The Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years (HDCD 6320; HCS 7355)

Spring 2010; Monday & Wednesday, 2:30-3:45; CR 1.508

Dr. Shayla C. Holub

Professor Contact Information:

Shayla Holub, Ph D. E-mail: sholub@utdallas.edu
Office: Green Hall, 4.822 Phone: 972-883-4473
Office Hours: Monday 4:00-5:00 and by appointment

Teaching Assistant Information:

Stephanie Robinson
Office: Green Hall, 4.424B E-mail: srr022000@utdallas.edu

Course Pre-requisites: The Developing Child: Infancy (HDCD 5311) or instructor approval

Course Description: Parents, teachers, early intervention specialists, doctors, psychologists, and many others are
interested in early childhood development for two primary reasons. First, individuals who work with children of all
ages need to have an accurate understanding of young children’s behavior, thoughts, and abilities. Second, early
childhood is fascinating because it is a time of rapid growth and change. This course will explore the ways that
children change (and how they stay the same) in their physical, motor, cognitive and psychosocial development. We
will examine the development of 24-60 month old children across several domains, the mechanisms of developmental
change, individual differences in development, and the practical applications of this research.

Course Goals: Upon completion of this course, students should: 1) have knowledge about milestones in early
childhood development, 2) be able to comprehend and apply major developmental theories, 3) understand
methodologies used in early childhood research and 4) be able to critically evaluate published research in early child
development. It is also hoped that this course will promote students’ independent and critical thinking, further develop
students’ abilities to communicate more effectively, and give students greater appreciation for the science of childhood
development.

Primary Competencies: This course will also cover information relevant to the following competencies specified by
the Texas Interagency Council as required for future recognition as an early intervention specialist (EIS).
PD1- The EIS knows basic principles of child development and recognizes typical developmental milestones
in children birth to 36 months of age.
PD9- The EIS knows the types and significance of interactions among infants and toddlers, and utilizes both
spontaneous and planned activities to promote positive peer interactions.
PROF 12- The EIS understands how adult expectations influence children’s development.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes:

1.1. Students will identify and describe key milestones of early childhood development across several domains,
including physical, cognitive, and social development.
1.2. Students will comprehend and have the ability to apply and describe major developmental theories and themes in
early childhood development.
1.3. Students will recognize and describe social influences on development.
6.1. Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate published research in early childhood development.

Required Textbooks and Materials:

There is no formal textbook for this course. Students will be assigned readings for each topic that they must retrieve
through the electronic course reserves or through the library. Most readings do not provide comprehensive information
about the lecture topic, but provide additional perspective on and more in-depth analysis of class subjects. Reading
these chapters and empirical articles will help you to be an active participant in class discussions and will promote
mastery of class material. Information from these readings will also be included on exams.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 1

Grading Policy: I am most concerned that students in this course gain skills that will help them be productive in their
future roles as students, professionals, or parents. Nevertheless, I need to quantitatively assess students’ knowledge of
course material. Thus, course requirements and how points will be distributed are outlined below. Final grades will be
calculated as follows: A = 90 points and above, B= 80-89 points, C= 70-79 points, F= below 70 points. +/- will be
given at the discretion of the professor.

Class Participation and Discussion Board (total 10%). Students are expected to participate in class. First,
students should be actively involved in class discussions. To do this, course readings should be completed
before coming to class. Second, students are required to post a question or comment about the readings on the
class discussion board on e-learning before 10pm on the day before the reading is to be discussed. This will
give all students an opportunity to highlight something about the readings that they would like to discuss.

Article Discussion (10%). Each student will read an empirical article on social influences on development
(reflecting the students’ interest) and will prepare a brief presentation for the class summarizing the research.
The student will then engage his or her peers in discussion about the article. Students should work with Dr.
Holub to select an appropriate article. More details will be outlined in class.

Exams (each worth 20%; total 60%). Three exams are scheduled over the course of the semester. Each
exam will have an in-class and a take-home component. Exams will require you to display your knowledge
about information from lectures and supplemental readings.

Final Paper (20%). You will be asked to complete a 6-10 page report that will allow you to demonstrate your
mastery of course material. More details will be provided in the coming weeks.

Course Policies:

Attendance: I cannot provide detailed notes for missed classes. If you miss a class, please get the notes from another
student.

Make-up Exams: Make-up exams will only be given under uncontrollable, special circumstances. Please contact me
as soon as possible about missing an exam (and only before an exam is given). Make-up exams are different from the
exam given on test days and are often more difficult than the regular exam. An unexcused missed exam will earn a
grade of 0.

Preparing for Class: Students are expected to come to class prepared. This means completing the assigned readings
before class, so that you can ask questions and be prepared for the day’s lecture, discussion or in-class exercise.
Remember, active participation in this course is part of your grade. Please bring the textbook and assigned readings to
class.

Quality of Work: All assignments (including take-home exams and the final paper) turned in for this class must be
proofread, typed and on-time! No exceptions! All assignments will lose one letter grade per day that they are late.
Grades will be lowered two letter grades if they are not typed. Exams and papers will not be accepted through e-mail.

E-learning and Turnitin.com: These are computer resources offered by the university that will be used in class. If
you do not know how to use or access these programs, please see the course instructor.

Respect for Others in the Class: It is expected that students listen to and respect each other’s insights during class.
During some class sessions, students will be asked to works in groups. It is expected that students will work in a
collegial manner. Any problems or difficulties should be brought to the course instructor for resolution.

Please turn off cell phones and pagers during class meetings, as they can be a distraction to your fellow classmates.
Please refrain from e-mailing, messaging or other forms of entertainment during class.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 2

 Date Topics Required Readings
1/11 How to Think Like a Child Development
Researcher: Theory

1/13 How to Think Like a Child Development
Researcher: Research Methods and
Navigating Research Articles
1/18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- NO CLASS
1/20 The Importance of Physical Development:
Growth, Brain and Motor Development
1/25 The Importance of Physical Development:
Maintaining the Health and Well-being of
Young Children
1/27 Young Children’s Thinking: Cognitive
Development and Piaget
2/1 Young Children’s Thinking: Alternative
Theories and New Research
2/3 Young Children’s Thinking: Language
and Memory
2/8 Young Children’s Thinking: Early
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus
Baum, A. C., & McMurray-Schwarz, P. (2007). Research 101:
Tools for reading and interpreting early childhood
research. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34, 367-
370.
Gleason, T. R., Sebanc, A. M., & Hartup, W. W. (2000).
Imaginary companions of preschool children.
Developmental Psychology, 36, 419-428.
J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Acquiring self-
regulation. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp. 93-103 only).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press. (e-book
and course reserves)
Berk, L. E. (2008). Physical development in early childhood. In
Infants and children (6th ed, pp. 293-299 only). Boston:
Pearson.
Berk, L. E. (2008). Physical development in early childhood. In
Infants and children (6th ed, pp. 300-319). Boston:
Pearson.
Fisher, J. O., & Birch, L. L. (1999). Restricting access to
palatable foods affects children’s behavioral response,
food selection, and intake. American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, 69, 1264-1272.
Denham (1991). Teaching thinking skills: The “what” and
“how” of young children’s thinking. Early Child
Development and Care, 71, 35-44.
DeLoache, J. S. (1987). Rapid change in the symbolic
functioning of very young children. Science, 238, 1556-
1557.
J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Acquiring self-
regulation. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp. 115-123 only).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Pratt, M. W., Kerig, P., Cowan, P. A., & Cowan, C. P. (1988).
Mothers and fathers teaching 3-year-olds: Authoritative
parenting and adult scaffolding of young children’s
learning. Developmental Psychology, 24, 832-839.
Berk, L. E. (2008). Language development. In Infants and
children: Prenatal through middle childhood (6th ed, pp.
355-361). Boston: Pearson.
Marcus, G. F. (1996). Why do children say “breaked”? Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 5, 81-85.
Nelson, K. (1993). The psychological and social origins of
autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 4, 60-
67.
Rosenkoetter, S., & Barton, L. R. (2002). Bridges to literacy:
Page 3
 Academic Skill Development
2/10 Young Children’s Thinking: Thinking
about and Engaging in the Social World
2/15 Special Topics in Cognitive Development
2/17 Exam #1
2/22 Psychosocial Development: Temperament
Observation Assignment Distributed
2/24 Psychosocial Development: Temperament
(cont.)
3/1 Psychosocial Development: Self-Related
Cognitions in Early Childhood
3/3 Psychosocial Development: Emotion
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus
Early routines that promote later success.
http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Vol_22-
4f.pdf?docID=1182&AddInterest=1145
Ginsburg, H. P., Cannon, J., Eisenband, J., & Pappas, S. (2006).
Mathematical thinking and learning. In K. McCartney &
D. Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of early
childhood development (pp. 208- 229). Blackwell.
Barr (2006). Social understanding in a social context. In K.
McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of
early childhood development (pp. 188-207). Blackwell.
Readings TBA
Ross, A. T. (1999). The individual child: Temperament,
emotion, self, and personality. In M. H. Bornstein & M.
E. Lamb (Eds). Developmental psychology: An
advanced textbook. (4th ed, pp. 377- 409). Mahwah, NJ:
Erlabaum.
Rothbart, M. K. (2007). Temperament, development, and
personality. Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 16, 207-212.
Rimm-Kaufmann, S. E., & Kagan, J. (2005). Infant predictors
of kindergarten behavior: The contribution of inhibited
and uninhibited temperament types. Behavioral
Disorders, 30, 331-347.
Verscueren, K., Marcoen, A. & Buyck, P. (1998). Five year
olds’ behaviorally presented self-esteem: Relations to
self-perceptions and stability across a three-year period.
The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 159, 273-279.
Jambunathan, S., & Burts, D. C. (2003). Comparison of
perception of self-competence among five ethnic groups
of preschoolers in the US. Early Child Development and
Care, 173, 651-660.
J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Acquiring self-
regulation. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp.104-115 only).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press. (e-book
and course reserves)
Kieras, J. E., Tobin, R., Graziano, W., & Rothbart, M. K.
(2005). You can’t always get what you want.
Psychological Science, 16, 391-396.
Denham, S. A., Zoller, D., & Couchoud, E. A. (1994).
Socialization of preschoolers’ emotional understanding.
Developmental Psychology, 30, 928-936.
Page 4
3/8 Psychosocial Development: Gender Ruble, D., Taylor, L., Cyphers, L., Greulich, F., Lurye, L., &
Development Shrout, P. (2007). The role of gender constancy in early
gender development. Child Development, 78, 1121-
1136.
Maccoby, E. E. (2000). Gender and relationships: A
developmental account. In W. Craig (ed.). Childhood
social development: Essential readings. (pp. 201- 219).
3/10 Psychosocial Development: Moral Kochanska, G., & Aksan, N. (2004). Conscience in childhood:
Development Past, present, and future. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly,
50(3), 299-310.
Killen, M. (2007). Children’s social and moral reasoning about
exclusion. Current Directions in Psychological Science,
16, 32-36.
3/15- Spring Break – NO CLASS
3/17
3/22 Psychosocial Development: Aggression Murray-Close, D., & Ostrov, J. (2009). A longitudinal study of
and Prosocial Behavior forms and functions of aggressive behavior in early
childhood. Child Development, 80, 828-842.
Farver, J. A. M., & Branstetter, W. H. (1994). Preschoolers’
prosocial responses to their peers’ distress.
Developmental Psychology, 30, 334-341.
3/24 Special Topics in Psychosocial Readings- TBA
Development
3/29 Exam # 2

3/31 Social Influences on Development: Thompson, R. A. (2000). The legacy of early attachments.
Attachment Child Development, 71, 145-152.
4/5 Social Influences on Development: Dixon, W. E. (2003). This is going to hurt you a lot more than it
Parenting and Discipline is going to hurt me. In Twenty Studies that
revolutionized child psychology. (pp. 153-166). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Kazdin, A. E., & Benjet, C. (2003). Spanking children:
Evidence and issues. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 12, 99-103.
4/7 Social Influences on Development: Rohner, R. (1998). Father love and child development: History
Fathers and Siblings and current evidence. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 7, 157-161.
Pike, A., Coldwell, J., & Dunn, J. (2005). Sibling relationships
in early/middle childhood: links with individual
adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 523-532.
4/12 Social Influences on Development: J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). The challenge of
Various Contexts studying culture. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The
science of early childhood development. (pp.57- 69).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Student led discussions.
4/14 Social Influences on Development: Student led discussions.
Important Factors
4/19 Social Influences on Development: Student led discussions.
Important Factors
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 5
4/21 Social Influences on Development: Student led discussions.
Changing Families
4/26 Social Influences on Development: J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Growing up in
Childcare and Early Childhood Education childcare. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp. 297-327).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press. (e-book
and course reserves)
Hirsh-Pasek, K. (1991). Pressure or challenge in preschool?:
How academic environments affect children. . In L.
Rescorla, M. C. Hyson, & K. Hirsh-Pasek (Eds).
Academic instruction in early childhood: Challenge or
pressure? (pp. 39-46). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
4/28 Social Influences on Development: Play, Vandell, D. L., Nenide, L., & Van Winkle, S. (2006). Peer
Peers, and Friendship relationships in early childhood. In K. McCartney & D.
Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of early childhood
development (pp. 455-470). Blackwell.
5/3 Social Influences on Development:
Another Way to Look at Child
Development

5/10 Exam # 3 at 2:00

Topics may be rescheduled as needed during the semester.

Required readings may also be added and/or revised.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 6

Student Conduct & Discipline
The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules
and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the
responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable
about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities.
General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD
publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each
academic year.
The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the
procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined
and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of
Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in
interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).
A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as
the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are
subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct
takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed
for such conduct.
Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic
honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute
integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a
student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic
work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions
related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the
submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule,
scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism,
collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic
dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and
from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s
policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the
resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is
over 90% effective.
Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of
communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the
same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each
individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email
correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that
faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD
student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence
in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be
used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information
Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas
mail forwarded to other accounts.
Withdrawal from Class
The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-
level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course
catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility
to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or
withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not
receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once
you are enrolled.
Student Grievance Procedures
Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services
and Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or
other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to
make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor,
administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called
“the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for
assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the
grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus
respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response
provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School
Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student
may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education,
and the dean will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision
of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals
process will be distributed to all involved parties.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in
interpreting the rules and regulations.
Incomplete Grade Policy
As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably
missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been
completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the
first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the
course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified
deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.
Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational
opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is
located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and
Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:
The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable
adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For
example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape
recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a
research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired).
Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in
accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special services
such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.
It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to
faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs
accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the
professor after class or during office hours.
Religious Holy Days
The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required
activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose
places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code,
Texas Code Annotated.
The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as
possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The
student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment
within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the
absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and
completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence.
A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period
may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.
If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the
purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about
whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed
assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a
ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The
chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of
TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of
the Professor.
Page 7