Chapter 8 Summary

1. Well nourished children continue to gain weight and add height during early childhood. Unfortunately, however, many adults overfeed children, not realizing that young children are naturally quite thin.
2. Culture, income, and family customs all affect children’s growth. In contrast to past decades, children of low-income families are twice as likely to be overweight as their wealthier counterparts. Worldwide, an increasing number of children are eating too much, which puts them at risk for heart disease and diabetes.
3. Many young children consume too much sugar and too little calcium and other nutrients. One consequence is poor oral health. Children need to brush their teeth and visit the dentist years before their permanent teeth erupt.

4. The brain continues to grow in early childhood, reaching 75 percent of its adult weight at age 2 and 90 percent by age 6.
5. Myelination is substantial during early childhood, speeding messages from one part of the brain to another. The corpus callosum becomes thicker and functions much more effectively. The prefrontal cortex, known as the executive of the brain, is strengthened as well.
6. Brain changes enable more reflective, coordinated thought and memory, better planning, and quicker responses. Left–right specialization is apparent in the brain as well as in the body, although the entire brain and the entire body work together to perform most skills.
7. The expression and regulation of emotions are fostered by several brain areas, including the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the hypothalamus. Childhood abuse may create a flood of stress hormones (especially cortisol) that damage the brain and interfere with learning. However, some stress aids learning if reassurance is also present.

8. Gross motor skills continue to develop; clumsy 2-year-olds become 6-year-olds who move their bodies well, guided by their culture. Children’s main activity is play. By playing with other children in safe places, they practice the skills needed for formal education.
9. Urbanization and chemical pollutants are two factors that hamper development. More research is needed, but it is already apparent that high lead levels in the blood can impair the brain and that opportunities to develop gross motor skills are restricted when play space is scarce.
10. Fine motor skills are difficult to master during early childhood. Young children enjoy expressing themselves artistically, developing their body and finger control as well as self-expression. Fortunately, self-criticism is not yet strong.

11. Accidents cause more child deaths than diseases, with young children more likely to suffer a serious injury or premature death than older children. Close supervision and public safeguards can protect young children from their own eager, impulsive curiosity.
12. Injury control occurs on many levels, including long before and immediately after each harmful incident. Primary prevention protects everyone. Secondary prevention that focuses on high risk conditions and people, and tertiary prevention that occurs after an injury, are needed.
13. Child maltreatment includes ongoing abuse and neglect, usually by a child’s own parents. Each year, about 3 million cases of child maltreatment are reported in the United States; fewer than 1 million are substantiated, with rates decreasing in recent years.
14. Physical abuse is the most obvious form of maltreatment, but neglect is more common and more harmful. Health, learning, and social skills are all impeded by abuse and neglect, not only during childhood but also decades later.
15. Tertiary prevention may include placement of a child in foster care, including kinship care. Adoption is much less common, although often it is the best solution for the child.
16. Permanency planning is required because frequent changes of home environment are harmful to children. Primary and secondary prevention help parents care for their children and reduce the need for tertiary prevention.