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.
Do children eat too much, too little, or just the right amount?
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
How does brain maturation affect emotional development in early childhood?
In addition to brain maturation, children need extensive active play. Children must have motivation and guided practice in order to achieve their full potential.
What do children need for their gross motor skills to develop?
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. Watc
When and how should child abuse be prevented?
Response for Nutritionists: The nutritionally wise advice would be to offer only fruits, vegetables, and other nourishing, low-fat foods, counting on the child's eventual hunger to drive him or her to eat them. However, centuries of cultural custom make s
Especially for Nutritionists A parent complains that she prepares a variety of vegetables and fruits, but her 4-year-old wants only French fries and cake. What should you advise?
Response for Early-Childhood Teachers: Remember to keep food simple and familiar. Offer every child the same food, allowing refusal but no substitutes�unless for all eight. Children do not expect school and home routines to be identical; they eventually t
Especially for Early-Childhood Teachers You know that young children are upset if forced to eat a food they hate, but you have eight 3-year-olds with eight different preferences. What do you do?
myelination
The process by which axons become coated with myelin, a fatty substance that speeds the transmission of nerve impulses from neuron to neuron.
perseveration
The tendency to persevere in, or stick to, one thought or action for a long time.
impulse control
The ability to postpone or deny the immediate response to an idea or behavior.
lateralization
Literally, sidedness, referring to the specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain, with one side dominant for each activity. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.
corpus callosum
A long, thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain and allows communication between them.
hippocampus
A brain structure that is a central processor of memory, especially memory for locations.
hypothalamus
A brain area that responds to the amygdala and the hippocampus to produce hormones that activate other parts of the brain and body.
amygdala
A tiny brain structure that registers emotions, particularly fear and anxiety.
Response for Neurologists: The more we discover about the brain, the more complex we realize it is. Each part has specific functions and is connected to every other part.
Especially for Neurologists Why do many experts think the limbic system is an oversimplified explanation of brain function?
Response for Immigrant Parents: Children develop the motor skills that they see and practice. They will soon learn to use forks, spoons, and knives. Do not abandon chopsticks completely, because young children can learn several ways of doing things, and t
Especially for Immigrant Parents You and your family eat with chopsticks at home, but you want your children to feel comfortable in Western culture. Should you change your family's eating customs?
injury control/harm reduction
Practices that are aimed at anticipating, controlling, and preventing dangerous activities; these practices reflect the beliefs that accidents are not random and that injuries can be made less harmful if proper controls are in place.
primary prevention
Actions that change overall background conditions to prevent some unwanted event or circumstance, such as injury, disease, or abuse.
secondary prevention
Actions that avert harm in a high-risk situation, such as stopping a car before it hits a pedestrian.
tertiary prevention
Actions, such as immediate and effective medical treatment, that are taken after an adverse event (such as illness or injury) and that are aimed at reducing harm or preventing disability.
Response for Urban Planners: The adult idea of a park�a large, grassy open place�is not best for young children. For them, you would design an enclosed area, small enough and with adequate seating to allow caregivers to socialize while watching their chil
Especially for Urban Planners Describe a neighborhood park that would benefit 2- to 5-year-olds.
child maltreatment
Intentional harm to or avoidable endangerment of anyone under 18 years of age.
child abuse
Deliberate action that is harmful to a child's physical, emotional, or sexual well-being.
child neglect
Failure to meet a child's basic physical, educational, or emotional needs.
substantiated maltreatment
Harm or endangerment that has been reported, investigated, and verified.
reported maltreatment
Harm or endangerment about which someone has notified the authorities.
esponse for Nurses: Any suspicion of child maltreatment must be reported, and these bruises are suspicious. Someone in authority must find out what is happening so that the parent as well as the child can be helped.
Especially for Nurses While weighing a 4-year-old, you notice several bruises on the child's legs. When you ask about them, the child says nothing and the parent says the child bumps into things. What should you do?
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
An anxiety disorder that develops as a delayed reaction to having experienced or witnessed a profoundly shocking or frightening event, such as rape, severe beating, war, or natural disaster. Its symptoms may include flashbacks to the event, hyperactivity
permanency planning
An effort by child-welfare authorities to find a long-term living situation that will provide stability and support for a maltreated child. A goal is to avoid repeated changes of caregiver or school, which can be particularly harmful to the child.
foster care
A legal, publicly supported system in which a maltreated child is removed from the parents' custody and entrusted to another adult or family, which is reimbursed for expenses incurred in meeting the child's needs.
kinship care
A form of foster care in which a relative of a maltreated child, usually a grandparent, becomes the approved caregiver.
adoption
A legal proceeding in which an adult or couple is granted the joys and obligations of being that child's parent(s).