Physical Development in Early
Childhood
Chapter 7
Growth Patterns
• Height and weight increase rapidly but
less rapidly than in infancy
• Cephalocaudal trend changes to be more
adult-like proportions
• As middle childhood is reached, rate of
growth slows until adolescence
Nutrition
• Caloric Intake:
– Child (2-3 years old):
• 1000 cal sedentary 1400 cal active
– Female (4-8 years old):
• 1200 cal sedentary 1800 cal active
– Male (4-8 years old):
• 1400 cal sedentary 2000 cal active
– Source: USDA, 2005
Nutrition
• Protein:
– Amino acids
– Supports new growth
• Carbohydrates:
– Provides energy for muscle activity
– Generation of heat
– Support brain functioning
Nutrition
• Fat:
– Temperature control
– High levels linked to heart disease
– Body produces cholesterol
• Minerals and Vitamins
– Required for bone growth
– Deficits linked to physical and mental
problems
Nutrition
• Malnutrition
– Lower than necessary caloric intake
(undernourished)
– Inappropriate nutritional categories
(malnourished)
Nutrition
• Impact of Malnutrition During Early Chhd
– Malnutrition in infancy
• Increased emotional responses to stress
• Lowered thresholds of arousal
– Nutritional supplementary programs most
effective in early childhood
– Recipients of supplements were:
• More active,
• More talkative,
• Less time crying
Nutrition
• Specific Deficiencies
– Iodine—retardation of cognitive capacity and
physical growth (particularly during
pregnancy—Kyrgyz Case)
– Iron—lower levels of performance on infant
psychological tests; lower IQ scores among
young children (e.g. prenatal anemia among
Kyrgyz women)
Brain Growth & Development
• Changes in the early childhood brain:
– Increased rate of mylenation
– Increased production of glial cells
– Synaptic pruning
– Increase in mass of brain
– Increase in circumference of the skull
Experience and Brain Development
• Experience—expectant development:
– Readiness to learn based on genetics
– Species-specific readiness
• Fixed action patterns
• Action potential
– Sensitive periods primed for stimulation
• The special case of language
Experience and Brain Development
• Experience—dependent development:
– Neural pathways dependent on unique
experience
– Basis of individual differences
– Basis of unique skills
– Pruning allows new pathways to mature
– Fragile X syndrome—negates pruning
• How much is enough stimulation? (Scarr)
Brain Lobes and Development
• Occipital—visual cortex develops early
(e.g. face recognition)
• Temporal—language learning; continues
to develop across early childhood
Brain Lobes and Development
• Parietal—movement, orientation,
recognition, perception of stimuli
(coordination—eye hand)
• Frontal—reasoning, planning, parts of
speech, movement, emotions, and
problem solving (develops into young
adulthood)
Hippocampus—memories; immaturity
related to infantile amnesia
Motor Development
• Locomotor skills
– Gait becomes smoother
– Stair climbing—both feet brought to the same
step before moving upward or downward
– Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination improves
– Running and jumping become easier
– Balance improves
– Based on maturation, experience, and
encouragment
Motor Development
• Fine motor skills:
– Require greater precision and control
– 2-3 year olds begin stacking blocks, molding
clay, scribbling, etc
– 3-4 year olds more accurately perform tasks
such as writing letters with an adult-like grip,
cutting with blunt scissors, open screw-top
containers (cause for caution) etc.
Physical Activity & Exercise
• USDA:
– at least 60 minutes each day of vigorous exercise for
all with an additional 60 minutes of free activity
• Vigorous exercise
– Increases pulmonary functioning
– Supports bone growth and strength
– Play with peers increases opportunity for social,
language, and cognitive development
– Can support family cohesion (biking, hiking,
swimming)
• Reduce sedentary time (e.g. computer, t.v.)
Developmental Delays & Disorders
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
& Americans with Disabilities Act
– Adaptive physical education
– Independent living training
– Adaptive facilities
– Leaning Post Ranch experience
Safety and Early Childhood
• Car Seats—age and size appropriate
correctly installed
• Poison control—cabinet locks, removal,
healthier alternatives to toxic substances
• Illness/Disease—inoculations, food safety,
childhood diseases
• Pool and Water safety—locked gates,
alarms, supervision
• Firearm safety—locked in safe,
ammunition stored separately, not in the
home
Child Maltreatment
• Physical Abuse:
– Striking a child causing some level of physical
harm (brusing, etc.)
– Can be unintentional arising from punishment
that escalated
– Can be intentional
Child Maltreatment
• Neglect:
– failure to provide for basic needs (social,
emotional, educational, physical)
– Includes abandonment, leaving the child
alone and unsupervised
Child Maltreatment
• Sexual:
– Fondling a child’s genitals or breasts
– Oral, anal, vaginal intercourse
– Other sex acts
– Exposing child to pornography or other sexual
acts
– Involving child in pornography production
Child Maltreatment
• Psychological:
– Degrading
– Threatening
– Isolating
• Typically, the categories overlap with
multiple types of abuse
• Reporting Requirements: any professional
or volunteer with reason to believe abuse
is taking place must report it.
Child Maltreatment
• Most likely to inflict abuse: Mother
• Most likely to be abused: Infants (> 1yr)
• Young boys most likely to be physically
abused
• Young adolescent girls most likely to be
physically abused
• Girls most likely to experience sexual
abuse
Outcomes of Abuse
• Physical:
– Lowered reactivity to stressors (non-reactive
salivarial cortisol)
– Hippocampus may be smaller
• Psychological:
– Move from trust to mistrust (ala Erikson)
– Use of violence to deal with conflict
– Lack of sympathetic response to others’
distress
– Little evidence that a abused kids grow up to
be abusive parents
Outcomes of Neglect
• Lower achievement in academics than
abused children
• Poor social development with withdrawal
• Poor emotional control
Factors Impacting Outcomes of Abuse
• The child's age and developmental status when
the abuse or neglect occurred
• The type of abuse (physical abuse, neglect,
sexual abuse, etc.)
• The frequency, duration, and severity of abuse
• The relationship between the victim and his or
her abuser (English et al., 2005; Chalk, Gibbons
& Scarupa, 2002)