Kathleen Stassen Berger

Part III

Chapter Eight

The Play Years: Biosocial Development

Body Changes
Brain Development
Injuries and Abuse

The Play Years: Biosocial Development

Children grow bigger and stronger become more

skilled at tasks by age 6, they can skip, write,
and much more, as long as they have had enough
practice.

Body Changes
1-year-olds are cute and chubby, while 6 year olds are
grown up
the body and brain develop according to powerful
epigenetic forces, biologically driven as well as socially
guided, experience-expectant and experiencedependent

Body Changes
Growth Patterns

during the play years:

children become slimmer

the lower body lengthens
baby fat turns to muscle

at age 5 the body mass index is lower than at any other age in
the entire life span

Body Changes
Growth Patterns

during the play years:

gone is the protruding belly

round face
short limbs
large head (that characterize the toddler)

Body Changes
Growth Patterns

children increase in height and weight

Each year from age 26, well-nourished children add

almost 3 inches and gain about 4 pounds
6-year-olds weigh about 46 pounds

Body Changes
Growth Patterns

A typical 6-year-old:

is at least 3 feet tall

weighs between 40 and 50 pounds
looks lean, not chubby
has adult-like body proportions

Body Changes
Growth Patterns

ethnic groups living together in the same developed

nation, children of:
African descent tend to be the tallest, then
European descent
Asian descent
Latino descent

Body Changes
Growth Patterns

Over the centuries, low-income families encourage their

children to eat, so that they would have a reserve of fat to
protect themselves in times of famine.
by 2020 it is predicted that more than 228 million adults
worldwide will have diabetes as a result of unhealthy eating
habits acquired in childhood

Body Changes
Eating Habits

Infants and young children today play outside less than

their parents or grandparents did

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Body Changes
Eating Habits

Nutritional deficiencies

children in developed nations consume enough calories

but lack iron, zinc, and calcium
most cultures encourage their children to eat sweets

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Body Changes
Eating Habits
Just right

just right or just so phenomenon is normal and

widespread among children
most young childrens food preferences and rituals are far
from ideal

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Body Changes
Eating Habits
Just right

75% of 1500 parents reported that their childrens just-right phase

peaked at about age 3...
have things done in a particular order or in a certain way
strong preference to wear or not wear cerain clothes
prepare for bedtime by engaging in a special activity, routine, or
ritual
strong preference for certain foods

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Body Changes
Eating Habits
Just right

by age 6 the just right fades

parents should be patient until the just right obsession
fades

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Brain Development
Brains grow rapidly even before birth.
by age 2 the brains increase in size

a great deal of pruning of dendrites has already

occurred
brain growth after infancy is a crucial difference
between humans and other animals

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Brain Development
Speed of Thought

after infancy, continued proliferation of the communication pathways

(dendrites and axons) results in some brain growth
the effects of myelination are most noticeable in early childhood
Myelination is the process by which axons become coated with
myelin, a fatty substance that speeds the transmission of nerve
impulses from neuron to neuron
parent must be patient when listening to young children talk or when
helping them get dressed

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Brain Development
Connecting the Brains Hemispheres
corpus callosum

a long band of nerve fibers that connect the left and right
hemispheres of the brain

lateralization

literally, sidedness; the specialization of certain functions by each

side of the brain, with one side dominant for each activity
the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa

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Brain Development
The Left-Handed Child

infants and toddlers usually prefer one hand over the other
For centuries, parents who saw a preference for the left-hand
forced their children to be right-handed

since most people are right-handed the assumption was that righthandedness was best

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Brain Development
The Left-Handed Child

developmentalist advise against trying to switch a

childs handedness not only because of parent-child
conflict but because it might interfere with the natural
and necessary process of lateralization

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Brain Development
The Whole Brain

The left half controls the right side of the body and contains the
areas dedicated to logical reasoning, detailed analysis, and the
basics of language.
The right half controls the left side of the body and contains the
area dedicated to generalized emotion and creative impules,
including appreciation of most music, art, and poetry.

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Brain Development
The Whole Brain

The left side notices details and the right side grasps
the big picture

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Brain Development
The Whole Brain

severely brain-damaged people are exclusively left-brained or

right-brained
every cognitive skill requires both sides of the brain
Because older children have more myelinared fibers in the
corpus callosum, they have better thinking and less clumsy
actions are possible for them

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Brain Development
Planning and Analyzing

the prefrontal cortex or frontal cortex is an area in the

front part of the brains outer layer under the forehead.
this area underlies higher-order cognition

planning and complex forms of goal-directed behavior

the prefrontal cortex is the executive part of the brain

ruling all the other areas

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Brain Development
Planning and Analyzing

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Brain Development
Planning and Analyzing

Maturation of the Prefrontal Cortex

Notable benefits of maturation of the prefrontal cortex

occur from age 2 6
sleep becomes more regular
emotions become more nuanced and responsive to specific
stimuli
temper tantrums subside
uncontrollable laughter or tears become less common
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Brain Development
Planning and Analyzing
Attention

a major function of the prefrontal cortex is to focus

attention and thus curb impulsiveness

perseveration is the tendency to persevere in, or stick to, one

thought or action for a long time

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Brain Development
Emotions and the Brain
amygdala

a tiny brain structure that registers emotions, particularly fear and

anxiety

hippocampus

a brain structure that is a central processor of memory, especially

the memory of location

hypothalamus

a brain area that responds to the amygdala and the hippocampus

to produce hormones that activate other parts of the brain and body
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Brain Development

Emotions and the Brain

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Brain Development
Emotions and the Brain

stressful experiences can foster growth if the child has

someone or something to moderate the stress
prolonged physiological responses to stress and challenge put
children at risk for a variety of problems in childhood including:
physical and mental disorders
poor emotional regulation
cognitive impairments

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Brain Development

Motor Skills

maturation of the prefrontal cortex improves impulse

control
myelinaton of the corpus callosum and lateralization of
the brain permits better coordination

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Brain Development
Motor Skills

Gross Motor Skills

involves large body movement

Fine Motor Skills

involve small body movement (are harder to master)

hands and fingers

many fine motor skills involve two hands both sides of the brain

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Brain Development
Artistic Expression

during the play years children are imaginative, creative, and not
yet very self-critical
all forms of artistic expression blossom during early childhood
in every artistic domain, maturation of brain and body is gradual
and comes with practice

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Brain Development

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Brain Development

Artistic Expression

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Injuries and Abuse

more children die of violence, either accidental or
deliberate than from any other cause
in the U.S. out of every 100,000:

1 to 4-year-olds, 10.9 died accidentally

2.5 died of cancer (the leading fatal disease at this age)
2.4 were murdered

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Injuries and Abuse

young children are more vulnerable to injuries and

abuse than older children
they are impulsive, yet depend on others

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Injuries and Abuse

Avoidable injury

worldwide injuries cause millions of premature deaths

among young adults as well as children

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Injuries and Abuse

Avoidable injury

injury control/harm reduction

practices that are aimed at anticipating, controlling, and

preventing dangerous activities;

these practices reflect the beliefs that accidents are not random
and that injuries can be made less harmful if proper controls are
in place

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Injuries and Abuse

Avoidable injury

three levels of prevention

primary prevention

actions that change overall background conditions to prevent

some unwanted event or circumstances, such as injury, disease,
or abuse

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Injuries and Abuse

Avoidable injury

three levels of prevention

secondary prevention

actions that avert harm in a high-risk situation, such as stopping

a car before it hits a pedestrian

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Injuries and Abuse

Avoidable injury

three levels of prevention

tertiary prevention

actions, such as immediate and effective medical treatment, that

are taken after an adverse event such as illness or injury occurs,
and are aimed at reducing the harm or preventing disability

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Injuries and Abuse

Avoidable injury

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Child Maltreatment
Maltreatment Noticed and Defined
child maltreatment

intentional harm to, or avoidable endangerment of, anyone under

18 years of age

child abuse

deliberate action that is harmful to a childs physical, emotional, or

sexual well-being

child neglect

failure to meet a childs basic physical, educational, or emotional

needs
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Child Maltreatment
Maltreatment Noticed and Defined
reported maltreatment

harm or endangerment about which someone has

notified the authorities

substantiated maltreatment

harm or endangerment that been reported, investigated,

and verified

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Child Maltreatment
Warning Signs of Maltreatment

The first signs of maltreatment are:

delayed development
slow grow
immature communication
lack of curiosity
unusual social interaction

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Child Maltreatment
Warning Signs of Maltreatment

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

is a delayed reaction to a trauma or shock, which may include

hyperactivity and hyper-vigilance, displaced anger,
sleeplessness, sudden terror or anxiety, and confusion between
fantasy and reality

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Child Maltreatment
Consequences of Maltreatment
is effected by cultural context
customs

maltreatment compromises basic health

abused and neglected children are often injured, sick, hospitalized

maltreated children and adolescents are often bullies or victims

or both
these perspectives can last for a life span

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