1. Nutrition and Sleep Discuss the pattern of sleep and types of sleep that are typical for infants in the first two years.Describe cultural differences in bed-sharing or co-sleeping with infants, and how the choice to bed-share might be risky. What choices do you think you will make when you are a parent (or, if you are a parent what did you choose), and what are the pros and cons of that choice? What is the role of nutrition in infant development? What are some possible impacts of malnutrition in infancy? Breast feeding is ideal when it is possible. What are some possible barriers to breastfeeding in the US in the 21^st century? Be sure to consider the realities of everyday life and work, and different types of work situations in your answer. The Reality of Pumping at WorkLinks to an external site. A personal take on working & breastfeedingLinks to an external site.
2. Basic motor skills start as reflexes and develop over time, through interactions with the environment. Discuss the differences between gross and fine motor skills, and the sequences that they follow as they develop. Give an example of gross motor skills and discuss how operant conditioning could play a role in mastering that skill. Do the same for an example of fine motor skills. (TIP: review operant conditioning in Topic Talk).
3. Describe and give original examples of each of the language milestones that occur between 2 months of age and 2 years. After working through the I-LABS module at this link: iLABS Language Development ModuleLinks to an external site. you'll have an understanding of how infants are 'taking statistics' as they listen to us talk. What is meant by this? Why is it important in the development of language? Many people think that it's better to speak to infants like they are adults, some even think that speaking slowly, with emphasis is harmful. What can you tell them about infant-directed speech to help them understand infant language exposure? What else have you learned about infant language development from the resources (I-LABS, videos) in this module?
4. Share your understanding of Piaget's theory, and the sensorimotor stage (no need to describe every substage, just explain the big picture) and the critiques of his theory. In addition, explain what you learned about infant memory, and stretch to analyze how our current understanding of infant memory shows the limitations of Piaget's theory.
5. Describe the three dimensions of temperament discussed in the Topic Talk (and/or classroom lecture). Explain how all three are present in all children, and how we know that they have biological origins. Imagine that you are educating a class of new parents about attachment, and describe the signals that indicate early attachment (before 8 months) and those that unfold as classic secure attachment becomes evident. Be sure to give original examples of the indicators. What does the research on attachment tell us about the relationship of caregiver behaviors to infant attachment - discuss specific caregiver behaviors as they impact different attachment styles. What are some ways that temperament can affect attachment?
6. Complete the I-LABS module at this link: The Importance of Early InteractionsLinks to an external site., and watch the video below on 'serve and return'. Using the information you gleaned from both sources discuss the key features that are important in caregiver-child interactions, the role of synchrony, and why each key feature matters.

7. The absence of synchrony is neglect, and ongoing neglect affects brain and physical development as well as the psychological and social development of the infant. After watching this video on neglect, identify the four types of unresponsive care and provide examples, and discuss the difference between occasional, probably harmless unresponsiveness and harmful levels of unresponsive care.