late infancy to early childhood

critical period

time during early postnatal life when the development and maturation of functional properties of the brain, its “plasticity,” is strongly dependent on experience or environmental influences

application: preschool years for language acquisition; critical “window of opportunity”

language exposure 0-12 months

can initially perceive phonemes (sounds) from all languages but refine perception by age one and generally notice distinctions of their language by 10-12 months

language acquisition strategies:

stressed vs unstressed syllables, repetition, infant-directed speech, sing-song words/phrases

these work because they are attention grabbers for babies

how preschoolers learn words so quickly

joint/shared attention: toddler points at something and get answers (a label word) from a parent

sentence cues: understanding different chunks and parsing word and phrase meanings

cognitive factors: brain development

naming errors: correction by parents fixes the child’s schema of word meaning

• overextension: defining a word too broadly (i.e. any big brown animal is a horse)

• under extension: defining a word too narrowly (i.e. a big brown dog is a dog but a little white one it not)

language development by 3

1000 words, 3 word sentences, and private speech (talking to themselves - vygotsky)

language development by 4

these kids love to yap: connected sentences > 5 words, tell sequential events, recite short rhymes/songs from memory

language development red flags

no babbling or smile exchanges by 9mo, no back and forth gestures by 12mo, does not respond to name, no words by 16mo or meaningful phrases by 24mo, no simple pretend play by 18mo

loss of speech of social skills at any age is immediate cause for panic

bidirectional influences

sensory development influences other developmental areas (social, cognitive, self)

self image

1 year - infants recognize themselves in a mirror

5 years - children have a sense of their bodies in terms of cultural beauty values

vision

sensory area that most motivates children to explore their environment; accounts for 80% of learning through embodied cognition

embodied cognition

learning through action, cognition shaped and influenced by action (Piaget) through active engagement with environment via senses

visual perceptual skills

function involved in discriminating shape, color, and other ocular stimuli

perceptual motor skill

volitional motor act that responds in a dynamic way to sensory perceptions

discriminative touch

aspects of touch we think about consciously (whether something is hard, smooth, curved)

haptic perception

discriminative touch combined with the active memory of touch, texture, shape, temperature, volume/size, hardness, weight

• vision and touch memories in the brain work together

motions needed for haptic perception

• static contact: ability to place an open hand on the object

• lateral motion: ability to move fingers across object surface

• unsupported holding: ability to hold an object securely in the hand

• enclosure: ability to close the hand around an object while it is in the palm of the hand

• pressure: bimanual task of holding an object with one hand while using a finger to exert downward pressure on the object

• contour following: another bimanual task, holding an object with 1 hand while running fingers along the contours of the object

pre-academic skills acquired in preschool

shapes, colors, 1-1 correspondence

• are vital building blocks for more complex academic skills like reading, math, spelling

attention

• foundation of all specific mental functions in ICF

• good cognitive functioning is related to the development of attention and executive skills like emotional regulation, self monitoring, task monitoring, and self control

memory

preverbal children: motor learning and rote memory (parroting/mimicry)

memory of young children is tested via NEPSY-2 or children’s memory scale through close observation and assessment

mildred parten’s types of play 

because children learn through play! classified based on social features

• onlooker: social interaction about play, but not engaging in it

• parallel play: separate but in the same vicinity, not playing “with”

• associated play: children enjoy shared company, but little organization

• cooperative play: children are interested in the people AND the play and there is some structure/function

theory of mind

you have wants but those thoughts aren’t the same in someone else’s head

definition: an organized understanding of how mental processes such as intentions, desires, beliefs, perceptions and emotions influence behavior

• your own internal states that drive behavior are not always the same as others’

• your internal state is not the same as anyone else

theory of mind age breakdown

preschoolers:

• desires can originate from physiological or psychological states → action

• belief originate from perceptions → action

age 2: kids predict that story characters will act in accordance with their desires

age 3: understanding that beliefs are more complex than desires

• limited by small schema or evidence from false beliefs

late infancy gross motor

7mo: belly crawling as first true locomotive pattern

around 8mo: can get from sitting position into lying position

9-10mo: all fours creeping (highly variable!)

late infancy fine motor

• dissociation of thumb and finger for radial grasp

• voluntary release at 7-9mo

• isolation of index finger for pointing → huge method of early communication

late infancy language development

• babbling as clear use of spoken language: mama and dada are heard but not yet applied as names

• first meaningful word is typically at 9-12mo

late infancy cognitive development

• purposeful manipulation of objects (choosing a favorite, pushing another away)

• object permanence at 9mo

late infancy social-emotional

stranger protest: baby is either fearful around new people or reacts when you leave

purposeful initiation of interactions with caregiver

fear and anger are unlocked

infancy transition

10-12 months: marks the start of the end of developmental milestones in specific predictable order

infancy transition gross and fine motor

gross: pull to stand, cruising, first steps ft. lordosis (drunk person walk)

fine: inferior and superior pincer (finger and thumb) grasp

*beginning of adaptive skills: increased hand mobility means increased independence and effectiveness with ADLs

infancy transition cognition and social-emotional

• lots of games of “putting in” and “dumping out”

• attachment behaviors (secure, avoidant, or insecure) are established

• stranger anxiety has an anticipatory quality to it

preschool period/early childhood

first five years of life! full of sensitive periods as neural connections are particularly susceptible to environmental input

• nurture (extrinsic factors) start taking over as kiddo enters preschool and the “real world”

• period when disability (autism, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, etc) may become apparent → IDEA part C kicks in

early childhood brain development

the brain grows 90% and sees increased lateralization → increased specialization in function

• left side development is heavily linked to language acquisition

• increased myelination → faster cognitive processing and better motor control

• synaptic strengthening and pruning in prefrontal cortex → use dependent brain organization

the cerebellum and cerebral cortex link up, so kiddos are much more coordinated

speech

involved skilled motor control and expression of thoughts in spoken words

language

system of words or signs with understood meanings within a group of people; evolves within a specific historical, social, and cultural context with rule-governed behavior

expressive vs receptive communication

use of language to communicate thoughts, feelings, ideas

your ability to receive and interpret verbal and nonverbal messages

ICF definition of communication

general and specific features of communication by language, sign, and symbols, including receiving and producing messages, carrying on conversations, and using communication devices and techniques

basic emotions

joy, anger, and fear: experienced by people worldwide and lead to a subjective feeling, a physiological change, and an overt behavior (birth to 9 months)

complex emotions emerge later and include pride, guilt, and embarrassment

enabling vs constricting play

girls’ style of play supports others and sustains the interaction whereas boys’ play is about victory and/or contradiction

early segregation to do like-follows-like principles emphasizes this

parental role in play

playmate, social director, coach, mediator

why prosocial behavior?

evolutionary moral benefits: helping others means the reciprocity is increased and you are more likely to flourish and be able to pass genes along

social role

set of cultural guidelines for how a person should behave, particularly with other people; gender is the earliest learned/taught form of this

gender schema theory

children decide if an object, activity, or behavior is associated with males vs females, ad then use this judgment to decide if they should invest in it or learn more about it