Chapter 11 Outline

The School Years: Biosocial Development

1. Size and Shape

1. Variation in Physique

1. each year, the typical well-nourished school-aged child gains about 5 pounds and grows about 2.5 inches
2. for poor nations, variations in weight and height is due mostly to malnutrition; in wealthier nations, genes seem to play a greater role

1. Childhood Obesity

1. being overweight is the largest and most common problem in school-age children; 20 to 30 percent of American children are obese

• body mass index- a measure of obesity determined by dividing weight in kilograms by height squared in meters

1. obese children are prone to orthopedic and respiratory problems, along with high risk for other illnesses

1. Variations in Health

1. in developed nations, children between 7 and 11 are the healthiest humans of all; they are least likely to die or become seriously ill or injured

1. Skill Development

1. Motor Skills

1. hand-eye coordination, balance, and judgment of movement are all still developing during the school years

• reaction time- the time it takes to respond to a particular stimulus

1. gender- boys and girls are about equal in physical ability, although boys tend to have greater upper-arm strength and girls have greater overall flexibility
2. culture- national policy also affects motor development; depends on the national number of hours required for physical education
3. genetics- heredity also plays a role; some children are unable to master motor skills as well as others, no matter how hard they try;

1. programs are counterproductive to learning motor skills when they are too competitive, foster disparaging comparisons, or lack excitement
2. heredity also plays a role in fine motor skills; some children naturally write better than others
3. motor habits develop as repeated connections are formed in the brain due to the growth of the corpus callosum

1. Intellectual Skills

1. children’s brains develop as rapidly as their bodies do during the school years
2. brain development is measured with aptitude tests focusing on language use, reasoning ability, and memory

• achievement tests- tests designed to measure how much a person has learned in a specific subject area
• aptitude tests- tests designed to measure potential, rather than actual, accomplishment
• IQ tests- aptitude tests designed to measure a person’s intelligence; two highly used tests are the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler intelligence scale

1. many factors must be considered when evaluating an IQ tests; if not, they may seriously underestimate the intellectual potential of a disadvantaged child or overestimate that of a child from an advantaged background
2. humans may have many forms of intelligence, most of which would not be measured by the narrow spectrum of the current IQ test

1. Children with Special Needs

• child with special needs- a child for whom learning new skills and developing friendships are hampered by a psychological or physical disorder

1. Developmental Psychopathology

• Developmental psychopathology- a field of psychology that applies the insight from studies of normal development to the study and treatment of childhood disorders

1. abnormality is normal
2. disability changes over time
3. adulthood can be better or worse
4. diagnosis depends on the social context

• DSM-IV- the forth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, developed by the American Psychiatric Association, which describes and distinguishes the symptoms of various emotional and behavioral disorders

1. Autism

• autism- a disorder characterized by an inability or unwillingness to communicate with others, poor social skills, and diminished imagination

1. autism occurs in about 1 of every 2,000 children; severity of

• Asperger syndrome- a disorder in which a person masters verbal communication but has unusual difficulty with social perceptions and skills (also called high-functioning autism)

1. by age 1 or 2, deficiencies appear in the first two areas; by preschool years, the third becomes apparent
2. autistic children avoid spontaneous interaction; rather, they engage in repetitive movements or compulsive play
3. in childhood and adolescence, autistic individuals appear to lack a theory of mind; do no understand the emotions and thoughts of others
4. as autistic children grow older, symptoms vary widely; their strongest cognitive skills are in abstract reasoning whereas their weakest are in social cognition

1. Learning Disabilities

• mental retardation- slow learning in all, or almost all, intellectual abilities. The degree of retardation is usually measured by an intelligence test. In young children, mental retardation is often called pervasive developmental delay to allow for the possibility that the child will catch up to normal, age-appropriate development
• learning disability- difficult in mastering a specific cognitive skill that is not attributable to intellectual slowness, obvious impairment of the senses, lack of education, or family dysfunction
• dyslexia- a specific learning disability involving unusual difficulty with reading; the most commonly diagnosed learning disability

• dyscalcula- a specific learning disability involving unusual difficult with math; usually become apparent by age 8

1. ADHD

• ADHD- (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) a behavior problem characterized by excessive activity, an inability to concentrate, and impulsive, sometimes aggressive, behavior

1. can occur with or without hyperactivity
2. children with this are prone to aggression, anxiety, and depression
3. antisocial behavior can follow from childhood aggression if the disorder is not treated
4. medication, psychological therapy, and changes in the family and school environments can all help children with ADHD
5. psychoactive drugs are not a cure; children need help overcoming their confused perception of the social world; this can be done through family and individual therapy plus changes in the home or school environment

1. Conclusion