Baby & Child Development

Articles from Sarah Parry, a Director of L.I.F.E, a Psychologist and Mummy to one with another on the way!

NB - Sarah is currently on maternity leave.

October 2010 - Transition

Transitions

‘’Nothing endures but change’’- Heraclitus (c.535 BC - 475 BC)

1. A sense of self-esteem and self confidence
2. A belief in one’s own self-efficacy and ability to deal with change and adaptation
3. A repertoire of social problem-solving approaches

May 2010 - Spring Has Sprung, Your Turn Mummy & Daddy! (Early Learning Goal: Communication, Language and Literacy)

We are so very lucky as parents in the UK as we can allow our children to play outdoors without worrying about lizards, snakes, poisonous insects or plants. Whilst hygiene is always important, we can usually treat any nasties found in our gardens with a pack of wet wipes. So why don't more of us spend more time outdoors with our children? Is it down to rain, danger of sunburn, busy lifestyles or simply that we don't know what to do with our children outdoors that doesn't involve swings and slides? I would suspect the latter, but hopefully this article can provide some fun suggestions that you and your child will enjoy.

Positive communication is one of the best gifts you can give your child. Having worked for seven years in Romania with children who receive very little positive communication, I have witnessed the truly awful effects this can have upon a young mind. Poor language acquisition aside, these children develop a poor sense of self, low self-esteem and struggle to convey their thoughts and wishes which leads to huge amounts of frustration and misery and in turn, behavioural challenges. A technique we have used in Romania with these children is called Intensive Interaction, which teaches a person the pre-speech fundamentals of communication. As this technique originally emerged from the Augmented Mothering concept in the 1950s, it remains a very useful technique for use with babies and toddlers. So, how can we apply these theories to playing with our children outdoors? 

• Create a warm welcoming and safe atmosphere to launch succesful communication. When first introducing your little one to the outdoors, try to combine familiarity from indoors with the excitement and newness of the outdoors. For example, depending upon how young your little one is, take out a playmat / activity gym or rug to sit or lie on. You could also take a favourite book or toy, ideally one which relates to something outside. You should also try to sit with your child in a close personal space so that they know you are there to support them through the experience. Maintain eye contact, smile genuinely and constantly talk to your child in a calm and soothing voice so that they know you are enjoying the experience with them.

• Effective communication means there is a two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise between you and your child. All communication is important, including gestures, signing and body language. You can also use imitation to encouge your child. If your child points to something or looks at something, copy them and talk to them about it. If your child makes a particular noise to or about something in the garden, you can try to repeat the noise - smile - and then talk to them about it. This is then a shared piece of communication which will help to develop confidence in verbal communication. E.g. Repeat, expand and encourage more exploration!

You are achieiving several outcomes through this simple exercise:

1. Reinforcement that your child is exploring the outdoor space by joining them in their discovery.

2. Reinforcing verbal communciation  by recognising, repeating and expanding upon their verbal utterance.

3. Explaning this new outdoor world to them in  a familiar way by using names, colours and supporting further exploration.

4. By asking them if they can find a new flower, but offering an alternative outcome by adding "what's over here?", you take away any pressure  to find only a flower and the potential for failure.

• If your child finds a flower, offer extra positive feedback. This response tells the child they have recognised the word "flower" and applied it to the object. Your positivity will encourage them to continue this type of "game" as they are doing well.
• If your child goes to a bush or tree rather than a flower, simply repeat the exercise but using "bush" or "tree". Either way, it is important the child is exploring their envirnoment and experiencing a positive communication with you.

Depending upon the age of your child, you may be able to incorporate a literacy element into this exercise by giving them a word card or a picture and word card and asking them to find objects. A child as young as approximately ten months old mabe able to start relating pictures to real life objects.

Posters, pictures and other resources on display are helpful. They will help children recognise that they are valued. There is a growing body of research to show that childrens' self-esteem, confidence and and sense of security and belonging are enhanced when their picures are put on display and there are family pictures in the home. If posisble, try to find space in your home on which you can stick photos and pictures which remind your child of fun times you have spent together outside.

Some activities you could try with your little one:

• Walk with your child around the garden (carrying them or holding their hand if they are able) and talk to them about what you can both see.
• Take a rug and have a snack or a picnic outside.
• Take some of their toys outside and play as normal so they know that the outdoors is another potential location for fun.
• If possible invite children of a similar age over to play too.
• Once a child s able to toddle, encourage them to water the plants and play with the little children's windmills you can buy for as little as £1. Talk to them about how the wind is moving the windmill and what else the wind can move, etc.
• Even chasing them around the garden and tickling when you catch them can be hours of fun!
• With older children you can develop  an outdoor scrap book of leaf rubbings, drawings or a diary of what they have done. You could also try drying flowers by putting them in a heavy book or showing your child how herbs can grow, smell and be eaten. Treasure hunts and finding games are also fun. A tea party can be great - especially with a couple of biscuits!

The pre-speach fundamentals of communication according to the Intensive Interacion way of working are as follows:

• Learning to give brief attention to another person.
• To share attention with another person.
• Learning to extend those attentions, learning to concentrate on another person.
• Developing shared attention into 'activities'.
• Taking turns in exchanges of behaviour.
• To have fun, to play.
• Using and understanding eye contacts.
• Using and understanding of facial expressions.
• Using and understanding of non-verbal communication such as gesture and body language.
• Learning use and understanding of physical contacts.
• Leaning use and understanding of vocalisations, having your vocalisations become more varied and extensive, then gradually more precise and meaningful.

If you can follow some of the guidance in this article, you will be providing your child with the opportunity to develop these essential skills.

Good things come to those who wait! Children speak when they are ready. You could do everything in your power to teach your child the pre-speech fundamentals, key words and hand signals and they may still talk a little later than some of their peers. Speed is certainly not everything when it comes to language. What is more important is a sound understanding of what communication is for and to use it effectively! Whilst this understanding will develop through practise, it will start through observation. A study at UCLA suggested that up to 93% of communication is non-verbal. Watch your child and try to reach them on their communication level rather than imposing yours, i.e. speak their language! This will lead to a greater mutual understanding of each other, a happier and more confident child and create a solid foundation upon which language an develop. You can find some great communication tips and games to do with your child on the websites below.

If you have any concerns that your child is not developing in this area, you can see a number of helpful tips on the websites below or see your GP and ask for a referral to a Speech and Language Therapist.

Useful websites:

April 2010 - There will be few Mothers and Fathers out there who have not at some point cpome across the Government's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum. Thoughts amongst parents and child care professionals vary enormously with regards to the EYFS. Some say that the system prvides valuable structure and key learning objectives fopr care providers which helps to shape a child's learning and thus could enhance their developmental opportunties. Others would argue however that there should be no learning objectives for children so young, under 5s, and this framework is simply another Governmental interference.

Whatever our personal feelings towards the actual curriculum, I believe it provides a useful framework for us as parents to base our activities on. The Early Learning Goals for children cover the following areas:

1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development

2. Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy

3. Communication, Language and Literacy

4. Knowledge and Understanding of the World

5. Physical Development

6. Creative Development

Through this series of short articles we shall choose one of these learning goals each time and look at how we can help our children develop in this area through fun, play, exploration of their environment and by enjoying strong positive relationships.

I hope you will enjoy some of the ideas we discuss and find them helpful and enjoyable when playing with your little one!

March 2010 - Dear Readers,

My name is Sarah Parry and I am a Director of the not for profit organisation L.I.F.E which supports people through friendship, education and effective therapies. Our volunteers work across Romania, Bulgaria, India and we also have two small projects in the Northwest of England. We are delighted to receive support from DiscoverMe!

As well as coordinating L.I.F.E with two fellow Pyschologists, I have a one year old son and another baby due in August. As a relatively new mum, I have found my background knowledge in child development invaluable and I am very much looking forward to sharing some of my experiences with you.

My interest in what can affect child development and well-being began when I first started working as a volunteer in child centres in Southern Romania in 2003. I worked largely with children who had been abandoned or orphaned. Many of the children had developed signs of institutional autism or behavioural difficulties as a result of their upbringing. I wanted to know the answers to so many questions about them. For instance, as a way of coping in orphanages the children had learnt not to form meaningful relationships. I found this rather surprising as I knew street children often only survive as a direct result of the strong relationships they form with their group members. Whilst I knew some of the knock-on effetcs of maternal deprivation upon the development of meaningful relationships with others, it seemed curious that some of the children had a deep and powerful understanding of the impact good relationships could have and yet they still shied away from them. Over the last seven years I have found the answers to some ofy questions through studying Pyschology at undergraduate level and Mental Health and certain therapies at postgraduate level. These studies combined with frequent trips to Romania and experiences in Bulgaria and India have given me insight into how we can make every day change in our attitudes and behavious to enhance the well-being of our children. Seeing how children can still develop and find ways to cope in the face of extreme adversity is a humbling experience. I have seen how simple games and techniques can be used to significantly help a child develop. I have been lucky enough to find parenthood a wonderfully joyful experience and I have all the children I have worked with to thank for that!