Middle Childhood Lecture Review

Flashcards for reviewing key vocabulary and concepts from the Middle Childhood lecture, covering physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development from ages 6-12.

Middle Childhood

The developmental period between the ages of 6 and 12 years.

Major Developmental Tasks of Middle Childhood

Forming positive self-esteem from internal sources, changing from concrete to abstract thinking, focusing more on fact, developing close peer relationships, developing secondary sex characteristics, and accepting more responsibility.

Physiologic Changes in Middle Childhood

Most body systems reach adult level functioning after age 6, change from diaphragmatic to thoracic breathing, head growth slows, heart rate slows, immune system matures, lymph tissue reaches maximal size, and the endocrine system reaches adult functioning by puberty.

Myelinization

Process of the brain slowing but continuing through adolescence, leading to improved sensory organ maturity.

Dental Changes in Middle Childhood

Loss of primary teeth begins at age 6, with 4 permanent teeth erupting each year.

Physical Growth in Middle Childhood

Slow until a growth spurt just before puberty, with an average weight gain of 5.5 to 7 lb/year and height increase of 2 inches per year.

Gross Motor Skills in Middle Childhood

Newly developed skills enabling children to play independently and master coordination and control, allowing participation in team sports.

Fine Motor Skills in Middle Childhood

Development enabling writing, reading, artistic expression, and playing musical instruments, requiring finger, eye, and impulse control.

Oral Health in Middle Childhood

Crucial time due to the eruption of permanent teeth, influenced by good childhood habits established through adult teaching and regular doctor/dental visits.

Rough-and-Tumble Play

Physical play engaged in by children between ages 5 and 7, which evolves into competitive play after age 7.

Competitive Play

Play common after age 7, involving cooperation, conflict resolution, and welcomed challenges like organized sports.

Benefits of Physical Activity

Better overall health, less obesity, appreciation of cooperation and fair play, improved problem-solving abilities, and respect for teammates and opponents.

Hazards of Physical Activity

Loss of self-esteem from criticism, injuries, reinforcement of prejudices, and increased stress.

Screen Time Recommendation (AAP)

Should not exceed 2 hours per day.

Brain Maturation in Middle Childhood

Prefrontal cortex development enables mastery of complex tasks like reading, social skills, impulse control, planning for the future, and analyzing consequences, leading to an increasingly interconnected brain by age 7 or 8.

Nutritional Guidelines for Middle Childhood

A well-balanced diet of 1200-1800 kcal/day.

Obesity in Middle Childhood

Defined as BMI >95th percentile for age/gender or BMI >30 kg/m^2, with contributing genetic, cultural, and environmental factors.

Overweight in Middle Childhood

Defined as BMI >85th but <95th percentile.

Psychosocial Issues of Obesity

Low self-esteem, ridicule, and discrimination.

Management of Obesity

Multimodal intervention including reasonable caloric restriction, physical exercise, peer counseling, and habit changes, though few overweight children achieve or maintain weight loss.

Health Promotion in Schools

AAP recommends teaching motor skills and fitness exercises to promote positive attitudes toward exercise and healthy lifestyles, focusing on mastery and enjoyment rather than just winning.

Enuresis

Involuntary urination at an age when bladder control should be established.

Primary Enuresis

A child who has never achieved bladder control.

Secondary Enuresis

Periods of dryness followed by recurrent enuresis.

Nocturnal Enuresis

Involuntary urination during sleep.

Encopresis

Persistent voluntary or involuntary passage of stool into a child's underwear after age 4, often a complication of chronic constipation or painful bowel movements.

Disorders of Arousal

Sleep disturbances including night terrors, sleepwalking, and sleep talking, requiring consideration of safety, relaxation techniques, and consistent sleep preparation.

Asthma

A chronic disease of the respiratory system characterized by inflammation that narrows the airways, causing difficulty in breathing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.

Asthma Primary Prevention

Societal changes aimed at reducing the overall incidence of asthma.

Asthma Secondary Prevention

Measures to decrease asthma attacks among high-risk children.

Asthma Tertiary Prevention

Prompt use of injections and inhalers after an attack occurs.

HP 2030 Goals

Attain healthy, thriving lives free of preventable disease, achieve health equity, eliminate health disparities, attain health literacy, create healthy environments, and promote healthy development.

Concrete Operational Thought (Piaget)

A stage where children think logically and understand rules based only on what they see, lacking abstract thinking but able to understand conservation, classify, and seriate.

Conservation (Piaget)

The understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in form, mastered during concrete operational thought.

Classifying and Seriation (Piaget)

Major operations mastered during concrete operational thought, involving grouping objects by characteristics and arranging them in a series.

Language Development in School-Age Children

Know most basic vocabulary and grammar by age 6, learn up to 20 new words a day, apply new grammar rules, and comprehend prefixes, suffixes, compound words, phrases, metaphors, and figures of speech.

Pragmatics

The ability to use words and devices to communicate in various contexts, allowing children to change formal and informal codes to fit their audience.

Vygotsky's Theory

Emphasizes that education occurs everywhere and knowledge is acquired from social context, with language as integral for understanding and learning, and lessons varying by culture.

Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky)

The range between a child's current ability and their potential ability with guidance, where scaffolding is crucial.

Scaffolding (Vygotsky)

The process of guiding a child through their zone of proximal development by providing support and assistance.

Memory in Middle Childhood

Both short-term and long-term memory improve, aided by organizing, classifying, and labeling.

Cognitive Styles

Patterns of thought and reasoning, where feelings of success encourage continued effort, and feelings of failure may lead to avoidance or low self-confidence.

Myopia

Nearsightedness, a common vision problem in school children.

Astigmatism

Uneven focusing, a common vision problem in school children.

Hyperopic

Farsightedness.

Chronic Serous Otitis Media

Fluid behind the eardrum that can lead to a hearing deficit if persistent.

Learning Disabilities

Differences in areas that undercut academic achievement and self-esteem, affecting about 14% of children aged 6-17.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997

Legislation aimed at providing educational opportunities for children with disabilities, requiring Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, ensuring accommodations for eligible students.

Dyslexia

A learning disability characterized by reversing in normal appearance of letters and numbers.

Dyscalculia

A learning disability characterized by difficulty learning math in someone of normal intelligence compared with peers.

ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)

The most common neurobehavioral disorder, characterized by great difficulty concentrating, inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, with symptoms presenting before age 7.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A range of neurodevelopmental conditions (including Asperger's syndrome) characterized by impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors, with varied severity and treatment options.

Asperger's Syndrome

A condition previously distinct, now included within Autism Spectrum Disorder, characterized by being highly verbal but socially inept.

Industry vs. Inferiority (Erikson)

The psychosocial stage in middle childhood where the major task is mastery of skills, striving for success in personal and social tasks to develop a sense of competence, or feeling inadequate with repeated failures.

Self-esteem

The extent to which an individual believes oneself to be capable, significant, successful, and worthy, influenced by completing tasks successfully, family, peers, and school.

Internal Locus of Control

A belief that one is responsible for their behavior and accomplishments, which develops as a child makes choices and typically leads to higher levels of achievement.

Body Concept

A child's understanding of body parts and functions, with physical differences potentially leading to ridicule and concerns about peer relationships, especially for children with chronic illnesses.

Family's Role in Middle Childhood

Provides a sense of security, fosters increasing independence and maturity, and teaches socially accepted behaviors, requiring effective limit setting and discipline.

Peer Relationships in Middle Childhood

Friendships, especially with same-sex peers, become very important, leading to psychosocial growth and offering a buffer against psychopathology, with friends chosen for common interests and values.

Culture of Children

The particular habits, styles, and values that reflect the set of rules and rituals characterizing children as distinct from adult society, learned through friendship and social interactions.

Aggressive-Rejected Children

Unpopular children who are disliked because they are antagonistic and confrontational.

Withdrawn-Rejected Children

Unpopular children who are disliked because they are timid and anxious.

Social Cognition

The ability to understand social interactions, including the causes and consequences of human behavior.

Bullying

Repeated, systematic efforts to inflict harm through physical, verbal, or social attacks on a weaker person.

Bully-Victim

Someone who attacks others and is also attacked, sometimes called a provocative victim due to behaviors that elicit bullying.

Types of Bullying

Includes physical (hitting, pinching), verbal (teasing, name-calling), relational (destroying peer acceptance), and cyberbullying (electronic harm).

Preconventional Level of Moral Development (Kohlberg)

Characterizes younger school-age children who do things to avoid consequences but do not understand the reasoning behind the rules.

Conventional Level of Moral Development (Kohlberg)

Characterizes later childhood (10-13 years) where individuals are concerned about group interests and values, look to others for approval, and judge behavior by its intention.

Freud's Period of Sexual Latency

A phase in middle childhood where a child learns to suppress sexual urges and focuses on industry, achievement, and skills, developing an awareness of body image and desire for modesty.

Child Abuse

Includes physical, emotional, and sexual harm, as well as neglect (lack of food, shelter, emotional support), often perpetrated by someone known to the child.

Mandatory Reporting (Nurse's Role)

Legal requirement for nurses to report suspected child abuse based on warning signs like conflicting stories, injuries inconsistent with history, or inappropriate responses from caregiver or child.

Leading Cause of Death in Children (>1 Year)

Accidents, particularly MVAs, fires, burns, bicycle accidents, drowning, and firearms-related incidents.

Latchkey Children

Children who are left unsupervised after school until a parent or guardian returns from work.

Nursing Implications in Middle Childhood

Includes well-child evaluations, immunizations, screenings for health problems (vision, hearing, scoliosis), health promotion education (lifestyle choices, safety, physical activity), and engaging children in health-promotion activities.