Middle Childhood Flashcards
When is middle childhood?
Ages 7-12y
What changes occur in middle childhood?
Predictable weight and height
Center of gravity begins to drop.
- Leads to better balance and greater stability
Muscle strength increases
- Intrinsic development
- General gross strength
Leads to better physical skill, dexterity, stability, and complex postural changes and positions.
- Start playing sports.
Nature vs nurture in middle childhood.
Early childhood leans toward nature.
Middle childhood more toward nurture.
- Psychological
- Sociological
- Physiological
What are some gender differences in middle childhood?
Girls develop about 1 year ahead of boys physiologically.
Girls have more brain and metabolic activity in emotional areas of the brain.
Boys have more activity in physical expression.
Girls develop faster and reach maturity quicker in
- Speech
- Memory
- Visuospatial skills
- Audio spatial skills
Describe sensory development in middle childhood.
Increasing rate in sensory development and use
- Sensory rich environments
Attention increases.
- Often reliant on motivational tasks
Understanding perceptual awareness increases
- Reliant on physical development
Children with developmental delay in areas of sensory often show delays in physical.
Describe vision and visual perceptual development in middle childhood.
Visual acuity
- Main sensory skill for school
Low vision kids
- Depend on ear-hand coordination, instead of eye hand coordination.
- This develops about 2 years so later.
- Impacts schoolwork: Writing, math etc.
Describe visual perception skills development in middle childhood.
Size constancy: matures by age 11.
Figure ground: matures by age 8.
- Visual & auditory
- Involves a combination of sensory input (vision), attention and memory.
Depth perception and 3D matures at age 12.
Perception of motion-tracking matures at age 10.
Describe auditory development in middle childhood.
Hearing impairment vs deafness
- Mild to severe
Adaptive technology
- Smart phones
Cochlear implant
Describe kinesthetic perception in middle childhood.
Proprioception & stereognosis
Both are needed for:
- Functional tasks: climbing stairs, eating without spilling.
- Sports
Describe spatial awareness in middle childhood.
How their body compares to other objects in their environment
Based on sensory input, motor memory, cognitive and even social norms
Body scheme — Where is your nose? Are you short or tall?
- eating disorders
Near and far, cognitive maps
Describe temporal awareness in middle childhood.
Understanding planning, sequencing, and adjusting movements
- Needed for brushing teeth, riding a bike, kickball.
Reaction time improves drastically between 7-10
What is coincidence-anticipation training?
Anticipatory control
Ready, set, go.
Catching, running in PE, eating quickly
When does hand dominance develop?
Between age 5-7
May differ for writing, eating, and tennis.
Describe school function in middle childhood.
Major occupation for middle childhood
Teachers and peer have huge influence.
Negativity for the first time
Low income and minorities
Impact of disability or disease
- First time they realize they are “disabled” or different.
- Exclusion.
- Similar to stages of death and dying.
What are the effects of schooling?
Academic learning
- Relationships with peers.
- Deal with emotions.
- Explore interests.
- Develop into physically fit individuals.
- Civil mindedness.
- Time management.
- Independence from parents.
Cognitive monitoring
- Steps in a project etc.
