The Growing child
Growth Spurts – When?
6.5 – 7.5 years: Growth Rates of Males & Females similar
6.5-10.5 years: Growth Rates of Males declines slightly, while Females steadily continue to grow
9.5-11.5 years: Peak growth spurts of Females
11.5-12.5 years: Peak growth spurts of Males
Growth Spurts – How to know?
Clothes too short
Increased hunger
Sleeps more than usual
Clumsiness
Puberty
The Growing Child – Musculoskeletal System
Muscles, Bones, Ligaments, Tendons, Fascia
The Growing Child – Neurological System
Central Nervous System: Brain, Spinal Cord
Peripheral Nervous System: Nerves
Why pain may occur in a growing child?
Neuromusculoskeletal Related Pain
Somatosensory Related Pain
Cognitive development – reconceptualizing/understanding friendships and social dynamics
Social development
Peer pressure, finding oneself
Self image/ Self-esteem issues à negative emotional effects
Why Movement matters?
“A well-trained nervous system is the greatest friend a mind can have.”
-Halleck, 1898
Life is synonymus with movement
Our physical function reveals our experience of movement
Movement opportunity helps to develop motor performance
Sensory-motor skills operate along a continuous feedback loop
The Well Balanced Child
”When we teach the body we also nourish the brain, not only in terms of strengthening and maintaining neural connections, but also in refining the chemical and hormonal status of the brain, which collectively contributes to the psyche or the self.”
- Sally Goddard Blythe