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Early Relationships Matter! April-May 2009 |
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Early bird registration ends soon!
Infant Mental Health Summer Institute June 17, 2009 Ramada Hotel & Conference Center, Stevens Point, WI Only $100 – registration fee increases to $125 after May 15
Registration information and an outline of the presenters and topics to be offered are available on our Web site at http://www.wiaimh.org/.
Did you know?
April 21 is the birthday of Friedrich Froebel, born in Germany in 1782. He was devoted to early learning and was one of the first teachers to recognize activity and play as an essential part of childhood education. Froebel coined the term “kindergarten” in 1840. He said, “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul.”
The first kindergarten in the United Sates was founded in 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin, by one of Froebel's students, Margarethe Schurz.
Witnessing violence can affect child development Adapted from Safe Havens Training Project, Family Communications, Inc.
Children who witness verbal, physical, television or community violence can be affected in the following ways:
Ability to trust adults to keep them safe. Children can become frightened when they witness community violence or when adults are out of control of their behavior or in the words they use. They may fear for safety and may worry about whether adults will keep them safe. They need to know that they can depend on the grownups around them to keep them safe.
Ability to learn When they are constantly worried about their safety or that of someone they love, they may be unable to play or concentrate on activities and school or childcare. They may forget what they have already learned, have trouble choosing toys, following directions, listening to stories or moving from one activity to another. When children experience stress they have increased cortisol levels in their brain. Children with higher cortisol levels have more difficulty with memory, learning, attention and behavior.
Social and emotional development When children do not feel safe, they may have a harder time getting along with parents, teachers and other children. Some children become very aggressive. Others become quiet and less interested in activities and friends. It also may appear that they regress, for example a child who is toilet trained may start having accidents. Children with higher cortisol levels more readily experience fear, anxiety and stress and have a lower threshold for experiencing negative emotions.
Ability to manage anger Young children are just learning how to control their own aggressive behavior, so they don’t have much self-control. They need adults to help them stop when they hit or hurt. The also need adults to model self-control. Children who can “use words” and resolve problems usually are those who have seen adults handle their own angry feelings in positive ways. Again, the higher cortisol levels also can affect their ability to manage these negative feelings and keep their body under control. Often times children who witness violence are very active and have a difficult time being safe with their body.
Ability to be a child Children who are worried or afraid for their own safety or the safety of someone they love may feel the need to act big and strong. They may believe it is their job to protect the family. Trying to take on such an adult role adds stress to the child’s life and deprives them of the security of being protected and cared for.
Self esteem When bad things happen children often feel they are responsible-because of their behavior or thoughts. Some preschool age children may think that they have caused a violent incident to occur and may feel guilty.
Guidelines for responding to children who witness violence
Validate the child’s feelings If a child appears to be scared or angry about why he saw, you can say “That sounds scary” or “You seem upset” as examples
Model for the child that it is okay to say “I’m scared.” You could say “If I had seen that I would have been scared” or “I saw something like that once and it was really scary for me”.
Give the child permission to tell his story and that you are interested in what he has to say If a child seems willing to talk, ask neutral questions to facilitate story telling, such as “Then what?” You don’t have to know the answers, just let them tell you their story.
Reassure the child that adults are there to keep them safe Children need to know they are safe and that adults will do everything they can to protect them.
Establish eye contact and provide facial expressions and gestures. Get down on the child’s level to listen to him or her. Our facial expressions and our body language express more than our words and let the child know he was heard.
Be alert to other changes in behavior that suggest stress. Is the child exhibiting other behaviors. Remember, children tell us what is bothering them with their actions as much as they do with words.
Establish a safe and predictable environment. Routines and a schedule should be established and followed as much as possible. Children feel safe when they know what to expect in their day. When you have to make changes let them know ahead of time.
Do not allow young children to watch television, movies or video games with violence. These images have a similar impact on children as witnessing violence in their home or community.
Ask the expert “I have infants where I work. I have many in the 6-9 month age that are strongly manipulating their parents. I would gather that many would say that babies do not have the capacity to manipulate. They wake up at night anywhere from every hour to at least 3-4 times. Some of these parents even get up and walk their child for an hour at a time. I was asked by one if they were spoiling their child. Do you have any information that would help guide my parents into dealing with the situation at hand differently or about spoiling or not spoiling a baby?” ~Debby, child care teacher
See http://www.wiimh.org/ask_the_expert.htm for the answer.
News in brief
Title V MCH Services Block Grant - Public Input The Wisconsin Department of Health Services in inviting input that will be utilized in planning for and writing Wisconsin's 2010 Application / 2008 Annual Report submitted under the Title V MCH Services Block Grant (includes services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). To provide comments please go to http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/dph_bfch/PublicInput.htm. Comments are due by May 29, 2009.
Visit http://www.wiaimh.org/news_in_brief.htm for more links to articles and important research related to infant and early childhood mental health.
Upcoming Events
May Mental Health Awareness Month
May 3-9 Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week
May 9 Children’s Mental Health Awareness Celebration Farmer's Market, Downtown Madison The Figureheads will perform at 10 a.m.
May 11-12 DHS Trauma-Informed Care Conference Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells
See our online calendar at www.wiaimh.org/calendar.htm for more information and links to other conferences, courses and training sessions.
Newsletter submissions WI-AIMH welcomes submissions for publication in this newsletter. Our staff will review and select articles based on the suitability and timeliness of the subject matter presented. Articles on activities related to infant mental health in various Wisconsin communities, as well as policy updates, especially are welcome. If you have something to contribute, please call (608) 442-0360 or e-mail deana.hipke@cssw.org.
Gifts to WI-AIMH Your continuing support of WI-AIMH’s mission is very much appreciated. Gifts to WI-AIMH are tax-deductible and are welcome at any time. If you would like to contribute, please mail your check to the address below. For more information, contact Therese Ahlers at (608) 442-8036 or e-mail: therese.ahlers@cssw.org.
Support WI-AIMH with your online shopping You can support WI-AIMH whenever you shop at your favorite online stores. When you shop through iGive, our organization will receive up to 26% of each purchase, at no extra cost to you! You can join iGive and support WI-AIMH by clicking on this link: www.iGive.com/WIAIMH.
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Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health 133 S. Butler Street, Suite 340 Madison, WI 53703 608-442-0360 http://www.wiaimh.org
WI-AIMH is a program of Children's Service Society of Wisconsin. |