Preadolescence
[9][11] People within this age range are variously described as tweens, preadolescents, tweenies, preteens, pubescents, middle schoolers,[12] or tweenagers.
Instead, prepubescent (and sometimes child) is a term for boys and girls who have not developed secondary sex characteristics,[15] while preadolescent is generally defined as those ranging from age 9 to 12 years.
White matter volume increases at a relatively linear rate of about 12% from ages 4 through 22, specifically focused in the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes.
[29] Increases in white matter volume may be correlated to improvements of fine motor performance, auditory processing, as well as sensory information transfer between language areas of the brain.
A key caveat from these imaging studies, however, is that there exists significant variability in the timing and characteristics of neurological change in preadolescents.
[31] Of the 'two major socializing agents in children's lives: the family environment...and formal educational institutions,'[32] it is 'the family in its function a primary socializer of the child'[33] that predominates in the first five years of life: middle childhood by contrast is characterized by 'a child's readiness for school...being self-assured and interested; knowing what kind of behavior is expected...being able to wait, to follow directions, and getting along with other children.
Middle children generally show more investment 'in control over external reality through the acquisition of knowledge and competence':[37] where they do have worries, these may be more a fear of kidnappings, rapes, and scary media events, as opposed to fantasy things (e.g., witches, monsters, ghosts).
[43] Youth sports organizations recommend a minimum of five hours of free play per week for preadolescent athletes.
At this time, socialization by the school and peer environment can become more predominant, as the preadolescent starts to learn more about how they would wish to hold themselves during interpersonal relationships.
[45] During preadolescence (early adolescence), individuals may become more preoccupied with body image and privacy, corresponding to physical changes seen during adrenarche and puberty.
[46] Homosexual and heterosexual experimentation is not uncommon, although it is important to note that many teens who eventually identify as LGBT do not always do so during adolescence.
On average, gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals report experiencing same-sex attraction in early adolescence, at age 12.
[47] For individuals who begin to experience same-sex attraction, familial support and acceptance consistently predicts positive outcomes.
Specifically, parents can talk and listen in a way that invites preadolescents to have an open discussion about sexual orientation.
[49] Where development has been optimal, preadolescents 'come to school for something to be added to their lives; they want to learn lessons...which can lead to their eventually working in a job like their parents.
'[50] When earlier developmental stages have gone astray, however, then, on the principle that 'if you miss a stage, you can always go through it later,'[51] some middle children 'come to school for another purpose...[not] to learn but to find a home from home...a stable emotional situation in which they can exercise their own emotional liability, a group of which they can gradually become a part.
[54] Preadolescents may well be more exposed to popular culture than younger children and have interests based on internet trends, television shows and movies (no longer just cartoons), fashion, technology, music and social media.
[57] Erik H. Erikson noted that latency period children in middle childhood can then direct more of their energy into asexual pursuits such as school, athletics, and same-sex friendships.
[58] Nevertheless, recent research contradicts these notions—suggesting that sexual development, interest, and behavior among latent period children does not cease.
