WJEC GCSE Health and Social Care, and Childcare

Physical changes in puberty. Physical growth in childhood A child’s body changes noticeably in early childhood as they lose their baby shape and gradually develop the proportions of a small adult. Most children will experience a growth spurt in the middle part of childhood, though their rate of growth is slower in childhood than it was during infancy. It’s harder to notice children’s gradual physical changes until near the end of this life stage when puberty occurs. Physical growth and change in adolescence Puberty is the time when an adolescent’s body undergoes rapid growth and physical change. As well as an individual growing taller and heavier, the process of puberty results in sexual maturity when they are physically capable of sexual reproduction. A person has usually also achieved their adult height and body shape by the end of puberty. The table outlines a range of physical changes that boys and girls experience during puberty. Physical changes in boys Physical changes in girls Grow taller and heavier Grow taller and heavier Grow pubic, facial and underarm hair Grow pubic and underarm hair Penis and testes grow larger Develop breasts Shoulders and chest broaden and muscles develop Hips broaden and shape changes Voice ‘breaks’ or deepens Menstruation (periods) start Physical change in adulthood Early adulthood is when people commonly think of themselves as being ‘grown up’. A person’s fitness and physical abilities peak in early adulthood and then slowly decline as they age. For example, in the second half of early adulthood, from about 30 to 45 years, the amount of fatty tissue in a person’s body increases, they move more slowly and take longer to recover from their efforts. By the end of early adulthood, many people have also begun to lose their hair or go grey and will begin to see wrinkles developing around their eyes as their skin becomes less supple. Physical change becomes more obvious during middle adulthood. From about 45 to 65 years of age a person is likely to experience some or all of the following physical changes: • increasing and more obvious hair loss • reduced muscle mass • deteriorating eyesight • appearance of wrinkles as the skin loses elasticity • decline in fertility as sperm production diminishes (men) • an increase in weight. Growth spurt A period of accelerated physical change that occurs in mid- childhood and during puberty. Sexual maturity The point at which a person is biologically capable of sexual reproduction. Menopause The ceasing of menstruation and loss of fertility in women. Key terms Did you know? Menopause , or the ending of menstruation and the ability to produce children, is a physical change that occurs naturally in a woman’s body during middle adulthood. 16 1.1 Human development across the life cycle