Chapter 9: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle and Late Childhood Flashcards
Body Growth and Change
- Growth averages 2-3 inches per year
- Weight gain averages 5 to 7 pounds a year
The Brain
- Brain volume stabilizes
- Significant changes in structures and regions occur, especially in the prefrontal cortex
- Increases in cortical thickness
- Activation of some brain areas increase while others decrease
Motor Development
- Motor skills become smoother and more coordinated
- Boys outperform girls in gross motor skills involving large muscle activity
- Improvement of fine motor skills during middle and late childhood due to increased myelination of the central nervous system
Exercise
- Higher level of physical activity is linked to:
1. Lower level of metabolic disease risk based on measures of cholesterol, waist circumference, and insulin levels - Aerobic exercise benefits:
1. Children’s attention
2. Memory
3. Effortful and goal-directed thinking and behavior
4. Creativity
Exercise continued
Ways to get children to exercise:
- Offer physical activity programs school facilities
- Have children plan community and school activities
- Encourage families to focus more on physical activity
Health, Illness, and Disease
- Middle and late childhood is a time of excellent health
- Accidents and Injuries
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cancer
Accidents and Injuries
Motor vehicle accidents are most common cause of sever injury
Cardiovascular disease
Uncommon in children but risk factors are present
Cancer
- 2nd leading cause of death in children 5-14 years old
- Most common child cancer in leukemia
- Children with cancer are surviving longer because of advancements in cancer treatment
The Scope of Disabilities
- Learning disabilities
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Emotional and behavioral disorders
- Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
Learning disabilities
Difficulty in learning that involves understanding or using spoken or written language, and the difficulty can appear in listening, thinking, reading, writing, and spelling
Dyslexia
Severe impairment in the ability to read and spell
Dysgraphia
Difficulty in handwriting
Dyscalculia
Developmental arithmetic disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity
Number of children diagnosed has increased substantially
Possible causes:
- Genetics
- Brain damage during prenatal or potential development
- Cigarette and alcohol exposure during prenatal development
- Low birth weight
Emotional and behavioral disorders
Serious, persistent problems that involve relationships, aggression, depression, and fears associated with personal or school matters as well as inappropriate socioemotional characteristics
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
Range from autistic disorder to Asperger syndrome
Autistic disorder
Deficiencies in social relationships, abnormalities in communication, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped pattern of behavior
-Onset in the first three years of life
Asperger syndrome
- Good verbal language skills
- Milder nonverbal language problems
- Restricted range of interests and relationships
Educational Issues
- Individual Education Plan (IEP)
- Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
- Inclusion
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Written statement that is specifically tailored for the disable student
Least Restrictive Environment
Setting that is as similar as possible to the one in which non-disabled children are educated
Inclusion
Educating a child with special education needs full-time in the regular classroom
