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WK2Assign_shanks_l.pptxLanguage and Literacy (Brain Development) Student’s Name 06-14-2021
Barriers to Language and Literacy Development
Barriers emerge early in a child’s life
Children who experienced adversity in their first three years of life have developmental issues
Most of the issues relate to the children’s socio-economic backgrounds
Children encounter barriers before they even grasp the meaning of the word. Some children experience adversity as early as during their first years of life and for these children, language and literacy development is limited because of their exposure to developmental issues (Shonkoff, 2013). The adversities they fact come result from them coming from families of poor socio-economic backgrounds.
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(Cont.)
Adversity in early life translates to issues later in life
Individuals who experience barriers to brain development as children are at high risk of cardiovascular disease
Children who experience adversity in their early lives are most likely to deal with depression as adults
Children who face adversity in the early years of life deal with developmental issues that affect them in adulthood. Adversity results in developmental issues and for those affected, the risk of cardiovascular diseases later on in life is higher. Reports indicate that children with elevated developmental issues are exposed to up to 7 risk factors as adults (Raleva, 2018). These children are most likely to have depression in the future because of their early experiences.
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Stress
Positive
Tolerable
Toxic
The first level of a stress response is positive, where there is a slight increase in an individual’s heart rate and small spikes in the levels of stress hormones (Dowd, 2017). The second level is tolerable, in which the stress response is serious; however, it is made temporary or countered by support from close ones. The last level is toxic and this refers to an intense and prolonged response to stress that occurs in the absence of supportive and protective relationships.
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(Cont.)
The source of stress for children is maltreatment
Maltreatment occurs in many forms are sexual abuse, psychological mistreatment, physical abuse, and neglect
Stress is normal for children as it is for any other population; however, toxic stress is not normal and only occurs because of child maltreatment. In this case, maltreatment can be in the form of neglect, psychological abuse, neglect, and physical abuse (Shonkoff, 2013). The children who are exposed to child maltreatment are those from poor backgrounds.
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(Cont.)
The most common reported form of child mistreatment is neglect
Stress is a barrier to language and literacy development when it is toxic
Toxic stress impairs the architecture of children’s developing brains
Among the reported forms of child mistreatment, the most common is neglect, standing at 80% (Sandner and Thomsen, 2020). Neglected children have toxic stress response because they face many adversities and lack supportive and protective relationships to help them deal with the stress. Consequently, these children have limited language and literacy development because toxic stress slows the architecture of the developing brain.
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Childhood adversity and Health Costs
Childhood adversity result in high risk of chronic diseases
Immense funds are allocated to the treatment and management of diseases like mental disorders, diabetes, and hypertension, among others
Limiting childhood adversity reduces the risk of chronic diseases and funds can be diverted to child brain development
As stated earlier, childhood adversity increases the risk of acquiring diseases like cardiovascular disease and depression among individuals. Other chronic diseases that children who experience adversity are at risk of are diabetes, mental disorders, and hypertension later in life (Bryan, 2019). The treatment of these diseases costs the states and federal governments billions of dollars with reports indicating that close to $110 billion is spent on the management of heart conditions annually (Shonkoff, 2013). If childhood adversities s are dealt with, then the risk of chronic diseases can be limited and funds are diverted into science-based innovation for improved brain development for children.
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Measures to promote Language and Literacy Development
Some measures are critical to enhancing child language and literacy development
Issues like child maltreatment can be countered for the benefit of the brain development of children
Measures include; parenting education and sound nutrition and health-promoting environments
Enhancing child language and literacy development requires a focus on healthy brain development for the children (Shonkoff, 2013). This kind of brain development calls for the limiting of the forms of child maltreatment. Since neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment, then it is an issue to target and limit through parenting education. Other measures to counter child malnutrition are sound nutrition and health-promoting environments for children.
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Need for promoting Positive Early Experiences for Children
The health and learning of children is affected in the long run by early experiences
Teacher of early childhood education need to offer children protection and enrichment
Protection and enrichment for children can be attained through training adults in the children’s lives to have the capacity for the same
The realization of the impacts of adversities in early life on the language and learning and health of children is crucial to avoiding negative outcomes (Sciaraffa, Zeanah and Zeanah, 2018). There is a need to focus on the protection and enrichment of children. As a teacher in early childhood, one should understand the role of adults in the child’s life in terms of offering protection and enrichment. Subsequently, teachers should undertake the training of the adults to have the capacity to ensure positive early experiences for children.
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(Cont.)
Capacity building also results in enhanced parenting skills
Capacity building involves focus on skill development for adults in children’s lives
Early childhood education teachers should advocate for stronger neighborhoods for the sake of efficient brain development for children
Training adults on how to offer children protection and enrichment and at the same time enhance their parenting skills. When carrying out capacity building, teachers should focus on growing skills among the adults for parenting and economic self-sufficiency. In this case, the skills in question are the ability to focus and maintain attention, solve problems, set goals, make goals, control impulses, and follow rules, among others (Shonkoff, 2013). Teachers should also promote the development of stronger neighborhoods for positive early experiences for children for good brain development.
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Capacity Building for Parents/Guardians
Early childhood education teachers should realize that parents are also human
Teachers should realize that capacity building goes beyond simply giving information
Capacity building coupled with modeling/practice for parents are often more successful than those without
Teachers of early education can enhance positive outcomes in capacity building by giving parents the training they need and not just information. Teachers should strive to build caregiver capabilities for the adults to gain the targeted skills and effectively offer children protection and enrichment. Research indicates that when caregiver capabilities are enhanced during the implementation of early childhood education programs, the programs are more successful and effective (Nores and Fernandez, 2018). Children benefit from the success of such programs in the form of enhanced pre-academic skills and cognitive skills.
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Reversing the Effects of Toxic Stress
Toxic stress response can be reversed
Early childhood teachers should aim to achieve this reversal
Teachers should offer and guide caregivers to offering children supporting relationship
When striving to offer children protection and enrichment, teachers should not overlook those who deal with toxic stress response as this can be reversed by offering them the supportive relationships they need. Teachers should counsel parents who have neglected their children and remind them that there is always an opportunity to act right for the sake of the child. In cases where neglect persists, teachers should interact with the children and be the supportive adults in their lives.
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Relevant Collaborations
Teachers should collaborate with other professionals to enhance positive early experiences for children for good brain development
Relevant collaborations include collaborations with family mental health service providers, social care providers, and other professionals in early learning
Teachers should realize the need for collaboration with other professionals for the success of capacity-building programs. Besides other professionals in early childhood education, teachers should partner with social care workers, experts in economic self-sufficiency, and family mental health services professionals (Nores and Fernandez, 2018). Such collaborations work to ensure positive early experiences for children and consequently, healthy good brain development.
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Opportunities and Challenges
Limited time to change brains and behavior and lack of resources
Lack of collaboration from care-givers
Opportunity- creating circuits for executive functional skills for enhanced Language and Literacy Development for children
Teachers should expect challenges when implementing capacity-building programs. Some of the challenges include lack of resources and limited time to effect change and lack of collaboration from parents who may fail to see the essence of the program (Nores and Fernandez, 2018). These challenges can be dealt with by educating parents on the need for positive early experiences for children and seeking out funds from non-profit and governmental organizations. Teachers should be resilient as they look forward to the potential benefits because capacity building offers an opportunity for promoted language and literacy development for children.
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References
Bryan, R. H. (2019). Getting to why: Adverse childhood experiences' impact on adult health. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 15(2), 153-157.
Dowd, M. D. (2017). Early adversity, toxic stress, and resilience: pediatrics for today. Pediatric annals, 46(7), e246-e249.
Nores, M., & Fernandez, C. (2018). Building capacity in health and education systems to deliver interventions that strengthen early child development. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1419(1), 57-73.
Raleva, M. (2018). Early life stress: a key link between childhood adversity and risk of attempting suicide. Psychiatr Danub, 30(Suppl 6), 341-347.
Sandner, M., & Thomsen, S. L. (2020). Preventing child maltreatment: Beneficial side effects of public childcare provision (No. 669). Hannover Economic Papers (HEP).
Sciaraffa, M. A., Zeanah, P. D., & Zeanah, C. H. (2018). Understanding and promoting resilience in the context of adverse childhood experiences. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46(3), 343-353.
Shonkoff, J. P. (2013). Driving Science-Based Innovation to Strengthen the Foundations of Lifelong Learning, Behavior, and Health.
