Human Development and Family Studies: Principles, Milestones and Family Life Cycle
What this domain covers
This domain tests development across the life span - infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age - together with the family as an institution: its types, functions and life-cycle stages.
Core concepts
- Growth versus development: growth is quantitative and measurable (height, weight); development is qualitative and progressive (language, reasoning, social skill).
- Principles of development: it is continuous and lifelong, sequential (each stage builds on the last), follows the cephalocaudal direction (head control before trunk control) and the proximodistal direction (arm movements before finger dexterity), and shows individual differences because heredity and environment interact.
- Milestones to know: social smile around 2 months; head control around 3–4 months; sitting with support 6 months; sitting without support 8 months; standing with support 9–10 months; walking alone 12–15 months; 10–20 words and scribbling at 18 months; running and two-word phrases at 2 years.
- Adolescence: puberty with secondary sexual characters, rapid growth spurt, peer influence, quest for identity, and the need for iron, calcium and protein.
- Family: nuclear, joint and extended; functions - reproduction, economic, socialisation, emotional support, protection. Duvall's life-cycle stages run from the beginning family to the ageing family.
Worked example
A 20-month-old speaks only three words and does not point at objects. Delay or not? Reasoning: at 18–24 months, 10–20 words and pointing to show interest are expected. Three words with no pointing is a red flag for hearing or language delay, so the child should be referred for a hearing assessment - not simply reassured that boys talk late.
Traps
- Using growth and development as synonyms.
- Assuming early walking signals higher intelligence.
- Placing a couple with a newborn in the wrong life-cycle stage.