UTAR Child Development 2010

2010-05-07T06:52:00.004+08:00

Child Sex Trafficking in Cambodia

2010-04-29T20:56:00.004+08:00

Just wanted to share this youtube, even though it is already the end of the semester and maybe this blog will disappear soon. Such a sad sad reality. Made me feel like crying when I saw the kids at the counselling session. Some are as young as 4!

Anyway good luck to everyone for their finals.

Blog Representative

2010-04-23T23:27:00.002+08:00

Can I have the full name list of all the class representatives for the blog updating? Since I don't receive all 5 form for blog participation, the least that I can do is to give extra 3 marks as an appreciation to all the representative (on presentation marks).

movie review~

2010-04-23T14:35:00.002+08:00

A story about a boy who suffer from cancer writing letters to God~ and involve wif a postman who have complicated lifestyle, and he try 2help the boy~

2010-04-23T00:31:00.001+08:00

Children of Cambodia

A trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia has opened my eyes to the reality of how children live in rural, under-developed countries like Cambodia. Children there are poor and unhygienic. Their faces and hands are dirty and clothes looks like they have never been washed.

Children are EVERYWHERE in Siem Reap. And often, kids as young as TWO YEARS OLD will work for their parents selling trinkets and souvenirs to tourist. The level of English command of these children is surprisingly good. I asked them where they learned English from, and they said from tourists. No wonder got American accent -_-‘’

Here are some of the pictures that I took.

Angkor Wat

The place where they shot Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie

2 kids begging on one of the Angkor buildings. Their hair very yellow. Malnutrition or being in the sun too much?

Kids selling souvenirs to tourists. Oh and that’s my dad =]

My dad refused to buy anything from them and they kept reducing the price.

Girl: Sir, buy bracelet. 5 Dollar for 1.

Dad: No thanks, I don’t need it.

Girl: Buy for your daughter, Sir. 3 Dollar, 3 Dollar.

Dad: No thanks. *Smiles*

Girl: Sir, please. 1 Dollar for 1, Sir.

Dad: No thanks, really. * walks quickly trying to escape*

Girl: 50 cents, Sir.

Dad: Shakes head. *runs away*

Girl: FREE, SIR!

Funny lar. Haha!

Injured child

Cyber Café Cambodia style

The next day we went to visit the floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. It is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. (http://mandalayinn.com/tour_tonle.html)

This was our tour guide on the lake. He’s only 18

Floating houses on the lake

Children living on the lake

Floating basketball court

Small kid following parents to fish

The 2 boys in the red circles are paralyzed. They put themselves in a basin like thing and float to tourists and ask them for money because they can’t afford to go to school.

Floating school

These children need donations from other people to be able to buy uniform, books and stationery.

The guy in white is the teacher

Education is seen as a privilege in Cambodia. Not every child gets the opportunity to study.

This trip to Siem Reap has been an eye opener to how poor and difficult life can be in an undeveloped country. The people there are very friendly. This place and its people have really touched my heart and helped me appreciate the things I do have. If you have the opportunity I would recommend you to visit this place. =]

Here are some additional pictures I took from Hanoi, Vietnam. Apparently the kids there are also very “geng”. XD

credits to Carmen Chan Jia Wen, T4

classic poem for children

2010-04-22T20:52:00.000+08:00

Where did you come from, baby dear?

Where did you come from, baby dear?
Out of the everywhere into here.

Where did you get your eyes so blue?
Out of the sky as I came through.

What makes the light in them sparkle and spin?
Some of the starry spikes left in.

Where did you get that little tear?
I found it waiting when I got here.

What makes your forehead so smooth and high?
A soft hand stroked it as I went by.

What makes your cheek like a warm white rose?
I saw something better than anyone knows.

Whence that three-cornered smile of bliss?
Three angels gave me at once a kiss.

Where did you get this pearly ear?
God spoke, and it came out to hear.

Where did you get those arms and hands?
Love made itself into hooks and bands.

Feet, whence did you come, you darling things?
From the same box as the cherubs' wings.

How did they all just come to be you?
God thought about me, and so I grew.

But how did you come to us, you dear?

God thought about you, and so I am here.

credits to Tang Tze Chiun, T4

12-year-old Speaks Out on the Issue of Abortion

2010-04-21T21:20:00.003+08:00

Credits to Carmen Chan Jia Wen

Fetal Development

2010-04-21T16:15:00.002+08:00

Children With Autism: Learning How To Learn

2010-04-21T15:35:00.002+08:00

Credits to Lim Wei Liang

Last Lecture and Tutorials

2010-04-21T14:42:00.004+08:00

There are some changes for this week's tutorials and lecture, please refer to the following timetable:

Week 14 Tutorial: to cover Chapter 13-14:
Thursday 1100-1230 (for Tutorial 2, 4 and 5) B110A
Thursday 1230-1400 (for Tutorial 1, 3, and 5) B110A
Students from T5 can choose to attend either one.

Extra tutorial (attendance will be taken but not compulsory)
Thursday 1700-1830 (for Tutorial 1, 2, 3 and 4) B101A

Last Lecture:
Friday 1200-1400 (for all)

Intervention School Workshop

2010-04-21T13:34:00.002+08:00

Credits to Ong Vil Sern

Stimulating a Baby's Sensory Development

2010-04-20T20:26:00.001+08:00

credits to Julian Lim

Parenting Advice - Healthy Parent-Child Relationships

2010-04-20T20:24:00.000+08:00

credits to Julian Lim

Albert Bandura Bobo Doll experiment

2010-04-20T20:22:00.000+08:00

credits to Julian Lim

Characteristics of Gifted Children

2010-04-20T18:33:00.005+08:00

Identifying The Gifted

1. Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read.
2. Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school.
3. When Thomas Edison was a boy, his teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything.
4. F.W.Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21. But his employers would not let him wait on a customer because he "Didn't have enough sense."
5. A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had "No good ideas"
6. Caruso's music teacher told him "You can't sing, you have no voice at all."
7. Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college.
8. Verner Von Braun flunked 9th grade algebra.
9. Admiral Richard E. Byrd had been retired from the navy, as, "Unfit for service" Until he flew over both poles.
10. Louis Pasteur was rated as mediocre in chemistry when he attended the Royal College
11. Abraham Lincoln entered The Black Hawk War as a captain and came out a private
12. Fred Waring was once rejected from high school chorus.
13. Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade.

Recognizing the Characteristics of Gifted Children
ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children (1985) cites three types of characteristics of gifted children: general behavioral, learning, and creative characteristics.
General Behavior Characteristics

Gifted children's behavior differs from that of their age-mates in the following ways:
# Many gifted children learn to read early, with better comprehension of the nuances of language. As much as half the gifted and talented population has learned to read before entering school.
# Gifted children often read widely, quickly, and intensely and have large vocabularies.
# Gifted children commonly learn basic skills better, more quickly, and with less practice.
# They are better able to construct and handle abstractions.
# They often pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and can draw inferences that other children need to have spelled out for them.
# They take less for granted, seeking the "hows" and "whys."
# They can work independently at an earlier age and can concentrate for longer periods.
# Their interests are both wildly eclectic and intensely focused.
# They often have seemingly boundless energy, which sometimes leads to a misdiagnosis of hyperactivity.
# They usually respond and relate well to parents, teachers, and other adults. They may prefer the company of older children and adults to that of their peers.
# They like to learn new things, are willing to examine the unusual, and are highly inquisitive.
# They tackle tasks and problems in a well-organized, goal-directed, and efficient manner.
# They exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn, find out, or explore and are often very persistent. "I'd rather do it myself" is a common attitude.

Learning Characteristics

Gifted children are natural learners who often show many of these characteristics:
# They may show keen powers of observation and a sense of the significant; they have an eye for important details.
# They may read a great deal on their own, preferring books and magazines written for children older than they are.
# They often take great pleasure in intellectual activity.
# They have well-developed powers of abstraction, conceptualization, and synthesis.
# They readily see cause-effect relationships.
# They often display a questioning attitude and seek information for its own sake as much as for its usefulness.
# They are often skeptical, critical, and evaluative. They are quick to spot inconsistencies.
# They often have a large storehouse of information about a variety of topics, which they can recall quickly.
# They readily grasp underlying principles and can often make valid generalizations about events, people, or objects.
# They quickly perceive similarities, differences, and anomalies.
# They often attack complicated material by separating it into components and analyzing it systematically.

Creative Characteristics

Gifted children's creative abilities often set them apart from their age-mates. These characteristics may take the following forms:
# Gifted children are fluent thinkers, able to generate possibilities, consequences, or related ideas.
# They are flexible thinkers, able to use many different alternatives and approaches to problem solving.
# They are original thinkers, seeking new, unusual, or unconventional associations and combinations among items of information.
# They can also see relationships among seemingly unrelated objects, ideas, or facts.
# They are elaborate thinkers, producing new steps, ideas, responses, or other embellishments to a basic idea, situation, or problems.
# They are willing to entertain complexity and seem to thrive on problem solving.
# They are good guessers and can readily construct hypotheses or "what if" questions.
# They often are aware of their own impulsiveness and irrationality, and they show emotional sensitivity.
# They are extremely curious about objects, ideas, situations, or events.
# They often display intellectual playfulness and like to fantasize and imagine.
# They can be less intellectually inhibited than their peers are in expressing opinions and ideas, and they often disagree spiritedly with others' statements.
# They are sensitive to beauty and are attracted to aesthetic values.

Who are the Highly Gifted?

Highly gifted children tend to be those who demonstrate asynchronous development. Due to their high cognitive abilities and high intensities they experience and relate to the world in unique ways. These children are often found as a result of extremely high scores on an individually scored IQ tests, generally above the 140 IQ range. Others may be prodigies in areas such as math, science, language and/or the arts. Profoundly gifted children can score in excess of 170 IQ.

Highly gifted children demonstrate characteristics such as the extreme need to:

1. Learn at a much faster pace.
2. Process material to a much greater depth.
3. Show incredible intensity in energy, imagination, intellectual prowess, sensitivity, and emotion which are not typical in the general population.

The child of 160+ is as different from the child of 130 IQ as that child is different from the child of average ability. Current research suggests that there may be higher incidence of children in this high range than previously thought. Due to their unique characteristics, these children are particularly vulnerable. Highly gifted children need a specialized advocacy because very little has been done to develop appropriate curriculum and non-traditional options for these children.

Some Myths About Gifted Children

Gifted Kids are like cream that rises to the top in a classroom:

Not necessarily. Gifted Children can have hidden learning disabilities that go undiscovered because they can easily compensate for them in the early years. As time goes on though, it becomes harder and harder for them to excel. Which can lead to behavior problems and depression.

Gifted Kids are so smart they do fine with or without special programs:

They may appear to do fine on their own. But without proper challenge they can become bored and unruly. As the years go by they may find it harder and harder as work does become more challenging, since they never faced challenge before.

Gifted and Talented means the same thing:

Again, not necessarily. There is no rule that states that a child who is capable of scoring to the high ninety percentiles on group achievement testing must be considered gifted. We must remember that achievement tests like the Metropolitan Achievement Tests are "Grade Level Testing". Such a child is most definitely Academically Talented. But further individualized IQ and out of level academic testing must be given before we can define that child as "Gifted". At the same time, there is no rule that states a child identified as gifted should be Achieving to high standards in the classroom. This type of stereotyping can do serious and irreversible damage to both groups. ANY child can benefit from enrichment. Academically Talented Children can benefit from Honors (Grade Level) Classes. Intellectually Gifted children need a differentiated curriculum and possibly even a different environment.

They need to go through school with their own age mates:

Where it's true that children need to play and interact socially with other children their age, they do not need to learn with them. Especially in the case of a highly gifted child who may have a chronological age of six and a mental age of 11 who has been reading since two. To put that child in a reading class with other six year olds who are just learning to read is sheer torture for that child.

Giftedness is something to be jealous about:

This is perhaps the most damaging myth. More often than not gifted children can feel isolated and misunderstood. They have more adult tastes in music, clothing, reading material and food. These differences to other children can cause them to be shunned and even abused verbally or physically by other children. Experts in the field of gifted education are beginning to address the higher incidences of ADHD and Spelling/Handwriting disabilities in the gifted population verses those in the much larger normal population.

Posted by Ong Si Li, T3

Raw Food Diet for Children: Vegetables Juice by Annejet

2010-04-20T18:10:00.003+08:00

Posted by Chung Winnie, T3

The Learning Environment That's Best for Children

2010-04-20T18:08:00.000+08:00

We feel the learning environment that best illustrates an atmosphere prepared for accelerated learning is a properly equipped Montessori classroom. Not only do they have properly proportioned furniture, they use some of the best hands-on equipment and lessons for children of any school we've found. To the right is a picture of a typical Montessori classroom.

What Makes the Best Learning Environment for Home or in School?

1. According to Maria Montessori, the learning environment at school or home should be sparse but housed with carefully chosen materials which encourage the child to work, stay concentrated and happy. A crowded or chaotic environment can cause stress and dissipate a child's energy. Too many materials, or inappropriate materials can be worse than too few. It's important to keep games and lessons fresh and interesting. Simple is better.

2. Bond with your children through love and closeness. Love is probably the most important element to the success of your child's ability to reap the full benefits of accelerated learning methods. Love makes your young children feel safe, comfortable and calm. Love itself can make almost any home or school the best learning environment for your children.

3. Try not to use colors in the learning environment that are harsh or too strong. Use soft cushy couches to relax on and a defined location like a 3 x 2 foot swatch of carpet on the floor to present lessons and games on and where your young child will use them. Older children would be playing accelerated learning games on computer or using accelerated learning right brain left brain card games, often with friends or classmates.

4. Keep unwanted odors out of this area as well as TV noise or other noises that can disturb attention and concentration.

Posted by Chung Winnie, T3

Healthy Eating

2010-04-20T18:01:00.002+08:00

Whether you have a toddler or a teen, here are five of the best strategies to improve nutrition and encourage smart eating habits:

1. Have regular family meals.
2. Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks.
3. Be a role model by eating healthy yourself.
4. Avoid battles over food.
5. Involve kids in the process.

But it's not easy when everyone is juggling busy schedules and convenience food, such as fast food, is so readily available.

Here are some ways to incorporate all five strategies into your routine.
Family Meals

Family meals are a comforting ritual for both parents and kids. Children like the predictability of family meals and parents get a chance to catch up with their kids. Kids who take part in regular family meals are also:

* more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and grains
* less likely to snack on unhealthy foods
* less likely to smoke, use marijuana, or drink alcohol

In addition, family meals offer the chance to introduce kids to new foods and to act as a role model for healthy eating.

Teens may turn up their noses at the prospect of a family meal — not surprising because they're busy and want to be more independent. Yet studies find that teens still want their parents' advice and counsel, so use mealtime as a chance to reconnect. Also, consider trying these strategies:

* Allow your teen to invite a friend to dinner.
* Involve your teen in meal planning and preparation.
* Keep mealtime calm and congenial — no lectures or arguing.

What counts as a family meal? Any time you and your family eat together — whether it's takeout food or a home-cooked meal with all the trimmings. Strive for nutritious food and a time when everyone can be there. This may mean eating dinner a little later to accommodate a child who's at sports practice. It can also mean setting aside time on the weekends, such as Sunday brunch, when it may be more convenient to gather as a group.

Posted by Chung Winnie, T3

Excellence Begins Young

2010-04-20T14:02:00.002+08:00

Active Children Become Healthy Adults

Your child has more energy packed away in that little body than you realize. In fact, children are naturally active and can’t sit still for long. If you can start and keep them active in their formative years, it can help form a lifetime of active living. For what is wealth without health?

What are the benefits of exercise?

Children instinctively like to play, run, skip and jump around. To them, that is exercise. The more the physical activity, the better their motor skills will develop. But all that can change when we let our children sit too long in front of the TV.

Did you know that an active child tends to:
Develop a leaner body with stronger bones and muscles

Maintain a healthy weight

Sleep better

Avoid obesity related diseases like cardiovascular disease later in adult life

If your home has a staircase, place the appropriate barriers until your child can manage the stairs unattended.

Have better self confidence

Be more alert

How long should your child exercise?

Toddlers should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise or activity daily. This can be broken up into 15 minutes of play each time

Preschoolers should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to intense exercise or activity daily. This can be broken up into 30 minutes of play each time

What kind of exercise or activity should your child be doing?

Each child develops at his or her own pace. So it’s important to identify what your child can or cannot do and what skills are right for his or her age.

Generally, young children can walk, run, jump around, climb, kick and even throw a ball. Identifying their ability will help you plan their activity and play games that are appropriate for their age.

How to cultivate the habit to exercise?

The best way to get your child to enjoy more exercise is to spend some time playing with them.
Roll a ball around for your child to catch.

Play “catch” with older children.

Switch off the substituted “babysitter”. Many parents are guilty of using the TV as a substitute babysitter to distract their children. Remember that this will become habit forming.

Put them together with other children their age. Children naturally play together.

Let them play with “dirt”. Create a sandbox and fill it with sand. You will be surprised at how much time your child can spend in it. Make sure this activity is supervised as children have a tendency to put sand into their mouths.

Water! Children who can sit up love to play in an inflatable pool. Fill the water to no more than the height of your fist. Drop in some of your child’s favourite toys and you’ll have a child delightfully splashing around. Supervise and play with him or her as water can be dangerous for any child that has not learnt how to swim!

Credits to Lim Wei Liang

Excellence Begins Young

2010-04-20T13:57:00.001+08:00

Tips to discipline your child

Discipline is important to teach your child the appropriate behaviour, the difference between right and wrong, and instill family values in a loving, respectful way.

Understand your child

Children are little people who have a limited vocabulary and ability to communicate. They are highly unpredictable and clumsy. An expression of excitement can sometimes turn into an accidental slap. They can be happy one minute and cranky the next. They are possessive and most times have no idea what is acceptable behaviour or not at this young age. All these can really test your patience as they push the boundaries.

It will take time, patience and lots of love and understanding for your child to learn and respect your authority. While every child is unique in his or her own way and should be treated according to individual needs, here are some general tips on how to get started on disciplining your child.
Be clear about the rules. Set boundaries. Be sure your child understands what is right or unacceptable behaviour, and what is not.

Be consistent. If a certain behaviour is not acceptable at a friend’s home or outside, it is also not acceptable at home. We know it can be tough but if we are not consistent, the child can get confused by what is really acceptable and not.

Be firm yet understanding. Once you have said “no”, don’t change your mind. Stick to your rule even when your child tries to bend the rule or change your mind about it. Take the time to explain why you said “no”.

Be gentle. Most times your child will respect your decision when you talk to them gently. It is usually not what you say but how you say it.

Be watchful. Always supervise your child so that they know you are watching their actions.

Be realistic. Remember, what is normal for an adult is not normal for a child. Be down-to-earth and set realistic boundaries or rules.

Be fair. Be specific about what the mistake is. Try not to generalize as this will confuse your child and de-motivate him or her. Be sure not to get personal, so criticize the mistake or bad behaviour but not your child.

Be patient. Don’t hit your child out of frustration because you can’t retract the action after you’ve done it. Just remember that most of the time, your child is just testing and learning and most of their mistakes are unconscious. Try counting to ten first!

Be in agreement. Each parent may have different parenting styles. Try to decide and agree on important and common rules and values that you want to instill in your child. This is to avoid confusing your child. Be supportive of your spouse’s discipline decisions even if you do not agree. Discuss conflicting issues in private so that the both of you can, as they say, agree to disagree.

Be creative. Make it fun for your child to follow the rules. Instead of just instructing your child to do something, turn it into a game instead. For example you may say you won’t tickle his toes until if he cleans up. Be encouraging about cleaning up or having good manners.

Be an example. Your child simply loves to imitate you. So, be sure to set a good example and explain your actions even if they don’t understand why you are doing things a certain way. Actions speak louder than words.

Be a better listener. Show your child that he or she is important by listening. This builds confidence, fosters respect and gives assurance that you will be fair in your judgement.

Be encouraging. When you find your child being good, compliment him or her often or display affection like giving a hug. This positive reinforcement will boost self-esteem and motivate your child to be more positive about following the rules.

Be loving. It’s important for your child to feel loved and secure. Always give your child lots of hugs and kisses so that your child knows that you love him or her, even when you have to discipline him or her.

Credits to Lim Wei Liang

Child Care& Development: Infant Development Toys

2010-04-19T20:00:00.000+08:00

Rather than buying expensive infant development toys, use common household items, like pots, pans, spoons, brightly colored objects and various textures, to enhance infant development.

received from- mok hui yin

Playing with 7 month-old baby

2010-04-19T19:57:00.001+08:00

Playing with a 7-month-old baby includes stacking toys and blocks that allow a child to build and interact. Play with a baby during the first formative months with tips from a licensed psychotherapist in this free video on child development.

received from- mok hui yin

Gifted Children Behavior

2010-04-19T15:22:00.001+08:00

By Dr.Linda Karges-Bone
B.S. in Special and Elementary Education from the College of Charleston (1981), M.Ed. in Special Education, certification in Early Childhood Education (1983), Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of South Carolina at Columbia (1994).

Posted by Eric Ong Chee Hoe, T3

Are Gifted Children Born or Made?

2010-04-19T15:12:00.002+08:00

Debates still go on about this topic, however, both nature and nurture factor should be accounted for in developing a child's potential to it's fullest. I think, without natural talent a person can go only so far with all training available, Isaac Newton would probably just take and eat the apple that fell on his head instead of discovering the Law of Gravity and natural talent without proper stimuli's leave less chance for developing it's potential, a lot of parents send their prodigy child to higher level of learning institution,but they are still young, what about parental guidance? Booze and stress are abundant.

Posted by Eric Ong Chee Hoe, T3

Child Prodigies

2010-04-19T15:08:00.005+08:00

Taken from The Star Online.

According to Dr David Henry Feldman, “a child prodigy is a child younger than 10 years old who can perform at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding field of endeavor.” They are like little Mozarts and Einsteins that act like little innocent kids but can beat you at your game so bad, you have to call them sifu (if he's a prodigy at your field).

They mostly strive in the field of music, maths and even chess but not so in the form of business, law, dance and writing.

According to author Alissa Quart, prodigies are found more in quantitative fields like maths, and less in qualitative disciplines,where it are hard to measure. Also, contrary to beliefs, high IQ is not correlated to being a prodigy. According to Australian educational specialist for gifted children, many creative children don't do well in standardized exams. Ellen Winner, a psychology professor and a book author on gifted children, says parents play a vital role in providing stimulating environments for their child to grow and they themselves are often related in the same field as their prodigy child , Pablo Picasso's father was an artist, Mozart's dad was a musician.

Author Quart states that the overly pressured children can lead to emotional and mental problems like anxiety and low self esteem. Brandenn Bremmer who entered college at age 10, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in 2005 at the age of 14. He said in an interview with Quart: “America is a society that demands perfection.” Some gifted youngsters couldn't cope while others have breakdowns due to self-image problems when they fail to achieve, according to Alan Goldberg, an US sports psychology consultant.

Psychologist Lewis Terman studied 1,500 indicated child prodigies throughout their lives in a 1921 study on intelligence. He found that being gifted in early life is not a guarantee for success in life, many them didn't make it when they reached adulthood. Dr Feldman explains that this is because prodigies specialize in one certain area,not overall. The focus in developing one area leads to neglecting other areas. In the early 20th century, Erwin Nyiregyhazi, a piano prodigy, couldn't even tie his own shoes at the age of 21.

Contrary to the earlier study, Terman’s studies showed that many of his subjects made huge contribution to humanity. Examples: Physicist Isaac Newton, double Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, composer Felix Mendelssohn, and violin genius and conductor Yehudi Menuhin.
Child prodigies who failed to meet expectations, make the news, but those who live quietly and successfully hardly draw any attention ironically. Also, interestingly not all child start as prodigies but end up changing the world, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein are just two of other blokes who made themselves into brilliant scientists. No body knew they existed in the beginning.

Look at this dude,

(oh they make mistakes too hehe, this is the only time when we get to laugh at them,just kidding of course)

Check out more examples of people you might be awed or envied at
http://www.oddee.com/item_96629.aspx

Reference

S.S.Yoga. (2008). Child prodigy : two sides of genius. Retrieved March 18,2010 from http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/4/14/lifefocus/20902655&sec=lifefocus

Posted by Eric Ong Chee Hoe, T3

Down Syndrome

2010-04-19T14:30:00.003+08:00

Down Syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality and probably the most common genetic condition, occurs in approximately one in every eight hundred to one thousand live births or accounts for approximately 5-6 per cent of intellectual retardation. Although, most students with Down's Syndrome are between the mild to moderate range of mental retardation.

Initially, Down's Syndrome was given the label of Mongolism due to the physical characteristics of the disorder. A student with Down's Syndrome is usually quite recognizable due to characteristics like a smaller overall stature, flat facial profile, thick epicanthal folds in the corners of their eyes, protruding tongues which is due to their smaller oral cavity and muscle hypotonia - low muscle tone.

Best Practices
• Inclusion: Students with special needs should be full members of age appropriate inclusional classes to the extent they can be. Effective inclusion means that the teacher must be fully supportive of the model. The strategies you use to reach and teach the Down's student will often be beneficial to many learners in the classroom. See the inclusional checklist Inclusion is a good practice for students with Down's Syndrome. Theinclusional environment is less likely to stigmatize and provide a much more natural environment for the students. There are more opportunities for peer relationships to occur and much of the research states that full integration works better.

• Self-Esteem: The physical characteristics of a Down's student will often result in a lowered self-esteem which means you will need to take every opportunity to boost self confidenceand instill pride through a variety of strategies.

• Intellectual: Down's students usually face many intellectual challenges. Strategies that work for mildly retarded students and or students with significant learning disabilities will also work with Down's students. Much literature have stated that most individuals with Down syndrome do not progress beyond the intellectual capabilities of a normal developing six to eight year old (Kliewer 1993). However, always strive to move the child progressively along the learning continuum, never assume the child isn't capable. Solid intervention and high quality instruction have been proven to lead to improved academic achievement for Down's students. Use a multi-modal approach which works best for all students. Use as many concrete materials and real world authentic situations as is possible. Use language appropriate for student understanding and speak slowly when necessary. Always break tasks into smaller steps and provide instruction for each step. Remember, a student with Down's Syndrome will usually have a good short term memory.

• Short attention spans are also prevalent among students with Down's. Direct instruction in short periods of time along with smaller chunks of activities will help to support learning. Introducing new material slowly, sequentially and in a step by step fashion will help to ensure maximum learning occurs.

• Distractibility: Down's students are ofen easily distracted. You'll need to employ strategies that work to minimize distractions such as keeping the student away from the window, using a slightly more structured environment, keeping the noise level down and having an orderly classroom where students are free from surprises and know what your expectations, routines and rules are.

• Speech and Language: Down's students all suffer from serious problems such as hearing difficulties and articulation problems. Sometimes they will require speech/language intervention and a great deal of direct instruction. In some cases,augmentative or facilitated communication will be a good alternative for communication. Use patience and model appropriate interactions at all times.

• Behavior Management Techniques used for other students should not differ for the student with Down's Syndrome. Again, positive reinforcement is a much better method than anything punitive. Reinforcers need to be meaningful.

Todays classroom has many special needs students, and the inclusional model is often the best model and one supported by research. The inclusive classrooms lets all students learn what it means to be a full member of a school community. Treat all students as valued learners. Although many teachers don't have experience with Down's Syndrome, they have been teaching these students very well for a long time.

Posted by Lim Sin Loong,T3

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children

2010-04-19T14:25:00.003+08:00

Childhood ADHD -- attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder -- is diagnosed after a child has shown six or more specific symptoms of inactivity and/or hyperactivity on a regular basis for more than six months in more than two settings. There is no single test for ADHD.

A doctor can diagnose ADHD with the help of standard guidelines. The diagnosis of ADHD involves the gathering of information from several sources, including school, caregivers, and parents. The doctor will consider how a child's behavior compares with that of other children the same age.

ADHD in Children

Symptoms of Childhood ADHD

Children with ADHD show signs of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity in specific ways. These children:
• Are in constant motion.
• Squirm and fidget.
• Do not seem to listen.
• Have difficulty playing quietly.
• Often talk excessively.
• Interrupt or intrude on others.
• Are easily distracted.
• Do not finish tasks.

Some behaviors can appear to be ADHD-related, but are not. Some causes of ADHD-like behavior are:
• A sudden life change (such as divorce, a death in the family, or moving).
• Undetected seizures.
• Medical disorders affecting brain function.
• Anxiety.
• Depression.

How Is ADHD Diagnosed?

Your child's primary care doctor can determine whether your child has ADHD using standard guidelines developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. These diagnosis guidelines are for children 6 to 12 years of age.

Know that it is very difficult to diagnose ADHD in children younger than 5 years of age. That's because many preschool children have some ADHD symptoms in various situations. In addition, children change very rapidly during the preschool years. It is also difficult to diagnose ADHD once a child becomes a teenager.

The process of diagnosing ADHD requires several steps and involves gathering a lot of information from multiple sources. You, your child, your child's school, and other caregivers should be involved in assessing your child's behavior.

A physician can conduct a medical history to help put a child's behavior in context. They will ask what symptoms a child is showing, how long the symptoms have occurred, and how the behavior affects a child and his/her family.

Types of ADHD in Children
Doctors may classify symptoms as the following types of ADHD:
• Combined Type (Inattentive/Hyperactive/Impulsive). Children with this type of ADHD show all three symptoms. This is the most common form of ADHD.
• Hyperactive/Impulsive Type. Children show both hyperactive and impulsive behavior, but are able to pay attention.
• Inattentive Type. Formerly known as attention deficit disorder (ADD), these children are not overly active. They do not disrupt the classroom or other activities, so their symptoms might not be noticed.

ADHD Treatment Overview
Education of the child and family is an essential component of any treatment plan, which may encompass special education programs, psychological intervention, and drug treatment. Be sure to discuss all options with your child's health care provider to find the best treatment for him or her.
Studies show that long-term treatment with a combination of medications andbehavioral therapy is far superior to just medication treatment, or no specific treatments in managing hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Those kids treated with both ADHD drugs and therapy also had better social skills.

Drugs for Childhood ADHD
A class of drugs called psychostimulants or stimulants for short is a highly effective treatment for childhood ADHD. These medicines, including Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall XR, help children to focus their thoughts and ignore distractions. Stimulant medications are effective in 70% to 80% of patients.
Another treatment used to treat ADHD in kids is the nonstimulant medication, Strattera. More studies will need to be done to contrast Strattera with the medications already available, but the evidence to date indicates that over 70% of children with ADHD given Strattera have significant improvement in their symptoms.
ADHD medicines are available in short-acting (immediate-release), intermediate-acting, and long-acting forms. It may take some time for a physician to find the best medication, dosage, and schedule for an individual with ADHD. ADHD drugs sometimes have side effects, but these tend to happen early in treatment. Usually, side effects are mild and short-lived.

Behavioral Treatments for Children With ADHD
Behavioral treatment for children with ADHD involves adjusting the environment to promote more successful social interactions. Such adjustments include creating more structure, encouraging routines, and clearly stating expectations of the child with ADHD.

Other forms of ADHD treatment that may benefit the child include:
• Social skills training. This can help a child with ADHD learn behaviors that will help them develop and maintain social relationships.
• Support groups and parenting skills training. Education and support for the parents can be an integral part of treating ADHD in children.

What Treatment Is Best for My Child?
For children with ADHD, no single treatment is the answer for every child. A child may have undesirable side effects to a medication, making a particular treatment unacceptable. If a child with ADHD also has anxiety or depression, a treatment combining medication and behavioral therapy might be best. Each child's needs and personal history must be carefully considered. It is important to work with a physician to find the best solution for your child.

The ADHD Coach?
Coaching is a relatively new field in the treatment of ADHD in children. ADHD coaches are meant to help children achieve better results in different areas of their lives.

Posted by Lim Sin Loong, T3

Middle Child Syndrome

2010-04-19T14:24:00.004+08:00

Middle child syndrome, from the name it is quite obvious that it is a syndrome that generally affects the middle child. Instead of getting into the details of it here, you rather check in to the article and learn all about it.

Remember Stephanie Tanner from the hit SitCom "Full House"? Remember her several issues with "always being in between!" Well, that is a glimpse (a very tiny glimpse) of middle child syndrome for you. Without a doubt, in reality the syndrome can get much worse. So, how does a parent know that their little angel is suffering from a syndrome simply because of the birth order? A lot of questions that need answering, let's take them one at a time.

Middle Child Syndrome Characteristics
What is middle child syndrome? Let's understand the basic concept of middle child syndrome. What does the term entail? What are the middle child syndrome symptoms?

The first being that this child will neither be the oldest out of the siblings, nor the youngest. He will be in between.
The child will not be a leader of sorts. He will prefer to follow the trends.
The child will lack a specific focus, or drive.
He will have very very few friends. Mingling with people won't come very easily to him.
Relationships won't really be his forte. In fact he will try to shy away from it as far as possible. If he does get into one, it will not last long due to his lack of interest.
He will be fairly shy. He will try to go unnoticed and stay out of the radar. Nonetheless, he will do enough to keep the ball rolling.
He will be quite artistic and creative.
If given direction, and a little egging, he can achieve well in the field of art and literature.
He will hate doing monotonous work. Things should have a certain degree of novelty to catch his interest.
He will not be able to perform under pressure, at all!!

Yes, not all is bad about the middle child syndrome. However, it is very important to make sure that it is avoided as far as possible. The positive characteristics of middle child syndrome can be seen in a middle child even if he is not suffering from MDS.

The Effects of Middle Child Syndrome
Now, before you go around thinking that every middle child has middle child syndrome, let me tell you that it is not true. Many children don't experience it, because as a part of their nature they are more accepting to different situations. However, in case a child is a victim of middle child syndrome, these are the effects that it would have on the general psyche of the child. Instead of going about in the normal point form, here are a few scenarios to help you understand middle child syndrome psychology better.

Middle Child Syndrome: Case 1
Jeremy was the middle child in the family. He had an older brother and a younger sister. He loved both his siblings dearly. He adored his parents as well. But, that was when everything was normal. However, he was not the school quarter back, his brother was. In fact, Jeremy was not interested in sports at all. He loved reading and had a flair for language. But, this parents were used to his older brother Dave, being out for practices and dates with the cheerleaders and expected the same from him. They often told him that he should participate in sports and didn't understand how he could not be interested in them. This made him resent sports even more. Whenever his parents went out, he was responsible to babysit his sister Kiera. He did not mind it in the start, but when it became a regular affair, he started vent his frustration on his sister. This created a further rift in the siblings and eventually, Jeremy was left with a feeling of being left out!

Middle Child Syndrome: Case 2
Rachel, Smith and Annabelle were siblings. Smith was the middle child. He loved his sisters and loved spending time with them. However, he often felt left out because they were girls and he was a boy. Due to such proximity with girls, Smith was very used to playing with dolls rather than cars. But, he could never let anyone know that for the fear of being ragged. His parents never really treated the three siblings differently. But due to the Middle Child Syndrome he found himself frustrated with the concept of always having to be dropped and picked up to and from school by his super hot older sister. He lost his confidence and found himself and his family giving more importance to Annabelle's teenage issues than his.

Middle Child Syndrome: Case 3
David, Jonathan and Andrew are brothers. They are adults now and Jonathan is the middle child. Jonathan has had middle child syndrome and is suffering from middle child syndrome in adulthood. As a normal victim of middle child syndrome in adults Jonathan has grown up a little distant from his brothers. Jonathan met his girlfriend in David's wedding. But, in his engagement party, he did not expect Andrew to also meet the love of his life. Jonathan felt that Andrew did it on purpose and lost all the interest in the day. Jonathan always felt that he had to try harder to get noticed. This affected his love life as well. He always thinks that he cannot ever be good enough for his parents, and pushes his fiancee in the same direction. To prove his worth, Jonathan hosts the family dinners on a weekly basis, and gets deeply hurt when someone does not show up.

As all the cases above have shown, middle child syndrome is just the child's mind over reacting and wrongly perceiving actions of the family. This makes them lose confidence and get more insecure. Read more on family relationships.

How to Prevent Middle Child Syndrome
Middle child syndrome can have a lot of negative impacts on the mindset and the lifestyle, as well as the relationships of the child. Treating can get a little tough once it goes to an extreme stage, as always, prevention is better than cure. Here are ways you can prevent middle child syndrome.

The first step is to be aware of the syndrome. Denying it will only make things worse. Another thing you need to admit is that your child may have it. However, having MDC does not make the child mentally unstable, so, do not put the child down about that.
Do not keep the behavior same for all the children. Children always need something unique from their parents. Something that they give no one else. So always have something unique in the way you let each child know you love them.
If your child is showing an unusual need to be held and loved, give in to that need. Children don't always let the parents know of things that are bothering them. But, one loving hug and kiss on the head from you may help them out after all.
Don't compare your children. It is important that parents realize that not all children are the same. They will have their differences, different strengths and different weaknesses. Acknowledge the differences and love the children for what they are individually. If you compare them, they may start developing an inferiority complex.
Never take sides and don't play favorites. The one you shower with the favoritism may benefit, but the others will feel less loved by you. If the children are in a fight, step in and stop the fight, but don't take sides. Tell them both that it is wrong to fight and that no justification matters.
Encourage the children to do what they want to do. Do not let them give in to peer pressure, or sibling pressure. It is important that you cheer them on when they feel low about being different about something and support them for all their choices.
Use endearing words for children at all times. Even in your anger, do not vent it out on any of the children. If they are wrong, correct them with as much endearment as possible.
Be patient. Children are still learning the ropes of life that you have mastered. They may take longer. So be patient and help them as much as possible. Nonetheless, let them also fall, bruise and learn their lessons on their own, to an extent.

All these steps, as a part of a lifestyle, will help you keep middle child syndrome at bay. More so, it is just a better way of raising kids.

This is a very sensitive topic and any mistakes on this front could probably affect your child's life in a negative way. Beat the poison of middle child syndrome with the elixir of love, affection and understanding. This is where I sign off!! All the best!!

Adapted from : http://www.buzzle.com/articles/middle-child-syndrome.html

PS : Therefore, parents should also pay more attention to middle child and not just always pay attention to the eldest child or the youngest child only.

BY : Lee Meau Hui

Child Behavior: What Parents Can Do to Change Their Child's Behavior

2010-04-19T14:23:00.002+08:00

What is normal behavior for a child?
Normal behavior in children depends on the child's age, personality, and physical and emotional development. A child's behavior may be a problem if it doesn't match the expectations of the family or if it is disruptive. Normal or "good" behavior is usually determined by whether it's socially, culturally and developmentally appropriate. Knowing what to expect from your child at each age will help you decide whether his or her behavior is normal.

What can I do to change my child's behavior?
Children tend to continue a behavior when it is rewarded and stop a behavior when it is ignored. Consistency in your reaction to a behavior is important because rewarding and punishing the same behavior at different times confuses your child. When your child's behavior is a problem, you have 3 choices:
• Decide that the behavior is not a problem because it's appropriate to the child's age and stage of development.
• Attempt to stop the behavior, either by ignoring it or by punishing it.
• Introduce a new behavior that you prefer and reinforce it by rewarding your child.

How do I stop misbehavior?
The best way to stop unwanted behavior is to ignore it. This way works best over a period of time. When you want the behavior to stop immediately, you can use the time-out method.

How do I use the time-out method?
Decide ahead of time the behaviors that will result in a time-out--usually tantrums, or aggressive or dangerous behavior. Choose a time-out place that is uninteresting for the child and not frightening, such as a chair, corner or playpen. When you're away from home, consider using a car or a nearby seating area as a time-out place.

When the unacceptable behavior occurs, tell the child the behavior is unacceptable and give a warning that you will put him or her in time-out if the behavior doesn't stop. Remain calm and don't look angry. If your child goes on misbehaving, calmly take him or her to the time-out area.

If possible, keep track of how long your child's been in time-out. Set a timer so your child will know when time-out is over. Time-out should be brief--generally 1 minute for each year of age--and should begin immediately after reaching the time-out place or after the child calms down. You should stay within sight or earshot of the child, but don't talk to him or her. If the child leaves the time-out area, gently return him or her to the area and consider resetting the timer. When the time-out is over, let the child leave the time-out place. Don't discuss the bad behavior, but look for ways to reward and reinforce good behavior later on.
How do I encourage a new, desired behavior?
One way to encourage good behavior is to use a reward system. This works best in children over 2 years of age. It can take up to 2 months to work. Being patient and keeping a diary of behavior can be helpful to parents.

Choose 1 to 2 behaviors you would like to change (such as bedtime habits, tooth brushing or picking up toys). Choose a reward your child would enjoy. Examples of good rewards are an extra bedtime story, delaying bedtime by half an hour, a preferred snack or, for older children, earning points toward a special toy, a privilege or a small amount of money.

Explain the desired behavior and the reward to the child. For example, "If you get into your pajamas and brush your teeth before this TV show is over, you can stay up a half hour later." Request the behavior only one time. If the child does what you ask, give the reward. You can help the child if necessary but don't get too involved. Because any attention from parents, even negative attention, is so rewarding to children, they may prefer to have parental attention instead of a reward at first. Transition statements, such as, "In 5 minutes, play time will be over," are helpful when you are teaching your child new behaviors.

This system helps you avoid power struggles with your child. However, your child is not punished if he or she chooses not to behave as you ask; he or she simply does not get the reward.
What are some good ways to reward my child?
Beat the Clock (good method for a dawdling child)

Ask the child to do a task. Set a timer. If the task is done before the timer rings, your child gets a reward. To decide the amount of time to give the child, figure out your child's "best time" to do that task and add 5 minutes.

The Good Behavior Game (good for teaching a new behavior)

Write a short list of good behaviors on a chart and mark the chart with a star each time you see the good behavior. After your child has earned a small number of stars (depending on the child's age), give him or her a reward.

Good Marks/Bad Marks (best method for difficult, highly active children)

In a short time (about an hour) put a mark on a chart or on your child's hand each time you see him or her performing a good behavior. For example, if you see your child playing quietly, solving a problem without fighting, picking up toys or reading a book, you would mark the chart. After a certain number of marks, give your child a reward. You can also make negative marks each time a bad behavior occurs. If you do this, only give your child a reward if there are more positive marks than negative marks.

Developing Quiet Time (often useful when you're making supper)

Ask your child to play quietly alone or with a sibling for a short time (maybe 30 minutes). Check on your child frequently (every 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the child's age) and give a reward or a token for each few minutes they were quiet or playing well. Gradually increase the intervals (go from checking your child's behavior every 2 to 5 minutes to checking every 30 minutes), but continue to give rewards for each time period your child was quiet or played well.
What else can I do to help my child behave well?
Make a short list of important rules and go over them with your child. Avoid power struggles, no-win situations and extremes. When you think you've overreacted, it's better to use common sense to solve the problem, even if you have to be inconsistent with your reward or punishment method. Avoid doing this often as it may confuse your child.

Accept your child's basic personality, whether it's shy, social, talkative or active. Basic personality can be changed a little, but not very much. Try to avoid situations that can make your child cranky, such as becoming overly stimulated, tired or bored. Don't criticize your child in front of other people. Describe your child's behavior as bad, but don't label your child as bad. Praise your child often when he or she deserves it. Touch him or her affectionately and often. Children want and need attention from their parents.

Develop little routines and rituals, especially at bedtimes and meal times. Provide transition remarks (such as "In 5 minutes, we'll be eating dinner."). Allow your child choices whenever possible. For example, you can ask, "Do you want to wear your red pajamas or your blue pajamas to bed tonight?"

As children get older, they may enjoy becoming involved in household rule making. Don't debate the rules at the time of misbehavior, but invite your child to participate in rule making at another time.

Children who learn that bad behavior is not tolerated and that good behavior is rewarded are learning skills that will last them a lifetime.
Why shouldn't I use physical punishment?
Parents may choose to use physical punishment (such as spanking) to stop undesirable behavior. The biggest drawback to this method is that although the punishment stops the bad behavior for a while, it doesn't teach your child to change his or her behavior. Disciplining your child is really just teaching him or her to choose good behaviors. If your child doesn't know a good behavior, he or she is likely to return to the bad behavior. Physical punishment becomes less effective with time and can cause the child to behave aggressively. It can also be carried too far -- into child abuse. Other methods of punishment are preferred and should be used whenever possible.

Posted by Lim Sin Loong, T3

Dealing with aggressive child

2010-04-19T14:19:00.001+08:00

Although aggressive behavior such as hitting, screaming, and even biting is not seen as all that unusual from a child of one or two years of age, the same conduct in children merely a year or two older is often seen as cruel and problematic. Controlling feelings and emotions is, however, a learned skill and can be very difficult to master (even for some adults!).
Staying calm and collected not only requires a fair amount of self-control and discipline, but also a basic understanding of appropriate social behavior and morality. Most children under the age of five or six have a minimal comprehension of what exactly is socially acceptable, at least beyond pleasing Mom or Dad. Even then, some children may find it difficult to control their temper and yet there is often a difference between a child who is deceptively ‘acting out' (which is rare, and often due to an unstable or unsafe home environment) and one who is simply trying to be assertive.

The majority of children do not recognize their own strength or even the full consequences of their actions; and in a world where they are often being told what to do, where to go and how to behave, it does not seem all that unreasonable that they may sometimes need to speak out and be heard. Those school-aged children who continue to act obnoxiously or aggressively may have never experienced the opportunity of being truly listened to in a loving environment. Listening, on the part of parents involves not only hearing your children's jokes and laughter, but perhaps more importantly hearing about those hurt, angered and unhappy emotions as well. So often, children are not allowed to speak negatively, complain, or offer a difference of opinion and thus their feelings continue to build up until one day they may unintentionally vent or lash out. It is important to remember, however, that hearing your children out does not mean submitting to their every whim or desire.

Aside from releasing pent up emotions, children who behave aggressively may also do so because they have been rewarded for the conduct. Parents may have hoped to raise a child who is strong and able to stand up for him- or herself in rough situations. More commonly, parents may have inadvertently reinforced the aggressive behavior through attention. Indeed, even nagging or punishing children for acting aggressively can make it more likely that they will act that way in the future. Imagine, if you will, a child quietly piecing a puzzle together or even playing a video game. He/She has almost completed the puzzle/game but cannot get the final pieces/play to come together. Throughout this quiet half an hour the parent has been around but has said absolutely nothing. Nothing, that is until the child becomes obviously frustrated and throws the puzzle/game across the room and begins screaming or swearing loudly. At this point the parent intervenes by reprimanding the child and sending him/her to their room. It would appear that the parent has done everything appropriate in this situation, except for the fact that the only attention this child received during the time period was negative. If this is commonly the case, the child may begin to feel that any attention is better than no attention and as a result may continue to act out disruptively in daily activities. When dealing with aggressive children, it is worth the effort to praise even the smallest attempt at proper behavior, while paying very little if any attention to negative conduct. Praise can be a very strong motivator.

It is also important to remember that behavior can be very difficult to change and that it takes a lot of patience. Turning an aggressive child into a nonaggressive child will not happen overnight, and the odd outburst may even occur once the behavior has seemed to restore itself.
In dealing with aggressive children, regardless of their age, here are a few suggestions to consider:
KNOW THE TRIGGERS
Whether it be rush hour traffic or spilled juice, everyone has those things that really aggravate or irritate them, and children are no different. While they may not be as great at expressing what upsets them, things like a late meal, a missed soccer game, or even a forgotten bedtime story can really agitate children and make them angry. Knowing that your child becomes easily upset under certain circumstances allows parents or care-givers to avoid or work around these situations -- or at the very least, be prepared for them. It might be helpful to keep a journal to figure out what times of day or what occurs prior to each time your child becomes upset. If mornings are difficult for your child, perhaps allow them some extra time to wake up or do not ask a whole lot form them at this point in time. If not being allowed to purchase a toy from the store usually sends them into a tantrum, warn them ahead of time or if possible just leave them at home.

AVOID PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT
It can be very easy to become angered and even outraged at a misbehaving child, especially an older one who probably should know better. Just be cautious of how you express your feelings, because the children are always watching and learning from you. Yelling or hitting an already angered and destructive child seems only to up the anti. If you expect your children to act responsibly and calmly, be sure to do so yourself. And remember, even a ten or twelve year-old girl or boy is still a child. Children do not form intent the same way adults do and often have little desire to hurt or upset you. They merely need to express themselves and have not yet learned to do so in a socially acceptable manner.

KNOW YOUR CHILD'S TEMPERAMENT
Everyone is born with a unique temperament or personality. Some people tend to be more reserved or timid, while others are always outgoing and spontaneous. Similarly, some children tend to be more outwardly assertive and aggressive and others less so. Knowing your child's personality allows you the advantage of foresight. If your child does not do well with unexpected occurrences, try to keep his or her day routine. Use the insight.

BE A ROLE MODEL
This is perhaps the hardest part of being a parent or caregiver. Role-modeling your own behavior can be difficult even in the easiest of times, but particularly if arguing or fighting is a common occurrence in your household. Nevertheless, you should not expect from others that which you cannot put forth yourself. Even the odd volatile joke or sarcastic remark can be misinterpreted by children, so watch not only your actions but also your words. Being a role model not only involves controlling your own emotions, but also teaching your children how to express theirs — both good and bad— appropriately. Modeling support and compassion for others is an important beginning place, so you may want to volunteer some of your time. Simply bring your neighbor some fresh cut flowers or a fruit basket to say "hello". Visit sick children in the hospital. Work at the food bank with your children over the Christmas holidays. Be the kind of person that you would like your child to grow up to be.

EXPRESS YOURSELF
Along the same lines as being a role model, be sure to give your children the chance to see all of your own personal emotions. Modeling appropriate behavior should not be equated with hiding your feelings or fears from them. It is important for your children to see that you are also human, and that it is possible to have the esteem and self-control to act rationally even when feelings may not be.

REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOR
Although some parents may see rewards as a form of bardering or bribery, it does not have to be that extreme. It also can work really well for older children who in no other way seem to want to stop their aggressive tendencies. Offering your children well-deserved praise, a play at the park, or an opportunity to play at a friends house for proper conduct can work wonders. The key is to inform them of what is first expected, to reward them soon if not immediately after they obey, and to always withhold any and all rewards if they do not obey. So for example, if your child has made it through a shopping trip without any yelling, crying, or hitting, you may want to stop at the park with them on the way home as a thank you. Offering them the park the next day is already too late as it gives them the chance to act inappropriately in the mean time. For rewards to work effectively they also cannot be given to your children if they have not done what was expected of them. Toys can be used as well, but they are not advised and it is always best to start off small otherwise your child may be asking for things each and every time he or she behaves. The best kind of reward is praise. Children need to know their parents are proud of them.

STAY CALM
No matter how agitated, upset, or aggressive your child becomes, it is much easier for them to relax if you are also calm. Despite your own concern, do not try to rationalize with them until they have calmed down. Try sending them into their room, or if you have to take yourself out of the situation and stay in your own bedroom or bathroom. If they become overly violent or aggressive you may need to take drastic measures. Call the police if necessary, but stay calm. The more aggravated your child sees you become the more power he or she has gained over you and the more likely he will be to repeat the behavior.

UNCONCERNED CHILDREN
As a final note, if your child tends to be destructive often and does not seem to benefit from appropriate parental intervention, or actually seems to enjoy harming others, please seek professional advice.

Posted by Lim Sin Loong, T3

What is your child trying to say?

2010-04-19T14:17:00.001+08:00

Parents can better understand what their children are saying when they are in tune with them, like singing a song along with a fine tuned musical instrument. When we think of parenting as being like the sound of music, we see that being in tune creates harmony, but when the instrument is out of tune with the song we sing, what we hear leaves us confused. In fact, being out of tune creates what becomes irritating to our ears and hard to hear. That’s when harmony is replaced with communication mistakes which create huge parenting headaches.HOW TO BE IN TUNE WITH WHAT CHILDREN THINK, SAY AND DO:1. Know why and when a child is saying,”I’m afraid.”

Understanding your child’s developmental stage and age is the best way to understand what they say by the way they behave. When we consider the process of child development, we will see why a child’s way to communicate can be confusing, especially within early childhood. What may seem obvious to you won’t make much sense to a child who can’t understand the logical reasons parents do what they do.

If the parent is out of tune or confused as to what goes through the mind of a three year-old child, they won’t understand why their child misbehaves or acts out. They’ll be out of tune with the way their child thinks when they leave the child with someone else and assume the child can understand they’ll eventually come back, but in fact, the child might be thinking, “Mommy and dad will never come back.” That’s when the child will have an anxiety attack that makes them mad, so the next thing you know, the day care is calling you to say, “Your child is misbehaving today, and in fact, he just hit and/or bit another kid.”

Parent’s who are in tune to their children’s developmental stage can see that when their child misbehaves, it usually means they are trying to say, “I’m afraid.” Being in tune with your child’s level of ability to comprehend the concept of object permanence will help you understand why your child gets mad and acts out when you’re out of sight. To get in tune with your child, you can then communicate with them and behave in ways that teach the child to see that just because you leave the room doesn’t mean you’ve abandoned them, but you still exist and you’ll come back into their view soon.

2. Listen to words never heard when a child is saying,”My needs are not being met.”Have you ever seen a child scream and throw a fit in public? If and when you do, you’ll see with your own eyes exactly what that child needs, but the parent often looks confused. They don’t seem to have a clue that their child is publically screaming, “I need you to discipline me.” When children aren’t provided with guidance on how to behave in socially pleasing ways, their socially inappropriate behavior says, “Please teach me how to behave in public.”Another way a child communicates an unmet need might be to get cranky and even mean when their need to eat and sleep at appropriate times are not met, due to the parent’s lack of time and the mess that comes from stress. With no sense of order or routine, children scream, cry, whine and get mean as a way to say, “Feed me please, and then, put me to bed so I can get some rest.”

Then again, there are endless ways children misbehave as a way to communicate with words never heard, but alarmingly seen when they begin to climb the walls, behave in obnoxious ways and throw a fit or two to say to you, “Pay attention to me please.”

3. Become in tune with your child’s mood to see if they’re saying, “I need a boost from you.”
When parents use their ears and eyes to become tuned into their child’s moods, they’ll see how to fine tune the keys a child needs for a healthy self esteem. Gloomy moods might be a child’s way to say, “I’m lonely and I don’t think anyone likes me.” Lashing out in frustration can be a way to say, “Someone bullied me today.” On the other hand, when a child isolates himself in his room, it could be that he is telling you, “I don’t fit in with other kids.” Being in tune with your child means you’ll see the unseen and read between the lines that children tend to hide behind. In other words, children need to be seen and heard to develop a sense of belonging and worth.

4. When teens behave in irrational ways, it’s a way to say,”I’m confused.”
Although your teen may be the size of an adult, their brains remain childish until the human mind can be completely developed with the maturity it takes to use their God given common sense. In the mean time, a teen will be confused while living within an adult size body and a child like mind at the same time. That’s why teens tend to do illogical things as a way to explain, “I’m confused and I don’t know what to do.” It’s as if they ask themselves every day, ” How do I think through my child like mind and behave as maturely as I appear to be?”This confusion is why parents of teens so often say, “My teen drives me insane,” and it’s also why teens complain all the time, “My parents don’t understand me.” Being tuned in with the confusing aspects of what it means to be a teen will help you clearly see what he or she is actually saying when they do those crazy things teens do, such as, “I still need you to guide my life.” Even though they look grown up, a teen is still a kid who needs a few boundaries and rules set by you, who has a mind that fits your body size.

5. By the way, children of any age behave in ways that say, “I need you to be pleased with me.”
The biggest mistake some parents make is when they pay more attention to the mistakes their children make, than to what their children do to pleas them. Although people say every day,”No news is good news,” that’s not true when it comes to parenting. Everything good a child says or does must be seen and acknowledged through the reinforcement of good news which comes from you. Praise goes a long way to make up for the fact that we sometimes miss what our kids are trying to say.

After all, when people are pleased and pleasing, they tend to create ways to communicate which sounds and feels like harmony. That’s why it’s wise to keep in mind that when it comes to a child’s need to please his or her parents, there’s no age or phase that makes the need to please obsolete, so look for the signs and behave accordingly. That’s when you’ll be more likely to see a sparkle in your children’s eyes and a smile on their face, which will be their way to say, “My parents are proud of me today.”

Posted by Lim Sin Loong, T3

Why does a four year old still cry for Mommy?

2010-04-19T14:11:00.003+08:00

In 1958 John Bowlby published a paper entitled The Nature of a Child's Tie to His Mother (Bowlby, J. (1958). The Nature of the Child's Tie to his Mother1. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 39:350-373). With this paper, an understanding of humans called Attachment Theory was born. In the decades that followed this paper, research has demonstrated that the quality of attachment between mother and child predicts later functioning in many areas of life. The only time this attachment does not predict functioning is when kids take up with callous peers or when there is significant psychological trauma. In other words, a secure attachment is important but is not sufficient for well-being.

How can a parent tell if a child is securely attached?

Unfortunately secure attachment is a laboratory, not a life concept. The test for secure attachment can only be done by especially trained researchers/clinicians. Nonetheless, parents are often concerned that a number of childhood behaviors may indicate problems with attachment. I recently came across an example of this problem. A friend of mine has a four year old daughter who is very bright and generally happy. The child enjoys playing with her sisters and other children. She is not particularly anxious or fearful. However, this child does not like to be without her mother. At times, she cries at preschool because she wants Momma. The question is, "Does a four year old who cries for Momma have a disordered attachment or any other psychological problem?"

In our times, most women with 4 year old children are working full-time. We have little tolerance for four year olds who "act like babies" and cry for their parents. Therefore, it is convenient for us to label this behavior disordered and blame the child and not our lifestyles. Other than the desire to be with mom, my friend's child displays no sign of any psychological disorder. Thankfully, my friend is not working full-time and can be there for her daughter. However, my friend wonders if she should "give in" when her four year old yearns for her. In my view attachment specialists have failed because the field does not answer this question for the public. In fact, I would bet that if my friend took her daughter to 5 different specialists in the area, she would get five different answers. I will therefore provide my own opinion on this question.

Why does a four year old still cry for Mommy?

Attachment means one thing, that is a compulsion for proximity seeking. People who are attached seek to be near one another. Yes, attachment is a compulsion, a behavior we feel compelled to do. The attached person feels compelled to be near that special other. In normal young children, this compulsion is very strong and is the driving force behind much of what they do. This compulsion is also very important for psychological well-being. In fact, when it is absent, children are very disordered. Imagine the child who doesn't care whether his parents are around. That child is disordered! No one knows how much time in minutes/hours a child needs to be physically with his parents in order to have well-being. The answer is likely different for different children even of the same age.

During the preschool years, children also begin to develop what researchers call Self Regulation, an ability I have called impulse control. This ability enables a child to cope with all his many drives, compulsions and emotions. In the case of my friend, her daughter has not yet developed the impulse control necessary to cope with this very strong compulsion. We know that physical affection between parents and children strengthens the development of impulse control. We also know that helping a child understand and cope with his drives and emotions strengthens impulse control. Therefore, depriving a child of the contact he seeks will weaken NOT strengthen his impulse control. Rejecting a preschooler who wants us will likely impair his development and will weaken his sense of independence and competency. When parents require premature independence, children grow up with less impulse control and may be more vulnerable to developing ADHD.

But what if life circumstances make it impossible for mom to be there? In the case of the compulsion to be with mom, it is important not to require a child to exercise control over this impulse before he is ready. We don't want our children to develop the idea that wanting mom is a sign of weakness or something to be ashamed of. My advice is to have the child keep a picture of his mother with him at daycare or preschool. Staff should be instructed to have the child look at the picture when he misses mom. Staff can also say encouraging words like, "I know you miss your mom, she'll be here in just a little while, then you will be together." Staff can also help the child learn to use distraction to cope, "Let's draw a picture for your mom." "I know your mom wants you to try to have fun playing while you are here."

To sum it all up, many young children can adapt successfully to the demands of modern life. However, there are some vulnerable children for whom too much separation from parents may be harmful. Families have to be able provide for the special needs of these vulnerable children. This is the real meaning of putting the well-being of a child first in our lives.

Posted by Lim Sin Loong, T3

Don’t Stop Asking So Many Questions

2010-04-19T13:15:00.004+08:00

Don’t Stop Asking So Many Questions

by CHRIS WIDERNER

A few years ago I took my boy on a trip that we make together every year. We left the house at 6 a.m. on Monday and got home at 9 p.m. on Thursday. That is just 87 hours.

However, that is 84,293 questions!

I mean, 10-year-old kids can ask questions! They are question machines! It was a virtual question-palooza! He wanted to know why we got up so early, why we chose that airline, when we would get there, what things meant in the books we were reading, how they got the jelly filling in the donuts, and on… and on… and on…. For four days!! Even my friend who drove us to the airport told my wife later that he asks a lot of questions, even at 6 a.m.!

Anyway, you get the point.

I found myself repeatedly saying what thousands of you have said many times yourself, I’m sure:

Stop asking so many questions!

And then it hit me: This is why so many people lose their ability to achieve success. We tell them to stop asking so many questions. That’s right; we methodically strip our children of their innate inquisitiveness. And then when they get older we wonder why they don’t think for themselves! We told them to stop asking questions! They were born with a desire to understand the world around them and we, because of our frustration with the process, tell them to stop asking questions. What happens when you tell someone repeatedly to stop asking questions? They stop asking questions. It is a classic example of negative feedback and association.

The chances are high that it happened to you to some degree.

But being inquisitive is inherent to long-term success. We must constantly be asking questions of others and ourselves. We must relentlessly be questioning processes that we use. We must always question whether or not products can be improved.

Questioning is what produces new answers, which leads us to break new ground.

Where does that leave us? Recommit yourself to asking lots of questions. Start by going through the basics: Who, what, when, where, why and how. Except, put “why” at the front of the list. Why? Because “why” gets behind the scenes more than the other questions do. “Why” deals with more than facts; it deals with motives and reasons.

“Why” can be very enlightening.

After all, “Why” is about 80 percent of all of the questions that kids ask, and if anybody knows how to ask questions, it’s kids. That is, if we let them.

So, as you live your life, let yourself ask lots of questions. Yes, people will wonder if you are a troublemaker, but you will know that you are pursuing enlightenment, knowledge, and the wisdom that will take you far beyond those

who choose to live as others tell them life shall be lived!

Don’t stop asking so many questions, and if you have kids at home, don’t stop them either!

http://blog.success.com/experts/chris-widener/don%E2%80%99t-stop-asking-so-many-questions/

by Tan Yun Yi, T2

First Steps At Just Six Months

2010-04-19T00:37:00.006+08:00

Published: 16 Feb 2010

THIS is baby Xavier King taking his first steps... at just SIX MONTHS old.

The tot - who has just learnt to crawl - can walk 6ft unaided, something most one-year-olds struggle with.

Parents Mary, 30, and David, 27, knew he was a fast learner when he sat up alone at three months.

But they were amazed when he started wobbling round their front room in Cambridge.

Mary said: "We couldn't believe it when he started putting one leg in front of the other.

"I can't leave him alone - I've had to buy a play pen so he doesn't get into mischief."

Child development experts say it is "extremely uncommon".

Consultant paediatrician Dr Martin Ward Platt said: "It brings forward the moment when parents need eyes in the back of their heads."

Posted by Tan Shi Sheng, T3

Munchausen Syndrome

2010-04-19T00:25:00.002+08:00

A Look at the Devastating Affects of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Baron von Münchhausen was a notorious 18th century German baron, who came to attention due to his proclivity for causing himself harm in order to garner the sympathy and attention of others. His infamy outlived him, and his peculiar psychological disturbance earned him a place in history, when his disorder became known through out the world as Munchausen Syndrome. Sadly, an offshoot of the disorder, known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, has since come to be recognized as a more sinister form of the condition.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is a rare psychiatric disorder in which parents fabricate illnesses in their children, sometimes even going so far as to cause them physical harm and even death. As with Munchausen Syndrome, it is believed that, in most cases, perpetrators of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy are addicted to attention, particularly the sympathetic attention that the parent of a chronically ill child can garner.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is far more common in mothers than in fathers. It is an extremely serious form of child abuse, which can have devastating affects on the health of the child or children of the afflicted parent. In some cases, the parent with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy may make up symptoms in their child in order to continue taking the child in for medical attention. In more serious cases, the parent may actually cause the child harm in order to create actually conditions and illnesses that must then be treated. Even in cases where the parent reported fabricated symptoms, but did not actually harm the child, the damage can be irreversible when a perfectly healthy child becomes legitimately fragile, medically, due to invasive procedures performed to address medical problems that never existed in the first place.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is an extremely insidious form of child abuse, which can often continue for years, or even indefinitely, without detection. It is rare that a child who is a victim of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy will understand what is happening to him or her. Often the abuse will have been occurring since before the child was developed enough to understand what was happening. Furthermore, a parent with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is often extremely close to the victimized child- the two may be the largest part of each other's worlds. The child will rarely suspect that it is the actions of Mom or Dad that are actually causing the harm.

The social and professional dynamics of the typical parent with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy can also complicate the diagnostic picture for some healthcare professionals. More often than now, a parent with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is educated, well spoken, and appears to be a strong, passionate, well-researched advocate for the health of her child. A surprisingly high percentage of parents afflicted with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy work in healthcare, with a disproportionately high number working as respiratory therapists. People working in healthcare, particularly those who work with patients hands-on, tend to know what makes an effective advocate, and what sorts of behaviors raise red flags. Many healthcare professionals who are also parents with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy are extremely adept at advocating for the health of their children in a professional, caring, responsible manner.

Sadly, for this reason and others, the presence of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy in a parent can be incredibly difficult to detect, and even in cases where it is suspected, it can sometimes prove nearly impossible to substantiate. The gathering of important information that doctors need in order to formulate a theory about what is going on with their patients begins with the reporting of symptoms. For children, the most reliable reporter of those symptoms is usually thought to be the parents. Most physicians, nurses, social workers, and other healthcare personnel charged with the care of sick children will balk at accusing a parent of deliberately causing their child harm under potentially ambiguous circumstances. Often there is nothing more than a nontraditional path followed by the parents of a sick child or a gut feeling by a healthcare provider to suggest Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is child abuse, plain and simple. However, it is anything but a plain or simple form of child abuse. Children who are the victims of parents with the disorder rarely sustain broken limbs or bruised skin. Rather, they often find themselves embroiled in endless trails of doctor's appointments and unwarranted medical procedures. Determining the difference between a child who is medically complicated and a child who is the victim of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is tricky for healthcare professionals. Calling in social workers to help to determine whenever there is concern about the possibility that a pediatric patient is the victim of his or her parents, is always a good idea.

source:http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/125419/munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy_the_cruelest_pg3.html?cat=70

2010-04-19T00:13:00.002+08:00

How unstructured playtime is crucial to a child's development.

received from - yee shan

2010-04-19T00:08:00.002+08:00

this is type of play of children~

received from- yee shan

2010-04-18T23:35:00.002+08:00

This is a movie of Child Development for a Psychology class who do observation on stages of development

received from- yee shan

Theodore Kaczynski

2010-04-18T23:33:00.000+08:00

He was an ordinary young child with high IQ on logical mathematics, a score of 167 overall. Well, at least many thought so. Before he turned, he had hives and was isolated in an Illinois’s hospital ward. Despite his health conditions, he was accepted in Harvard University at the age of 16.

Subsequently he graduated at the age of 20. Soon, he became an assistant professor publicizing many works which are still used today.

Things took a turn when he started to move away to live in a wooden shack built by himself. He started building bombs in forms of mails and has killed numerous people including some of his universities’ colleagues. Subsequently in the 1990s, he was arrested and has be sentenced to life in prison without a possibility of a parole.

This story caught the attention of many psychologists in the past. Initially they studied his childhood to see if anything went wrong during his childhood and found out that despite having a high IQ, he had been ill for most of his life. Some part of his brain was not fully developed and was not stimulated properly. Some argued that he made a choice while many believed that he did it against his own will based on his testimonies while he was at prison.

Ted isn’t the only person who has a high IQ but would grow up to be socially rejected by the public. Among others are

1) Sufiah Yusof, Malaysian math prodigy who entered Oxford University at the age of 12 who would become a personal escort cum prostitute.

2) John Nash, created a game equilibrium theory whom later has serious schizophrenia which distant him from his peers.

Shared by Syanon, T2

An observation

2010-04-18T23:32:00.002+08:00

this is an a baby girl name Sophie was giving her commentary on why a little one was crying recently at our local greek festival

received from - yee shan

Comic

2010-04-18T23:29:00.002+08:00

Pls click on the comic and zoom it, so it is clearer.
Shared by Syanon, T2

Ethical codes while researching children

2010-04-18T23:26:00.001+08:00

There was once a study done by Philip Zimbardo on a group of teenagers in what is known as the Stanford Prison Study. That study resulted in serious mental disturbance among the participants and had to be called off before scheduled end of experiment. This study has raised many ethical issues. Imagine a child was to experience such a horrifying experience in which he/she will be scared mentally for life.

In this link, http://www.bera.ac.uk/files/2008/09/ethica1.pdf the author has drawn out an ethical guideline for education in dealing with children. Among the list is informed consent to the caretakers of the child, the right to withdraw at any given time of the study, incentives, privacy, disclosure, responsibility and acknowledgement.

It is a good guideline.

Shared by Syanon, T2

2010-04-18T23:09:00.003+08:00

symbolic thinking occur in 16 months old infant~

who is my brothers son~

received from - yee shan

T2 Child Educational Programme Collection

2010-04-18T06:53:00.011+08:00

Following are the TV Child Educational Programmes that had been presented by all of my T2 classmates.In my opinion, all of them rocks XD! So remember to watch ALL of them. Afterwards,please give your support and feel free to leave your comment!

PS:

1. If you would like to use/post/edit any of the videos, please seek permission from the owners.
2. I still lacking of the video from Group 2, will upload it soon.
3. Turn on your volume for the best effect!

Group 1: T-Kids

Presented by:

Ong Luei Haw, Peh Boon Kuan, Syanon Munning and Tan Yun Yi.

Group 3: Fun Learning_Part 1

Group 3: Fun Learning_Part 2

Presented by:

Lee Meau Hui, Margaret Lim, Ngiam Xi Wen, Tan Lay Ting

Group 4: Protect Yourself_Part 1

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r25WnBa-oA

Group 4: Protect Yourself_Part 2

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BW7wYZg7rU

Group 4: Protect Yourself_Part 3

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMXFLw31qDA

*Audio been disabled D:

Group 4: Protect Yourself_Part 4

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwY2AGDRJRU

Presented by:

Hor Siaw Jiun, Koh Mei Poh, Leong Wee Hao, Soo Wai Mun and Yeo Li Sa.

Group 5: Kid's Fun Time Part 1

Group 5: Kid's Fun Time Part 2

Presented by:

Fong Khai Yan, Ho Khee Hoong, T'ng Soo Ting and Yap Peck Shing.

Posted by, Hor Siaw Jiun, class rep of T2.

Parenting Styles

2010-04-17T00:58:00.006+08:00

Here is a clip about different parenting style

which related to our lecture today

Happy weekend guys!!!

ways to calm babies

2010-04-16T02:53:00.003+08:00

1^st: Hairdryer

2^nd: Rhythmic Sound

3^rd: Frequent Sound Using Water

These three videos all shared the similarity which is using frequent voice to calm those babies. It is believed that babies feeling insecure while they exposed to the outside world after being in womb for 9 months time.

While they staying in placenta, the flowing of amnion fluid sound makes the baby used to the environment they being in, which has been calm the babies. They feel secure while hearing back the similar frequency sound.

Lastly attached one more video to cheer you guys up :)

by Keah Mei Sian

Child Abuse Statistics

2010-04-15T20:00:00.002+08:00

In 1999, an estimated 3,244,000 children were reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies as alleged victims of child maltreatment. Child abuse reports have maintained a steady growth for the past ten years, with the total number of reports nationwide increasing 45% since 1987 (Nation Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse (NCPCA) 2000 Annual Fifty State Survey).

Neglect represents the most common type of reported and substantiated form of maltreatment. In 1996, 25 states provided the following breakdown for reported cases: 62% involved neglect, 25% physical abuse, 7% sexual abuse, 3% emotional maltreatment and 4% other. For substantiated cases, 31 states gave the following breakdowns: 60% neglect, 23% physical, 9% sexual, 4% emotional maltreatment and 5% other (NCPCA's 1996 Annual Fifty State Survey).

In 1999, an estimated 1,401 child abuse and neglect related fatalities were confirmed by CPS agencies, nearly 4 every day. Since 1985, the rate of child abuse fatalities has increased by 39%. Based on these numbers, more than three children die each day as a result of child abuse or neglect (NCPCA's 1996 Annual Fifty State Survey).

According to information from at least 18 states that were able to report the type of maltreatment which caused the child's death for at least one of the past three years. Approximately 54% of the deaths were due to physical abuse while 43% resulted from neglect. Young children remain at high risk for loss of life. Based on data from all three years, this study found 82% of these children were under the age of five while an alarming 42% were under the age of one at the time of their death (NCPCA's 1996 Annual Fifty State Survey).

The U.S. Advisory Board reported that near fatal abuse and neglect each year leave "18,000 permanently disabled children, tens of thousands of victims overwhelmed by lifelong psychological trauma, thousands of traumatized siblings and family members, and thousands of near-death survivors who, as adults, continue to bear the physical and psychological scars. Some may turn to crime or domestic violence or become abusers themselves (U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1995 report, A National's Shame.)"

The Third National Incidence Study (NIS-3) of child maltreatment released by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) in the fall of 1996. Note: NIS-4 is underway and is scheduled for completion Feb 2008.

The NIS is congressionally mandated under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). The NIS collects data on children who were investigated by child protective services (CPS) agencies and on children seen by community professionals who were not reported to CPS or who were screened out by CPS without investigation.

The NIS studies have been published on data collected in 1979 (NIS-1), in 1986 (NIS-2), and in 1993 (NIS-3).

The NIS uses two definitions of child maltreatment: the Harm Standard, under which children are counted as maltreated only if they have already experienced demonstrable harm; and the Endangerment Standard, under which children are counted if they have experienced maltreatment that puts them at risk of demonstrable harm.

The NIS-3 gathered data from a nationally representative sample of 5,612 community professionals in 842 agencies serving 42 counties.

Finding of the NIS-3:

The estimated number of children seriously injured by all forms of maltreatment quadrupled between 1986 and 1993, from 141,700 to 565,000 (a 299% increase).
Considering the Harm Standard:
The estimated number of sexually abused children increased 83%;
The number of physically neglected children rose 102%;
There was a 333 % increase in the estimated number of emotionally neglected children; and
The estimated number of physically abused children rose 42%.

CPS investigated only 28% of children whose maltreatment met the Harm Standard.
Although the percentage of children whose abuse or neglect was investigated declined, the actual number of children investigated remained constant.
CPS investigated only 26 percent of the seriously injured and 26 percent of the moderately injured children.

Girls are sexually abused three times more often than boys.

Boys are at a greater risk of serious injury and of emotional neglect than are girls.

The incidence of fatally injured girls declined slightly, while the incidence of fatally injured boys rose.

Found no race differences in maltreatment incidence.

Poverty is significantly related to incidence rates in nearly every category of maltreatment. Compared to children whose families earned $30,000 or more, children in families with annual incomes below $15,000 were:

More than 22 times more likely to experience maltreatment under the Harm Standard and 25 times more likely under the Endangerment Standard.
More than 44 times more likely to be neglected, by either definitional standard.
Over 22 times more likely to be seriously injured using either definitional standard.
60 times more likely to die from maltreatment under the Harm Standard.

(Executive Summary of the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, September 1996 and Reid, T. (1996). News NIS-3 Data. APSAC Advisor, 9 (3).)
Children whose parents abuse drugs or alcohol are put at a greater risk for violent victimization (National Commission on Children, 1993).

With the exception of homicide, children and youths suffer more victimization than do adults in virtually every category, including physical abuse, sibling assault, bullying, sexual abuse, and rape (American Psychological Association Commission on Violence and Youth, 1993).

It is estimated that children with disabilities are 4 to 10 times more vulnerable to sexual abuse than their non-disabled peers (National Resource Center on Child Sexual Abuse, 1992).

In over 9000 divorces in 12 states, child sexual abuse allegations were made in less then 2% of contested divorces involving child custody (Association of Family Conciliation Courts, 1990).

Survivors:
It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today (Forward, 1993)

Long term effects of child abuse include fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor self esteem, tendency toward substance abuse and difficulty with close relationships (Browne & Finkelhor, 1986).

Clinical findings of adult victims of sexual abuse include problems in interpersonal relationships associated with an underlying mistrust. Generally, adult victims of incest have a severely strained relationship with their parents that is marked by feelings of mistrust, fear, ambivalence, hatred, and betrayal. These feelings may extend to all family members (Tsai and Wagner, 1978).

Guilt is experienced by almost all victims (Tsai and Wagner, 1978).

If a child victim does not resolve the trauma, sexuality may become an area of adult conflict (Courtois & Watts, 1982).

Adults who viewed domestic violence in the home as children have a greater difficulty holding jobs, maintaining relationships with their peers and have a higher risk of developing mental health disorders (Patterson, 1992).

Men appear to be prone to blame themselves for any sexual abuse they may have experienced as children (Mendel, 1993.)

Abusers:
The typical child sex offender molests an average of 117 children, most of who do not report the offence (National Institute of Mental Health, 1988).

It is estimated that approximately 71 % of child sex offenders are under 35 and knew the victim at least causally. About 80 % of these individuals fall within normal intelligence ranges; 59% gain sexual access to their victims through, seduction or enticement (Burgess & Groth, 1984).

S tress indicators such as unrealistic expectations of a child, unemployment and low self-esteem are important characteristics in perpetrators of child abuse (Health & Human Services, 1993).

Approximately 60 % of the male survivors samples report at least one of their perpetrators to be female (Mendel, 1993).

Little Brother Movie Review

2010-04-15T15:11:00.004+08:00

Share your general review of the movie "Little Brother".

Do you think an elementary school kid like Byung-yi understand the actual concept of "death"?

How could you help children cope with grief and bereavement?

Would you tell a kid if he or she is diagnosed with cancer (or chronic illness)? Justify your answer.

Child Celebrity Has A Lot Of Problems When Dealing With Real Life

2010-04-15T13:11:00.001+08:00

Children celebrities always attracted our attention. We watched different sitcoms where these young superstars participated. All the time we wondered about the fact that these young actors managed to reach such a success and wealth being at so early age. What is more, those young celebrities were extremely talented and there was no doubt that they are going to talented actors in the future.

However, when the young celebrities grew up they had to adjust to real life and look for real job. Unfortunately, it is really hard to blame them for the situations they often occurred in because there were so many factors that made a drastic effect on their lives. Since the society used to see in those actors young lovable children it was very hard to see them in another role.

There are a lot of people who think that in case the actor managed to make a considerable amount of money there should be a life after acting. However, in reality the situation is different. Very often child celebrities’ parents even decide to quit their jobs and use the income of the children to support the whole family. As a result they spend money quickly. All people who felt the admiration of the crowd while being on the stage or field they would agree that this feeling is addictive and you can not just give up everything. When the grown celebrity is no longer in the limelight they have really hard times. So, we can only imagine how hard for the child celebrities to overcome all of these difficulties. The years between 4 and 8 are believed to be the most impressionable. During that period of their lives a lot of child celebrities worked. Since acting was the only thing they knew it was really hard to adapt to something else. Since they can not get euphoric feeling from the crowd of the admirers they try to replace it with alcohol or drugs. Even though there are a lot of child celebrities that managed to create a magnificent career in the adult, the majority of the child celebrities did not end up in a successful career but in a failure.

A lot of problems child celebrities face in the adult are caused by the fact that in reality they did not have childhood and never had an opportunity to experience some of the things normal children usually do. Just recall the time when we were very young. There is no doubt that we did not have any responsibilities. We have to take this fact into consideration and understand the life of the child celebrities is not very easy and since they are not regular children they need special care and attention.

Who would object that movies have become an integral part of our life and culture. Up to date there has been produced an immense number of films and it has caused appearance of movie review site. These days start of the independent short films showing in cinemas is made a big event.

So, if you want to stay up-to-date with the latest buzz from the movie world, then use this easy tip: never forget that today the Internet technologies give you a truly unique chance to choose what you require for the best price on the market. Funny, but most of the people don’t use this chance.

Currently every industry has been affected by the world crisis and the film industry is not an exception. Search Google and other search engines for “recession and unemployment“. Visit social networks and have a look on the user accounts that are relevant to this topic. Go to the niche forums and participate in the online discussion. All this will help you to create a true vision of the situation.

Credits to Oh Jo Vyn

Three-year-old girl dies after alleged abuse by stepfather (Update)

2010-04-15T12:50:00.000+08:00

SUBANG JAYA: A three-year-old girl, believed to have been abused over a month, by her stepfather has died.

The victim’s 27-year-old stepfather, 27, and 24-year-old mother were arrested by police soon after the child was taken to Poliklinik Komuniti Seri Kembangan by the man.

The stepfather brought the child, Jasmine Lee to the clinic after he found her unconscious at their home in Bukit Serdang at 7.45am on Wednesday.

A doctor who examined Jasmine found over 30 bruises on her body and head.

It is learnt that the injury marks found her resembled those suffered by someone who had been repeatedly assaulted over a period of time.

The doctor suspected something amiss when the stepfather could not explain how the child suffered such injuries and alerted the police.

Subang Jaya police chief Asst Comm Zainal Rashid said the stepfather was arrested soon after police arrived at the clinic and picked up the mother at their home at 12.45pm.

“The case has been classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. Jasmine’s body was taken to the Serdang Hospital for post mortem,” he said.

He added the couple are being detained at the Subang Jaya police headquarters to assist in investigations.

ACP Zainal said the stepfather, a mechanic, lost his job at a workshop last month adding that he married the woman about a year ago after she separated from her first husband.

“After he was jobless, he spent most of his time at the apartment unit,” he said.

He urged the public especially residents in the area to come forward and assist the police.

Credits to Oh Jo Vyn

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

2010-04-14T20:58:00.000+08:00

What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is when a healthy baby less than one year old dies quickly in his sleep. SIDS can happen in any family. There is no warning, and doctors cannot find a reason for the baby’s death.
A baby’s death is called SIDS when it is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history.
SIDS is rare in babies less than one month old. Most babies who die of SIDS are between two and four months old. The risk of SIDS decreases as the baby nears one year of age.

What causes SIDS?
No one knows what causes SIDS. Many theories exist. Recent research points to a problem in the brain that affects the baby’s ability to respond to breathing problems during sleep. No one knows the reasons why certain babies may have this problem.

How can I lower the risk of SIDS?

• Place your baby to sleep on his back every time, including naps. Make sure everyone who cares for your baby knows this. The risk of SIDS goes up when a baby who usually sleeps on his back is placed on his tummy for sleep.

• Use a firm crib mattress, covered by a well-fitted sheet.

• Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib. This includes pillows, quilts, sheepskins, and stuffed toys

• Dress your baby warmly enough to sleep without any covers.

• Keep your baby warm, but not hot. Do not bundle the baby in blankets and dress the baby in heavy clothes. The room temperature should feel comfortable to you.

• If a blanket is used, put the baby at the foot of the crib with his feet touching the end. Then tuck the blankets in around the mattress, reaching up only as far as the baby’s chest.

• Share a room, not a bed. If you bring the baby into your bed for nursing or comforting, put the baby back in his own bed when you are ready to sleep.

• Do not bring the baby into your bed for feeding or comforting if you are very tired, using medications, or using drugs or alcohol.

• Do not let your baby share a bed with other children.

• Never sleep with your baby on a couch or a soft chair.

• Think about giving your baby a pacifier at naptime and bedtime. For unknown reasons, pacifier use during sleep seems to lessen the risk of SIDS. If you are breastfeeding, wait until the baby is one month old. Do not make the baby take the pacifier or put it back in the baby’s mouth once he is asleep. Keep the pacifier clean, and do not coat it with anything sweet.

• Do not smoke during pregnancy.

• Do not let anyone smoke around your baby or anywhere your baby spends time, such as in the car.

• Put your baby on his tummy for “tummy time” when your baby is awake and you are watching. This helps prevent flat spots on the back of his head. Tummy time helps your baby develop muscles for lifting his head and chest.

Will my baby choke if he sleeps on his back? No. Healthy babies automatically swallow or cough up fluids. There has been no increase in choking or other problems for babies who sleep on their backs.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/mch/documents/SIDS.pdf

Credits to Yong Shu Li (T5)

Child labour – the issues

2010-04-14T20:55:00.000+08:00

In the opening decade of the 21st century, reports about children being exploited to make money for others are even more horrifying than the accounts that circulated during much of the last century. For example, children are – literally – enslaved to make carpets that decorate homes in Europe and North America. They are whipped because their employer thinks child servants should collect buckets of water more quickly. They are held captive so that older men can have sex with them. They are even recruited as cannon fodder for political purposes.

The sheer numbers are both startling and sobering – literally tens of millions of children around the world today work long hours before they have even reached the age of 10, let alone 18.

Child labour came under the international spotlight in the 1990s. For the first time since the industrialised world’s campaigns on the issue a century earlier, diplomats and economists started discussing why vast numbers of children were working rather than being educated, and what should be done about it. This time, the focus was on developing countries.

This new attention to an old issue was largely due to worries raised by people in industrialised countries such as the United Kingdom. Trade unionists, politicians and campaigners for social justice voiced concern that jobs were disappearing rapidly as businesses switched production from the industrialised world to developing countries where labour costs were much lower. Simultaneously, organisations in developing countries sounded the alarm when they saw children working longer and longer hours – not only producing goods for export, but also providing a cheap and malleable workforce for the local economy. Their worry was echoed by activists in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union, who realised that the transition that started in 1989, was provoking an economic crisis which hit children particularly hard.

As more attention was given to the work children were performing, so the statistics about the numbers involved became more startling. The estimates of children between 5 and 14 in full-time employment had risen from 100 million at the beginning of the 1990s to 120 million by
1996.1 Six years later, when the information available had been scrutinised more carefully, the total was estimated at 211 million, along with a further 141 million young people aged 15 to 17 who were also in employment.2 At the beginning of the new millennium, 1 in 12 children in the world was reckoned to be involved in work which put their health at risk or caused them serious harm.

The late 1990s saw a series of initiatives – by governments and international organisations such as UNICEF, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank – to consider the policies needed to address child labour globally, and the priorities for action.
Two separate international conferences in 1997, in Amsterdam and Oslo, agreed to a proposal that stopping types of child labour that caused particular harm to children should be a priority – referred to initially as “intolerable” and later as the “worst forms” of child labour. Both endorsed UNICEF’s priority of ensuring that children, particularly more girls, attended school and went on attending classes for longer.

In 1999, a new international convention was adopted at the annual International Labour Conference, the “Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention” (also referred to as ILO Convention 182). This identified four categories of child labour, which governments, trade unions and employers’ organisations all agreed it was urgent to stop. The Convention was rapidly ratified and came into force the following year.

By June 2004, 150 countries had ratified it. In the course of the international deliberations, a whole new vocabulary has been developed for distinguishing between different categories of work involving under- 18s.

From 1999 onwards, UNICEF gave special priority to education, to ensure that children attended school rather than starting work too young. UNICEF has also been advocating for the quality of education to be good enough to keep children in school once they have enrolled.

In 2000, the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, focused on education policies. It was an opportunity to reflect on how badly girls were missing out at school in comparison to boys, and on what action was needed to make “education for all” a reality. In the same year the
UN adopted a new convention to stop children (and adults) being trafficked – taken away from their homes, often to other countries, to be involved in commercial sexual exploitation or other forms of economic exploitation in arduous and unacceptable conditions. UNICEF has paid special attention to the predicament of children who have been trafficked (most of whom are girls), particularly girls who work in private homes, not traditionally seen as places of work.

In May 2002, the United Nations reviewed the situation of children in general, summarising its agenda for the 21st century in “A World Fit for Children”. This emphasises the need for quality education for all children, and commits the world’s governments to a set of actions to protect children against abuse, exploitation and violence. Richer nations, such as the United Kingdom, committed themselves to providing assistance to other countries for social and economic development, poverty eradication programmes and universal education, as well as specific support to address child labour and its root causes.

http://www.unicef.org.uk/publications/pdf/ECECHILD2_A4.pdf

Credits to Yong Shu Li (T5)

Positive Approach

2010-04-14T16:45:00.004+08:00

im not sure if u can see.. click to view :D

if you can't see then.. =/

it goes like this.

Positive Approach

Father : I want you to marry a girl of my choice.

Son : "I will choose my own bride!"

Father : But the girl is Bill Gates's daughter.

Son : Well, in that case..... OK!

The next day.. the father approaches Bill Gates..

Father : I have a husband for your daughter.

Bill Gates : But my daughter is too young to marry!

Father : but this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank.

Finally, Father goes to see the president of the World Bank.

Father : I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president.

President : But I already have more vice-presidents than i need!

Father : but this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law.

President : Ah.... in that case..... OK!

This is how business is done!!

Moral : Even if you have nothing, you can get anything. But in order to do so, your attitude and approach should be positive.

PS : i know it has nothing to do with child development.. haha.. totally random.. just thought i might want to share with with u guys ;)

have a great wednesday! :D

cute baby

2010-04-13T18:29:00.004+08:00

When Is Spanking Child Abuse?

2010-04-13T18:24:00.001+08:00

by Lisa Belkin

A hearing is underway in a Wisconsin courtroom, for Barry Barnett, a 43-year-old pastor. He and the state department of social services both agree that the father of nine and minister at the Lighthouse Family Ministries in Poynette, Wisc., used a wooden paddle to punish his 12-year-old son for lying last spring. But they differ on whether that paddling, which left bruises on the boy, was child abuse.

The son has testified — that his father hit him twice; that they both cried during the paddling; that the two “swats” hurt “a little”; that he loves his father and feels safe at home; and that he understands why he was hit. “You should not lie to you parents,” he said.

The ER where the boy was treated submitted a report to the court — showing that the there were faint bruises on his buttocks but no swelling and that he was in no pain.

The district attorney argued that Mr. Barnett “went beyond reasonable discipline and it’s a pattern.”

The boy’s 21-year-old sister stood outside the courthouse holding a sign that said “Thank you for spanking me Dad.”

Spanking, which has never really gone away in many parts, is back in the news. Sometimes it is still the schools doing the hitting. This summer, the Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union issued a joint report, estimating that more than 200,000 children were spanked at American schools during the previous school year. (Corporal punishment in school is still legal in 21 states.)

Sometimes it is the parents. Alan E, Kazdin, director the Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic at Yale, where he is a professor of child psychology, wrote in Slate late last month, that “Despite the rise of the timeout and other nonphysical forms of punishment, most American parents hit, pinch, shake, or otherwise lay violent hands on their youngsters: 63 percent of parents physically discipline their 1-to 2-year-olds, and 85 percent of adolescents have been physically punished by their parents.”

Is it legal? In the United States, yes. While the United Nations has set a target date of 2009 to end corporal punishment by parents, and while 23 countries have already banned hitting kids, the United States is not one of them. All states prohibit “abuse” of children, and some specifically prohibit the use of “unreasonable force,” against children, which is what Barnett is accused of doing.

Isn’t all hitting child abuse? That’s what the hearing in Wisconsin is trying to decide. But however it starts, warns Kazdin, who is also the author of “The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child, it usually escalates.

“More than one-third of all parents who start out with relatively mild punishments end up crossing the line drawn by the state to define child abuse: hitting with an object, harsh and cruel hitting, and so on,” he writes. “Children, endowed with wonderful flexibility and ability to learn, typically adapt to punishment faster than parents can escalate it, which helps encourage a little hitting to lead to a lot of hitting.”

The message that has not gotten through, say those who are trying to spread the word, is that spanking doesn’t work. Six years ago the psychologist Elizabeth Thompson Gershoff, then at Columbia University, published a review of 62 years of research, analyzing 82 separate studies. And while there was a lot of evidence that spanking makes children do what they are told in the very short term, it seems only to teach children not to get caught. What it doesn’t do is teach them to do better.

I can’t imagine using spanking as a deliberate and proscribed punishment. I have, however, hit my boys a small handful of times, in white-hot anger. They were already stronger than I was, and practically taller than I was, so I didn’t really have the power to physically hurt them. Yet I still cringe at the memory of my own loss of control, of the knowledge of what that could mean in a stronger parent with a smaller child.

We tell our children “do not hit.” Shouldn’t we all practice as we preach?

Adapted from :
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/when-is-spanking-child-abuse/

@Credits to : Erin Yap Peck Shing

Movie Review

2010-04-13T17:57:00.001+08:00

Movie Review: EITHER Laskar Pelangi OR Little Brother
13 April 2010 11am
(Since T1, T2, T3 will still be having their presentation this week, you are welcome to join the movie showing at B110A if you are interested and free)

Spanking Kids Leads to More Aggressive Behavior

2010-04-13T15:44:00.001+08:00

Disciplining young children is one of the key jobs of any parent - most people would have no trouble agreeing with that. But whether or not that discipline should include spanking or other forms of corporal punishment is a far trickier issue.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not endorse spanking for any reason, citing its lack of long-term effectiveness as a behavior-changing tactic. Instead the AAP supports strategies such as "time-outs" when children misbehave, which focus on getting kids to reflect on their behavior and the consequences of their actions. Still, as many parents can attest, few responses bring about the immediate interruption of a full-blown tantrum like a swift whack to the bottom.

Now researchers at Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet against the use of spanking: of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5. The research supports earlier work on the pitfalls of corporal punishment, including a study by Duke University researchers that revealed that infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3.

"I'm excited by the idea that there is now some nice hard data that can back up clinicians when they share their caution with parents against using corporal punishment," says Dr. Jayne Singer, clinical director of the child and parent program at Children's Hospital Boston, who was not involved in the study. (Read "Should Kids Be Bribed to Do Well in School?")

Led by Catherine Taylor, the Tulane study was the first to control simultaneously for variables that are most likely to confound the association between spanking and later aggressive behavior. The researchers accounted for factors such as acts of neglect by the mother, violence or aggression between the parents, maternal stress and depression, the mother's use of alcohol and drugs, and even whether the mother considered abortion while pregnant with the child.

Each of these factors contributed to children's aggressive behavior at age 5, but they could not explain all of the violent tendencies at that age. Further, the positive connection between spanking and aggression remained strong, even after these factors had been accounted for.

"The odds of a child being more aggressive at age 5 if he had been spanked more than twice in the month before the study began increased by 50%," says Taylor. And because her group also accounted for varying levels of natural aggression in children, the researchers are confident that "it's not just that children who are more aggressive are more likely to be spanked."

What the study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, shows is that outside of the most obvious factors that may influence violent behavior in children, spanking remains a strong predictor. "This study controls for the most common risk factors that people tend to think of as being associated with aggression," says Singer. "This adds more credence, more data and more strength to the argument against using corporal punishment."

Among the mothers who were studied, nearly half (45.6%) reported no spanking in the previous month; 27.9% reported spanking once or twice; and 26.5% reported spanking more than twice. Compared with children who were not hit, those who were spanked were more likely to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, get frustrated easily, have temper tantrums and lash out physically against others.

The reason for that, says Singer, may be that spanking instills fear rather than understanding. Even if a child were to stop his screaming tantrum when spanked, that doesn't mean he understands why he shouldn't be acting out in the first place. What's more, spanking models aggressive behavior as a solution to problems.

For children to understand what and why they have done something wrong, it may take repeated efforts on the parent's part, using time-outs - a strategy that typically involves denying the child any attention, praise or interaction with parents for a specified period of time (that is, the parents ignore the child). These quiet times force children to calm down and learn to think about their emotions, rather than acting out on them blindly.

Spanking may stop a child from misbehaving in the short term, but it becomes less and less effective with repeated use, according to the AAP; it also makes discipline more difficult as the child gets older and outgrows spanking. As the latest study shows, investing the time early on to teach a child why his behavior is wrong may translate to a more self-aware and in-control youngster in the long run.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1981019,00.html?xid=rss-fullhealthsci-yahoo

Conduct Disorder (CD)

2010-04-12T19:34:00.003+08:00

Definition
Conduct disorder is a childhood behavior disorder characterized by aggressive and destructive activities that cause disruptions in the child's natural environments such as home, school, church, or the neighborhood. The overriding feature of conduct disorder is the repetitive and persistent pattern of behaviors that violate societal norms and the rights of other people. It is one of the most prevalent categories of mental health problems of children in the United States, with rates estimated at 9% for males and 2% for females.

Description

The specific behaviors used to produce a diagnosis of conduct disorder fall into four groups: aggressive conduct that causes or threatens physical harm to other people or animals, nonaggressive behavior that causes property loss or damage, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violations of rules. Two subtypes of conduct disorder can be delineated based on the age that symptoms first appear. Childhood-onset type is appropriate for children showing at least one of the behaviors in question before the age of 10. Adolescent onset type is defined by the absence of any conduct disorder criteria before the age of 10. Severity may be described as mild, moderate or severe, depending on the number of problems exhibited and their impact on other people.

Youngsters who show symptoms (most often aggression) before age 10 may also exhibit oppositional behavior and peer relationship problems. When they also show persistent conduct disorder and then develop adult antisocial personality disorder , they should be distinguished from individuals who had no symptoms of conduct disorder before age 10. The childhood type is more highly associated with heightened aggression, male gender, oppositional defiant disorder , and a family history of antisocial behavior.

The individual behaviors that can be observed when conduct disorder is diagnosed may be both common, problematic, and chronic. They tend to occur frequently and are distressingly consistent across time, settings, and families. Not surprisingly, these children function poorly in a variety of places. In fact, the behaviors clustered within the term "conduct disorder" account for a majority of clinical referrals, classroom detentions or other sanctions, being asked to stop participating in numerous activities, and can be extremely difficult (even impossible) for parents to manage.

The negative consequences of conduct disorder, particularly childhood onset, may include illicit drug use, dropping out of school, violent behavior, severe family conflict, and frequent delinquent acts. Such behaviors often result in the child's eventual placement out of the home, in special education and/or the juvenile justice system. There is evidence that the rates of disruptive behavior disorders may be as high as 50% in youth in public sectors of care such as juvenile justice, alcohol and drug'

The overriding feature of conduct disorder is the repetitive and persistent pattern of behaviors that violate societal norms and the rights of other people. Youngsters with conduct disorder often exhibit aggressive behavior to other people (bullying, starting fights, etc.) or to animals. They may also damage others' property.
(Carolyn A. McKeone. Photo Researchers, Inc. Reproduced by permission.)
services, schools for youths with serious emotional disturbances, child welfare, and mental health.

The financial costs of crime and correction for repeated juvenile offenses by youth with conduct disorder are extensive. The social costs include citizens' fear of such behavior, loss of a sense of safety, and disruptions in classrooms that interfere with other children's opportunity to learn. The costs to the child and his or her family are enormous in terms of the emotional and other resources needed to address the consequences of the constellation of symptoms that define conduct disorder.

Causes and symptoms

There is no known cause for conduct disorder. The frustrating behavior of youngsters with conduct disorder frequently leads to blaming, labeling, and other unproductive activities. Children who are "acting out" do not inspire sympathy or the benefit of the doubt. They are often ostracized by other children. Parents of such children are often blamed as poor disciplinarians or bad parents. As a result, parents of children with conduct disorder may be reluctant to engage with schools or other authorities. At the same time, there is a strong correlation between children diagnosed with conduct disorder and a significant level of family dysfunction, poor parenting practices, an overemphasis on coercion and hostile communication patterns, verbal and physical aggression and a history of maltreatment.

There is a suggestion of an, as yet, unidentified genetic component to what has generally been viewed as a behavioral disorder. One study with adopted children in the mid-1990s looked at the relationship between birth parents with antisocial personality disorder, and adverse adoptive home environments. When these two adverse conditions occurred, there was significantly increased aggressiveness and conduct disorder in the adopted children. That was not the case if there was no indication of antisocial personality disorder in the birth parents. This finding has important implications for prevention and intervention of conduct disorders and its associated conditions of substance abuse and aggressiveness.

Symptoms

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (also known as the DSM-IV-TR ) indicates that for conduct disorder to be diagnosed, the patient has repeatedly violated rules, age-appropriate social norms and the rights of others for a period of at least twelve months. This is shown by three or more of the following behaviors, with at least one having taken place in the previous six months: aggression to people or animals, property destruction, lying or theft, and serious rule violations.

Aggression to people or animals includes:

* engaging in frequent bullying or threatening
* often starting fights
* using a weapon that could cause serious injury (gun, knife, club, broken glass)
* showing physical cruelty to people
* showing physical cruelty to animals
* engaging in theft with confrontation (armed robbery, extortion, mugging, purse snatching)
* forcing sex upon someone

Property destruction includes:

* deliberately setting fires to cause serious damage
* deliberately destroying the property of others by means other than fire setting

Lying or theft includes:

* breaking into building, car, or house belonging to someone else
* frequently lying or breaking promises for gain or to avoid obligations (called "conning")
* stealing valuables without confrontation (burglary, forgery, shop lifting)

Serious rule violations include:

* beginning before age 13, frequently staying out at night against parents' wishes
* running away from parents overnight twice or more or once if for an extended period
* engaging in frequent truancy beginning before the age of 13

Mild severity would mean there are few problems with conduct beyond those needed to make a diagnosis AND all of the problems cause little harm to other people. Moderate severity means the number and effect of the conduct problems is between the extremes of mild and severe. Severe is indicated if there are many more conduct symptoms than are needed to make the diagnosis (more than three in the previous twelve months or more than one in the previous six months), or, the behaviors cause other people considerable harm.

Diagnosis

Conduct disorder is generally diagnosed when somebody, often a child in school, comes to the attention of authorities (school, law enforcement, and others) most often because of behavior. The person might then be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist for assessment and diagnosis . It is unlikely that any sort of specific test is given; rather, the individual would have to meet the criteria in the DSM-IV-TR. Usually there is a history of acting out in school, neighborhood, home, and other social settings. Court-ordered treatment would likely occur if the person comes to the attention of the police and if a crime is involved. A judge might order treatment as an alternative to jail, or before a sentence is served.

Treatments

Earlier treatments of youth with conduct disorder relied on legal processes to declare a child in need of supervision or treatment and thus able to be placed in residential settings established for this purpose. While residential placements may still be used, recent treatment models have relied less on such restrictive procedures. The increased visibility and sophistication of the consumer movement, comprised of families of children and youth with mental health disorders, is bringing pressure to bear on treatment providers to stop blaming families, stop removing children from their families for services, focus instead on strengths and assets in both the child and his or her family, and to use community-based interventions in several domains in which the child and family live.

Community-based interventions are sometimes called wrap-around services to describe the intention that they will be brought to the child's natural environment in a comprehensive and flexible way. The idea is to target a range of child, parent, family and social system factors associated with a child's behavioral problems. This approach has been successful in modifying antisocial behavior, rates of restrictive placement, and in reducing the cost of services.

Another treatment that has been used with some success is the Child Cognitive Behavioral Treatment and Skills Training which trains children with conduct disorder in anger-coping, peer coping, and problem-solving skills.

Parent Management Training and family therapy are also used to treat conduct disorder. Parents learn to apply behavioral principles effectively, how to play with their children, and how to teach and coach the child to use new skills.

Medication is sometimes used and may be effective in controlling aggression. Generally, a variety of treatment modes are used to address such a complex disorder. Severe antisocial behavior on the part of the child and adverse parenting practices may suggest that the family will stop treatment before it can be effective, or before meaningful change can result.
Prognosis

Early identification and appropriate and innovative treatment will improve the course of conduct disorder and possibly prevent a host of negative outcomes that are often a consequence of the behaviors associated with it. Unfortunately, the stigma of treatment and the undiagnosed problems of many parents are still significant enough that families whose children could benefit from treatment never find their way to a treatment setting. Instead their children come into contact with the juvenile and criminal justice system.
Prevention

Prognosis may best be improved by prevention of conduct disorder before it becomes so resistant to treatment. Research is being conducted on what early interventions hold the greatest promise. The research incorporates several components such as child tutoring, classroom intervention, peer training, social-cognitive skills training, parent training, and family problem-solving.

Other studies have included early parent or family interventions, school-based interventions and community interventions. Again, these include a variety of elements as suggested before, including parent training that includes education about normal child development, child problem-solving, and family communication skills training. Research is still needed to determine where and when to target specific preventive interventions.

Comic 09

2010-04-12T17:49:00.001+08:00

By Ho Khee Hoong

Music Education Benefits

2010-04-11T23:21:00.000+08:00

Most experts agree that children who study music at an early age not only excel academicallly, but see emotional benefits as well.

Posted by Wong Shui Tong, T3

Children laugh

2010-04-11T23:20:00.000+08:00

Posted by Wong Shui Tong, T3

Intelligence of Kids

2010-04-11T23:18:00.000+08:00

Posted by Wong Shui Tong, T3

Learning is child's play

2010-04-11T23:13:00.002+08:00

By Basant K. Kapur, For The Straits Times

THE early years of an individual's life have a formative influence on his future development, even though they do not entirely determine it. As the saying goes: 'Great oaks from little acorns grow.'

A striking example is a recent observation by Singapore Youth Award 2006 winner, nanotechnology researcher Yeo Yee Chia: 'A kid has a lot of questions but as people grow older, they become less and less inquisitive. Maybe I'm like a child because I've stayed inquisitive.'

How can we best nurture children's talent? Ironically, it appears this is best done by not taking an instrumental view of childhood, but by letting children enjoy the precious few years when they are children. They should be allowed ample time to engage in spontaneous, undirected play, both by themselves and with other children.

In a 2007 article in the American Academy of Paediatrics, Dr K.R. Ginsburg wrote: 'Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development...Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate.'

Another expert, Mr S. Smilansky, writing in 1990, found that play was directly linked to a wealth of skills that are essential for academic success: better verbalisation, richer vocabulary, better problem- solving strategies, higher intellectual competence, more curiosity, greater empathy, better emotional and social adjustment, more innovation, more imaginativeness, and so on.

Mr K. Hirsch-Pasek and Mr R.M. Golinkoff, writing in 2003, found that play teaches children to think 'outside the box' and helps them cope with 'divergent' problem-solving - that is, where there are many possible ways to solve a problem.

A German news magazine, Der Spiegel, ran a report in 1997 comparing 50 play-oriented kindergartens with 50 academically-oriented ones in Germany. The children from the play-oriented kindergartens excelled over the others in every aspect - physical, emotional, social, and intellectual. The results were especially striking among lower-income children. The results were so compelling that Germany switched all its kindergartens back to being play-oriented.

Mr R.A. Marcon found in 2002 that children who had attended play-oriented pre-school programmes, in which child-driven activities predominated, performed better academically than those who had attended academic-oriented programmes.

The benefits seem to extend all the way into adulthood. Mr S. Brown, comparing the winners of the MacArthur 'genius' award with individuals in prison, found in 1999 that the latter did not have a history of play in their lives whereas the former had a rich history of play from childhood onwards.

How does pre-school education in Singapore measure up from this standpoint? While there is a mix of play and academic instruction, it appears that the balance is tilted towards the latter. The Ministry of Education's homepage says pre-school education 'includes learning activities that develop language and literacy skills, basic number concepts, simple science concepts, social skills, creative and problem solving skills, appreciation of music and movement and outdoor play'.

An article by Ms N.D. Suhaimi in The Straits Times in December 2007 was more specific. She quoted the owner of a Montessori school as saying: 'At Primary 1, teachers expect children to know how to multiply, divide and even work out simple fractions.'

Ms Lina Ong, founder of Babies Inc, an infant school, was reported as saying: 'We're probably the only country in the world that requires children to know how to spell and count before kindergarten.'

A comparison with Finland - widely acknowledged to have an excellent education system, and identified by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as having the world's most competitive economy in 2006 - is illustrative. A recent working paper by Y.W. Yong, A. Chongvilaivan, and J.Y. Chew for the Singapore Centre for Applied and Policy Economics - from which I derived most of the quotations above - observed: 'Whilst children in Singapore are expected to know their ABCs and basic mathematics when they enter primary schools, children in Finland are expected to learn the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics only when they enter comprehensive schools (at age seven).'

Evidently, the highly play-oriented nature of pre-school education in Finland has not worked to its educational or economic disadvantage. In fact, the reverse is the case. The WEF has praised Finland's 'culture of innovation'.

Parental pressure is often cited as a factor in the demands kindergartens place on young children here. But parents are probably responding to what they perceive to be the 'expected attainments' of children when they enter primary school. Ideally, there should be a gradual, seamless transition from kindergarten to primary school, with enough time for undirected play during the primary school years as well. However, this appears not to be the case, as a spate of recent newspaper articles and letters indicates.

One reader said his daughter had to take six year-end examinations in Primary 1. Another noted: 'The children (in her son's Primary 1 class) get tons of homework, frequent tests, and, yes, a list of homework for the June holidays which include maths and English exercises, reading 10 story books, making a model of the school, producing a health booklet and writing a journal thrice a week.'

Reporter Tan Dawn Wei of this newspaper reported: Nearly half (of 200 primary school pupils polled) said they felt they weren't getting enough sleep each day, and homework and tuition were the top reasons they cited for turning in late.' Apparently the education authorities here think that lower primary pupils should get 'at least eight hours' of sleep a day, while paediatricians recommend 10-11 hours. As Ms Tan observed, 'sleep deprivation can affect a child's attention, memory, decision-making and creativity'.

It would appear that the 'Teach Less, Learn More' initiative announced a few years ago is not being adequately practised in schools. As MOE re-looks pre-school education in Singapore, it should also reduce the 'expected attainments' at primary school entry, as well as the primary school workload, and ensure that there is a smooth, painless - and ultimately more productive - transition to primary school.

The writer is professor of economics and director, Singapore Centre for Applied and Policy Economics, Department of Economics, NUS.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 3 Jan, 2009.

Posted by Wong Shui Tong, T3

6 Ways to Curb Your Child's Aggressive Behavior

2010-04-11T23:09:00.000+08:00

Teach your child about peaceful ways to express her anger.

By Karin A. Bilich

Most people feel anger and aggression sometimes -- including children. Adults tend to have better control over their behavior when these feelings arise. Children, however, may turn their energy toward violent behavior such as kicking, biting, or hitting. If your child has a tendency toward this kind of aggressive behavior, it's up to you to help him develop judgment, self-discipline, and the ability to express his feelings in appropriate ways. Here are six ways to do that:

1. Set firm and consistent limits. Children need to know what behavior is, and is not, permitted. Make sure that everyone who cares for your child is aware of the rules you set, as well as the response to use if he does exhibit this behavior. A child who kicks, hits, or bites should be reprimanded immediately so he understands exactly what he's done wrong.

2. Help your child find new ways to deal with her anger. Encourage her to use words to express her feelings rather than fighting with her body, and praise her for exhibiting nonviolent behavior. Let her witness other conflicts that arise in your home being resolved in a peaceful manner.

3. Instill self-control in your child. Children don't possess an innate ability to control themselves. They need to be taught not to kick, hit, or bite whenever they feel like it. A child needs a parent's guidance to develop the ability to keep his feelings under control and to think about his actions before acting on impulse.

4. Avoid encouraging "toughness." In some families, aggressiveness is encouraged -- especially in boys. Parents often use the word "tough" to compliment a child. This can cause a child to feel that she has to kick and bite in order to win parental approval.

5. Don't spank as a form of discipline. Some parents spank or hit their child as punishment. A child who is physically punished can begin to believe this is the correct way to handle people when you don't like their behavior. Physical punishment can reinforce a child's aggressiveness toward others.

6. Control your own temper. Children tend to mirror the behavior of their parents. If you express your anger in reasonable ways, he probably will follow your example.

Source: Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 (Bantam, 1998)

Posted by Wong Shui Tong, T3