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Part One Personal Development
Physical Therapy Aide
Physical therapy aides
work on health teams
with doctors, nurses, and
physical therapists. They help
physical therapists provide
patients with treatment
designed to improve mobility,
relieve pain, and prevent or
lessen physical disabilities.
Physical therapy aides work
in hospitals, rehabilitation
centers, and schools for the
physically challenged.
1-4
Muscle development allows strength in boys to double between the ages of
12 and 16.
A boy also undergoes many physical changes during
puberty. He grows rapidly in height, his neck thickens
and broadens, his shoulders widen, and his waist
narrows. His muscles develop rapidly, and his strength
virtually doubles between the ages of 12 and 16. See 1-4.
His vocal cords lengthen, causing squeaks as his voice
deepens. Hair appears on his body, especially on his face
and in the pubic region.
Physical growth is hardly noticeable in adulthood.
Adults rarely grow in height, although they often gain
weight. The body of an adult works to maintain itself
rather than to grow in size.
Your response to your physical growth affects your
personality development. You may be taller, shorter,
heavier, or thinner than the average person. You may have
reached physical maturity earlier or later than others. If
you can accept your physical traits and growth pattern,
this will have a positive effect on your personality.
Intellectual Growth
You inherit your potential for intelligence. However, all people
grow differently in this area. Your intellectual growth is based on
your environment and your response to that environment.
Child development research indicates that the early
years of a baby’s life are especially important to the baby’s
intellectual growth and development. Parents can provide
an intellectually stimulating environment for their babies
by cuddling them, talking to them, playing with them,
and reading to them.
Environment can also influence intellectual growth
through motivation. A person of average intelligence
can study and work hard to become knowledgeable
and successful. A person born with a high potential for
intelligence can fail to be motivated and thus never
attain his or her full intellectual potential.
Environment can influence intellectual growth
in other ways, too. Eating well-balanced meals,
getting adequate rest, and staying active can help