ECE 28 CLASS NOTES, WEEK 3, Chapter 4: NORMAL & EXCEPTIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood

Education, Sixth Edition, Thomson-Delmar Learning OBJECTIVES: After discussion of normal & exceptional development for young children you should be able to: Describe types of children referred to as typical, atypical, developmentally delayed, at risk, & gifted. Provide three reasons to justify this statement: To work effectively with children with developmental problems & special talents, teachers need to have thorough knowledge of normal growth & development. Distinguish between developmental sequences & developmental milestones; give examples of each in motor, social, cognitive, & language development. Describe biological & environmental factors that can put infants & young children at developmental risk. KEY TERMS at risk bodily-kinesthetic chromosomal disorder dysfluency neuroscientists people-first language savant vulnerability attachment process autonomy developmental continuum exceptional children normal (typical) development reciprocity sensorimotor respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) atypical development cardiac problems developmental milestones neural pathologist resilience synapse

WHAT IS NORMAL OR TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT? Typical development implies an ongoing process beginning in earliest infancy, whereas the process moves along a developmental continuum according to a predictable pattern of growing, changing, and acquiring a range of complex skills common to most children of the same age . MORE ABOUT NORMAL DEVELOPMENT The term normal development has long been the subject of dispute. What is normal for one child may be quite abnormal for another. DEVELOPMENTAL SEQUENCES Certain principles serve as guidelines. Sequences of normal development are predictable. Based on detailed observations of hundreds of children. Children can be expected to move step-by-step toward mastery of each developmental skill. DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES Children acquire specific skills in a fairly predictable order, and these junctures are referred to as developmental milestones. A child who is seriously delayed in reaching one or more of these milestones needs some attention. We often call this a "red flag". Infancy Toddlerhood The Preschool Years The Primary School Years INFANCY DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: Research has proven that within the first hours of birth experiences begin to influence development. Neuroscientists report the early stimulation dramatically increase the number of synapses that develop in the brain. Neural activity enables the child to engage in increasingly complex learnings. Between 4 to 10 weeks, babies begin social or responsive smiling. Absence of social smiling in a 12 to 16 week old may signal a serious developmental problem/red flag. Between 2 to 3 months, the infant begins to make social sounds. Labeled social for two reasons: - Sounds are made in response to the voice of the person talking to the baby. - When sounds are initiated by infant, the sound may capture the attention of a nearby adult who usually responds vocally. The infant learns that he/she can make things happen and get people to respond. - This "give & take" is called reciprocity and is essential to the process of attachment. - Reciprocity is a major step toward language & social development. Infants 3 to 4 months will smile at objects & even their own noises & actions. By 5 or 6 months most infants show trunk control & can roll over. At 7 months, many are sitting with or without support. At 9 months many infants are crawling or showing readiness to crawl, very few are walking. Cruising comes next. Around 8 to18 months or 20 months, walking begins & is considered typical. A baby's cognitive development is closely interwoven with motor development. Children's text books present developmental skills separately, however in real life all developmental areas are interrelated. Piaget began to analyze this relationship more than 50 years ago. He describes the first 24 months of life as the sensorimotor stage.

 Infant learns by poking, patting, touching, banging, & tasting whatever comes to hand. TODDLERHOOD DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES Between 18 to 30 months, most children are moving about freely. Climb stairs, but not yet with alternating feet. May or may not be toilet trained. The "mine, mine" phase. The 2 year old drive for independence phase. PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: Preschool Years Between 3 to 6 years, basic motor skills are perfected. Creativity, imagination, role playing & telling tall tales are in development. Vocabulary, concepts, expressing ideas, making judgments , solving problems, & planning ahead increase. Independence increases. Physical growth is slower. Need less to eat, & seem to be a "picky" eater. Language skills developing rapidly. Stammering & stuttering for a short period of time is onsidered within normal development. Dysfluency disappears unless an adult pressures to "slow down" or "say it right". A separate identity, a sense of self directing individualit y & autonomy develops. Children begin to share. Beginning to show empathy. PRIMARY SCHOOL YEARS DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: Primary School Years Can take care of most of their personal needs; dressing, bathing, eating, getting ready for bed & grooming. Moving from dawdling to awareness of time & consequences of bein g late. - For some children it may cause anxiety or fear about school. Learning to read, sit still for longer periods of time, listen,& recognize letter shapes & discriminate between letter soun ds . Developing friends & "best friends". WHAT IS ATYPICAL OR EXCEPTIONAL DEVELOPMENT? In the past, exceptional was all inclusive; from mildest of speech to outstandingly brilliant. Savants - an individual who is unusually knowledgeable about one particular subject, but lacking in other cognitive areas. Children who were noticeably different were called names. In the past, society provided these same children homes or institutions to provide services for their disability. First types of examples: "Homes for crippled children", "institut ions for the feeble-minded". People-first language is used to now: Past language used: i.e. He's autistic, she's downs. Next language used: i.e. She is a learning disabled child. People-first language: i.e. That child is a first grader and has a learning disability. Children once called handicapped, now called children with special needs. - Need environments that are adjusted to minimize the effects of their disabilities and promote learning & skills. DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES & DELAYS The word handicapped was written out of the early intervention segment of PL 99-457 & replaced by such terms as developmental delays or developmental disability. Promotes that young children with atypical characteristics resemble all children in their potential growth & development . Many infants & young children who started out with serious problems overcome these issues with early intervention services. Low-birth-weight infants, who may also be premature, by 5 years old look like & perform like all other 5 year olds. Some impairments, even though serious, may never interfere with developmental progress. The diagnosis of developmental delay varies from profession to profession. Delay in the text The Exceptional Child is when a child is performing like a typically developing child of a much younger age. CHILDREN AT DEVELOPMENTAL RISK At-risk or at high-risk means there is a reason to believe serious problems are likely to develop. Many children at-risk for developmental problems have the potential for healthy development & overcoming initial setbacks with early intervention services. Children birth to 2 years old at risk do not qualify for Early Start or Special Education services. Risk factors often occur together, grouped into two majo r categories: Biological; undergone accident, injury, or severe stress. - If given immediate treatment will recover. Environmental; poverty, child abuse & neglect, unfit living conditions, due to addicted or diseased family members, religious or cultural beliefs that prohibit urgently needed medical treatment or surgery, & inaccessible medical care (families living in remote & rural areas). Resilience & vulnerability: The degree of inborn resilience & vulnerability makes a difference. Given a facilitative environment - vulnerable children often have a good outcome. Resilient children in a poor environment may also do well as they lea rn how to use the resources available.

 A vulnerable child, raised in a unfavorable environment is in double jeopardy and almost sure to be in developmental trouble. CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL GIFTS & TALENTS Children described as gifted & talented do exceptional well in one or more areas of development. They are a good fit for multiple intelligences. Gardner (1993) theorizes 8 types of intelligence; there accomplishments appear spontaneously, as part of their own unique development: linguistic logical-mathematical musical spatial bodily-kinesthetic interpersonal intrapersonal naturalist There are gifted children in every ethnic and racial group at all economic levels. Origins of Giftedness: High IQ - genetics. Interplay of genetics & environmental factors that maximize opportunities to learn. More likely to be born of advantage families. More affluent parents tend to be more educated, & better off financially. CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG GIFTED CHILDREN The characteristics that identify young gifted children are a combination of: Advanced verbal skills. Curiosity. Ability to concentrate Learn rapidly. Enjoy problem solving. GIFTED MINORITY CHILDREN Most giftedness is related, directly or indirectly to language. Bright children from minority cultures & different ethnic backgrounds, often are not recognized because they lack middle class language skills. Other characteristics that work against identifying preschool gifted children are a combination of discriminatory factors: Prevalent attitude that giftedness does not come from low-income backgrounds. A definition that reflects majority's cultural values. Identification procedures that are unfavorable to low-income & minority children. Few opportunities for enhancing intellectual or artistic achievement in minority children. CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES WHO ARE GIFTED A child with a disability may be gifted: The potential for intellectual, mechanical and/or artistic giftedness is often overlooked. A definition that reflects majority's cultural values. Education focuses on overcoming deficits. Identifying gifted children with developmental problems may be difficult. GETTING READY FOR WEEK 4: September 8, 2010 Read chapters 5 REMINDER: Continue to work on Assignment #1 due September 29, 2010: Two hour observation Complete Observation Sheet Write up findings with conclusion. Be prepared to present your observation and turn in your assignment on September 29.