ARTS AND HUMANITIES

LECTURE 2C: BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS OF

DEVELOPMENT THROUGH LIFE CYCLE (PRESCHOOL:3-
6 YEARS)
 ATTACHMENT AND SEPARATION
• THE 3-YEAR-OLD CHILD HAS DEVELOPED SOME ABILITY TO BE SEPARATED
FROM THE MOTHER BUT STILL CHERISHES THE BOND WITH HIS PRIMARY
CAREGIVER
• THE BIRTH OF A SIBLING, THREATENS THIS PRECIOUS BOND AND MAY
LEAD TO SIBLING RIVALRY, COUPLED WITH HIS LOVE FOR THE SIBLING—
HUGGING OR KISSING THE BABY TOO FORCEFULLY—CAREFUL ATTENTION
OF PARENTS REQUIRED
• ANY OTHER CHANGE (SIBLING RIVALRY/CHANGE OF RESIDENCE) MAY
LEAD TO “REGRESSION”—REVERTING TO OLDER PRACTICES
• THIS BEHAVIOUR CAN IMPROVE WITH THE PARENTS’ CAREFUL
MONITORING—PARENT-PROMOTED REALIZATION OF ADDED BENEFITS OF
BEING AN ELDER SIBLING—CORRECTED PRE-SIBLING BEHAVIOUR
 SOCIAL INTERACTION

• INCREASED VOCABULARY OF THE CHILD (2-4 YEARS)

• CHILDREN FIND HUMOUR IN REPEATING INAPPROPRIATE WORDS AT
INAPPROPRIATE TIMES
• AN ACTIVE FANTASY LIFE—IMAGINARY FRIENDS
• CHILDREN DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE AND PLAY WITH
REAL-LIFE FRIENDS AT THE AGE OF AROUND 4 YEARS
• A SPECIAL FEAR OF BODILY INJURY—MANIFESTS IN PLAYING DOCTOR
WITH EACH OTHER (ELECTIVE SURGERY AT THIS AGE SHOULD BE
POSTPONED TILL SCHOOL YEARS—6-7 YEARS)
• EXCLUSIVE OR EXCESSIVE DISPLAY OF THIS PLAY MAY MANIFEST
CERTAIN EVIDENCE OF EXPOSURE TO ADULT SEXUALITY OR EVEN
SEXUAL ABUSE
 MILESTONES AT 6 YEARS

• DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD’S CONSCIENCE (SUPEREGO IN THE

WORDS OF FREUD) AND SENSE OF MORALITY (EXAMPLE: 3-YEAR-OLD
VS 6-YEAR-OLD)
• SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG—INCREASE IN MORALITY AND EMPATHY
• REALIZATION OF THE REALITY OF DEATH—HONESTY OF THE PARENTS
WITH THE CHILD IN THIS REGARD IS IMPORTANT
• FAILURE TO ACHIEVE THESE MILESTONES—AUTISM SPECTRUM AND
RELATED DISORDERS (FAILURE TO ACQUIRE OR AN EARLY LOSS OF
RECIPROCAL SOCIAL SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION ABILITY)
• NON-REVERSIBLE—LIFELONG PROBLEMS IN SOCIAL AND
OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING
• NO CURE BUT TREATMENT AVAILABLE—INVOLVES BEHAVIOURAL
 AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

• CHARACTERISTICS ARE SEEN BEFORE 3 YEARS

• INCLUDE DIFFICULTY IN FORMING NORMAL RELATIONSHIPS EVEN WITH
PARENTS—DO NOT PLAY WITH TOYS OR IMAGINARY FRIENDS
• ACTIVE RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN THE ENVIRONMENT
• REPETITIVE AND SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOUR
• SAVANT SKILLS—SPECIAL SKILLS PRESENT IN SOME ASD CHILDREN
(CALCULATION OR MEMORY)
• 25-75% CHILDREN WITH ASD—INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED
• 4-5X MORE COMMON IN BOYS—IF GIRLS ARE AFFECTED, SYMPTOMS ARE
MORE SEVERE
• NO PSYCHOLOGICAL/SOCIAL REASONS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED—
BELIEVED TO BE BIOLOGICAL
 AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
• ENLARGED SIZE OF THE BRAIN IN THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE
• ANATOMICAL DIFFERENCES IN THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF AMYGDALA AND
HIPPOCAMPUS
• FEWER PURKINJE CELLS IN THE CEREBELLUM
• NEUROCHEMICAL DIFFERENCES—SEROTONIN SYNTHESIS IS DYSREGULATED
(DECREASED AT THE BEGINNING AND INCREASED LATER ON)
• LESS OXYTOCIN IN BLOOD
• INCIDENCE HIGHER IN MONOZYGOTIC TWINS THAN IN DIZYGOTIC TWINS—
STRONGEST SUSCEPTIBILITY APPEARS TO OCCUR AT LOCUS 7Q
• ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH TUBERCULOSIS SCLEROSIS AND FRAGILE X
SYNDROME
• OTHER FACTORS INCLUDE PRENATAL IMMUNOLOGICAL INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN
MOTHER AND FETUS AND PERINATAL COMPLICATIONS LEADING TO CEREBRAL DYSFUNCTION
• PREDOMINANCE OF SEIZURES—TDP AND MMR VACCINES—MERCURY/THIMERSIOL—
INCREASED RISK OF ASD
 RELATED DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
1. ASPERGER’S DISORDER (PREVIOUSLY CALLED): ASD WITHOUT INTELLECTUAL
OR LEARNING DISABILITY (ASD W/O ILD)—MILD FORM—OCCURS IN 30/10,000
• SEVERE PROBLEMS IN FORMING SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
• REPETITIVE BEHAVIOUR
• INTENSE OBSESSION WITH OBSCURE WORDS THAT CAN BE MEMORISED
• NORMAL COGNITIVE & LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
• CONVERSATIONAL SKILLS IMPAIRED
2. RETT’S DISORDER: AFTER UP TO 4 YEARS OF NORMAL DEVELOPMENT:
• DIMINISHED SOCIAL, VERBAL & COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
• Abnormal EEG
• STEREOTYPED HAND-WRINGING MOVEMENTS,
• BREATHING ISSUES
• PSYCHOMOTOR ABNORMALITIES (ATAXIA)
• INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
 RELATED DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

• AS THE CHILD GROWS, MOTOR SKILLS DECLINE BUT SOCIAL SKILLS IMPROVE
• GENE RESPONSIBLE—X-LINKED (LOCUS MAP—XQ28)
• MALE FETUSES DIE BEFORE BIRTH—RETT’S DISORDER IS MOSTLY OBSERVED IN
FEMALES

3. CHILDHOOD DISINTEGRATIVE DISORDER: RARE DISORDER

• DIMINISHED VERBAL, SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AFTER 2-10
YEARS OF NORMAL DEVELOPMENT
• MAY BE MORE COMMON IN BOYS