Health Concerns
Middle Childhood
Hearing
- Ear Infections can be a health problem.
- Children's hearing is usually well developed by middle childhood.
- Awareness of midrange sounds develops first, followed by high-range and low-range awareness.
- By 11 years of age, most children have the auditory awareness of adults.
Vision
- By age six, most children are ready to read.
- Their ability to focus improves.
- Throughout middle childhood, nearsightedness is the most common vision problem.
- The more time children are engaged in reading and close-up work, the greater their chances of becoming near-sighted.
- With corrective lenses, nearsightedness can be overcome.
Teeth
- During middle childhood, children begin losing their primary or 'baby' teeth.
- Tooth loss can have a psychological effect on some children.
- They become self-conscious.
- Calling attention to the change in their appearance may cause them to be uncomfortable.
- A common health problem for school-age children is tooth decay.
Obesity
- Obesity is becoming a common problem among school-age.
- A person is considered obese if he or she weighs 20 percent more than other people of the same sex, age, and build.
- Obesity affects about 25 percent of school-age children.
- Being obese can seriously impact a child's emotional health.
- Obese children are often teased and ridiculed by their peers.