Child Development

School Age and Beyond: Another critical developmental stage encompasses the middle school years and extends into early adolescence. The period from age 10 to 14 is a potentially turbulent time in which a child’s body is rapidly changing and his emotions are increasingly influenced by hormones and peers. What follows is a brief generalized overview of key developmental milestones.

In youths aged 10 to 11, the following changes are happening:

1. Emotional: May be ambivalent about body changes and have difficulty controlling emotions, resulting in outbursts of crying, fighting, and swearing. This group has highly-variable interests.


2. Intellectual: Need reinforcement of basic skills, are oriented to the present and function at a literal thinking level. They are developing reasoning skills and need to be encouraged to work to the maximum of their intellectual abilities.


3. Physical: Brains are growing. Girls show rapid increases in weight. Both boys and girls work hard to develop new physical skills. They are awkward, restless, and can be lazy as a result of uneven growth. They have increased appetites and are beginning to show signs of secondary sex characteristics.


4. Social: Are beginning to break away from parental control as they become more concerned with peer standards. They are able to display teamwork, are concerned about privacy in the home, and are beginning to show interest in the opposite sex.

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