Understands world through logical thinking and categories • Able to use thoughts to verbally and symbolically to describe concrete things (not abstract things) • Can describe their dog, walk you through their house • Can perform actions mentally without having to physically perform them • Conservation mastered • Water in diff glasses is same volume • Concrete thinkers, but with some logic added (if this, then that) • Numbered pain scale! • Loves rules • Green eggs & ham example • Eating ham vs Stubborn ppl can change vs world lesson A 2 year old who insists on turning on light switches every time she sees one is attempting to master what concept of sensorimotor development?  Magical thinking  Domestic mimicry  Mental symbolism  Causal relationships Communication First, we want to fnd out how the child communicates:  Does the child speak?  Can you understand the child?  Can other people understand the child?

 Do older siblings talk for the child? – older siblings speak for younger  Use of sign language – 6mo (more, plz, done) because cant talk o Decreases frustration for child and adult o Problem is they don’t want to SAY the word later on – sign it  Speech impediments o Lisp o L & Rs o Stuttering – tired; commonly resolve on own – speech therapist o Mimicking – learning tone, inflection, subtle language ques Discipline  Ask the parent: “What do you do when the child misbehaves?” o Time out is very effective for toddlers, preschoolers – remove from autonomous situations  One minute per year of life o Punishment/taking away something they like is better for school-age kids  Consistency is key o Setting limits & let them know what is going to happen if they don’t follow through  Adapting methods  Being proactive – explain what will happen o Offer reward before taking something away  Terrible Twos/Horrifc Threes! o Conflict  outburst

 Preschoolers: start to lie  School Age: start to cheat, steal Sleep Things to discuss with parents:  How long does the child sleep at night? Naps? o Sound or light sleeper  Crib or bed?  Bedtime rituals? Bath, brush teeth then bed?  Does the child wake up at night- if so do they return to sleep easily?  Nightmares versus night terrors o Toddler: Separation from parents – bad dream o Preschoolers: monsters or the dark o School: death or dangers o Terror: common in younger children o Middle of night, screaming, inconsolable, eyes open, look alert, can’t be consoled o Screaming and not really awake o Don’t want to wake them up, calm and comfort them, get them to return to sleep o Don’t remember event next morning – not tired o Child is overtired  more likely to get night terror o Can be clustered – few times a month then never again o No long-term consequences, no psych problems, resolves o Just get them to sleep more!