Ch 7 Physical Development in Early Childhood 10 08 2013 Ages 2 5 early childhood are sometimes called the play or preschool years Early childhood is a period of transformation for all children The Sensitive Period introduce things during this time Physical Growth and Development Rapid growth of infancy slows down in early childhood Noticeable changes are in proportions torso legs and arms grow longer the stomach flattens Patterns of Normative Growth Normative Development the pattern of development that is typical or average Norms standards of what is typical at different ages o Average how do we figure the average out for children lot of data and research Growth curves curve isn t smooth each year varies Created by research on a large number of children says that growth is slow and steady during early childhoos Average child grows 2 5 inches and 6 pounds each year Episodic growth like steps not a curve not predictable gain weight then level off Brief periods of 24 hour growth is seen individual kids and then no grown occurs for a few weeks Charts that are given at the doctors growth curve after tables Individual differences in early childhood the variation among individuals on a characteristic as well as what is typical o Don t compare to your own children or other kids Siblings that are significantly different sizes o What does the 50th percentile mean Means that you re average 50 above him 50 below 40 percentile 40 below 60 above could cause parents to worry sometimes children grow differently each year its normal for a kid to lose weight Health Body Mass Index helps us judge whether a child s weight is appropriate for his or her height BMI shows whether child s weight is appropriate for height o Weight height 2 BMI o 80 of children are within normal range o Lower or higher than at any other point o Who has more body fat Virtual Child BMI o BMI is widely accepted but not embraced by everyone A 6 year old should o Wight 40 50 pounds o Be 3 5 feet tall o Look lean o Adult like proportions look like a mini adult 2 3 of height and weight are determined by heredity o other 1 3 comes from diet health and nutrition Diet and Nutrition Two changes in eating patterns happen in Early Childhood o 1 Decrease in appetite due to slowing down of growth o 2 Graduate from baby to adult food What has slowed down o Growth Need less calories and are less hungry o Picky eaters just right phase and food preference 18 29 of children are picky eaters eat less of a variety of foods accept less new foods and express strong dislikes parents use many strategies to get kids to eat unnecessary small introductions of food without pressure leads to children eating it o clean plate club is associated with obesity causes kids to not focus on the internal cues of hunger and fullness how many kids 9 million 17 of this are 2 5 years old reached epidemic levels what is overweight in kids need to consider both weight and body composition 60 of children who were overweight at anytime were found to be over weight at age 12 American children 2 19 the following are overwight obese using 95th percentile or higher of BMI 3x since the 1960s o why prevalence of fast food non Hispanic whites 30 1 of males and non Hispanic blacks 36 9 if males and Mexicans 40 5 of males and 38 2 of 25 6 of females 41 3 of females females Scary because adult illnesses like heart disease and diabetes are now found in young children Poverty 21 of children Strategies Less cost high calories fast food Variety of healthy food choices at meals and snack time But no pressure to eat Food is not a bribe punishment or for entertainment kids rewarding or consoling themselves with food Encouraging active play and limiting tv time Serving as a good role model with healthy eating Plan active family time Brain Development Develops structurally and functionally REVIEW o Neurons billions of cells that make up the brain Dendrites collect info and carry it to the body of the neuron Axons transmit info away from the cell body Synapse the connection between two neurons that enables info to pass At 2 brain weights 75 of an adults Synaptogenesis key process in brain development of connections between neurons through axon and dendrite growth o peaks at age 1 but continues throughout life the rapid growth at age one o some form because of genetics and some from experiences Example Putting a puzzle together 4year old reading to two year old sister Synaptic pruning begins in the first years continues through young adulthood o What is it like pruning a tree parts of brain that we use grow and nurture parts we don t use go away o Makes the brain more efficient Myelination occurs sequentially or in order it improves connective communication in the brain Begins prenatally o Myelin fatty substance that wraps around an axon provides insulation and improves transmission o Begins first in areas involved in vision and movement o Frontal lobe is the last part the area of the brain used for thinking and processing Why it takes children longer to grasp concepts Mirror Neurons a particular type of brain cell that fires when an individual performs an action or the action is performed by another o why children learn by observing Goes along with what social learning theory predicts Brain Anatomy Overall size of brain does not change much but relative size of Changes in gray matter of brains cortex during early childhood specific structures do o Order 1 Basic functions senses and movement 2 Parietal Lobes functions cognition info processing pain and touch sensation spatial orientation speech and visual perception LANGUAGE AND SPACE 3 Frontal lobe prefrontal cortex sometimes called the executive of the brain functions develops most during this period effortful control problem solving emotions sleep is more regular tantrums subside uncontrollable emotions subside REASONING AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION Right hemisphere controls the left half o Lateralization each hemisphere specializes in certain functions Left side time sequences speech registers external stimuli very active from 3 6 years Right Side detects patterns and images processes body language and emotions registers internal stimuli Handedness By age 5 children have a preference of which hand they like 85 right handed Corpus Callosum large bundle of fibers that connects the two hemispheres o Develops rapidly between 3 6 years Effortful Control ability to withhold a first response and choose another o Emerges in early childhood o