ABSTRACT
Infancy and Childhood The term childhood generally refers to the first 10 to 12 years of life, encompassing four basic developmental stages: infancy (birth through approximately 12-18 months), toddlerhood (infancy through approximately 3 years), early childhood (approximately 3 to 6 years), and middle childhood (6 years to puberty) (Erikson, 1963). While childhood deaths are rare, the National Center for Health Statistics (Murphy, Xu, & Kochanek, 2012) reports the largest number occurring during infancy. The overall infant mortality rate in the United States is approximately 614 deaths per 100,000 live births. Statistics, however, reveal discrepancies among racial groups. The mortality rates among Hispanic and Caucasian Americans are 537 and 528, respectively and the rate increases to 1,100 deaths per 100,000 live births for African Americans. For older children, ages 1 to 4 years, the total number of deaths declines to approximately 27 deaths per 100,000 people. The leading causes of these deaths are accidents, followed by congenital malformations, and homicide. Among older children, the death rate decreases to approximately 13 children per 100,000, with the leading cause remaining accidents, followed by cancer (malignant neoplasms).
