journal

Chapter 11

Physical Development in Middle Childhood

BODY GROWTH

• Add 2 to 3 inches in height and 5 pounds each year – Girls slightly shorter

and lighter than boys at ages 6 to 8; but by age 9 this trend is reversed.

– Girls have more body fat and boys more muscle.

• After 8, girls accumulate fat at a faster rate.

Height Weight

BODY GROWTH

• The lower portion of the body

is growing faster and

school-age children appear long-legged

• Bones lengthen and broaden

• ligaments not yet firmly attached to bones granting unusual flexibility of movement

• From 6 to 12, primary teeth are replaced with permanent.

COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS Nutrition

• Good nutrition + rapid development of the body’s immune system = disease protection.

• Poverty is a predictor of ill health.

• It is important for children between the ages of 6 to 11 to eat a variety of nutritious foods

• Prolonged malnutrition retards physical growth and intelligence.

– Poor motor coordination

– Inattention and distractibility

– Slow physical growth

COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS Vision and Hearing

• The most common vision problems in middle childhood is nearsightedness due to the increase in board work and reading and stressing the eyes (Berk, 2016).

• During middle childhood, the Eustachian tube becomes longer, narrower, and more slanted; as a result, ear infections occur less frequently.

• Child experiencing ear infections will usually out grow them during this period of development.

Obesity

• Obesity

– Is a greater than 20 percent

increase over average body weight, based on the child’s age, sex, and physical build.

• 25 percent of American children suffer from obesity – leading to a life long struggle with weight and adding to health problems.

• Obese children are at risk for health problems. – Family eating behavior

– School lunches and snacks

Causes of Obesity

• Overweight parents

• Identical twins more likely than fraternal twins

• Low-SES more likely to be overweight

• Parents use food as a reward and to relieve anxiety.

• More cued to external stimuli

• Less active

• TV time correlated with

obesity

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Psychological Consequences of Obesity

• Less accepted

• Low self-esteem, depressed, and more behavior problems

• Difficult to treat as it is a family disorder.

• Effective interventions are family based and focus on changing behaviors.

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Back in the ’60s, only 5% of children were considered overweight.

Today, it is over 13%. What happened? Fast food s and video

games immediately come to mind – but there’s more. Researcher

and practitioners have charted the percentage of overweight

children against some of the major events in American cultural life

Fast foods, video games, play stations, television,

snack foods, fewer outdoor activities, family eating

habits, high fat foods in school

Bedwetting Nocturnal enuresis

• Nocturnal enuresis is bedwetting that occurs during the night.

• In most cases, it is caused by a failure of muscular responses that inhibit urination (Berk, 2016).

• The most effective treatment is a urine alarm – Wakes the child at sign of dampness

– Can adjust volume to wake the child

– Conditions the child to respond to the first signs of dampness

Illnesses • Higher rate of illness in first 2 years of elementary school

due to the immune system is still developing.

• Asthma – A condition of the bronchial tubes in which the tubes become

highly sensitive. – Most frequent cause of absence and hospitalization – Increased by 40% over the last decade. – Greatest risk for

• Boys • African Americans • Those with low birth weight • Those with parents who smoke • Poor

Unintentional Injuries • Unintentional injuries

increase over middle childhood into adolescence

• Higher rate of injury for boys

• Mostly auto and bicycle collisions

• Risk takers’ parents

– Do not act safely

– Use punitive or inconsistent discipline

• School-based safety programs help children act in a safe manner and think before they act. 12

Berk, L. E., (2016). Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Boston, MA: Pearson. EIGHTH EDITION

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