Part IV

1. Part IV Chapter Eleven The School Years: Biosocial Development A Healthy Time Brain Development Children with Special Needs Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield Tattoon, M.A.

2. The School Years: Biosocial Development • there are similarities among all school-age children… but also differences suddenly become significant (size, health, learning ability, in almost everything)

3. A Healthy Time • Middle childhood • the period between early childhood and early adolescences, approximately from age7 to 11 • genetic and environmental factors safeguard children… most fatal diseases and accidents occur before age 7

4. A Healthy Time • Size and Shape • the rate of growth slows down, allowing children to undertake their basic self-care • muscles become stronger; can master almost any motor skill • lung capacity expands—children run faster and exercise longer without breathing more heavily

5. A Healthy Time • Size and Shape • Overweight • having a BMI (body mass index) of 25 • being above the 85th percentile* • Obesity • having a BMI of 30 or more • being above the 95th percentile*

6. A Healthy Time • Physical Activity • active play benefits children in every way • benefits of sports can last a lifetime • better overall health • less obesity • appreciation of cooperation and fair play • improved problem-solving abilities • respect for teammates and opponents from many ethnicities and nationalities

7. A Healthy Time • Physical Activity Hazards • loss of self-esteem as a result of criticism from teammates or coaches • injuries (the famous “Little League elbow” is one example) • reinforcement of prejudices (especially against the other sex) • increases in stress (evidenced by altered hormone levels, insomnia) • time and effort taken away from learning academic skills

8. A Healthy Time • Chronic Illness • about 13% of all children have special health needs, some get worse during the school years • any chronic condition can limit active play and impede regular school attendance

9. A Healthy Time • Asthma • a chronic disease of the respiratory system • inflammation narrows the airway from the lungs to the nose and mouth • signs and symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing

10. A Healthy Time • Three Levels of Asthma Prevention • Primary • better ventilation of schools and homes • decreased pollution/eradication of cocroaches • construction of many more play areas • Secondary • breast-feeding • ridding the house of dust, pets, smoke and other allergens • regular checkups • Tertiary • use of injections and inhalers • hypoallergenic materials

11. Brain Development • Advances in Brain Functioning • Reaction Time • the time it takes to respond to a stimulus, either physically or cognitively • Selective Attention • the ability to concentrate on some stimuli while ignoring others • Automatization • a process in which repetition of a sequence of thoughts and actions makes the sequence routine, so that it no longer requires conscious thought

12. Brain Development • Aptitude and Achievement • Aptitude • the potential to master a particular skill or to learn a particular body of knowledge • IQ tests • tests designed to measure intellectual aptitude, or ability to lean in school.

13. Brain Development • Criticisms of IQ Testing • many developmentalists criticize IQ tests • no test can measure potential without also measuring achievement • every test score reflects the culture of the people who wrote, administer and take it • intellectual potential changes over the life span

14. Brain Development • Criticisms of IQ Testing • a more fundamental criticism concerns the very concept that there is one general thing called intelligence • humans may have multiple intelligences… if so, the use one IQ score is based on a false premise

15. Brain Development • Sternberg (1996) describes three distinct types of intelligence • Academic – measured by IQ and achievement tests • Creative – evidenced by imaginative endeavors • Practical – seen in everyday problem solving • Emotional Intelligence – the ability to regulate one’s emotions and perceptive understanding of other people’s feelings

16. Brain Development • The most influential of all theories is Gardner’s 8 theories: • linguistic • logical-mathematical • musical • spatial • bodily-kinesthetic (movement) • interpersonal (social understanding) • intrapersonal (self-understanding) • naturalistic (understanding of nature, as in biology, zoology, or farming)

17. Children with Special Needs • a physical or mental disability, require extra help in order to learn • often slowness, impulsiveness, or clumsiness is the first problem to be noticed; • other problems become apparent once formal education begins

18. Developmental Psychopathology • the field that uses insights into typical development to study and treat developmental disorders and vice versa

19. Developmental Psychopathology • four lessons apply to everyone: • abnormality is normal • disability changes year by year • adulthood may be better or worse • diagnosis depends on the social context

20. Attention-Deficit Disorder • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADAH) • a condition in which a person not only has great difficulty concentrating for more than a few moments but also is inattentive, impulsive, and overactive.

21. Attention-Deficit Disorder • Learning Disabilities • a marked delay in a particular area of leaning that is not caused by an apparent physical disability, by mental retardation, or by an unusually stressful home environment • dyslexia • unusual difficulty with reading; thought to be the result of some neurological underdevelopment

22. Attention-Deficit Disorder • Autistic Spectrum Disorders • Autism • a developmental disorder marked by an inability to relate to other people normally, extreme self-absorption, and an inability to acquire normal speech • Autistics Spectrum Disorder • any of several disorders characterized by inadequate social skills, usually communication, and abnormal play • Asperger Syndrome • a specific type of autistic spectrum disorder characterized by extreme attention to details and deficient social understanding

23. Educating Children with Special Needs • Individual education plan (IEP) • a document that specifies educational goals and plans for a child with special needs • Least restrictive environment (LRE) • a legal requirement that children with special needs be assigned to the most general educational context in which they can be expected to learn