Khalid and Sasha Nassar thought they wanted only one
biological child, but then Sasha learned she was pregnant even though the two
were not trying for another baby. Sasha was surely still quite able to have
children, and her work schedule was flexible enough that she could stay with
the new baby for some time. Khalid was thrilled and knew right away that he
wanted the child to be named Ahmad if it was a boy. He had fond memories of his
grandfather of the same name and wanted to carry on his family’s legacy. Sasha,
unaccustomed to Khalid’s assumption that they would name the child after
someone on his side of the family, grudgingly agreed. More recently, the two
had been having heated conversations about how to raise the children with
regard to religion. Khalid was a Muslim, and Sasha had been raised in a Lutheran
household – indeed, the fact that the two were together was quite unusual to
begin with. Now that they were raising children, these issues were raised
frequently. Khalid was clear that he wanted the children to be raised according
to Islam, and Sasha was not sure. In general, she was surprised at how strongly
Khalid felt about this issue, and she wondered if it had to do with the fact
that the new baby was a boy.
·
1) What are the typical developmental milestones
for the child in utero? Outline the
stages of pregnancy and the threats to optimal development at each stage. When
are teratogens most dangerous for the developing child?
· 2) Is there any published evidence to indicate that
children cared for by fathers during infancy fare any differently than those
cared for by mothers? Cite any evidence you can find from scholoarly resource
on child development.
· 3) Is it likely that Khalid’s hearing impairment
will be passed on to Ahmad? Granted, we do not know the exact nature of Khlaid’s
HI, but cite relevant literature to indicate under what circumstances (if any)
might HI be passed on to offspring.
DECISION POINT ::: How do Khalid and Sasha
resolve their differences around religion when it comes to raising their
children? What do they decide to do?
1) What are the typical developmental milestones for the child in utero? Outline the stages of pregnancy and the threats to optimal development at each stage. When are teratogens most dangerous for the developing child?
ReplyDelete• Four weeks-
o Baby is ¼ inch long
o Heart, digestive system, spinal cord, and backbone begin to form
o Placenta begins to develop
• Eight weeks
o Baby is 1 1/8 inches long
o Heart is functioning
o Eyes, nose, teeth, lips, tongue, and ears begin to form.
o Penis begins to appear in males.
• 12 weeks
o Baby is 2 ½ to 3 inches long
o Weighs an ½ to an ounce
o Baby begins to have a recognizable form
o Nails develop and earlobes are formed
o Arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes are fully formed.
o Developed most organs and tissues
o Eyes are almost fully developed.
o 10 weeks you can hear the baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler
• 4 months
o Weighs 6 to 7 ounces
o 6 ½ to 7 inches long
o Developing reflex such as sucking and swallowing. May begin sucking thumb
o Tooth buds developing
o Sweat glands forming on soles of hands and feet
o Fingers and toes well defined.
o Gender identifiable
o Skin is bright pink, translucent and covered with tiny hairs
• 5 months
o 8 to 10 inches long
o 1 pound
o Hair begins to grow on head
o Lanugo covers babies body. ( soft wooly hair)
o Internal organs are maturing
o Eyebrows, eyelids and eyelashes appear
• 6 months
o Baby is 11 to 14 inches long
o 1 ¾ to 2 pounds
o Eyelids begin to part and sometimes may open their eyes
o Skin covered with protective covering (vernix)
o Baby able to hiccup
• 7 months
o 14 to 16 inches long
o 2 ½ to 3 ½ pounds
o Taste buds developed
o Fat layers forming
o Organs maturing
o If born considered premature with intensive care
• 8 months
o 16 ½ to 18 inches
o 4 to 6 pounds
o Rapid brain growth. Crucial in brain developmental period
o Rapid overall growth
o Body organs developed except the lungs
o Kidneys mature
• 9 months (final month)
o 19 to 20 inches long
o 7 to 7 ½ pounds
o Lungs are mature
o Fully developed
o Is now lower in the abdomen ready for birth.
The first trimester is the first 1 to 12 weeks. Any threats to the system during this time could affect the development of the heart, digestive system, spinal cord, backbone, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes. Also most organs and tissues are developed during this time including the male genitals. Damage could also be caused to the nails and earlobes. The second trimester is 13 to 28 weeks. Any threats during this time could affect the developing of reflexes such as sucking and swallowing as well as the growth of hair including eyelashes. The third trimester are the final 7-9 months of the pregnancy. During this time there is rapid brain growth and is a crucial time for brain development. The maturation of the lungs and other organs during this time could be greatly affected with the threat of teratogens
Teratogens can do the most damage when they affect the growth of the neural tube closure (spinal cord) or any of the development associated with the central nervous system. Neural tube closure occurs at about 3.5 to 4 weeks into the pregnancy. The teratogens may affect the closure of this tube and cause the baby to have very severe malformations or issues with the central nervous system. The central nervous system is sensitive to teratogens throughout the entire pregnancy. Four to twelve weeks seem to be when the most internal organ development is occurring. Therefore any exposure to teratogens is very dangerous during this time.
• 2) Is there any published evidence to indicate that children cared for by fathers during infancy fare any differently than those cared for by mothers? Cite any evidence you can find from scholoarly resource on child development.
ReplyDeleteThere is little to no evidence that a child reared by a father vs a mother will fare much differently. The studies shown found that the biggest difference in how a child developed was reared comes from the lack of a presence of either parent. It is not the presence of one particular parent.
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/singpar.htm
According to a study done by the Ohio State University, there really is no difference between being raised by the father instead of the mother. The only difference that the researcher found was “We found that single-mother households didn’t promote verbal skills over quantitative skills, and single-father households didn’t promote quantitative skills over verbal skills,” (Downey & Grabmeier, 1998). Another study done by Dr. Linda D. Ladd, showed that fathers are actually essential in development. According to Ladd, “Men have a tendency to allow their infants more freedom to explore, which appears to support the development of independence in their children.”(2000). Also, “active fathers have children who score higher on tests of
verbal skills, in problem-solving tasks, and in social situations”(Ladd, 2000).
Downey, D., & Grabmeier, J. (1998, November). Single mothers, fathers equally successful at raising children. Retrieved January 19, 2012, from The Ohio State University: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/singpar.htm
Ladd, L. D. (2000, October). What Fathers Contribute to Child Development. Retrieved January 19, 2012, from Texas Agrilife Extension : http://fcs.tamu.edu/families/parenting/fathering/fathering_pdf/development.pdf
3) Is it likely that Khalid’s hearing impairment will be passed on to Ahmad? Granted, we do not know the exact nature of Khlaid’s HI, but cite relevant literature to indicate under what circumstances (if any) might HI be passed on to offspring.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the American Speech-Language-Hearing association, more than 50% of all hearing losses that are present at birth are caused by genetic factors. The three types of genetic hearing loss are autosomal-dominant, autosomal-recessive, and X-linked. In X-linked hearing loss, the mother passes the affected chromosome onto the child. Ahmad would not get this type of hearing loss from his father. In autosomal-recessive hearing loss, both parents carry the recessive gene for hearing loss and pass them onto the child. This could be the type of hearing loss that Khalid has. Often with autosomal-recessive hearing loss there is no indication before birth that a child will be born with hearing loss because there is no apparent family history due to the recessive nature of the gene. In autosomal-dominant hearing loss there is one parent who has the dominant gene for hearing loss and it is passed on to the child. While it is possible for autosomal dominant hearing loss to be passed from one parent alone, the probability of this happening is greater if both parents present with hearing loss.
If Khalid’s hearing loss is congenital, it is possible that he could pass the genes on to Ahmad via the autosomal-dominant or autosomal-recessive trait. It is more likely, however, that the hearing loss would not be passed on since Khalid’s hearing loss does not appear to be congenital. Since he was able to develop normal speech he probably did not have a hearing loss at birth, so his loss was acquired. This would indicate that his hearing loss is due to causes that are not genetic, such as ototoxic drugs, a childhood illness such as the chicken pox or measles that could have caused him to lose his hearing, or a serious ear infection as a child. It is also possible that Ahmad could present with a genetic congenital hearing loss unrelated to his father’s impairment.
American speech-language-hearing association. (2011, september 30). Retrieved Jan 18, 2011, from http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/causes.htm
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. (n.d.). Teratogens Overview. Retrieved January 19, 2012, from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford: http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/genetics/tover.html
Sutter Health. (n.d.). Fetal Development. Retrieved January 19, 2012, from Sutter Health: http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/babygrowth/fetaldev/bg_fetaldev-1.html
DECISION POINT ::: How do Khalid and Sasha resolve their differences around religion when it comes to raising their children? What do they decide to do?
ReplyDeleteThe couple decides to raise Ahmad Islam during his years until he is old enough to decide for himself, at which time they introduce him to his mother’s faith and give him the choice to make.