Child Psychology

It is mandatory for parents and teachers to have a know how of child psychology. Information on child development including physical, mental and emotional growth aid parents and teachers to know what to expect from a child as it develops. Parenting is a dynamic and an interactive process. It is vital to improve one's understanding of a child and show commitment to it's development as well as one's own. From a very young age, a child needs a variety of skills and characteristics to succeed in modern society. They are high intelligence, attentiveness, problem solving skills, an unwavering mood and outstanding physical shape. Indeed these are just the starting points in today's competitive world!

A child should be given as much love and attention as possible, to allow it to develop physically, mentally and emotionally. It should be taught how to eat, walk and talk and how to get the most out of what it learns at school and college. But while discharging one's duty as a parent, seldom does one realize that every step the child takes - whether it's the first book or the sudden plunge into relationships as a teenager will depend on how well the brain functions. That obviously depends to a large extent on how well the brain is nourished. Eating the correct foods and supplements can enhance the individual's IQ, improve mood and behavior, sharpen memory and concentration, and hone reading and writing skills. It is important to realize that parent involvement is effective in promoting achievement and exciting gains at all levels. Every parent wants their child to be healthy. As primary school aged child go through notable physical changes of all kinds, the food intake becomes a seriousl aspect of it's growth and development. It is a well known fact that nourishing food not only makes a child healthier, it also makes him/her emotionally more stable, and it improves his/her academic performance. It is evident that one has pay attention to the child's diet.It will definitely pay good returns later.

Child psychology is not only about describing the characteristics of the child's psychological change over time, but also to find ways to explain the principles and internal workings fundamental to these changes. Awareness of these factors is supported by the use of models. The role of the mother/father is far more noteworthy in the present day world than we originally thought. It is an accepted norm that the quality of interactions between mother' and child was more important for the child’s development. A Child did better if his/her mother was more sensitive, responsive, and attentive.Fathers' too have a significant impact on a child's academic performance. A child with an active and involved father has better social skills, is healthy, and does well in school. A child goes through the transition from the world at home to that of school and peers. A child receives feedback from outsiders about it's accomplishments. If a child can discover pleasure in intellectual stimulation, being productive and seeking success, it will definitely develop a sense of competence. Otherwise it may develop a sense of inferiority and feelings of inadequacy that may haunt it for the rest of the life. This is the stage when a child thinks of itself either productive or inferior. Therefore it is crucial for both parents as well as the teachers to handle the child tactfully with love ,support and encouragement.

As a part of child psychology one need to understand that the environment a child has at home indeed has an effect on the child. It may be a different effect for different children and cannot be figured as a shared effect in a behavior and genetics analysis. Parenting contributes to a lifestyle that directs into the language, general knowledge, reading and math skills that a child starts with at the school. The importance of understanding the child from his standpoint cannot be ignored. It is the child's developing perspective of himself or herself and his or her world that is the foundation for the way he or she responds to the environment. These methods can be successfully applied to problems in the three important areas that contribute to psychosocial development for the school-aged child. These areas are the family, school, and peers. Remember, one need to stop all criticism of the child and communicate faith in the child and encourage any step the child takes to try something, no matter how small or trivial it is. As a parent or teacher, it is important to set up opportunities for the child which will translate into success.

Child-Development Illiteracy: A Growing Problem?

The structure of the modern nuclear family is a relatively new invention when considered along the timeline of human history. Long before "Leave It to Beaver" ideals became the norm, families didn’t isolate themselves from their relatives, and parents didn’t leave home to spend their days in an office. Extended families lived together in the same community, every individual contributed to the welfare of the whole, and a wide variety of close, personal relationships were essential to a family’s survival. When children were old enough to help, they worked alongside their parents, and if a mother became overwhelmed with the care of an infant, there were grandparents, cousins or siblings who could step in and give her a break.

Older children learned from the daily examples of their parents as they cared for infants in the family and they participated in the process. Consequently, by the time they had children of their own they were not ignorant about child care.

But that was long ago: society today, especially in the West, is very different. Families live hundreds, even thousands of miles from the support of relatives. Often they live somewhat isolated lives even among neighbors. Families have fewer children, and it is no longer unusual for a child to have no siblings at all. As a result, an increasing number of adults have had very little daily personal experience in providing for the needs of young children. It should not surprise us then that by the time these adults are parents they are relatively ignorant about child care, and the results can be heartrending.

Jane hadn’t intended to return to work so soon after their new baby was born, but her husband's business was booming and Mark needed her help. Concerned about the quality of daycare, they decided to hire a cousin to care for the baby during the day. What Jane and Mark didn’t know was that the cousin had also obtained a job. For more than a year—the first year of the baby’s life—the cousin left the baby daily on its own, feeding and changing him in the morning after Jane and Mark left, again at her midday lunch break, and finally just before the parents returned.

Although Jane began to notice that the baby’s development seemed unusually slow, the pediatrician felt it was not excessively so, and Jane was inexperienced enough to be reassured by the fact that her baby never cried.

Then the inevitable happened. Jane came home unexpectedly one day to find the house dark. When she found her son sitting alone in his crib with a soiled diaper and no one caring for him, she fired the cousin and heaved a sigh of relief that all had ended well—the house had not burned down; he hadn’t choked on anything—she was sure her son would be fine. He wasn’t. As the boy grew, no one connected the odd rocking behavior he exhibited under stress or his stunted social development and depression with the neglect he’d endured in his first 18 months of life.

Finally, when their son was 14, Mark and Jane took him to see Dr. Bruce Perry for the first time. Perry is an experienced child psychiatrist with an impressive background. During his career he has served as chief of psychiatry at Texas Children’s Hospital, vice-chairman for Psychiatric Research at Baylor College of Medicine, and a consultant to the FBI. He has treated children subjected to incredible traumas and extensive neglect.

Perry uses a "neurosequential" approach to treatment, which is based on the contributions of neuroscience and the explosion of understanding that emerged from the 90's "decade of the brain."

"A foundational principle of brain development is that neural systems organize and become functional in a sequential manner," he explains. "The organization of a less mature region depends, in part, upon incoming signals from lower, more mature regions. If one system doesn’t get what it needs when it needs it, those that rely upon it may not function well either, even if the stimuli that the later developing system needs are being provided appropriately. The key to healthy development is getting the right experiences in the right amounts at the right time."

Pepperdine University Professor of Psychology Louis Cozolino concurs. "Because the first few years of life are a period of exhuberant brain development," he says, "early experience has a disproportionate impact on the development of neural systems. In this way, early negative interpersonal experiences become a primary source of the symptoms for which people seek relief in psychotherapy."

What are the right experiences for the developing infant brain? It seems almost self-evident, but the first needs of human beings include cuddling, healthy touch and gentle, affectionate stimulation. To develop what psychologists call "secure attachment" infants need caretakers who demonstrate that they love them, who meet their needs, calm their fears, keep them safe and encouragingly help them achieve physical milestones. When such stimulation is withheld, the brain’s corresponding neurosystems change accordingly. Since they are "use-dependent," the systems that do not become stimulated at this crucial time will not develop, and these are the very areas of the brain that moderate our ability to have relationships, to respond appropriately to stress, and to mediate pleasure and empathy.

"We are social mammals," Perry points out. "For years mental health professionals taught people that they could be psychologically healthy without social support, that ‘unless you love yourself, no one else will love you.’ . . . The truth is, you cannot love yourself unless you have been loved and are loved. The capacity to love cannot be built in isolation."

Unfortunately, too many children do suffer the consequences of complete neglect or high doses of the wrong kind of stimulation. But the brain is an amazingly plastic and resilient organ as Jane and Mark discovered when Perry began teaching them techniques that would replace the stimulation their son had missed. Did it help that he received this attention before adulthood? Probably so. Certainly the earlier the intervention, the easier and more complete the cure. But there is plasticity in the adult brain as well.

Cozolino points to research that suggests "in the transition from dating to marriage, there is a broad tendency for partners with insecure and disorganized attachment to develop increasingly secure patterns . . . . For many of us, adult relationships give us a second, third, and fourth chance at shaping our attachment circuitry and living a happy and satisfying life."

deally, of course—children should not need to wait for a second, third or fourth chance. Perry believes that closer families and stronger communities would increase the chances that children would receive what they need the first time around, and that any problems would be noticed earlier. "We need to educate people about the needs of infants and create better ways of addressing them," he says. "We need to have an infant- and child-literate society, where everyone who has or works with children knows what to expect. For example, if an infant doesn’t cry at all, it’s just as much of a cause for concern as if he cries too much. Becoming more aware of age-appropriate behavior will ensure that, when necessary, children can get help as soon as possible."

To the memory of my uncle Leon J. Miln,
a pioneer in many ways.

Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Conquering, holding, daring, venturing as we
go the unknown ways.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!

Walt Whitman

To know what is possible tomorrow you must be willing
to step outside of what is possible today. . .

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Preface

The educators who built the field of early childhood education have been the sub­
ject of many studies including Agnes Snyder's 1972 book, Dauntless Women in
Childhood Education, 1856-1931, and the 1992 ACEI sequel, Profiles in Child­
hood Education, 1931-1960. Previous works, however, do not provide the researcher
with primary and secondary sources, information on multicultural educators, nor
do they discuss some of the more current educators. Researchers and practitioners
frequently need to locate material that is only available in primary sources. They
also may want to know what someone else thinks about a method or theory so that
there can be a meeting of the minds to help with a decision.

Millie Almy ( 1984) believes that everyone involved with the present and fu­
ture of the education of young children needs to make judgments about educational
trends in light of knowledge about theory and practice. One way to assist research­
ers and practitioners to make informed decisions is to provide an annotated
bibliography of primary and secondary sources in early childhood education. This
reference book provides biographies and bibliographies of selected pre-modern
and modern men and women who have made significant contributions to early
childhood education. Individuals and organizations, for example the National As­
sociation of Colored Women, were selected because they represent a multicultural
perspective on early childhood education. The biographies provide a personal per­
spective in which to view the primary sources. Information about the pioneers helps
the reader to understand the theories and practices discussed in the context of the
times in which they were written.

It is impossible to include everything by and about every pioneer. However,
the material presented in this resource provides a perspective on each important
era in the history of early childhood education.

The biographies are arranged in alphabetical order followed by the primary
sources arranged in chronological order. Secondary sources are listed alphabeti­
cally according to author and include obituaries, articles, dissertations, and books.
Works were chosen because they represent the most interesting and informative
sources by and about the pioneers.

The work of the pioneers have influenced, as Bernard Spodek ( 1973) states,
current practice in early childhood education. For each, education developed out
of. . .a humanist tradition, a concern for young children, for the support of their
autonomy and development, and a belief in the importance of the early experiences
in the lives of people. It is vital to study the past because, as Spodek informs us,
there are striking parallels between historical and contemporary theory and prac­
tice. We know that there is very little that is new in education. Time has shown that
much of what contemporary theorists and practitioners discover, has its roots in the past. Spodek, Saracho, and Davis ( 1991) support this: "if we are to understand the
field of early childhood education . . . we must know . . . of its historical roots and de­
velopment." Theory and practice respond to contemporary concerns but "a per­
spective on the past provides a keener awareness of the multiple possibilities for
the instruction and guidance of children."