Physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children from prenatal development through age three.
Athena Title
Infant and Toddler Development
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HDFS 3900E
Prerequisite
HDFS 2950 or HDFS 2950E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will acquire basic knowledge and recognition of the theories and principles of infants’ physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Students will understand the interaction between biological and environmental factors that shape growth and development through age three.
Students will gain awareness about infants with variable developmental trajectories.
Students will articulate the ways in which context and culture contribute to child development and recognize diverse cultural values that parents and families have for developing infants.
Students will describe developmentally appropriate caregiving in infancy.
Students will obtain skills in observing, recording, analyzing, and using data gathered from and about infants.
Students will develop abilities in critical thinking through multiple modalities (e.g., reading, presentation, and group discussions) to become an educated consumer of scientific information about prenatal and infant development.
Topical Outline
Historical and contemporary perspectives on infant development
Sociocultural contexts of infant development
Prenatal development
Birth and the newborn
Physical and motor development
Brain development
Cognitive and language development
Social/Emotional development
Parenting and caregiving
Diverse developmental characteristics and pathways in prenatal development and infancy
Topics specific to infancy (may include):
a. Attachment
b. Nursing and nutrition
c. Sleep
d. Maternal and child health
e. Prenatal risks
f. Parental leave
