Learning Resources

Note: Please read/view the following Required Resources in the order indicated below. You are required to view only the segments of the CD-ROM that are indicated in the Learning Resources. To view a segment on the CD-ROM, select the appropriate unit from the menu, then click on the segment title in the right-hand navigation bar. Please be aware that the developmental domains are referred to differently on the CD-ROM than they are in the course text (i.e., the biological realm is the same as the physical domain, and the psychosocial realm is the same as the social and emotional domain).

Required Resources

• Course Text: Martin, C. L., & Fabes, R. (2009). Discovering child development (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
  • Page 1: Introduction to Child Development
  • Chapter 1: Introduction to Child Development
  • • Pages 3–24
• CD-ROM: Development: Journey Through Childhood and Adolescence
      Important Note for Mac users: This CD-ROM runs on the “Classic” Operating System (System 9). If your Mac only runs OS X, please make arrangements to use a PC (or a Mac with “Classic” OS) in order to view the resources on this CD-ROM.
  • Unit 1: Studying Human Growth and Development
    • Learning Launch: Studying Human Growth and Development
    • Animation: The Building Blocks of Human Growth and Development
• Course Text: Discovering Child Development
  • Chapter 3: Biological Foundations of Development
    • Pages 63–64 (Read to “DNA: The Secret to Life”)
    • Pages 72–75 (Read from “How Do Genes and Environment Work Together?” to “What Are Common Chromosomal Abnormalities?”)
• CD-ROM: Development: Journey Through Childhood and Adolescence
• • Unit 3: Nature or Nurture? An Age-Old Question
  • • Learning Launch: An Age-Old Question
    • Animation: Nature or Nurture or Both?
    • Course Text: Discovering Child Development
    • • Chapter 4: Prenatal Development and Birth
        • Pages 89–90 (Read to “The Germinal Stage”)
        • Pages 96–107 (Read from “What Conditions Influence Pregnancy and Prenatal Development?” to “How Is a Baby Born?”)
        • Pages 118–124 (Read from “What Are the Characteristics of a Newborn?”)
           
           
    • CD-ROM: Development: Journey Through Childhood and Adolescence
    • • Unit 4: Beginnings
      • • Animation: The Embryonic Period: A Critical Period of Human Development
        • Video: Fetal Development: A Time of Maturation and Growth
            
           
    • Web Site: Zero to Three: Brain Development: Frequently Asked Questions
       
    • • “General Brain Development” (Read entire section)
      • “Prenatal Development” (Read entire section)
          
         
    • Online Reading: (PDF format)
        From Exploring Child Development (2nd ed.) by Richard Fabes and Carol Lynn Martin
          Published by Allyn and Bacon, Boston, MA. Copyright 2003 by Pearson Education. Used by permission of the publisher.
    • Optional Resources
      • Web Site: March of Dimes
            How Your Baby Grows—Month-by-month milestones in prenatal development and recommended prenatal care
            
        Web Site: Discovery Health: Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy: Month One
            Note: Click on the Video Search tab on the top right, then type in “Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy: Month One” in the search field. Once the video is found, select Play Clip.
         
        

Promoting Healthy Prenatal Development

During a healthy pregnancy, the womb provides a protective environment for the fertilized egg (or zygote) to develop into an embryo, and then into a fetus. This maturation process supports the unfolding of the genetic code that is specific to each individual. However, a child’s prenatal environment also has an impact on development. In fact, during this stage, certain adverse conditions may have a profound effect on the developing human being.

As you review pages 96–107 of the course text, think about the conditions that influence prenatal development. Consider the potentially significant impact these conditions may have on a child’s development in utero and beyond.

Select two of the conditions discussed in your course text that are of strong interest to you. (If you choose a protective factor, make the second an at-risk condition.) Think about how each might be addressed through advocacy and/or intervention. With this in mind:

By Day 3:

Post the following:

• A brief description of the two conditions you chose and why you chose them
• The potential impact of each condition on a child’s development
• Your views on the roles and/or responsibility of individuals and/or society to advocate for protective factors or to take action to prevent unhealthy development associated with at-risk conditions