Chapter 8: Physical development in preschoolers

The average American 2 year old weighs ___-___lbs and is close to ____in tall

25-30; 36

By age 2 children’s brains are ___% the size and weight of the average adult brain and by age 5 children’s brains weigh ____% of the average adult brain

75, 90

• The amount of myelin increases which adds weight and increases electrical impulse speeds

• Malnourished children show delays in brain development. Less food = less myelin = less protected neurons

Lateralization

The process by which certain functions are located more in one hemisphere than the other

• It becomes more pronounced during preschool years

Left vs right brain differences

Left

• Excels in verbal competence tasks (speaking, reading, thinking, reason)

• Processes information sequentially

Right

• Excels in spatial relationships, pattern recognition, music, emotional expression

• Processes information on the whole

They are still interdependent and differences are slight

Language abilities increase drastically between ___ and ___ years

1.5, 2

3-4 year olds look at the ____ of images and ignore the perimeter, 4-5 year olds look at the ____; 6-7 year olds look at the____

Insides, surrounding boundaries, outside systematically

Night terror

An intense physiological arousal that causes a child to awaken in a state of panic

Occur in 1-5% of children

Obesity

A BMI at or above the 95th percentile of the same age and sex

The just-right phenomenon

When children only eat certain foods, prepared in a certain way, and presented in a certain way. It is perfectly normal in young children and almost all preschoolers outgrow it.

Children experience ___ - ___ minor colds/respiratory illnesses between the ages of 3 and 5

7 - 10

• It helps them build immunity, understand their bodies better, and have better empathy for sick people

The most common major illness in children is _____

Leukemia (when bone marrow produces an excessive amount of white blood cells)

• More than 70% of children with childhood leukemia survive

Hospitalized 2-4 year olds frequently experience _____ due to separation from their parents

Anxiety

Older children may interpret the events as desertion/rejection from their family, which can manifest as fear of the dark or hospital staff

Assigning a “substitute mother” and allowing older children to participate in care decisions can help aleviate anxiety

Before age 10 children are __x as likely to die from injury than illness and a child dies from a preventable injury every __ seconds

10, 30

According to the Dept of Health and Human Services, _____ is the most severe threat to children younger than 6

Lead poisoning

• It has been linked to lower intelligence, processing issues, hyperactivity, distractibility, aggression, delinquency, and death

Child abuse

The physical or psychological maltreatment or neglect of children that kills 1 in 5 children every day and 3 million children are victims of

Factors leading to child abuse

1. Vague demarcation between permissible and impermissible physical punishment (ex: spanking vs beating)

2. The privacy of child care in Western societies

3. Unrealistically high expectations of abilities to be quiet and compliant

Cycle-of-violence hypothesis

The theory that abuse and neglect that children suffer predispose them as adults to abuse and neglect their own children

Applies in 1/3 of people who were abused as children

Psychological maltreatment

Harm to children’s behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or physical functioning caused by parents or other caregivers through words, actions, or neglect

Ex: frightening, belittling, or humiliating children; threatening abandonment or death

Child neglect

Ignoring one’s children or being emotionally unresponsive to them

Potential consequences of psychological maltreatment

Low self-esteem, lying, misbehavior, underachievement in school, criminal behavior, aggression, murder, depression, suicide

Resilience

The ability to overcome circumstances that place a child at high risk for psychological or physical damage

Traits of resilient children

Affectionate, easygoing, good-natured, social, good communicators, intelligent, indepdendent

• These are agreeable to caregivers and draws out positive responses

Advances in gross motor skills occur because of…

1. Brain development and myelination of neurons

2. They spend a lot of time practicing

   • The activity level is higher at age 3 than any other point in life

3. Increase in general physical agility

Genetic and environmental/cultural factors determine activity level

• Ex: a docile infant will likely be a docile preschooler; cultural norms around acceptable behavior; parent’s discipline style

In regard to potty training, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports ______’s pov that ______

T. Berry Brazelton; there is no single time to start potty training and should begin when children show they are ready

Children have no bladder or bowel control until ____ months

12; and only slight control the following 6 months

Signs of potty training readiness

Staying dry at least 2 hours at a time

Having regular and predictable bowel movements and the desire to wear underwear

Indicating (through expressions or words) that they’re about to go

Having the ability to follow simple directions and go to the bathroom and undress alone

Expressing discomfort with soiled diapers

Asking to use the toilet

Handedness

A clear preference for the use of one hand over the other

Displays by age 5

____ handed people have more accidents and a greater risk of dying young than _____ handed people

Left; right

Stages of art in preschool years

Scribbling > Shape (age 3) > Design > Pictorial (ages 4&5)