of

SCHOOL AGE &

ADOLESCENCE
Child Development
Gowtham Padmanaban
Faculty of Medicine - Neuroscience
Texila American University
 Objectives
To understand the human development
throughout the life cycle.
To understand the basis of theories of
development.
To learn about variations of individuals that
occurs in journey from adolescence to
adulthood.
To focus on psychological development
involves physical, cognitive, social and
emotional process.
 Domains of Development
Development is described in three domains, but growth
in one domain influences the other domains.
Physical Domain:
body size, body proportions, appearance, brain development, motor
development, perception capacities, physical health.
Cognitive Domain:
thought processes and intellectual abilities including attention, memory,
problem solving, imagination, creativity, academic and everyday knowledge,
metacognition, and language.
Social/Emotional Domain:
self-knowledge (self-esteem, metacognition, sexual identity, ethnic identity),
moral reasoning, understanding and expression of emotions, self-regulation,
temperament, understanding others, interpersonal skills, and friendships.
 Outline of Developmental Theories
Temperament & personality: Chess & Thomas
Psychosexual: Sigmund Freud
Psychosocial: Erik Erikson
Cognitive Development: Jean Piaget
Process of Separation from mother:Margaret Mahler

Copyright 2013-2014
School Age (7 -11 years)

Physical Development of
Children Aged 7 11 years
 Physical Development
(7-11years)

Fine motor skills Increased muscle

Play musical strength
instruments Faster reaction time
Crafts Increased hand-eye
Writing coordination
Gross motor skills Increased flexibility
School Age (7 -11 years)

Emotional Development of
Children Aged 7 11 years
 Emotional Development
( 7- 11 years )

Seven Year Olds

Quiet
Usually not willing to express emotions
Seven year olds tend to keep to themselves and keep
feelings internally, rather than expressing them
Eight Year Olds
Exploration
Curiosity
Enjoy story telling
 Emotional Development
( 7- 11 years )

Nine Year Olds

Nine year olds tend to be extremely self-absorbed
and see themselves as the center of their world.
Ten Eleven Year Olds
Increased self-awareness
Very positive
School Age (7 -11 years)

Social Development of Children

Aged 711 years
 Social Development
( 7- 11 )
School-aged children are very interested in
having friends and pleasing those friends.
Increased social interactions.
Acceptance by peers is very important.
They may begin participating in organized
sports.
Plays with same sex, avoids opposite sex.
Sense of right & wrong.
School Age (7 -11 years)

Cognitive Development of
Children Aged 7 11 years
 Cognitive Development
( 7 11 years)

Thinking.
Reasoning.
Problem solving.
Arrange objects by size (large to small, or
small to large).
Group objects by color, shape or size.
Know 13, 000 words.
Write simple sentences to short stories.
 ADOLESCENCE

The beginning of adolescence undergo another

radical change called a growth spurt.
steady pace about 510 cm and 23 kg per
annum.
Growth is quite rapid compared to earlier in the
lifespan a girl may add around 9 kg in a year
and boys around 11 kg.
 THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN

Brain Growth: The gray matter (the thinking part of

the brain in the frontal lobe) thickens and gains
connections at a rapid rate between the age of 10 and
twelve.

Brain Pruning: Excessive gray matter connections

prunes, eliminates and thinks throughout adolescence
and into young adulthood.
 FRONTAL LOBE DEVELOPMENT

The frontal lobe is responsible for executive functions

such as:

Planning
Organizing
Controlling Impulses
Inhibit Gut Responses
Regulating Emotion
Thinking through Consequences

This part of the brain is under-developed in teens and

will not be completely mature until the teen reaches
their early twenties.
Time periods of adolescent

Adolescence is a unique developmental

period - it keeps changing!
Early adolescence 11 to 14 years old,

Middle adolescence 14 to 17 years old,

Late adolescence 18 to 20 years old.

 Early Adolescence
(11 -14 years)
Physical Development:
Puberty : The process by which an individual
becomes capable of reproduction.
Development of secondary sexual characters.
Menarche - First Menstruation ( 11 14 ) in
girls
First ejaculation 12 15 in males.
Hormonal changes.
 Early Adolescence
(11 -14 years)

Secondary sex characteristics

Characteristics of the body that are caused by
hormones, develop during puberty, and last through
adult life.
Changes in genitals/breasts/voice
Pubic/body/facial hair
Spend increasing amounts of time in the
company of their and increasingly focus on
peer relations as crucial to their sense of
identity.
Middle adolescence( 14 17)
 Middle adolescence
( 14 17 years )
Showing interest towards gender roles, body image
& personality.
Common - Attraction over ( unreasonable love over
unattainable person : rock star or celebrities ).
Shows an identity by flowing trend & fashion in
music, clothing.
Spends time with parents but ends in conflict.
Homosexual attraction may occur normal ,but
parents should guide properly.
 Middle adolescence
( 14 17 years )
The impact of friends behavior is moderated
by parental guidance(i.e. the parents encourage or
discourage particular friendships)
Have risk of Drug abuse, smoking habit.
Tend to break rules driving too fast , break rules of
school Etc.,
Advice mainly using short term consequences,
Ex: avoid smoking : tell about teeth color than lung
cancer.
 Late Adolescence
( 17 20 years )

Development of moral ,ethics & self control.

Interest on social work.
Increase cognitive development.
Sometimes confusion occurs & involves
behavioral abnormalities criminality, etc
 Motivating and Treating the Middle School
Adolescent/Student
Focus on developing a sense of security and competence
in their world.
Be aware of how they personalize peers behavior and
help normalize this.
Provide a network of supervision. If the middle school
teen tests limits by trying inappropriate behavior, the
best deterrent to future behavior is to monitor closely,
catch it early, make a big deal out of it when it happens.
Intervene by utilizing value based, action oriented
consequences that clearly communicate the message
that the adolescent will be held responsible for his/her
behavior.
Teenage Sexuality & Teenage
Pregnancy
First sexual intercourse occurs 16 years,
Proper counselling: contraceptives, STD,
drug & alcohol abuse must.
Teenage pregnancy is a major social
problem.
Teenagers high risk of obstetric
complications.
Why is teenage pregnancy higher in the US?
 Adulthood

Divided into three main Most adults are forced

parts: to confront and adapt
- young or early adulthood to similar
(20-40) circumstances:
- middle adulthood (40-65) - Identity.
- late adulthood or old age - Marriage.
- Children.
- Careers.
- Death of parents.
 Early Adulthood
Adult Physical Development
Time of Peak Physical cavity

muscular strength
cardiac output

sensory sensitivity

In general, people in early adulthood feel

robust and energetic,
although it is not unusual to see fluctuations
around deadlines and exam periods!
 Early Adulthood

On the other hand, people in this age group

are also able to use damaging substances,
such as alcohol and tobacco, and many can
obtain access to illegal stimulants or
narcotics.
Young adults also have increasing
responsibility for organizing their own eating
habits and exercise regimes choices.
 Young Adulthood
Transition from Adolescence to Young Adulthood
Characterized by real and intrapsychic separation from the family of origin and
the engagement of new, phase specific tasks.
- To develop a young-adult sense of self and others.
- To develop adult friendships.
- To develop the capacity for intimacy; to become a spouse.
- To become a biological and psychological parent.
- To establish an adult work identity.
- To develop a relationship of mutuality and equality with parents while
facilitating their middle development.
- To develop adult forms of play
- To integrate new attitudes toward time.
 Young Adulthood
Developmental Tasks
1. Establishing a sense of self
- For most, emotional detachment from parents is followed by a new inner
definition of themselves (comfortably alone and competent).
- Shift continues long after marriage - parenthood results in the formation of new
relationships that replace the progenitors as the most important individuals.
2. Work Identity
- Transition from learning and play to work may be gradual or abrupt.
- Depending on choices, work can either be: source of ongoing frustration or
activity that enhances self esteem.
Unemployment
Effects of unemployment transcend those of loss of income:
- incidence of alcohol dependence, - homicide, - violence,
- suicide, - mental illness.
 Young Adulthood
Developmental Tasks
3. Developing Adult Friendships
- Prior to marriage and parenthood - friendships are the primary source of
emotional support (all major developmental issues discussed with).
- Marriage + children emotional importance of friendships some
abandoned, couple friendship.
4. Sexuality and Marriage
Shift from sexual experimentation. Love may leads to marriage.
Desire for intimacy:
- Experienced as intense loneliness.
- Results from awareness of an absence of committed love similar to that in
childhood with parents.
- Marked by desire for emotional involvement in a sexual content.
Failure to develop the capacity for intimate relationships carries the risk of life
in isolation and self-absorption in midlife.

Interracial marriages? Marital problems?

 Young Adulthood
Developmental Tasks
5. Parenthood

Intensifies the relationship between the two parents.

More responsibilities in growing the kids.
Children rising may cause conflicts between parents.

Issues:
Irresponsibility,
Income & job,
Think to run away from family,
Assumes overloaded.
 Middle Adulthood
Golden age of adulthood

Sense of satisfaction and well

being:
-Physical health.
-Emotional maturity.
-Competence and power in the
work situation.
-Gratifying relationships.
Erik Erikson: Generativity Vs Stagnation
Generativity defined as the process by which persons guide the
oncoming generation or improve society.
Stagnant people are seen as being within a cocoon of self concern
and isolation.
 Middle Adulthood
Physical Changes
Normative changes in midlife sexual functioning
Time of Climacterium ( biological and physiological
functioning).
Men - difficulty in getting and sustaining erections, decrease
muscle strength
Women ( estrogen) Menopause Absence of Mensuration,
thickness of the vaginal mucosa, in secretions and contractions
at the time of orgasm.
Menopause physical or psychological problems.
 Middle Adulthood
Some Changes
Some: gap between early aspirations and current achievements.
Some: wonder about lifestyle choices and early commitments of
early adulthood (worth continuing?).
Redefining roles and reappraisal of relationships.
Friendships change.
Transition includes widening concern for the larger social system
and differentiation of ones own social, political, and historical
system from others.
Midlife friendships do not usually have the sense of urgency or
the need for frequent or nearly constant physical presence of the
friend.
Phenomenon's of Middle
Adulthood
Midlife Transition
Precipitated by the growing recognition that life is finite and approaching an
end. Characterized by mental turmoil, not action.
Most people: keep life structures in a way of sportive & enthu by their
knowledge.
Clinicians need to recognize and facilitate the process by making it conscious
and verbal.
Midlife Crisis
Mostly men A change in profession or life style, Separation or Divorced,
childrens leaves-Depression increase in use of drugs & alcohols.
Empty Nest Syndrome
Depression that occurs in some men and women when their youngest child
leave the home.
Most parents perceive the departure as a stress.
If no compensating activities have developed risk of depression.
Late Adulthood (Old Age).

Passage from youth to old age mirrored by shift

from pursuit of wealth to maintenance of health.

Erik Erikson: Integrity Vs Despair

Successful resolution of this crisis involves a
process of life review and achieved a sense of
peace and wisdom through coming to terms with
how ones life was lived.

Unsuccessful resolution:
- Feeling that life was too short.
- Feeling that one did not choose wisely.
- Bitterness that one will not have a chance to live
life over again.
 Late Adulthood
(Old Age).

Decline in special senses , muscle strength

and all functions.
Brain weight decreases , ventricles enlarge
and demyelination occurs.
Dementia senile plaques, decrease in
neurotransmitters.
Decline in cognition & memory.
 Special care - Child
Development
Submit Assignment on Special care and
Issues during Child Development ?
Should contain from toddler to late
adolescence ( 21 years).
Health risks & nutrient issues ,sexual and
reproductive health issues, education
issues ,violence & drug abuse, child labor,
etc.,
Focus mainly on disabled children's both
physical & mentally impaired.