Physical Development and Health in Early Childhood

1. Physical Development and Health in Early Childhood Chapter 9

2. Aspects of Physiological Development • Bodily Growth and Change • In early childhood (3 to 6 years), children slim down and shoot up • Muscular and skeletal growth makes children stronger • Growth changes promote development of a wide range of motor skills

3. Aspects of Physiological Development • Nutrition: Preventing Overweight • Overweight increase is greatest among children in low-income families • Preschoolers need fewer calories in proportion to their weight, but eating patterns become more environmentally influenced as they age

4. Aspects of Physiological Development • Nutrition: Preventing Overweight • What children eat is as important as how much they eat • Prevention of overweight is critical, as long-term treatment success for obesity is limited • Overweight children tend to be overweight adults

5. Aspects of Physiological Development • Sleep Patterns and Problems • Walking and talking during sleep are fairly common in early childhood • Occasional nightmares: not cause for alarm • Sleep (or night) terror: awakens in a state of panic

6. Aspects of Physiological Development • Sleep Patterns and Problems • Enuresis (bed-wetting) is repeated urination, especially at night • Enuresis runs in families; tends to be more concordant in identical twins than fraternal twins • Usually, enuresis is common, not serious, and has effective treatments available

7. Motor Development • Motor Skills • Gross motor skillsinvolve the large muscles • Fine motor skills--manipulative eye-hand and small-muscle coordination in skills • Video

8. Motor Skill Development in Early Childhood • Gross Motor Skills • Walking, running smoother • Catching, throwing, swinging, riding • Fine Motor Skills • Self-help: dressing, eating • Drawing

9. Motor Development • Artistic Development • Children's early pictures show energy and freedom; later, they show care and accuracy

10. Progression of Drawing Skills • Scribbles: during 2nd year • First Representational Forms • Label already-made drawings: around age 3 • Draw boundaries and people: 3–4 years • More Realistic Drawings: preschool to school age • Early Printing: Ages 3–5

11. Development of Children’s Drawing

12. Maltreatment: Abuse and Neglect • Maltreatment: Facts and Figures • Highest rates are for children 3 and under • American Indian, Alaska Native, and African American children have the highest rates • Physical aggression occurs at least 1-2x a year in nearly 9 out of 10 households

13. Maltreatment: Abuse and Neglect • Contributing Factors: An Ecological View • Maltreatment by parents is aggravated by other family problems • A disproportionate number of abused and neglected children are in large, poor, or single-parent families • Characteristics of abusive parents and families

14. Maltreatment: Abuse and Neglect • Contributing Factors: An Ecological View • Characteristics of neglectful parents and families • Abuse and neglect often happen in the same household • Two cultural values associated with child abuse are societal violence and physical punishment of children

15. Maltreatment: Abuse and Neglect • Effects of Maltreatment • Effects include physical, emotional, cognitive, and social consequences • Behavior problems in school • Often have disorganized-disoriented attachments to their parents and negative, distorted self-concepts

16. Maltreatment: Abuse and Neglect • Effects of Maltreatment • Deprived of early positive social interactions interfere with social skill development • Abused children are at higher risk of becoming delinquent, criminal, or mentally ill