Patrick, age 5
Patrick, age 6
Patrick, age 7
There are a plethora of developmental changes that characterize the years between five and seven. One of the most commonly overlooked is the "growth spurt" in length of the face, which is similar to the "growth spurt" in overall height that occurs at puberty (Tanner, 1989). This lengthening provides a narrower appearance and probably presents a child effect in evoking a more mature and responsible set of expectations on the part of adults and other caregivers. In addition, the Eustacian tube connecting the middle ear to the naso-pharynx (throat) shifts from its relatively flat orientation to more of a slant. This change allows better aeration of the middle ear and many children "grow out" of recurrent ear infections around this age. The pictures below illustrate this shift.
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Patrick shows a definite lengthening of his face from 5-6 and 6-7. Compare the vertical distance between mouth and ear at 5 and again at 7 . |
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Patrick, age 6
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Erin has a round face compared to Patrick and Brendan in both of these photos, but between 5 & 7 Erin's face lengthens and the width to length ratio decreases. The comparison is within child. |
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Brendan has a relatively narrow face compared to other children at both ages. In order to see that it has lengthened, thereby becoming relatively more narrow, you have to look at Brendan at 7 compared to himself at age 5. |
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Anthropometric measures across the cheekbones and from the chin to the top of the head provide a ratio that indexes the changing relative length of the face. Calipers are used for accuracy. |
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DMA 8/17/05
