Ch. 9

Outline of Child Development from Ages 6-12

Growth Statistics

  • Age Range: 6 to 12 years

  • Growth Rate: 5-8 cm per year and 2.75 kg per year

Sex Differences in Growth

  • Variations in rate of growth, fat versus muscle density, and muscle coordination

Neurological Development

  • Early Development: Growth in sensory and motor areas of the brain

  • Later Development: Growth in reticular formation and the neural connections to frontal lobes

  • Frontal Lobe Growth:

    • Important for processes such as selective attention

Cognitive Development

  • Selective Attention: The ability to focus cognitive activity on important elements of a problem or situation

  • Lateralization of Spatial Perception:

    • Identifying and acting on relationships between objects in space

  • Spatial Cognition:

    • Ability to infer rules from and predict movements of objects in space

Importance of Sleep

  • Recommended Sleep Duration: 9-11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night

  • Common Issues: Poor sleep patterns prevalent in this age group

Immunization Guidelines

  • Recommended Vaccinations:

    • Hepatitis B should be administered in infancy

    • Consider Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations between ages 9-13 years

Safety and Health Concerns

  • Unintentional Injuries Statistics:

    • 2 out of 5 fatalities among children aged 5-9 years

    • Playground accidents account for approximately 50% of traumatic brain injuries

  • Healthy Bodies and Weights:

    • Measured primarily with Body Mass Index (BMI)

    • Risk Factors for Overweight:

    • Overweight parents

    • Large size for gestational age at birth

    • Early onset of being overweight

    • Consequences of Being Overweight or Obese:

    • Higher risk for a range of health and socioemotional problems

Chapter 9: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood

  • Topics Covered:

    • Physical changes

    • Cognitive changes

    • Schooling developments

Physical Changes

  • Continuation of Development:

    • Ongoing physical development typical from early childhood

Brain and Nervous System Development

  • Myelinization: Increases efficiency of brain function

  • Association Areas Development: Growth in brain regions responsible for complex cognitive processes

Health Promotion and Wellness

  • Focus Areas Include:

    • Sleep importance

    • Immunization impacts

    • Reduction in hospitalizations attributed to vaccinations

Cognitive Development: Concrete Operations Stage

Key Cognitive Operations

  • Set of Schemes:

    • Includes decentration, reversibility, and inductive logic use

  • Decentration: Thinking that takes multiple variables into account

  • Reversibility: Ability to mentally undo a physical or mental transformation

  • Inductive Logic: Emerging ability to make generalized conclusions from specific instances

Memory and Processing Skills

  • Improved Memory Skills: Lead to quicker learning

  • Processing Efficiency: The effective utilization of short-term memory capacity

  • Automaticity: The ability to recall information from long-term memory without taxing short-term memory

  • Executive Processes:

    • Include devising and executing strategies for remembering and problem-solving

    • Impacted by expertise and knowledge which improves efficiency and creativity

  • Information-Processing Skills: Dependent on the quality and quantity of information stored in long-term memory

Language Development

  • Grammar Skills Finessing:

    • Children learn to maintain topics of conversation and create unambiguous sentences

    • Techniques for polite or persuasive speech are also developed

  • Vocabulary Growth:

    • Addition of approximately 5,000 to 10,000 new words per year

Educational Approaches

  • Authoritative Teaching Style: Recognized as the most effective teaching method

  • Focus of Literacy Education:

    • Continued importance of phonological awareness

    • Emphasizes systematic and explicit phonics instruction

    • Advocates for a balanced approach integrating phonics with other strategies

Theories of Intelligence

Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage

  • Logical thinking develops around objects and events in the real world

Information-Processing Advances

  • Developments that allow for better use of cognitive resources

  • Modifications in reading programs based on developmental psychology

Bilingual Education Approaches

Bilingual and ESL Programs

  • Bilingual Education: Children receive instruction in two different languages

  • ESL Programs:

    • Children attend English classes part-time while receiving the majority of instruction in English

    • Programs incorporating home-based components are shown to be particularly effective

  • Outcomes: Initial delays in English language proficiency typically resolve by later grades

  • Success in French Immersion: High school students demonstrate improved reading achievement scores

  • Second-Language Learning Benefits: Associated with various positive cognitive and social outcomes

  • Indigenous Language Revitalization: Programs are successfully implemented and show promising results

Theories of Intelligence

Multiple Intelligences Theory (Gardner)

  • Eight Types of Intelligence:

    • Linguistic

    • Logical/Mathematical

    • Musical

    • Spatial

    • Bodily-Kinesthetic

    • Naturalist

    • Interpersonal

    • Intrapersonal

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

  • Three Components:

    • Contextual Intelligence

    • Experiential Intelligence

    • Componential Intelligence (Analytical, Creative, Practical)

Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Theory

  • Three Components:

    • Awareness of one's own emotions

    • Ability to express emotions appropriately

    • Capacity to channel emotions towards achieving valuable goals

Gender Differences in Learning Styles

  • Analytical Style: Focuses on task details

  • Relational Style: Emphasizes the big picture over details

Assessment and Evaluation

Assessment Types

  • Achievement Tests: Assess specific knowledge learned in school

  • Standardized Tests: Scores compared to peers at the same grade level nationwide

  • Assessment Methods: Utilize formal and informal information gathering techniques to enhance developmental learning

  • Evaluation: Involves assigning a mark or grade that reflects a student’s highest and most consistent level of achievement over time

Learning Differences and Exceptionalities

Learning Disabilities

  • Conditions resulting in children struggling to master specific academic skills despite having average or above-average intelligence and no physical or sensory impairments

  • Impact and Variability:

    • Disabilities can vary in severity and expression throughout a person's life

    • Emphasizes early identification, specialized assessments, and necessary interventions across different settings

  • Prevalence: 1 in 10 Canadians affected

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by executive dysfunction

  • Symptoms Grouped Into:

    • Inattention

    • Hyperactivity

  • Requirement Criteria:

    • At least six symptoms in either category

    • Symptoms must appear before age 12, persist for at least six months, and manifest in at least two settings

  • Prevalence Rates:

    • Approximately 3.7% of Canadian boys and 1.5% of girls aged 6-9 years exhibit symptoms

  • Genetic and Environmental Factors:

    • Significant genetic elements alongside environmental risks including brain injuries, exposure to toxins, parenting styles, and social stressors

  • Adaptive Response Consideration: ADHD may develop as a response to specific environmental contexts

  • Sleep Problems: Cyclical relationships between sleep dysfunction and ADHD symptoms

  • Treatment Approaches:

    • Strategies include parent training, medications introduced during middle childhood, problem-solving techniques, and skills training tailored to individual challenges

  • Academic Impact: Generally leads to lower academic performance and potential peer rejection.