WJEC GCSE Health and Social Care, and Childcare

1.1 Human development across the life cycle Keypoints Life stages: Human growth and development happen in stages. The five main human life stages are: Infancy (0–2 years) Childhood (3–12 years) Adolescence (13–19 years) Adulthood (20–64 years) Later adulthood (over 65 years). Intellectual development: Social development: Social development is about the relationships we develop with others, learning the culture of society and how to communicate. Language development and play are important for social development during childhood. Parents and close family members socialise us during infancy and childhood. Friendships and peer groups are important sources of social development during adolescence. Adult social relationships are concerned with trying to find a balance between the competing demands of work, family and friends. Emotional development: Definitions: Physical growth refers to an increase in physical size (mass and height). Human development refers to the emergence and increase in sophistication of skills, abilities and emotions. Physical growth and development: Human growth and development follow quite a predictable pattern with change occurring in each life stage. Physical growth is rapid in infancy, early childhood and adolescence. Sexual maturity is reached as a result of puberty during adolescence. Physical change and then decline occurs during adulthood and later adulthood. Physical skills and abilities continuously develop and change throughout life. Emotional development affects a person’s feelings and emotions. Establishing a secure attachment relationship during infancy is vital for emotional development. Understanding and controlling emotions is a key developmental challenge during childhood. Developing a personal identity, self-awareness and understanding sexuality are developmental challenges during adolescence and early adulthood. 1 2 3 4 5 Intellectual development affects a person’s ability to think and understand. Memory, language skills and moral judgement are all affected by intellectual development. Intellectual abilities change in each life stage. Thinking ability, intelligence and memory are not affected by normal ageing, though some people develop dementia-related conditions in older adulthood. Summary 74