Birth to three matters - Communities and Local Government

ejection – when it is primary – is quitelikely to be expressed in rough,hostilefeeding patterns which lead to phobicavoidance (food aversion) on the part ofthe child.’A baby who is abused may also show signsof ‘hyperalertness, hyperarousal, andnumbing’ according to Davies (1999: 118).As discussed earlier in the section on braindevelopment, the neural pathways whichcontrol these aspects of self-regulation willbe strengthened through high levels ofuse. Further, Perry (1994) suggests that asa result of constantly expecting danger,the constraint and emotional impairmentinvolved will also have a negative effecton a child’s cognitive development.In young children a failure to gain weightcommensurate with height (thus fallinglow on a centile scale) might be a sign ofa child’s distress. As with most of the signsand symptoms of child abuse, carefulinterpretation tempered with experienceis essential (David 1993; 1993a).PHYSICAL WELL-BEINGGrowing bodies:gaining control andacquiring physical skillsBa by It’s Yo u, by Ka rm i l o f f - Smith (1994)is a text and photog raphic acco u nt ofc h i l d re n’s deve l o p m e nt during the firstt h ree years in En g l a n d, p rod u ced toa c co m p a ny a te l evision series of the samen a m e. Th e re is not the space in this rev i ewto cover phys i cal deve l o p m e nt in the samed e t a i l , so as well as dire cting readers tot h at book and others, this chapter signalsup the significa nt po i nts in phys i cal grow t hin these earliest years and indicate sex pe ri e n ces which, a c co rding to re s e a rc h ,seem to enhance or co n s t rain healthybod i ly deve l o p m e nt. In part i c u l a r, t h ea d e p t n e s s, capabilities and dete rm i n at i o na s s oc i ated with babies and young childre nas they seek to satisfy their curi o s i ty andt a ke part in family life, will be stre s s e d.In the first few hours after birt h , a d re n a l i nl evels are higher than those of someones u f fe ring a heart attack – this is a nat u ra l‘s a fe ty measure’ to help the baby co pe withthe trauma of being bo rn and to ensure allthe baby’s bod i ly org a n s, n ow funct i o n i n gi n d e pe n d e nt ly for the first time, do soe f fe ct i ve ly. Fo l l owing this bout of higha ro u s a l , the baby will sleep, and sleepbe comes the main pre oc c u p at i o n ,fo l l owe dby fe e d i n g, for the early weeks of life.Babies are bo rn with re f l exe s, p hys i ca la ctions which occur auto m at i ca l ly, most ofwhich will fo rm the basis for later phys i ca la b i l i t i e s. He a ring is almost as sensitive ast h at of an adult and babies are usuallys oothed by the familiar sounds they heardwhile in the womb (mother’s vo i ce,m o t h e r’s heart be at, familiar music, e tc ).Their vision is less acute howeve r, l i m i te dto about a metre away and with a distanceof 20 to 25 cm their best foc u s. New bo rnbabies are at t ra cted to moving objects andt h ey seem to arri ve with a simple ‘m od e l’of the human face, to which they are alsoat t ra cted (Davies 19 99 ; Ka rm i l o f f - Sm i t h1994 ). Th ey also be come ve ry adept atre cognising facial ex p ressions and tone of123