11. middle childhood: biosocial development

middle childhood (time period, healthy or no?)

6-11, yes: healthiest years for most children

death rate at 5-9 years

lowest of any age: 1 per 10,000

good childhood habits protect later adult health. what are these habits strongly affected by?

peers and parents

physical activity, especially games with rules, contributes to __ and __

• exercise: __ and __

• team sports with guidance; __ prevention

health, learning, free play, organized sports, concussion

parent involvement and encouragement of physical activity has (increased/decreased)

increased

in terms of gross motor skills, which sex is ahead?

boys

in terms of fine motor skills, which sex is ahead?

girls

drawing and drama contribute to development of…

self-expression and motor skills

what is music and music curriculum participation connected to? what is it related to?

• connected to motor skill development and brain function

• related to various executive control skills, planning ahead, and inhibiting unwanted responses

examples of chronic health conditions

Tourette syndrome, stuttering, allergies may worsen during school years; unwanted attention

examples of minor health problems

wearing glasses, repeatedly coughing or blowing one’s nose, visible birthmark can affect self-esteem

body mass index (BMI)

ratio of weight to height, calculated by dividing a person’s body weight in pounds by the square of his or her height in inches

childhood obesity BMI

a BMI above the 95th percentile, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s standards for children of a given age

what affects children’s weight?

• genes, other biological factors (microbiome), environmental factors

• premature birth, non-breastfeeding, early introduction of solid food, excess television and screen time, inadequate sleep and outdoor play

• pester power

pester power

the ability of children to nag adults, especially to influence their parents to make certain purchases

3 strategies for reducing obesity incidences

• educating parents and children together over long term

• using dynamic-systems approach that considers individual differences, parenting practices, school lunches, fast-food, media influences, and community norms

• tailoring prevention programs to particular child, family, and culture

which race has the most obese boys?

hispanic

which race has the most obese girls?

non-hispanic black

asthma’s 4 causes

• genes x environment

• indoor and outdoor pollutants

• hygiene hypothesis

• microbiome changes

hygiene hypothesis

lack of early-life exposure to various microbes may contribute to the development of allergies and autoimmune diseases

__ is most important part of children’s maturation process

brain development

signs of brain abnormalities related to motor skills may be found during middle childhood when children are born __ (before __ weeks)

prematurely, 27

embodied cognition + what body parts affect mood

the idea that cognition is shaped by what we do with our body

• cerebral blood flow; neurotransmitters; mood

are there gender differences between hippocampus size and sports activities?

some studies say yes

paying attention is partly result of __, especially __ (e.g., kickball, karate)

• improves markedly at about age _

brain maturation, active play, 7

reaction time improves with __ and __ during every year of childhood

brain maturation, physical play

aptitude (define + how developed?)

• potential to master a specific skill or to learn a certain body of knowledge

• most not developed, since motivation and opportunity are needed

achievement (define + what does it compare?)

• measure of mastery or proficiency in reading, mathematics, writing, science, or some other subject; distinct from aptitude

• compares expected accomplishment at each grade

“g” or general intelligence

assumes that intelligence is one basic trait, underlying all cognitive abilities; people have varying levels of this general ability

IQ test + how was it originally defined?

• designed to measure intellectual aptitude, or ability to learn in school

• originally, intelligence was defined as mental age divided by chronological age, times 100—hence, the term “intelligence quotient”, or IQ

percentage of people that are average, below average, above average, mild intellectual disability, gifted, moderate to severe disability, and genius

68.26%, 13.6%, 13.6%, 2.13%, 2.13%, .14%, .14%

flynn effect

tendency of IQ score to change over time; substantial increase in intelligence in general population as measured by increase in IQ scores

Sternberg

• 3 distinct types of intelligence: academic, creative, and practical

• instruction matched to analytic, creative, or athletic abilities

• applications may not be supported by scientific research

Gardner

• multiple intelligences: linguistic, logical mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential

• each associated with a region of the brain

• used in education

when do brain scans correlate with scores on IQ tests?

adolescence

developmental psychopathology

uses insights into typical development to understand and remediate developmental disorders

4 general principles of developmental psychopathology

• abnormality is normal

• disability changes year by year

• life may be better or worse in adulthood

• diagnosis and treatment reflect the social context (DSM-5)

multifinality

basic principle of developmental psychopathology that holds that one cause can have many (multiple) final manifestations

equifinality

basic principle of developmental psychopathology that holds that one symptom can have many causes

ADHD + definition of DSM-5

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

• condition characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or by hyperactive or impulsive behaviors; ADHD interferes with a person’s functioning or development

• DSM-5

  • symptoms must start before age 12 and impact daily life

  • new definition includes more people with an incidence increase

increases in worldwide diagnosis for ADHD are worrisome for at least 3 reasons

• misdiagnosis

• drug abuse

• typical behavior considered pathological

prevalence of ADHD in ages 4-11, ages 12-17, and male/females

8%, 14%, 2:1 ratio

3 problems with ADHD diagnosis

• no biological marker for ADHD, but origin is neurological

• ADHD is comorbid with other conditions

• rates of ADHD are higher in the US than in most other nations, and rates are increasing

drug treatment for ADHD and other disorders

• some children may be overmedicates; others may be undertreated; varies in causes, so no single treatment works for every child

• __ is the most common ADHD drug; 20 others are also available

• medication is more likely to help when combined with __

ritalin, cognitive-behavioral therapy

DSM-5 diagnosis of specific learning disorder

includes disabilities in both perception and processing of information, with lower achievement than expected in reading, math, or writing, including spelling

disabilities in the areas listed in the previous flashcard undercut academic achievement, destroy self-esteem, and qualify a child for special education

• DSM-5 diagnosis of specific learning disorder now combines diagnoses of deficits in the perception or processing of information; such difficulty is commonly referred to as a __

learning disability

dyslexia

unusual difficulty with reading; thought to be the result of some neurological underdevelopment

dyscalculia + what is it comorbid w

• unusual difficulty w math, probably originating from a distinct part of the brain

• often comorbid w dyslexia

dysgraphia

unusual difficulties w spelling and writing

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

developmental disorder marked by difficulty w social communication and interaction

• includes difficulty seeing things from another person’s POV

• involves restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities

DSM-5 autism spectrum disorder diagnosis: what was the diagnosis formerly reserved for + example?

formerly reserved for children who were mute or violent, now includes mild, moderate, or severe categories

• Asperger’s syndrome (less severe, “high-functioning”)

neurodiversity + who is this concept particularly relevant for

• each person has neurological strengths and weaknesses that should be appreciate

• neurodiversity seems particularly relevant for children w disorders on the autism spectrum → new criticisms of many treatments for ASD

4 new groups of hypotheses about increases of autism

• focus on environment (e.g., food, air, or water)

• consideration of prenatal influences (e.g., mother drug use, pesticides or hormones in foods, contract viruses)

• suggests diagnosis, not ASD, has increased

• suggests DSM-5 may be the reason

LRE (principle)

least restrictive environment

• a child who gets special education should learn alongside general education peers as much as possible

RTI + tiers

aims to identify struggling students early on and give them the support they need to thrive in school

tier 1: benchmark/universal level, core instruction

tier 2: if students reach this tier, they are considered “at-risk”. targeted intervention, supplemental support

tier 3: individualized intensive interventions, progress-monitoring

IEP education

individualized educational plan, lays out the special education services a student needs

• determines LRE for a student

developmental psychopathology is relevant in middle childhood

• __ and __ reveal peer differences

• some disorders can be mitigated with early and targeted treatment

• principles of __ and __ should lead to caution in diagnosis and treatment

age-grouping, scheduled learning, multifinality, equifinality

wait-to-fail approach

waiting until students demonstrate significant academic difficulties before providing them with support, goes against the RTI model which aims to intervene early

some children diagnosed with ASD before age _ no longer have it later on; most have some deficits in __

4, adulthood

4 varying definitions for gifted/talented

• high IQ

• talented

• divergent or convergent thinking

• creative

3 gifted kid education strategies

• acceleration and intense home schooling

• grouped in own separate class

• gifted teachers