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Child Development - A Thematic Approach
, Fifth Edition
Danuta Bukatko - College of the Holy Cross
Marvin W. Daehler - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
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| | Glossary Terms
A | B |
C | D | E |
F | G | H |
I | J | K |
L | M | N |
O | P | Q |
R | S | T |
U | V | W |
X | Y | Z
Catch-up growth
Increase in growth rate after some factor, such as illness or poor nutrition, has disrupted the expected, normal growth rate.
Cephalocaudal development
Pattern in which organs, systems, and motor movements near the head tend to develop earlier than those near the feet.
Failure to thrive
Label applied to any child whose growth in height or weight is below the third percentile for children of the same age.
Glial cells
Brain cells that provide the material from which myelin is created, nourish neurons, and provide a scaffolding for neuron migration.
Hormones
Chemicals produced by various glands that are secreted directly into the bloodstream and can therefore circulate to influence cells in other locations of the body.
Lagging-down growth
Decrease in growth rate after some factor, such as a congenital or hormonal disorder, has accelerated the expected, normal growth rate.
Lateralization
Process by which one hemisphere of the brain comes to dominate the other, for example, processing of language in the left hemisphere or of spatial information in the right hemisphere.
Menarche
First occurrence of menstruation.
Myelin
Sheath of fatty cells that insulates and speeds neural impulses by about tenfold.
Neuron
Nerve cell within the central nervous system that is electrochemically designed to transmit messages between cells.
Norms
Measures of average values and variations in some aspect of development, such as physical size and motor skill development, in relation to age.
Plasticity
Capacity of immature systems, including regions of the brain and the individual neurons within those regions, to take on different functions as a result of experience.
Proximodistal development
Pattern in which organs and systems of the body near the middle tend to develop earlier than those near the periphery.
Puberty
Developmental period during which a sequence of physical changes takes place that transforms the person from an immature individual to one capable of reproduction.
Reflex
Involuntary movement in response to touch, light, sound, or other form of stimulation; controlled by subcortical neural mechanisms.
Rhythmical stereotypies
Repeated sequences of movements, such as leg kicking, hand waving, or head banging, that have no apparent goal.
Secular trend
Consistent pattern of change over generations.
Skeletal maturity
Extent to which cartilage has ossified to form bone; provides the most accurate estimate of how much additional growth will take place in the individual.
Spermarche
The first ejaculation of sperm by males entering puberty.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Sudden, unexplained death of an infant or a toddler as a result of cessation of breathing during sleep.
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