Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Chapter 8 Physical Development in the Preschool Years Child Development FIFTH EDITION Robert S. Feldman University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Chapter 8 Key Questions What changes in the body and the brain do children experience in the preschool years? What are the nutritional needs of preschool children, and what causes obesity? What threats to their health and wellness do preschool children experience? What are child abuse and psychological maltreatment, what factors contribute to them, and can anything be done about them?

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Chapter 8 Key Questions In what ways do children’s gross and fine motor skills develop during the preschool years? How do handedness and artistic expression develop during these years?

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 The Growing Body Two years after birth, the average child in the U.S. weighs 25 to 30 pounds and is close to 36 inches tall—around half the height of the average adult. Children grow steadily during the preschool period, and by the time they are 6 years old, they weigh, on average, about 46 pounds and stand 46 inches tall. (Share height/weight charts)

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Individual Differences in Height and Weight Statistical averages mask great individual differences in height and weight. Global economics also affect these averages. Differences in height and weight reflect economic factors within the United States as well.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Changes in Body Shape and Structure During the preschool years, boys and girls become less chubby and roundish and grow more slender. Children grow stronger as their muscle size increases and their bones become sturdier. The sense organs continue their development.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 The Growing Brain The brain grows at a faster rate than does any other part of the body due to increase of interconnections among cells. This allows for complex communications) Myelin Protective insulation that surrounds parts of neurons By the end of the preschool period, some parts of the brain have undergone particularly significant growth. (corpus callosum, or connection between hemispheres)

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Brain Lateralization The two halves of the brain also begin to become increasingly differentiated and specialized. Lateralization The process whereby certain functions are located more in one hemisphere of the brain than in the other Although there is some specialization of the hemispheres, in most respects the two hemispheres act in tandem, and the brain is resilient.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 The Links Between Brain Growth and Cognitive Development Neuroscientists are just beginning to understand the ways in which brain development is related to cognitive development. It appears that there are periods during childhood in which the brain shows unusual growth spurts, which are linked to advances in cognitive abilities. Other research suggests increases in myelin may be related to preschooler’s growing cognitive capabilities.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Sensory Development The increasing development of the brain permits improvements in the senses during the preschool period. Preschool-age children gradually shift the way they view objects made up of multiple parts. On page 202, view parts versus the whole figure.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Preschoolers’ judgments of objects may reflect the way in which their eyes move when perceiving figures. One area in which preschoolers’ auditory acuity does show some deficits is isolating specific sounds when many sounds are heard simultaneously Sensory Development

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Sleep Although most children settle down fairly easily and drift off into sleep, for some, sleep presents a real problem. Nightmare A vivid bad dream, usually occurring toward morning Night terror An intense physiological arousal that causes a child to awaken in a state of panic. Not easily comforted and cannot recall anything. Occur less frequently than nightmare.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Health and Wellness The majority of U.S. children are quite healthy during this period. The major threats to a child’s health and wellness come not from disease but, as we will see, from injuries due to accidents.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Nutrition: Eating the Right Foods Because the rate of growth during the preschool period is slower than during infancy, preschoolers need less food to maintain their growth. Obesity A body weight more than 20% higher than the average weight for a person of a given age and height Parents’ best strategy to deter obesity is to make sure that a variety of foods, low in fat and high in nutritional content, is available.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Minor Illnesses of Preschoolers Minor illnesses may offer some unexpected benefits: –help children build up immunity to more severe illnesses –help children to understand their bodies better –help learn coping skills –ability to better understand what others who are sick are going through This ability to put oneself in another’s shoes, known as empathy, may teach children to be more sympathetic and better caretakers.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Major Illnesses Socioeconomic factors prevent some children from getting good health care Members of minority groups, which tend to have less disposable income, suffer from inferior care

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Cancer and AIDS The most frequent major illness to strike preschoolers is cancer, particularly in the form of leukemia. Due to advances in treatment, more than 70% of victims of childhood leukemia survive. Regarding AIDS, treatment options are expanding and the number of cases in children is declining due to increasing use of drugs.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Reactions to Hospitalization The most frequent reaction of 2- to 4-year- olds is anxiety, most typically brought about by the separation from their parents. Hospitals can deal with these anxieties by allowing a parent to stay with the child for lengthy periods of time or to spend the night on a cot in the child’s room.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Emotional Illness Increasing number of children are being treated with drugs for emotional disorders such as depression. In fact, the use of drugs such as antidepressants and stimulants has grown significantly.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Injuries: Playing It Safe Before age 10, children have twice the likelihood of dying from an injury than from an illness. The danger of injuries during the preschool years involves children’s high levels of physical activity; also, some children are more apt to take risks. Parents and caregivers of preschoolers can take several precautions to prevent injuries.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Lead Poisoning Risk Children face risks from poisonous substances such as household cleaners and lead paint. 14 million children are at risk for lead poisoning due to exposure to potentially toxic levels of lead. Poor children are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Reducing the Risks Although we can never completely prevent exposure to dangerous substances such as lead, accidents, and injuries, the risks can be reduced. Adults need to concentrate on “injury control” rather than focus on preventing “accidents,” which implies a random act in which no one is at fault.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Child Abuse and Psychological Maltreatment: The Grim Side of Family Life Child abuse The physical or psychological maltreatment or neglect of children The abuse takes several forms, ranging from actual physical abuse to psychological mistreatment.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Physical Abuse Child abuse can occur in any household, regardless of economic well-being or the social status of the parents. It is most frequent in families living in stressful environments. Poverty, single-parenthood, and higher than average levels of marital conflict help create such environments. Table 8-1 lists some of the warning signs of abuse.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Warning Signs of Child Abuse

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Most parents who abuse their children later express bewilderment and regret about their own behavior. Cycle-of-violence hypothesis The theory that abuse and neglect that children suffer predispose them as adults to abuse and neglect their own children Violence may be perpetuated from one generation to another. Physical Abuse

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Psychological Maltreatment Psychological maltreatment Harm to children’s behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or physical functioning that is caused by parents or other caregivers who use verbal or psychological abuse, hurtful actions, exploitation, or neglect Child neglect Ignoring one’s children or being emotionally unresponsive to them

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Some children are sufficiently resilient to survive the abuse and will grow into psychologically healthy adults. In many cases, however, lasting damage results. Psychological Maltreatment

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Resilience: Overcoming the Odds Resilience The ability to overcome circumstances that place a child at high risk for psychological or physical damage Resilient children tend to have temperaments that evoke positive responses from a wide variety of caregivers.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 The characteristics of resilient children suggest ways to improve the prospects of children who are at risk from a variety of developmental threats. Resilience: Overcoming the Odds

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Keeping Preschoolers Healthy Well-balanced diet Proper sleep Avoid contact with others who are ill Immunizations (Table 8-2)

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Vaccines and Immunization

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Gross Motor Skills By 3 years old, children have mastered a variety of skills: jumping, hopping on one foot, skipping, and running. By 4 and 5, their skills have become honed as they have gained greater control over their muscles. Table 8-3 (page 211) summarizes major gross motor skills that emerge during the preschool years.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Major Gross Motor Skills

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Activity Level The advances in gross motor skills are related to brain development and myelination of neurons in areas of the brain related to balance and coordination. Despite generally high activity levels, there are also significant variations among children. Some differences are related to inherited temperament.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Fine Motor Skills At the same time that gross motor skills are developing, children are progressing in their ability to use fine motor skills, which involve smaller, more delicate body movements. Fine motor skills show clear developmental patterns (Table 8-4) Page 212

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Fine Motor Skills

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Potty Wars: When—and How— Should Children Be Toilet Trained? The current guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest that there is no single time to begin toilet training and that training should begin only when children show that they are ready. There are a number of signs of readiness that can be helpful to parents. Children must be ready not only physically but also emotionally, and if they show strong signs of resistance to toilet training, toilet training should be put off.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Handedness: Separating Righties From Lefties Handedness A clear preference for the use of one hand over the other By the age of 5, most children display a clear tendency to use one hand over the other, with 90% being right-handed and 10% left- handed. Some evidence exists that left-handedness may be associated with certain advantages.

Feldman / Child Development, 5th Edition Copyright © 2010 Art: The Picture of Development Developmentalists suggest that art plays an important role in honing fine motor skills and several other aspects of development. Children learn the importance of planning, restraint, and self-correction. Researchers suggest that children’s art proceeds through a series of stages during the preschool years: scribbling, shape, design, and pictorial.