Gender stereotyping Discussion

Module 3 Physical, Cognitive & Socio-Emotional Development in

Early Childhod

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Module 3: Part 1

Early Childhood

• Approximately 1 to 6 years of age • Usually Divided into Toddler (1-3 years),

Preschooler (3-4 years) and School Age (5-6 years)

Physical Growth in Early Childhood

• Height and Weight: about 2.5 inches a year and 5 to 7 pounds per year

• Bone – density increases • Muscle- develop • Fat – changes due to level of activity of child • Teeth – all baby teeth grow in

Brain in Early Childhood • At age 3 is 75% of adult weight and by age 6

is 90% of its adult weight • Growth in neurons • Does not grow as rapidly as in infancy • Most growth takes place in frontal lobe • Myelination: Process through which axons

are covered in a layer of fat cells to increase the speed and efficiency of information traveling through the nervous system.

Sensation and Perception

• Refinement in vision and hearing • Eyeball growth occurs during this age range

Motor Development

• Coordination • Gross Motor Skills: gender differences exist • Fine Motor Skills: Still clumsy but improves

by age 4. Fuller body coordination by age 5 o Increase in hand skills: drawing painting, dough,

cutting with scissors help to develop these fine motor skills.

Nutrition and Eating Habits • Obesity a serious problem in early childhood-

12% of U.sS. Preschoolers are obese. • Nutrition and eating habits influenced by

caregivers • Needs lots of physical activity • Malnutrition a problem for some • Picky eaters or poor eating habits – small

easy to pick servings help, avoid unhealthy snack options

Nutrition and Eating Habits cont’d • Overweight/Obese children are:

o At greater risk of negative self-imahe o Social exclusion o Increase adult obesity o Asthma, diabetes, sleep apnea

• Avoid high fat sugary foods • Eat at home • Education about healthy habits • Lead a healthy lifestyle

Common Health Issues

• Motor vehicle accident, cancer, parental smoking, safety issues are risk factors in early childhood

• Health issues vary across the glove in early childhood. In some countries issue is malnutrition, HIV, gastro-intestinal illness

• ADHD, Learning Disorders

Illness Prevention in Early Childhood

• Educate young children about sanitation: washing hand, not sneezing or coughing on others

• Immunizations • Supervision • Childproofing of home • Regular medical and dental visits

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Module 3: Part 2

Piaget’s Theory • Preoperational Stage: Age 2 to 7 years • Children represent the world with words,

images, drawings • Start the reason • Still egocentric and use magical thinking • Symbolic functions: can mentally represent an

object that is not present around age 2 to 4 • Intuitive thought: children use primitive reason to

answer questions

Piaget Preoperational Stage

• Lack of conservation: object that changes shape remains the same is not present

• Intuitive decision making • Classification of objects develops during this

stage

Information Processing Theory • Attention: better focus on select information

in early childhood than infancy. • Planning • Monitoring progress on a task • Dealing/coping with difficult situations • Memory: rehearsal to retain information • Early mathematical skills • Phonics and Writing • Sustained attention

Vygotsky’s Theory

• Social constructivist: emphasis on social context of learning and the role of social interaction

• Zone of Proximal Development: tasks that are too difficult for a child to grasp alone but can gain with guidance

• Scaffolding: adjusting level of support provided to a child based on the task and knowledge of the child

Vygotsky cont’d

• Language helps children to communicate and solve tasks

• Language helps with self-regulation • Private speech: thoughts, improves social

competence • Teaching: Assess child’s zone pf proximal

development, monitor and encourage

Theory of Mind

• Ability to understand you own mental state • Understanding that a person has thoughts,

knowledge, beliefs, and desires • Understanding that these thoughts differ from

person to person • Metacognition: thinking about thinking

Theory of Mind cont’d

• Age 2 and 3: Understand people have wants and desire that differ

• Age 4: Understand connections between thoughts and desires and behavior

• Focus on: o Perceptions o Emotions o Desires

Language Development in Early Childhood

• Usage of language to satisfy needs, direct others behavior, describe self, play, interact, gather and share information

• Understand phonology and morphology • Syntax: ways words combine to form

sentences • Semantics: meaning of words and sentences • Pragmatics: use of language in

appropriate/different contexts

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Module 3: Part 3

Emotional Regulation

• Ability to control emotions, show sympathy and empathy

• Self-understanding • Perception of others • Better ability to express and verbalize

emotions • Aggression is a sign of failed emotional

regulation

Fear

• Fears in Early Childhood: o Objects o Events o Unknown situations

Self-Regulation

• Mischel’s Marshmallow Study (1960s) o Studied ability of young children to engage in

delayed gratification o Given 1 marshmallow. If they could wait to eat it

they were promised a second marshmallow o Children who showed greater self-regulation and

delayed gratification more likely to demonstrate better self-regulation into adulthood. (Executive function)

Moral Development

• Moral Feelings: anxiety and guilt • Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to

rules about what people should or should not do

• Children engage in moral reasoning: beliefs about rules, laws and punishment

• Importance of parent-child relationship, punishment, reinforcement and imitation

Attachment

• Impacts relationships in school and the home • Secure attachment leads to less dependency,

higher empathy • Securely attached have better social skills

and social competence

Self-Concept

• Includes: physical characteristics, abilities, possessions

• Includes input from other children

Gender Identity

• Labels self as male or female (boy or girl) • Family, peers, culture help shape gender

identity in addition to biology • Gender stereotyping: culture defines male

and female roles, dress, expectations

Play in Early Childhood

• Unoccupied Play • Solitary Play • Parallel Play • Cooperative Play • Dramatic Play • Rough and tumble play

Family Dynamics

• Modeling behavior of adults and older siblings

• Divorce can impact child’s anxiety, sleep, aggression, behaviors

• Sibling Relationships and birth order • Co-parenting benefits child if messages are

consistent • Gay and Lesbian parents

Baumrind’s Parenting Styles • Authoritarian: restrictive, punishment, parent

exerts power over child and expects to follow orders, does not allow child to question authority

• Authoritative parenting: encourage independence while placing limits and controls, more communication between parent and child

• Overly Permissive/indulgent: Allows child to do what they want with little demands of controls on child. Involved in child’s life but places no restrictions

• Neglectful parenting: univolved

Child Maltreatment

• Physical Abuse • Child Neglect • Sexual Abuse • Emotional Abuse • Adolescents who experience abuse are more

likely to engage in risky behaviors, violence, substance use

Friends and Peers

• Peer interaction increase in early childhood, becomes more complex

• Provides source of information and social comparison

• Play with peers helps learn social rules, cope with conflict

• Television and electronics should not replace peer interaction – increases exposure to aggressive imagery

Erikson’s Psychosocial Development

• Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt: Take steps towards independence from attachment figures. Independence with guidance should be encourage otherwise child develops a sense of doubt in abilities

• Initiative Vs. Guilt: Child takes initiative through play and helping. Helps to develop competency