Chapter 8 Introduction

Early Childhood: Biosocial Development

  • Body Changes
    • Growth Patterns
    • Nutrition
    • Hazards of “Just Right”
  • Brain Development
    • Speed of Thought
    • The Brain’s Connected Hemispheres
    • Emotions and the Brain
  • Improving Motor Skills
    • Gross Motor Skills
    • A VIEW FROM SCIENCE: Eliminating Lead
    • Fine Motor Skills
    • Artistic Expression
  • Injuries and Abuse
    • Avoidable Injury
    • Prevention
    • Child Maltreatment
    • Three Levels of Prevention, Again

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WHAT WILL YOU KNOW?

  1. Do children eat too much, too little, or just the right amount?

    In cultures in which food is abundant, the most common nutritional problem is overfeeding. Nonetheless, many young children suffer from poor nutrition, because they fill up on non-nutritive foods and miss out on necessary vitamins.

  2. How does brain maturation affect emotional development in early childhood?

    As the brain matures, children become better at controlling their emotions. The maturing frontal lobe leads to fewer temper tantrums, uncontrollable laughter, and uncontrollable tears. Impulse control is still developing, as the prefrontal cortex is still mostly immature. This leads to impulsiveness and perseveration in young children. Certain structures in the limbic system (e.g., the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) can be altered by exposure to stress hormones during development. As a result, there may be impairments of emotional regulation and expression.

  3. What do children need for their gross motor skills to develop?

    In addition to brain maturation, children need extensive active play. Children must have motivation and guided practice in order to achieve their full potential.

  4. When and how should child abuse be prevented?

    Primary prevention would lead to changes in general attitudes that would allow every adult to feel protective of every child. Secondary prevention includes being on the lookout for warning signs, and intervening before the risky situation gets worse. Watching for disorganized attachment between a toddler and his or her caregiver is one example of tertiary prevention. Not all toddlers are reliably exposed to adults who would be trained to recognize attachment problems, so the text suggests mandatory home visits for vulnerable families, as well as free health care for all with mandatory reporting for health care workers. Tertiary prevention attempts to minimize harm after maltreatment has occurred. This includes mandatory reporting, treatment of injuries, and parenting assistance.

When I was 4, I jumped off the back of our couch again and again, trying to fly. I did it many times because I tried it with and without a cape, with and without flapping my arms. My laughing mother wondered whether she had made a mistake in letting me see Peter Pan. An older woman warned that jumping would hurt my uterus. I didn’t know what a uterus was, I didn’t heed that lady, and I didn’t stop until I decided I could not fly because I had no pixie dust.

When you were 4, I hope you also wanted to fly and someone laughed while keeping you safe. Protection, appreciation, and fantasy are all needed in early childhood. Do you remember trying to skip, climb a tree, or write your name? Young children try, fail, and try again. They become skilled and wise, eventually understanding some of life’s limitations, including that humans have no wings. Advances in body and brain, and the need for adult protection, are themes of this chapter. Amazing growth, unexpected injury, and sobering maltreatment are all described.