Growth and Development

Growth and Development

Human growth is sensitively balanced complex of processes in which body structure, physiological function and emotion each plays its indispensable role and a disturbance or deficiency of one factor can seriously affects the others. The term growth, development and maturity often are used as synonymously but they are not identical. They are interdependent processes associated with the period from fertilization of ovum to maturity.  

Growth can be defined as permanent increase in the size and form mostly accompanied by increase in weight. It is the objective manifestation of hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the organic constituent tissues determined by pre-established hereditary factors. Exogenous factors, however, can also influence this phenotypic expression of organism heredity in form of growth. Tanner (1962) considers growth as ‘Form of motion’.

Growth is complex and highly integrated process and may be defined as the production of new biochemical units through biochemical and biological synthesis. In quantitative terms, growth is the increase in living substance or protoplasm and includes one or more three processes – cell multiplication, cell enlargement and incorporation of material taken from environment. Development can be defined as the qualitative aspects of growth.

The British medical dictionary defined the growth as the progressive development of a living being or part of the organisms from its earlier stage to maturity including the attendant increase in size. In the same dictionary development is defined as the series of changes by which individual embryo become a mature organism. Growth involves a series of changes, not just the addition of material to achieve in increase in size. These changes include a specialization of various parts of the body as a whole as well as in the forms of its individual organs and system. Material such as bone or fat is added, but other material is actually subtracted, e.g. the thyrus gland which is large in the childhood gradually decreases degenerates.

Growth times include the identical destruction and death of cells and tissues, which is programmed sometimes. Growth may be involve also substitution e.g. conversion of cartilage into bone. Growth of the whole living body and growth of its parts are distinguished because not all parts of the body grow at the same rate. Nor they all stop growing simultaneously. Further, the growth of one part may be controlled by the activity of another and the degree of control depends upon the development of the controlling part. The body does not, therefore, retain the same proportions throughout the period of growth and the relative weights and sizes of given tissues and organs do not remain constant.  This differential growth also implies movement of one part relative to another. Growth does not cease when maturity is attained e.g. the lining of alimentary tract is constantly removed and nearly every tissue and organ there is recurring cycle of the growth, death and replacement.

According to Webster dictionary; growth is to increase in size by addition of material either by assimilation into the living organism or by accretion in a non- biological process. According to Swatland it is an increase in height, length, girth, and weight that occurs when a healthy young animal is given adequate food, water, and shelter. Live weight is the most important and most commonly measured of these parameters and, if recorded at regular intervals, yields a simple growth curve.

Growth and development are two interlinked and simultaneous process. When a child is growing, he / she are also developing side by side. Changing structure and function in child are inseparable.

Development refers as increase in complexity of the animal system. To set forth or make clear by degrees or in detail; to cause to grow and differentiate along lines natural to its kind; to go through a process of natural growth, differentiation, or evolution by successive changes.

According to Swatland development is the sum of growth plus differentiation, where differentiation was isolated from its histological connotations and was defined as the process in which parts of an animal change in their relative proportions.

 Growth:

1.      It is physical change and increase in size.

2.      It can be measured quantitatively.

3.      Indicators of growth include height, weight, bone size, and dentition.

4.      Growth rates vary during different stages of growth and development.

5.      The growth rate is rapid during the prenatal, neonatal, infancy and adolescent stages and slows during childhood.

6.      Physical growth is minimal during adulthood.

Development:

1.      Is an increase in the complexity of function and skill progression.

2.      It is the capacity and skill of a person to adapt to the environment.

3.      Development is the behavioral aspect of growth.