ADOLESCENT GROWTH AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT

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• ADOLESCENT GROWTH AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
• Larry D. Isaacs

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10.1 DEFINING ADOLESCENCE

• Most frequently, adolescence has been defined as
  a transitional period between childhood and
  adulthood.
• According to the World Health Organization,
  adolescence would be expected to occur between
  the chronological ages of 10 to 18 years.
• A more realistic global chronological age range
  would be in the vicinity of 8 to 19 years of age
  for girls and between 10 to 21 years of age for
  boys.

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10.2 THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM HORMONAL INFLUENCES
ON AGENTS OF BIOLOGICAL CHANGE

• The hallmark of pubertal initiation is the
  appearance of gonadotropin releasing hormone
  (GRH)
• It is the hypothalamus - pituitary - gonadal
  axis which is responsible for most of the
  biological hallmarks associated with adolescence.

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10.3 SOMATIC PATTERNS OF CHANGE IN BODY SIZE AND
IMPLICATION FOR MOTOR PERFORMANCE

• Stature
• One of the most profound somatic changes to occur
  during adolescence is the rapid acceleration in
  stature.
• Brought about by the many hormonal changes
  described earlier, this 2.5- to 3-years of rapid
  growth is referred to as the adolescent growth
  spurt.

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• The term adolescent awkwardness has been used to
  refer to a period during the growth spurt
• peak height velocity (PHV) maximum rate of
  growth in height that is accompanied by a
  temporary disruption in motor performance

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Weight

• Adolescence can bring about dramatic increases in
  body weight .
• During the first 3 years of this period, boys add
  about 20 kilograms to their body weight and girls
  add about16 kilograms,

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• Body mass index (BMI)
• This measure is valuable because it is related
  to body fatness and future health risks,
  including increased incidence of cardiovascular
  disease, diabetes, hypertension ,
  hypercholesterolemia, and certain cancers .
• BMI cannot be used to determine percentage of
  body fat.

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• Body Proportions
• During adolescence not all body
  segments growth at the same velocity nor do they
  grow in an absolute comparative manor.
• The comparison of biacromial breadth
  (shoulder width) to bicristal breadth (hip
  width).
• Changes in sitting height (trunk length) as
  a ratio with stature
• Arm length also appears to influence motor
  performance.

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• Muscular Strength Development
• prior to puberty boys are about 10 percent
  stronger than girls ?
• Gender differences in muscular strength become
  most apparent after puberty
• During this time of development, boys become
  leaner and young girls begin to develop more body
  fat.

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10.4 DETERMINING DEVELOPMENTAL AGE AND
MATURATIONAL STATUS

• Developmental age, however, is by far a better
  indicator of maturity than is chronological age.
• A set of predictable physiological parameters
• Skeletal age -the most widely accepted assessment
  procedure for determining stage of maturation

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• Age of menarche is an important event useful for
  estimating level of maturation, even though the
  event does not generally occur until relatively
  late in puberty.
• Genitalia development is an ancillary method for
  rating level of biological maturation.

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• Maturation Interrelationship with Motor
  Performance
• Researchers recognize that physically advanced
  people generally perform selected motor tasks
  more proficiently than their less mature
  counterparts.
• Early maturation, with its concomitant size and
  strength advantages, constitutes an asset
  positively associated with success in several
  sports

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• Once the late-maturing person has reached a state
  of postpubescent development, he is generally
  larger and has more athletic success simply
  because he has had a longer growth period.

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THANKS