CFS100 - Walsh Ch.7

Middle Childhood

Middle Childhood

• Ages 6-11

• Period of “calm” & self-sufficiency

• Slow period of physical growth & development

• Overweight & obesity rates steadily increasing

• Advances in fine & gross motor skills

• Greater independence

Cognitive Development

• Maturation of the brain leads to improved executive functions

• Growth in vocabulary & grammar

  • become more skilled at the pragmatics of language

• Learning disabilities are often first diagnosed during elementary school

• Parents involvement in children's education = greater outcomes

Pragmatics

• how language is used in context; using language appropriately

Family & Peers

• Parent-child attachment quality

• Friendships: intimacy, loyalty, & supportiveness

• Self-concept is influenced by family & peers

  • They engage in social comparison, which in turn influences both self-concept & self-esteem

• Positive family relationships & parenting practices serve as a buffer to adversity faced in other contexts

Research on Middle Childhood

• Curriculum & instruction

  • How children learn

• Bullying & peer victimization

  • Who is at risk?

  • Who commits acts of bullying?

• Children & technology

  • Risks & benefits

Professional Opportunities

• School districts

• Child & youth development programs

• Individual behavioral coaching

• Social services &/or child welfare system

• Non-licensed social work, case management

• Parent education

• HDFS-related research

• Coursework in middle childhood