Infancy & Early Childhood

1. Infancy & Early Childhood By Amanda Loaris Whitney Snell Thomas Wynne Stan Atkins

2. Infancy “The average full-term newborn weighs about 7 ½ pounds and is approximately 20 inches long” (Zastrow & Kirst-Asham, 2010, p. 63).

3. Newborn Assessment • Newborns are assessed at birth because “the sooner any problems can be attended to, the greater the chance of having the infant be normal and healthy (Zastrow & Kirst-Asham, 2010, p.61). • APGAR is a quick test performed on a baby at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. The 1-minute score determines how well the baby tolerated the birthing process. The 5-minute score tells the doctor how well the baby is doing outside the mother's womb (APGAR).

4. Newborn Screening 1. What is Newborn Screening? Our state law requires that all babies born in Washington be tested for congenital disorders before they are discharged from the hospital of birth. Babies born at home must be tested within the first week of life. Before your baby leaves the hospital, the baby's heel is pricked. Several drops of blood are collected on a filter paper card, dried and sent for testing to the Washington State Newborn Screening Laboratory in Shoreline, WA. 2. Why is my baby tested? The NBS program detects inherited problems in newborn babies. If left untreated, these problems can lead to slow growth, blindness, brain damage and possibly death. A newborn baby may look perfectly healthy, but still have an inherited disease. Finding these problems early and treating them promptly prevents many serious complications(Parents Page)

6. 3 Early Cognitive Developments(Zastrow & Kirst-Asham, 2010, p. 116)

7. (Watch Me Grow)

8. Children are eager to please and are responsive to approval and disapproval at age 3 (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Children at this age, while interested in family activities, are focused mostly on their own activities. By age 3, children have developed their gross motor skills, and are starting to use their imaginations in play. Children are starting to use more complex sentences and are able to express themselves better.

9. Children tend to be less selfish by the time they reach 3, but this level of cooperation will need to be nurtured, and not all children will respond the same. Fights among 3 year olds tend to be minimal, because they are usually involved in play that centers around fantasy and role playing.

10. By the time a child reaches 4 years old, they become very assertive. “They are less likely to conform, in addition to being less responsive to the pleasure or displeasure of adults” (Zastrow & Kirst-Asham, 2010). This is the age when a child becomes very interested in the world around them, and is less interested in his or her parents, and more interested in other adults.

11. 4 year olds are beginning to develop better cognitive functioning. They begin to understand the basic fundamentals of the alphabet and numbers. For parents, the best approach to help the child develop is to offer a wide range of learning opportunities. Practicing reading and numbers, trips to the museum and beach, are ideas to help the child learn, but parents should also nurture special interests, such as machines, dinosaurs, and cars.

12. By the age of 5, children are capable of more involved and difficult activities. 5 year olds also tend to become more competitive, playing games like tag and hide and seek. By this age, children have developed a better ability to respond to adults and follow instruction.

13. 5 years old is the typical age a child enters Kindergarten. This is a major turning point for children, and they often have a difficult adjustment. Kindergarten classes are more structured than preschool, and these kids tend to be the youngest at the school. Parents can help prepare their kids for the change by getting them involved in choosing back to school clothes, and walking them to school.

14. Between the ages of 6 – 8 is when a child moves from its biggest social group being their families, to beginning to focus more around school and their friends (University of Missouri). They start to develop friendships and want to continue playing with their friends without interruption. Many children around this age have a “best friend” and typically are the same gender as the child. For the majority of children this age their fears are also changing. No longer are the scared of witches and ghosts under the bed, but of school and social issues. (University of Missouri). “I have to talk in front of my class, what if someone makes fun of me?”, “What if my friends don’t like me because I can’t ride my bike without training wheels?”. With the growth of their peer groups and friend ships, these types of fears are much more common now. Often called the “What-If?” fears.

15. Between the ages of 6 – 8 is when children start to become involved in sports and physical games with their peers. Their coordination has become more refined and they are able to understand rules and sportsman ship a little more. Children this age can run, jump, skip and balance well making sports and physical games such as kick ball (Zastrow& Kirst-Ashman, 2010), an ideal way for them to interact with their friends, burn off some energy and explore the physicality of their bodies. Winning and loosing also becomes very important, so fostering a sense of fair play and sportsmanship is very important. This is also around the age when children develop interests in small, intricate toys that can be manipulated, but as legos, Lincoln logs or doll play. Imagination is at a great peak in this age, and these types of toys allow them to use it to its fullest potential. This is also the age range that collections of things such as rocks or shells, becomes a hobby.

16. Skills that develop between the ages of 6 and 8: • Around the age of 6 is when children are learning to read and write. These skills can be expected to be messy and fragmented early on, but by the end of age 8 their skills in these areas will be much more self-assured and skilled. (University of Missouri) • Around the age of 7 or 8 children are able to start thinking about their own behavior and anticipate what will happen in events that are planned. They know what is going to happen when they take a drive with their parents or get together to play with a friend. • They also begin to develop a sense of cause and effect in their action and behavior. “If I hit my little brother, I will be sent to a time out.. Just because they know, does not mean it will stop them however. • Children this age start to develop a sense of money. How it is used, why, and the importance of saving for something bigger. • Children this age do very well at handling house hold chores. Charts and pictures and goals can help them feel successful and foster the importance of work. (CDC)

17. Although children in this age group may be separating themselves from their parents in a sense, by playing with their friends and interacting more with team sports, they still have a strong desire for attention and affection from their parents. They enjoy “reporting” their days events and activities to their parents. It is important that parents set aside time to listen to these stories. (University of Missouri) For children this age, what is “good” and “bad” are defined by what is approved and disapproved by their families. This age group learns by experimenting. They will often try out a new behavior just to see how it feels, such as imitating a friend. Parents needs to let children explore these comments and/or behaviors id they are not dangerous or out of line. It will help children learn differences about themselves and others. (University of Missouri)

18. Language skills are building rapidly in this age group, and it becomes more refined and specific. Children this age can start to voice their opinions, thoughts and feelings into words. They can start to tell you why it is they are sad or angry, instead of going straight to crying or tantrums. Their sense of humors start to develop as they learn more abstract words and thoughts. This allows them to understand puns and jokes, and make up their own. (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010)

19. Psychological development in children ages 9-11 marks a period of transition into a new form of thinking. “Concrete operations” is ending around this age. “The ability to think logically on a concrete level… understanding and empathy are substantially increased during this period” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). These gains in emphatic thinking by using the perspectives of others is a dramatic change in the young adolescents lives. But despite this new ability to process the world around them the youth are limited to “think about things they can see, hear , smell, or touch. Their focus is on thinking about things instead of ideas”(Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010).

20. Puberty for males and females begin at different ages. “Most girls begin puberty between ages 9-12” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). This can be a confusing and scary time for young adolescents. The difference in ages that kids can start puberty can vary drastically but “in general there is a 2-year difference” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010).This stage of life marks the beginning of many physical and psychological developments. The cause of all the change is due the bodies increased production in testosterone and estrogen.

21. Pre-pubertyThe onset signs of puberty Males Females breast development pubic or underarm hair development rapid height growth — a growth "spurt" onset of menstruation acne "mature" body odor • enlargement of the testicles or penis • pubic, underarm, or facial hair development • rapid height growth — a growth "spurt" • voice deepening • acne • "mature" body odor

22. Social development in kids ages 9-11 is also transitioning. Childhood as they know it is beginning to end and this is reinforced by the gender roles that are being imposed on them. Boys are expected to start acting like men and girls are beginning to act more feminine. “Research shoes that boys actually do increase in masculinity and girls increase in femininity over the transition to adolescence”. (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). This age is also the time for a sense of independence which is influenced by “a strong herd drive and desire to be accepted by their peers” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010).

23. Young adolescents ages 9-11 are entering middle school. This change in environment can expose the youth to many new experiences both good and bad. At this age children begin to form a more defined sense of self and this identification of self is usually defined, ironically, by a child’s peer group. “The peer group provides an arena for children to learn about themselves, build their self concepts”(Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010).

24. References Act Early. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/partners/firsttoothpsath irdpage.pdf APGAR: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003402.htm CDC. Middle Childhood (2012). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle.html Parents Page :: Washington State Dept. of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/InfantsChildrenandTee ns/NewbornScreening/ParentsPage.aspx University of Missouri, Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Children – How they grow. Elementary School Children Ages 6 to 8. (n.d) Watch Me Grow. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://here.doh.wa.gov/materials/watch-me- grow-birth-to-18- months/15_CPWMGbro-0-18M_E11L.pdf Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Australia: Thomson Brooks/Cole.