Exam 2: Chapter 8 (book) Flashcards
key topics of the chapter:
growth during early childhood (brain, body, and motor skills) and how adults must protect it
accidents
what are the dramatic changes in shape?
-children slim down
-lower body lengthens
-fat is replaced by muscle
BMI at age 5/6
is the lowest it will be than any other time of life
childrens center of gravity moves from breast to…which allows for…
belly, enables cartwheels, somersaults, dancing, gymnastics, and pumping legs on a swing
by 6 the average child in an affluent nation is…
-at least 3.5 feet tall
-weighs between 40 and 50 lbs
-looks lean
-has adultlike body proportions (legs constitute half of the total height)
what is the main nutritional problem for children
being overweight
what is obesity defined as in children:
the heaviest 5% of children measured 50 years ago)
childhood obesity increases…
-risk of early death
-heart disease
-diabetes
-strokes
-suicide
-depression
preventing overweight…
-early childhood is the best time to prevent because eating habits are developed and often endure
-children in food insecure households often become overweight adults because they learn to eat whenever food is available and not when they are hungry
main nutritional deficiencies:
-iron, zinc, and calcium
what is the most immediate harm of sugar (other than obesity)
tooth decay before age 6
now kids in early childhood have to brush their teeth and see a dentist regularly
what are the usual food allergy culprits?
-milk
-eggs
-peanuts
-tree nut
-soy
-wheat
-fish and shellfishw
what percentage of children have a food allergy?
6-8%
most neurons have connected to other neurons and substantial pruning has occurred by age
2
what causes most of the increase in brain weight after infancy?
myelination
the myelin allows…
for intense intellectual capability and allows humans to use multiple parts of their brain at once
what is lateralization?
Literally, sidedness, referring to the specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain, with one side dominant for each activity. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.
the entire human body is…
lateralized
the corpus callosum connects both sides of the brain myelination…
uses millions of axons to link the left and right
left handed people…
tend to have ticker and better myelinated corpus callosa
why? because they often can switch between the right and left sides of their body
generally brain organization is simpler in…but…. may have an advantage in….
right handed people…left handed people…professions involving creativity and split second, emotional responses to logical dilemmas
significant maturation of the…during early childhood is crucial
prefrontal cortex
neurological control in “thought before action” advances significantly between ages 2-6.
-sleep becomes more regular
-emotions become more nuanced and responsive
-temper tantrums subside
-uncontrollable laughter and tears are less common
what are the two ways neurons respond?
activate and inhibit
impulse control
he ability to postpone or deny the immediate response to an idea or behavior
lack of impulse control is normal in early childhood
what does it mean to perseverate?
when young children stick to one thought or action
ie) play with one toy of hold onto one fantasy for hours
Perseveration is a common characteristic in children with what disorder?
autism spectrum
perseveration leads to…
procrastination
“not now, I am busy”
for the development of all skills, a combination of x and y is needed
brain maturation and peer experience (watching someone demonstrate what they want to try/do)
adults need to make sure children have a safe space to play with these three things…
- time
- appropriate equipment
- playmates
play in children is best for physical development when it is…
outside with other children
there are gender differences in early childhood fine motor skills, true or false and why
true
- girls mature faster than boys which is correlated with the development of fine motor skills
- girls are pushed more towards activities that require fine motor skills like sewing or dressing barbie dolls
what is the universal example for developing fine motor skills?
eating
children first prefer to eat with their hands, but the gradually learn how to use utensils of increasing difficulty (ie-spoon to chopstiks)
four times as many young kids die of x than die of y
accidents…cancer
what term should be used instead of accident prevention?
injury control
accident implies the injury is random and unpredictable, but injury control suggests that he impact can be minimized and somewhat controlled
what are the three levels of prevention for health and safety issues?
- primary prevention: considers the overall conditions that affect the likelihood of harm. (laws and customs)
- secondary prevention: more targeted, averted hard in high risk situations or for vulnerable individuals
- tertiary prevention: begins after an injury has occurred, limiting damage
examples of the levels of prevention in terms of motor vehicle accidents
- primary prevention: sidewalks, pedestrian overpasses, streetlights, traffic circles. Redesigned cars, improvement in driver competence, traffic reduction through mass transit, and better laws
- secondary prevention: crossing guards, flashing lights on stopped school buses, salt on icy roads, warning signs before blind curves, speed bumps, walk/dont walk signs
- tertiary prevention: laws against hit and run, speedy ambulances, er procedures, effective follow up care
child car seats represent all three levels of prevention:
- laws encouraging car seat usage
- caregivers use them for children riding in cars
- they provide protection after a crash
other types of preventable injuries
-gun deaths
-environmental poisoning (lead, malnutrition, pollution)
battered child syndrome
when a child is brought into the hospital and there is evidence of past bone breaks or burn patterns or scars
ongoing maltreatment at home with no protector damages the…more than the….
mind….body
what is child maltreatment?
refers to all intentional harm to or avoidable endangerment of anyone under 18
includes child abuse and child neglect
neglect is the…
most common and most frequently fatal form of child maltreatment.
