Early School Years to Late Childhood

 

After completing this section of the chapter, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

♦ Define early school years

♦ Characterize the growth and development that occurs
during the early school years

♦ Discuss the common health problems of the early school
years

In this text, early school years or late childhood is de­fined as the period in which a child begins school through the beginning of adolescence. These 6 years involve a great deal of change; when one recollects "childhood," these are the years most often remembered. The experiences of this period have a profound effect on the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of the child and contribute greatly to the adult that the child will become.