Chapter 8: Physical Development in Early Childhood

Question 1

Are growth norms for one population or racial/ethic group a good standard for all children? why or why not?

Answer 1

• no, because different race/ and ethnicity must be accounted for. ex asian babies are smaller/lighter than caucasian and black kids.

Question 2

Be familiar with trends in skeletal growth during the preschool years. Approximately how many new growth centers (epiphyses) emerges?

Answer 2

• Between ages 2 and 6, approximately 45 new epiphyses (growth centers) emerge in various parts of the skeleton

Question 3

By what percentage of its adult weight does the brain increase during the preschool years (from 2 to 6 years of age)?

Answer 3

• Brain increases from 70 to 90 percent of its adult weight between the ages of 2 and 6

Question 4

What area of the brain shows especially rapid growth from 3 to 6 years, based on EEG and fMRI measures?

Answer 4

• The frontal-lobe areas develop rapidly (attention, planning, and organization –Effortful control)

Question 5

Be able to describe differential patterns of activity in the left vs. right hemispheres of the brain and how these change during the preschool years.

Answer 5

Increasing lateralization - differences in rate of development between the two hemispheres suggest they are continuing to lateralize
during early childhood.

– Left hemisphere shows dramatic activity between 3 and 6 years, then levels off; Language skills increase dramatically & support children’s increasing control over behavior

– Right hemispheric activity increases steadily throughout early and middle childhood, with a slight spurt between ages 8 and 10; Spatial skills develop gradually throughout childhood and adolescence

Question 6

Be familiar with the association between handedness and lateralization. What % of right and left handed individuals in western nations have language functions “housed” in the left vs. right hemispheres of the brain?

Answer 6

• Handedness reflects the greater capacity of the dominant cerebral hemisphere to carry out skilled motor action.
• 90% right handed -> left hemisphere dominant
• 10% left handed -> right hemisphere; language skills shared between the two

Question 7

Be familiar with functions of the cerebellum, reticular formation, hippocampus, and corpus collosum. What “linkage” among specific brain regions during the preschool years result in dramatic gains in motor coordination?

Answer 7

• Cerebellum (located rear and base of brain) aids in balance and control of body movement
• Reticular formation (located in brain stem) maintains alertness and consciousness
• Hippocampus (inner-brain structure) plays a vital role in memory and in images of space that help in navigation; makes possible dramatic gains in memory and spatial understanding
• Corpus Callosum (large bundle of fibers connecting left and right hemispheres) supports smooth coordination of movements on both sides of the body and integration of many aspects of thinking involved in complex tasks
• Fibers linking the cerebellum to the cerebral cortex grow and myelinate from birth through the preschool years contributes to dramatic gains in motor coordination and in thinking

Question 8

What is growth hormone? What is the thyroid-stimulating hormone? What are the results of deficiencies in each? What about infants born with a deficient in thyroxine? Can anything be done about these deficiencies to prevent developmental problems? if so, what?

Answer 8

• Growth Hormone (GH) is necessary from birth on for the growth of all body tissues except the CNS and genitals.
• children will only reach avg height of 4 to 4 1/2 feet, with treatment they’ll catch up at normal rate
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) prompts the thyroid to release thyroxine, which is necessary for normal brain development and for GH to have its full impact on body growth.
• Infants born with a deficiency of thyroxine must receive it at once, or they will be mentally retarded.

Question 9

What is psychosocial dwarfism? How is it caused, and what can be done about it?

Answer 9

• a growth disorder that appears between 2 and 15. characteristics include decrease in GH secretion, very short stature, immature skeletal age, and serious adjustment problems.
• remove from their emotional inadequate environment, their GH levels quickly return to normal, and they grow rapidly.

Question 10

Be familiar with research on different blood lead levels and their relation to children’s mental functioning. Be able to describe how SES can alter (moderate) these associations.

Answer 10

• Children’s blood levels of lead
• markedly elevated in neighborhoods near industries that use lead production processes, or where lead paint remains in older homes

– linked with lower IQs and behavior problems
– Persistent childhood exposure to lead is associated with antisocial behavior in adolescence

Question 11

Be able to describe different sleep problems in early childhood, what causes them, and what can be done about them.

Answer 11

• half of 3-6 year-olds have occasional nightmares
• 4% of children are frequent sleepwalkers
• 3% experience night terrors runs in families, triggered by stress and extreme fatigue
• Sleep disorders of early childhood usually subside without treatment
  – Persistent disturbed sleep may be a sign of neurological or emotional difficulties.

Regular bedtime
– Early enough for 10-11 hours
of sleep Special pajamas
No TV or computer games before bed
Bedtime ritual
Respond firmly but gently to bedtime resistance
No sleeping medication

Question 12

Why is there a decline in appetite during the preschool period?

Answer 12

• preschoolers appetites decline due to slowed growth.

Question 13

Describe effective vs. not-so-effetive strategies parents can employ when their preschoolers refuse to eat the food their parents offer them.

Answer 13

• repeated unpressured exposure to new foods will increase acceptance, restrict on unhealthy foods
• don’t bribe, causes them to eat unhealthy foods
• keep unpleasant and stressful environment low during mealtime.

Question 14

Be familiar with research on infectious disease during early childhood. Can poor diet make children more susceptible to disease? how?

Answer 14

• In undernourished children, disease and malnutrition interact, with potentially severe consequences
• Of 10 million deaths world-wide under age 5, 98% are in developing countries, and 70% are due to infectious diseases

– Poor diet suppresses immune system
– Illness reduces appetite, diarrhea continues to be a danger

Question 15

What is oral rehydration therapy (ORT), what is it used for? and how effective is it?

Answer 15

• developmental impairments and deaths due to diarrhea can be prevented by ORT, in which sick children are given glucose, salt, and water solution that quickly replaces the water they loss.

Question 16

What widespread practice in industrialized nations is associated with a decline in the rate of childhood diseases in the pass 50 years?

Answer 16

immunization

Question 17

What is the leading cause of death during early and middle childhood, in industrialized nations? What factors are associated with a greater risk for injury?

Answer 17

• unintentional injuries; e.g., motor vehicle collisions, pedestrian accidents, drownings, poisonings, firearm wounds, burns, falls, and swallowing of foreign objects

Question 18

Be able to describe developmental changes in children gross motor skills during early childhood. How does a 2 year old vs. and older preschooler throw a ball.

Answer 18

• Center of gravity shifts downward toward the trunk
  – Allowing balance to improve
  – More streamlined, less top-heavy
  By age 2, preschoolers develop a smooth, rhythmic gait
  – Leads to running, jumping, hopping, skipping, and galloping

Gross motor skills gradually become more refined and elaborated
– By age 5 upper- and lower-body skills combine into more refined actions
– By ages 5-6, greater speed and endurance in all skills

Question 19

Give examples of fine motor skills that are especially salient to parents.

Answer 19

As control of hands and fingers improves, children
– Can put puzzles together, build with small blocks, cut and paste
– Improve in self-help skills (dressing, eating, shoe-tying)
Shoe-tying mastered by age 6

Question 20

Describe developmental changes in writing and drawing skills during the preschool years.

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Do all preschoolers reach motor milestones at the same ages, or are there wide individual differences? What factors are associated with the children’s progress in motor development?

Answer 21

there are wide range of differences.

- taller more muscular children tend to move more quickly and can acquire certain skills early on.

Question 22

How can parents best facilitate their preschoolers’ motor development? Are training programs effective?

Answer 22

Motor skills are mastered through practice and everyday play
– Formal lessons have little impact Provide appropriate play space and
equipment
Promote opportunities for outdoor
fun and exercise
Provide daily routines that support fine motor development
– Drawing, printing, coloring
Positive attitude and encouragement