1. The Play Years: Biosocial Development
Part III
Chapter Eight
The Play Years: Biosocial Development
Body Changes
Brain Development
Injuries and Abuse
Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield Tattoon, M.A.

2. 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.

3. 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 experience-dependent…

4. 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

5. Body Changes Growth Patterns during the play years:
gone is the protruding belly
round face
short limbs
large head (that characterize the toddler)

6. Body Changes Growth Patterns children increase in height and weight
Each year from age 2–6, well-nourished children add almost 3 inches and gain about 4 ½ pounds
6-year-olds weigh about 46 pounds

7. Body Changes Growth Patterns A typical 6-year-old:
is at least 3 ½ feet tall
weighs between 40 and 50 pounds
looks lean, not chubby
has adult-like body proportions

8. 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

9. 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

10. Body Changes Eating Habits
Infants and young children today play outside less than their parents or grandparents did

11. 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

12. Body Changes Eating Habits Just right
“just right” or “just so” phenomenon is normal and widespread among children
most young children’s food preferences and rituals are far from ideal

13. Body Changes Eating Habits Just right
75% of 1500 parents reported that their children’s 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

14. Body Changes Eating Habits Just right by age 6 the “just right” fades
parents should be patient until the “just right” obsession fades

15. 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

16. 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

17. Brain Development Connecting the Brain’s 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

18. 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 right-handedness was best

19. Brain Development The Left-Handed Child
developmentalist advise against trying to switch a child’s handedness… not only because of parent-child conflict but because it might interfere with the natural and necessary process of lateralization

20. 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.

21. Brain Development The Whole Brain
The left side notices details and the right side grasps the big picture

22. 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

23. Brain Development Planning and Analyzing
the prefrontal cortex or frontal cortex is an area in the front part of the brain’s 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

24. Brain Development
Planning and Analyzing

25. 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

26. 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

27. Brain Development Emotions and the Brain amygdala hippocampus
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

28. Brain Development
Emotions and the Brain

29. 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

30. Motor Skills Brain Development
maturation of the prefrontal cortex improves impulse control
myelinaton of the corpus callosum and lateralization of the brain permits better coordination

31. Brain Development Motor Skills Gross Motor Skills Fine 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

32. 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

33. Brain Development

34. Brain Development
Artistic Expression

35. 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

36. Injuries and Abuse
young children are more vulnerable to injuries and abuse than older children
they are impulsive, yet depend on others

37. Avoidable injury Injuries and Abuse
worldwide injuries cause millions of premature deaths among young adults as well as children

38. Avoidable injury Injuries and Abuse 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

39. Avoidable injury Injuries and Abuse 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

40. Avoidable injury Injuries and Abuse 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

41. Avoidable injury Injuries and Abuse 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

42. Injuries and Abuse
Avoidable injury

43. 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 child’s physical, emotional, or sexual well-being
child neglect
failure to meet a child’s basic physical, educational, or emotional needs

44. 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

45. Child Maltreatment Warning Signs of Maltreatment
The first signs of maltreatment are:
delayed development
slow grow
immature communication
lack of curiosity
unusual social interaction

46. 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

47. 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