1. Chapter 8: Development in Middle Childhood

2. Development Milestones
Middle Childhood: 5-11 years
Steady development physically, cognitively, and with motor skills
Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Componential Intelligence – Focuses on how people process and analyze
Experiential Intelligence – Based on how people perform tasks
Contextual Intelligence – Stresses the practical side of a person’s intelligence
Multiple Intelligences – People may be competent in many areas
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) – Measure of intelligence calculated by dividing a person’s mental age by his or her chronological age
Society tends to rely upon standardized tests to determine intellectual abilities
Standardized tests do not take into account cultural differences, various learning styles, and learning disabilities that people may have

3. Development Milestones
Learning Disabilities:
Difficulties among children to intellectually perform normal or above, and who do not show any signs of developmental disability
Dyslexia – Flipping or swapping of alphabet characters, resulting in severe reading and spelling difficulties
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – Condition in which the child shows above normal inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Anxiety Disorders:
3 – 4% children have a generalized anxiety disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder

4. The Family and Immediate Environment
Peers and peer groups become an important role in children’s development
Interaction with one another provide children with reference points, information from another’s point of view, and the ability to learn to socialize with others
Categories of Play:
Unoccupied
Solitary
Onlooker
Parallel
Associative
Cooperative
Through play, children practice various roles, develop skills, identify solutions to problems, and exercise imagination

5. The Family and Immediate Environment
Parental Discipline:
May be easier for parents because children are better able to understand rules and consequences
Fine balance between discipline at home, school, and other environments such as a religious setting
Parenting styles vary drastically, and parents may feel overwhelmed with information on the “best” parenting techniques
Corporal Punishment – Physical punishment
Debates about the line between discipline and abuse often result in new laws

6. The Family and Immediate Environment
Alternative Family Forms:
Separation and divorce are more common today than even a generation ago
A child may be impacted by the separation of his or her parents
Children can see the stress parents may feel about separation or divorce
Child’s age and development partially determine how the child will react
What are the child’s coping abilities?
Parents going through separation should:
Maintain open and respectful communication with children
Ensure children understand they are not to blame
Maintain a consistent daily routine
Support the children
Be realistic but hopeful

7. The Family and Immediate Environment
Alternative Family Forms:
Stepfamilies:
Blending families may face adjustment difficulties
New roles, rules, and responsibilities
Single Parent or Cohabiting households:
Over 50% of all U.S. births are to single women under 30
Children exhibit more frequent behavioral, mental health, and learning problems
Children’s problems may not be directly related to parenting stressors
Gay and Lesbian Parents:
Hot debate and ethical dilemmas
Children and parents may face discrimination
Using technological advances to create a child may impact the child’s self-concept throughout multiple developmental stages

8. The Larger Social Environment
Mass Media:
Children in the U.S. watch an average of 28 hours of television/week
Children spend an average of 44.5 hours/week on various forms of technology
Development may be impacted by use of technology, and the violence children may observe through media
Research has concluded that witnessing violent acts through media has adverse effects on a child’s behavior
Children may not have the mental capacity to decipher “make believe” and acting from reality
Increasing rates of childhood obesity may be attributed to children’s drop in physical activity as children spend more time sitting using media

9. The Larger Social Environment
Education:
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – Law decreeing that all children with disabilities will have access to free and appropriate education
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) – The setting of education for children with disabilities should be similar and equal to the educational setting of other students
Mainstreaming – Including children with disabilities in regular classroom settings and activities.
Public school systems may have issues such as poor student achievement, inadequate or unstable funding, and low academic standards
School Vouchers – Certificates that allow parents to pay for schools of the parent’s choosing, rather than sending children to inadequate schools