Chapter Eight

1. Chapter Eight The Play Years: Biosocial Development

2. Physical Development in Early Childhood • Body Growth Slows • Shape becomes more streamlined • 3 inches in height per year • 4 1/2 pounds in weight per year • Nutrition • enough calories — not enough vitamins and minerals

3. Underlies rapidly expanding cognitive abilities by age 2, 75% of brain weight achieved by age 5, 90% of brain weight achieved pruning of dendrites has occurred Brain Development

4. Speed of Thought Myelination —axons become insulated with a coating of myelin, which speeds transmission of nerve impulses Corpus callosum — nerve fibers that connect the two halves of the brain Lateralization — specialization of the two sides of the brain Brain Development

5. Prefrontal cortex (or frontal lobe) is the final part of the human brain to reach maturity Until about age 3 or 4 Difficulty with impulse control and Perseveration are common Perseveration — the tendency to stick to a thought or action long after it is time to move on Planning and Analyzing

6. By age 6, children are ready for formal instruction Any impediments to normal growth of the brain can put academic achievement on shaky ground Educational Implications of Brain Development

7. Motor Skill Development in Early Childhood • Gross Motor Skills • Walking, running smoother • Catching, throwing, swinging, riding • Fine Motor Skills • Self-help: dressing, eating • Drawing

8. Progression of Drawing Skills • Scribbles – during 2nd year • First Representational Forms • Label already-made drawings – around age 3 • Draw boundaries and people – 3–4 years • More Realistic Drawings – preschool to school age • Early Printing – Ages 3–5

9. Serious Injuries Accidents are the most common cause of childhood death Primary prevention — overall background conditions are changed Secondary prevention — actions that avert harm in the immediate situation Tertiary prevention — actions taken to reduce the harm or prevent disability

10. An Example: Pedestrian Deaths Primary prevention: Better sidewalks, slower speeds, wider roads, longer traffic signals, etc. Secondary prevention: Improving car brakes, having school-crossing guards, having children walk with adults, etc. Tertiary prevention: Protective helmets, laws against hit-and-run driving, emergency room procedures, etc. Results show that these measures help to reduce unnecessary deaths Three Levels of Prevention, cont.

11. Child Maltreatment—intentional harm or avoidable endangerment to child child abuse—deliberate action that is harmful to child’s well-being child neglect—failure to meet child’s basic needs Changing Definitions of Maltreatment

12. Types of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, and educational Neglect twice as common as abuse failure to thrive hypervigilance Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Changing Definitions of Maltreatment, cont.

13. Reported maltreatment — 3 million per year Substantiated maltreatment — 1 million per year (1 child in 70) Changing Definitions of Maltreatment, cont.

14. Effects of Abuse Brain Damage Shaken baby syndrome Memory may be impaired; logical thinking may be delayed Right prefrontal cortex develops more than left; consequently, negative emotions dominate Inadequate essential nourishment also impedes normal brain development Impaired Social Skills less friendly, more isolated and aggressive Sometimes bully, sometimes victim

15. Three Levels of Prevention, Again Primary prevention — prevents maltreatment before problem starts Secondary prevention —spots and treats early problems Tertiary prevention — halting harm after it occurs, then treating victim removal from family adoption Foster care