DP Ch 5

malnutrition stats

- 1/3 of the worlds children are suffering from malnutrition - 22% suffer in US from food insecurity - especially high (35%) for single parent and low-income ethnic minority families

necessary components to developing a new motor skill

- Central nervous system (CNS) development - Body capability - Childs goal (individual variation which is fine) - Environmental support for the skill (Cultural variations- some grounds are safe some are not)

Cephalcaudal trend head takes up- legs take up-

- During prenatal period the head develops much more rapidly than the lower part of the body - "head to toe" - 1/4 - 1/3

motor development across cultures

- Japanese mothers don't see a need to encourage it - Zina-canteco Indians of South Mexico and Guisee of Kenya discourage rapid motor progress - Kipsigis of Kenya, West Indians of Jamaica, and North American parents emphasize early motor maturity

human connection and play during sensitive periods

- Playing pretend is still the most effective way to learn about the social world - One of the most important things in all terms of a childcare center- connection to well paid under stress teacher who pays attention to child's interest and plays with them - Just play and be together

fine motor skills

- Pre-reaching (7 weeks): poorly coordinated swipes - Ulnar grasp (4-5 months) -replacing grasp reflex, clumsy grasp where hand closes against palm - Transferring objects - Pincer grasp (end of first year)- using thumb and index finger in a well-coordinated way (can start to explore the physical world more)

Romanian orphanage and sensitive periods

- children past 6 months show cognitive deficits including neurobiological changes - Difficulties forming emotional attachments - Those transferred to adoptive home within the first 6 months performed as well as the average (IQ score) - Those transferred after performed bellow average

sleeping arrangements worldwide

- co-sleeping is the norm for 90% - Japanese and Korean children usually lie next to their mothers - the Maya bedshare until another child is born (moves to dad or other room) and thinks it builds a close bond (interdependence) - besharing is common among US ethnic minorities - american mothers emphasize independence

cephalocaudal and proximodistal trend gender and ethnic differences

- girls are slightly shorter than boys and have a slightly higher ratio of fat to muscle - Asians tend to be smaller and African Americans larger

proximodistal trend

- growth proceeds literally from "near to far" from the center of the body outward - head chest and trunk, then arms and legs, then hands and feet

Kittens and sensitive periods

- if deprived of light for 3-4 days areas of the brain degenerate - 4 weeks or more then the damage is severe and permanent

glial cells

- make up about half of brains volume and are responsible for myelination - multiply rapidly from birth to 2 years

mile stones of brain development

- prenatal) neurons produced in neural tube then migrate to form major parts of the brain - start to differentiate and establish their function - infancy and toddlerhood) neurons and synapses increase at a very fast rate - as synapses form, many neurons die - stimulation is vital to survival (forms new synapses)

World Health Organizations recommendations for infant nutrition v actual average practices

- recommends breast feeding until the age of 2 and not introducing solids until 6 months - in US 77% begin breastfeeding after birth but more than 1/3 stop by 6 months - only 50% of preterm infants are breastfed at hospital discharge - 40% are introducing solids too early

infant sleeping patterns

- short sleep cycles and spend more time in active REM sleep (state that prompts waking) - smaller stomachs meaning they have to eat more frequently - western parents will try to get 3-4 month olds to sleep through the night which is at odds with their neurological capacities - melatonin isn't greater at night than in the day till about 6 months

neurons (nerve cells) space between- send messages to one another by-

- store and transmit information - many have thousands of direct connections with other neurons - not tightly packed together (synapse-space between neuron fibers) - releasing chemicals called neuro-transmitters across the synapse

mirror neurons and imitation

- the brain's mirroring of another's action, thanks to mirror neurons, may enable imitation, language learning, and empathy.

harmful "super environments"

- too much stimulation can also act a lot like stimulation deprivation (intense curriculum for toddlers) - Prevents them from discovering their world - Develop distaste for learning

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

a program that provides help for nutrition and health care to low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 - Fully breastfeeding package with healthy food - Partial breastfeeding package with some formula but less food - Formula only package but only basic food package limited to first 6 months - Has increased breastfeeding rates

Marasmus

a wasted condition of the body caused by a diet low in all essential nutrients - usually appears in the first year of life when a mother is too malnourished to produce enough breastmilk and bottle-feeding is inadequate

role of sensitive periods in development

animal studies confirm that early, extreme sensory deprivation results in permanent brain damage and loss of functions

Kwashiorkor

caused by an unbalanced diet very low in protein - the disease usually strikes after weaning between 1-3 years

mirror neurons

fire identically when a primate hears or sees an action and when it carries out that action on its own - believed to be the biological basis for complex social abilities (sharing of emotions/empathy, understanding others intentions) - broken mirror neurons may be a reason for autism

gross motor skills

help infants get around in their environment - walking, crawling, climbing

experience-dependent brain growth

occurs throughout our lives. It consists of additional growth and refinement of established brain structures as a result of specific learning experiences that vary widely across individuals and cultures - occurs later in life - ex: reading and writing, practicing the violin

experience-expectant brain growth

refers to the young brain's rapidly developing organization, which depends on ordinary experiences - opportunities to explore the environment, interact with people, and hear language and other sounds - occurs early and naturally - the foundation experience-dependent

prefrontal cortex

responsible for thought - in particular, consciousness, inhibition of impulses, integration of information, and use of memory, reasoning, planning, and problem-solving strategies - undergoes rapid myelination and synaptic pruning during preschool years and again in adolescence

synaptic pruning

returns neurons not needed at the moment to an uncommitted state so they can support future development (about 40%)

lateralization left- right-

specialization of the two cerebral hemispheres for particular operations - permits wider array of functions to be carried out effectively - verbal abilities and positive emotions - spacial abilities and negative emotions

SIDS

sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant during sleep - maternal smoking - Sleeping on stomach (puts them into deep sleep that they can't handle)

myelination

the coating of neural fibers with an insulating fatty sheath (myelin) that improves the efficiency of message transfer

brain plasticity

A highly plastic cerebral cortex, in which many areas are not yet committed to specific functions, has a high capacity for learning. And if a part of the cortex is damaged, other parts can take over the tasks it would have handled.