Chapter 8 Early childhood is a period of growth learning and play joyful for young children and anyone who knows them a time for impressive growth in every domain between 2 to 6 years old Children slim down as the lower body lengthens and fat turns to muscle Their bellies round face short limbs and large head disappear and center of gravity moves from the breast to the belly Preschool children are at greater nutritional risk than children of any other age Epidemic of heart disease and diabetes is spreading worldwide as overfed children become overweight adults as a result of unhealthy eating habits acquired in childhood Most children consume more than enough calories but do not always obtain iron zinc and calcium Preschoolers who eat more green and orange vegetables and less fried food benefit in many ways such as gaining bone mass but not fat and correlate with gender ethnicity and income Tooth decay is the most common disease of young children in developed nations and can cause jaw malformation chewing difficulties and speech problems Just right or just so phenomenon is when people are compulsive about their daily routines Overeating is a serious problem leading to overweight children developing habits and appetites that may be destructive decades later Although the brains of humans differ from those of animals we have intellectual capacities Development of the brain leads to quicker better coordinated and more reflective thought Myelination is the proliferation of the communication pathways increasing brain weight Myelin is a fatty coating on the axons that speeds signals between neurons Corpus callosum is a long thick band of nerve fibers connecting the left and right sides of the brain Lateralization is the idea that the two sides of the body and brain specialize in certain functions Handedness is partly genetic but may be influenced by cultures on preference Left lateralization is an advantage involving creativity and split second actions Many artists musicians and sports stars were are left handed The brain s left half controls the body s right side and dedicated to logical reasoning detailed analysis and the basics of language The brain s right half controls the body s left side and dedicated to emotional and creative impulses including appreciation of music art and poetry The planning prioritizing and reflection that occur in prefrontal cortex govern rest of the brain Frontal lobe continues to develop after early childhood dendrite density and myelination continue to increase in emerging adulthood Something in the cortex must mature before children are able to switch from one way of sorting objects to another Neurons have only two kinds of impulses on off and activate inhibit Perseveration refers to the tendency to persevere in or stick to one thought or action Immaturity of the prefrontal cortex is evident in a young child who is not perfect at regulating attention impulsiveness and perseveration are evident in every 2 year old Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD are children too impulsive for their age and too resistant to change caused by imbalance between the left and right sides of the prefrontal cortex Limbic system is the major region for emotions emotional expression and emotional regulation The amygdala registers emotions both positive and negative especially fear The hippocampus is a central processor of memory especially location and responds to the anxieties of the amygdala by summoning memory The hypothalamus responds to signals from the amygdala arousing and signals from the hippocampus dampening by producing hormones that activate parts of the brain and body Excessive cortisol the primary stress hormone may flood the brain and destroy the hippocampus Excessive stress hormones in early childhood may permanently damage the limbic system Stress can facilitate memory and cognitive growth if adults are reassuring blunting or accelerating emotional responses lifelong Pollution of the air is causing respiratory problems and affect the brain and thus impede balance finger dexterity and motivation Fine motor skills are harder to master than gross motor skills and usually involves two hands and thus both sides of the brain Children are twice as likely to be seriously hurt in early childhood as in middle childhood Immaturity of the prefrontal cortex makes young children impulsive they plunge into danger Injury control or harm reduction is used by public health experts instead of accident prevention Two types of analysis are useful to uncover the primary causes of injuries accident autopsy find causes in the microsystem exosystem and macrosystem and statistics Secondary prevention is averting harm in high risk situations or for vulnerable individuals Primary prevention is the overall situation is structured to make harm less likely reduces injury Tertiary prevention begins after injury has already occurred limiting the damage it might cause Maltreatment of children are multifaceted involving not only the parents but also other factors Child maltreatment refers to all intentional harm to or avoidable endangerment of anyone under 18 and includes child abuse deliberate action that is harmful to a child s physical emotional or sexual well being and child neglect failure to meet a child s basic physical or emotional needs Reported maltreatment means authorities have been informed and substantiated maltreatment means that a reported case has been investigated and verified First sign of maltreatment is delayed development such as slow growth immature communication lack of curiosity or unusual social interactions Post traumatic stress disorder PTSD identified as those who experienced some emotional injury or shock show signs of fear startling by noise defensiveness or quick to attack and confusion Permanency planning is when a child is legally removed from an abusive or neglectful home and placed in foster care and then a new family needs to be found to nurture the child until adulthood Foster care is when children are officially removed from their parents custody and entrusted to another adult or family Kinship care is when a relative becomes the caregiver of a child Adoption is when an adult or couple unrelated to the child is legally granted parenthood