CFD 1450 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Synaptic Pruning, Deciduous Teeth, Permanent Teeth
CHAPTER 8- PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
Physical Development in Early Childhood
• Body growth slows:
o Child’s shape becomes more streamlined.
o Individual differences in size become more apparent.
• Skeletal growth continues:
o New epiphyses emerge.
o Primary teeth are replaced by permanent teeth.
Brain Development
• Between ages 2 and 6, the brain
o Increases to 90% of its adult weight.
o Undergoes reshaping and refining.
o Preschoolers improve in
• Physical coordination.
o Perception, attention, and memory.
o Language.
o Logical thinking.
o Imagination.
• Brain plasticity
o Ensures that child will acquire certain abilities even if some brain areas are
damaged.
o Declines as synaptic pruning occurs.
• Cognitive functions increasingly localize in distinct neural systems.
• Rapid growth occurs in prefrontal-cortical areas devoted to executive function.
Handedness
• Reflects greater capacity of dominant cerebral hemisphere to carry out skilled motor
action.
• Begins as early as tenth prenatal week.
• Affected by prenatal events, practice, and culture.
• Early damage to left hemisphere may cause shift in handedness, but most left-handers
have no developmental problems.
• Unusual lateralization may have certain advantages
Influences On Physical Growth and Health
• Heredity and hormones
• Emotional well-being
• Sleep habits and problems
• Nutrition
• Infectious disease
• Childhood injuries
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