Periods of Growth
The processes of growth and development make a child different from an adult; so a child is not a miniature adult. I wish to start in today’s issue by refreshing our knowledge on the different periods of growth.
The growth period is being divided into:
1. Prenatal Period and the approximate age is from 0-280 days
– ovum, corresponds to 0-14 days
Embryo is 14 days to 9 weeks
– fetus is from 9 weeks to birth
a. Early fetal life is the second trimester
b. Late fetal life is the third trimester
– premature infant refers to 27 weeks to 37 weeks by age
– Birth period , the average age is 280 days that is equivalent to 37-42 weeks
2. Postnatal growth period refers to:
– infancy this refers from birth to 2 years old
a. Neonate , the term given to the newborn or early infant and that is from the first 4 weeks after birth
– infancy middle or nursling, refers to the first year
– infancy ( transition, toddler or run- about, refers to the age 1-2 years
– Childhood Period is divided into 2:
a. Early childhood refers to the preschoolers that is the 2-6 years of age
b. Later childhood ( the school child) , 6-12 years old
– Adolescence corresponds to 10-18 years for girls
And12-20 years for boys
And this period is divided into 4 periods and these are:
a. Prepubescent period from 10-12 years for girls
12-14 years for boys
b. Pubescent, the adolescent proper
12-14 years for girls
14-16 years for boys
c. Puberty
The approximate age is 13 years old for girls and 15 years old for boys
d. Postpubescent, this period is now the late adolsecent or the youth period and the approximate age is 14-18 years for girls and 16-20 years for boys.
It is very important for us to know this different periods of growth since the anatomic, physiologic, psychologic and pathologic characteristics of a child are unique at various age levels.
So, by knowing this as we go along with our discussions regarding the pediatric population and we use this term it will be easy for us to understand and to correlate with.