Module 4 Development in Middle Childhood

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Module 4: Part 1

Middle Childhood

• 6 years to around 10 or 11 years • School age-children in Elementary and

Middle School.

Physical Growth

• Height and weight changes o growth spurts o Average 2 to 3 inches per year and 5-7 pounds a

year. • Other body changes:

o Bone o Muscle mass increases o Fat- baby fat decreases o Teeth

Brain in Middle Childhood

• Continuing changes in prefrontal cortex • Brain activity increases in some areas,

decreases in others.

• Bilateral coordination improves • Motor skills improve:

o Strength o Flexibility o Impulsion o Speed o Precision o Coordination o Balance

Motor Skills

Nutrition

• Eating habits and appetites improve as children engage in more demanding physical activities. o Around 17% of school-age children are obese

• Television can influence food choices

Health Issues in Middle Childhood • Immunizations • Understanding of contagion and sanitation

increases • Accidents • Health outcomes better than preschoolers • Mental Health Issues: Learning disorders,

depression, anxiety, ADHD • Obesity • Cancer: second leading cause of death in 5-14

years old

Health Preventions

• Regular doctor, dental and eye exams • Proper nutrition and exercise • Monitoring behavior in school • Awareness of bullying or peer pressure

Learning Disabilities

• Dyslexia: impairment in ability to read and

write • Dysgraphia: difficulty in handwriting • Dyscalculia: math disorder

Other Childhood Disabilities

• ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity

• Autism Spectrum Disorder: can impact social relationships, communication, behaviors

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

Module 4: Part 2

• Ages 7 to 11 • Concrete means children’s understanding of their

environment is limited to the present and to the immediate physical realities.

• Increasing ability to use mental imagery to solve problems • Understanding Time • Concept of Conservation: • Reversability:

Piaget Concrete Operational Stage

Information -Processing

• Attention o Selective attention

• Memory- Increased Long-term memory o Repetition o Rehearsal o Chunking o Elaboration

• Metacognition

Intelligence

• Ability to solve problems • Adapt and learn from experiences • Mental Age: individual’s level of mental

development compared to others • Intelligent quotient (IQ): Mental age divided

by chronological age, multiplied by 100 • Stanford-Binet • Normal Distribution

Intelligence

• Culture-fair tests: designed to be free of cultural bias

• Mental retardation: limited mental ability with low IQ and difficulty adapting to every day life

• Gifted: Above average intelligence

• Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences o Linguistic intelligence o Logical-mathematical intelligence o Spatial intelligence o Interpersonal intelligence o Intrapersonal intelligence o Musical intelligence o Bodily kinesthetic intelligence o Naturalist intelligence o Existential intelligence

Intelligence

• Language art skills o Children should become fluid readers during this period. o Writing goes from simply stating facts to coherent and organized

pieces. Mathematical skills

o Codified math o Algorithms o Inventive strategies o By the end of middle childhood, children should understand

fractions, decimals, pre-geometry, pre-algebra, and conversion between the decimal and standard systems of measurement.

Academics in Middle Childhood

• Metalinguistic-awareness develops • Vocabulary still growing, but at a slower pace

than during early childhood • Word choice improves • Figurative language form develops • The finer details of language use continue to

progress

Language Development

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

Module 4: Part 3

Emotional Development

• Emotional communication improves • Understanding of emotions increases • Temperament (Janson and Mathiesen’s)

o Four dimensions of temperament: Sociability, activity level, emotinality, and shyness

o Five temperament profiles: Undercontrolled, confident, unremarkable, inhibited, uneasy

oGender differences

Moral Development • Preconventional: moral behavior based on

reward or punishment- fear of getting caught • Conventional- moral behavior based on laws

and understanding of right and wrong • Postconventional- moral behavior based on

higher constructs or justice • Based upon his study: The Heinz Dilemma • Widely critiques by Carol Gilligan and Others-

gender differences

• Secure child is more likely to have: • Social skills

o Ego resiliency o Self-esteem o Self-confidence o Emotional health o Social competence o Friendship development o Independence

Attachment

o It enhances and encourages a child’s creativity o It assists a child to learn developmental tasks o It fosters interpersonal relationship with peers o It bolsters a child’s personality and self-concept

• Changes in play during middle childhood: o Increasing ability to take turns, follow rules, and

share equipment o Becomes more competitive o TV and computer use increases during this age

• The average child spends about 3 hours per day watching TV or on the computer for reasons other than school work

Play in Middle Childhood

• Parents become psychological helpers to

their children during this time period • Co-regulation between parents and children

increases • Divorce: Impacts parenting, relationships,

communication

Family Dynamics

• Sibling relationships provide a context for

learning how to interact with others. • Positive sibling relationships can provide the

following benefits: o Compensate for negative peer relationships o Develop prosocial behavior o Develop perspective taking o Development of self

Sibling Dynamics

Peer Relationships • Friendships:

o One-way assistance o Fair-weather cooperation o Intimate and mutually shared relationships

• Social hierarchy o Average o Neglected o Rejected o Popular o Controversial

Technology

• High TV-viewing associated with: o Obesity o Less reading o Lower school success o Gender stereotyping o Aggression and sexualization

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stage

• Industry Vs. Inferiority o Productive and competent- children feel proud of

their accomplishments that are praised or rewarded vs. children who are told their efforts are worthless

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