about health and the factors which influence it.
Children develop in many ways including through physical activity, mental activity and interaction with others (Roode, 1). According to a January 2007 clinical
Development of a child have been a thing that most of the parents have been neglecting without noticing that it is very important in the development of a child’s character and social
Developmentally appropriate practice is based on knowledge about how children develop and learn, what is known about the needs of individual children in a particular group, and on knowledge of both the social and cultural contexts in which children live. (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997, pp. 8–9)
When you hear Child Development you think of Children and the way they’re raised. When in reality Child Development is way more than that. Child Development is the biological, physical, and emotional changes that occur between birth and the end of adolescence. Child development is a continuous movement with the child. Early Childhood programs promote child development in their curriculums which is based off of the child care center’s education philosophy.