Child Development 3e by Robert Feldman Chapter 11

• In what ways do children grow during the school years, and what factors influence their growth? • What are the nutritional needs of school-age children, and what are some causes and effects of improper nutrition? • What sorts of health threats do school-age children face? • What are the characteristics of motor development during middle childhood, and what advantages do improved physical skills bring? • What safety threats affect school-age children, and what can be done about them? • What sorts of special needs manifest themselves in the middle childhood years, and how can they be met? Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Physical Development in Middle Childhood Slow and Steady – it is not unusual for children in middle childhood to vary as much as 6 -7 inches in height Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Nutrition Children receiving more nutrients have more energy and feel more selfconfident Feldman Child

Childhood Obesity is defined as body weight more than 20% above average for a person of similar height and age. At least 13% of US children are obese – a proportion that has tripled since the 1960 s Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Balanced Diet? Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Asthma is a chronic condition characterized by periodic attacks of wheezing, coughing, and shortness

Psychological Disorders Childhood Depression Anxiety Disorders Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Motor Development • Gross motor skills- muscle coordination improves so children can better learn to ride bikes, skate, skip rope, and swim • Fine motor skills- Myelin in the brain increases significantly from 6 -8 years old so skills such as cursive writing or using a keyboard are easier to master Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Gross Motor Skills Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Safety and Children • Auto accidents rank as the most frequent source of injury to children between the ages of 5 and 9 • Fires, burns, drowning, and gun-related deaths follow in frequency Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Injury Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Children with Special Needs • Visual impairment – difficulties in seeing that may include blindness or partial sightedness • Auditory impairment – a special need that involves the loss of hearing or some aspect of hearing • Speech impairment – speech that deviates so much from the speech of others that it calls attention to itself, interferes with communication, or produces maladjustment in the speaker • Stuttering – substantial disruption in the rhythm and fluency of speech; the most common speech impairment Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

Learning Disabilities • Learning disabilities – difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities • Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - a learning disability marked by inattention, impulsiveness, a low tolerance for frustration, and a great deal of inappropriate activity Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall

• Least restrictive environment – the setting most similar to that of children without special needs • Mainstreaming – an educational approach in which exceptional children are integrated as much as possible into the traditional educational system and are provided with a broad range of educational alternatives • Full inclusion – the integration of all students, even those with the most severe disabilities, into regular classes and all other aspects of school and community life Feldman Child Development, 3/e © 2004 Prentice Hall