The Early Childhood Years

Physical and Bio-Social

Development

Body Shape and Growth Rates

Lower body lengthens
Child becomes slimmer

Steady increase in height and weight

3 inches in height per year
4 1/2 pounds in weight per year

Height/weight influenced by
Genetic background
Cultural patterns and differences
Health and nutrition

Appetite and Erikson

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Initiative vs. Guilt
Cycle of Growth Spurts
Combination can be cause for conflict
Obesity
Type 2 Diabetes

Reduction of Physical Activity in Grade

School

Failure to Thrive & Psychosocial

Dwarfism

Widowson (1951)
World War II Red Cross Worker
Compared Re-Adjustment of Orphans in Germany
Found that some children were not demonstrating
biosocial recovery at the same rate as others
Differences were similar by orphanage not by child
Recovery was a function of social atmosphere of
orphanage more than childs individual coping skills

Recent Research
Physiologists coined the phrase
Psychosocial Dwarfism
Research focuses on Pituitary Gland and
Stress
Recommendations:
Provide a stress free environment during
meals and Sleep (esp. first few hours)

Brain Growth and

Development
Underlies rapidly expanding cognitive
abilities
By age 5, 90% of brain weight
achieved

Speed of Thought
Myelination = process by which axons
become insulated with a coating of
myelin, a fatty substance that speeds
transmission of nerve impulses

Connecting the Brains

Hemispheres
Corpus callosum = nerve fibers that
connect the two halves of the brain

 Left Side, Right Side

Lateralization = specialization of the two sides of
the brain
Left brain
Logical analysis, language, speech

Right brain
visual and artistic skills

Thinking must be Connected

Right Brain and Left Brain Personlity is a
Myth!

 Gender- and Age-Related Variations

Left-handed boys have more fibers in the
corpus callosum
Corpus callosum is thicker in females than in
males
Information-processing skills that require
multitasking use not only corpus callosum but
also the prefrontal cortex

Planning and Analyzing

Prefrontal cortex is the final part of
the human brain to reach maturity
AKA frontal lobe, it is the area in the
very front of the brain that is least
developed in nonhumans
Maturation is not complete until midadolescence

 The Frontal Cortex as Executive

Specific functions include planning,
analyzing, selecting responses, and
coordinating messages
Assists in self-control and self-regulation
Some brain functions in this area are
experience-expectant
Other aspects of self-control are
experience-dependent, influenced by culture

Educational Implications of
Brain Development
By age 6, children are ready for formal
instruction
Before, the brain is not sufficiently
developed in the ways it needs to be
The brain provides the foundation for
education
Any impediments to normal growth of the brain
can put academic achievement on shaky
ground.

Mastering Motor Skills

Gross Motor Skills
Large body movements improve
running, riding a trike, climbing a ladder,
pumping a swing, throwing and catching

Gross motor skills are practiced, mastered

Fine Motor Skills

Small body movements; harder to
master
Pouring, cutting, holding crayon,tying

 Reasons for Difficulty

Myelination not complete
Short, stubby fingers
Frustration may result

Both sides of the brain used

Practice leads to mastery

 Artistic Expression
Childrens artistic endeavors are also
their play
Drawings are often connected to
perception and cognition
Helps to develop fine motor skills
Many children eagerly practice

Kelloggs Cross Cultural Research

on Brain Maturation and Artistic
Ability

1 million works of art by children age 2-5

Sampled from around the globe
Developmental Progression
Scribble Stage (age 2 and younger)
Shape Stage (age 3)
Design Stage (age 4)
Aggregate Stage (age 4 & 5)
Pictorial Stage
(age 5 and older)

What Stage?
16 Months

What Stage
18 Months

18 Months

What Stage
18 months

What Stage
26 months

Now what do you think the other

picture was?

Validity of Draw a Person Test

in the wrong hands!

26 months

Christmas
What about the no hands?

Sometimes a Cigar is just a

Cigar--- Freud