1. Middle Childhood and the Environment
Unit Chapter 8
Middle Childhood and the Environment

2. Things to Remember Biological development Cognitive development
Identity development
Environment
Relationships
Behavior
Disability issues

3. Biological Development

4. Speech and Motor Development
Boys’ gross motor development exceeds that of girls (this may partially explain why they are more interested in physical activity)
Stuttering is more common in boys
Girls are better than boys at fine motor skills.

5. Physical Fitness
In America, older children are gaining weight and becoming increasingly sedentary.
Why is there such a marked decline in physical activity?

6. Children are fixated on video games and television.
Children lack knowledge about exercise’s benefits.
Parents and physical education teachers have failed to instill in children a lifelong exercise ethic.

7. Cognitive Development

8. Piaget’s Stages of Development
Sensorimotor stage
Preoperational stage
Concrete operational stage (middle childhood)
Formal operational stage
The Concrete operational stage is characterized by the appropriate use of logic. Reversibility is one of the important processes associated with this state.

9. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
Since their inception, intelligence tests have been controversial. WHY?

10. Intelligence is a complex concept that is not fixed and cannot be measured easily.

11. How is intelligence measured?
IQ is calculated by comparing the child’s mental age with his or her chronological age.
The Stanford-Binet is considered to be a test of verbal intelligence because it contains a large number of items that rely on verbal abilities.

12. Bilingual Education
Students learning to be bilingual score higher on measures of: IQ
Piagetian conservation tasks
Selective attention

13. Identity Development

14. The Self (and Others)
Harter (1985) developed the Self Perception Profile for Children to identify a child’s overall evaluation of self worth. The five aspects included in the profile are:
scholastic competence
behavioral conduct
physical appearance
social acceptance
athletic competence
Selman (1980,2003) focused on interpersonal awareness:
He thought developmental level was related to social perspective-taking

15. Gender Identity
The developmental process by which culturally assigned values and behaviors are considered appropriate for members of that sex.
During middle childhood, gender roles become important
Components of Gender (Egan and Perry, 2001)
Membership knowledge (I know I am a woman/man/etc)
Gender typicality (I’m a typical female/male/etc)
Gender contentedness
Felt pressure for gender conformity
Intergroup bias (My sex/gender is superior)

16. Racial Identity Begins to form by middle childhood
Peer groups play a significant role in a child’s racial identity
Parents and teachers can help children develop a positive racial identity by providing them with a sense of belonging and reassurance about their differences
Rites-of passage and mentoring programs have grown in the United States to assist young African American men in their fight against stereotypes

17. Environment

18. Home Environment
These factors influence how fast and to what degree a child develops:
Nutrition
Amount of rest and sleep
Opportunities to learn
Amount of affection and security
This factor does NOT affect speed and degree of development:
Educational toys

19. Other Environmental Factors
The neighborhood is perhaps most critical to the middle child in molding experiences and shaping adjustment to the social world.
Development of school phobia most often begins age 11 – 12
So far, the types of interventions that address bullying have been inadequate
Life Skills Training is a school based drug-abuse prevention program developed to determine the extent to which the same intervention will work with many different kids.

20. Relationships

21. Peer Relationship Problems
Sexual socialization cannot take place in the absence of peer interaction.
Poor peer relations are associated with discomfort, anxiety, and a general unwillingness to engage the environment.
Children who are rejected by their peers are at a greater risk for delinquency, school dropout, and mental health problems.

22. Divorce
Divorce is especially hard on children because it dissolves the family structure they depend on for secure development.
Sigelman & Rider (2003) identified 5 factors that can help smooth the aftermath of a divorce for children:
Emotional support from the noncustodial parent
Adequate parenting from the custodial parent
Additional social support
Adequate financial support
A minimum of additional stressors

23. Behavior

24. ADHD It is associated with many psychosocial difficulties such as
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized by a combination of attention problems and hyperactivity.
It is associated with many psychosocial difficulties such as
family problems
poor school achievement
difficulties with peers
Low self-worth

25. Discipline vs. Behavior Modification
Example (Hoffman, 1970):
Power-assertive strategy
Physical punishment
Physical control
Threats
Love withdrawal
Verbal discounting
Ignoring the child
Induction
Explanation and rationality
Example:
Behavior specialist develops a treatment plan to increase positive behaviors.
Each time the child displays the desired action, the parents are instructed to praise the child

26. Disability

27. U.S. Public Law
Established the right to a free, appropriate public education for all “handicapped” children
Was amended and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990
Has been referred to as the “bill of rights for the handicapped

28. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Guarantees children the right to special education and related services
Includes social work services and rehabilitative counseling
Provides transition services (services that promote students’ movement from the school environment to post school activities)

29. Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The IEP team must include:
the student's parent(s) or guardian(s) (who may invite professionals who have worked with the child
a special education teacher and at least one regular teacher
a representative of the school or district who is knowledgeable about the availability of school resources
an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of the child's evaluation results (such as a social worker or the school psychologist
Other professionals as mandated by state law

30. Review Things to Remember Biological development Cognitive development
Identity development
Environment
Relationships
Behavior
Disability issues

31. The End!
(Whew!)
Questions???