Viewing a child holistically

When considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically a child’s physical health should be assessed. Physical health is an important factor that can either hinder or help a child’s learning ability. An impediment to a concentration in learning can be low self esteem. An example of low self esteem linked to a health problem can be obesity. Students who suffer from low self esteem are not able to concentrate because they feel judged, underappreciated, and most likely not competent enough. Being obese for a child also means that they have to take on the emotional stress of being bullied or not accepted by their peers. A child who is malnourished may also be physically unfit to concentrate in class.

Another issue that should be assessed is the development of the brain while the child is growing. The maturing corpus callosum connects the two hemispheres of the brain. The prefrontal cortex part of the brain is responsible for planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Because these developments continue through middle childhood, it is imperative to keep monitoring the child. Part of the monitoring includes advances in reaction time, attention, and at the ways to measure brain activity. These measurements embrace tests of aptitude and achievement that point toward whether a child is developing as projected (Berger, 2009).

There are many issues besides obesity and brain development that affect a child’s learning process. While researching other countries, I found out that in South Korea, children are not assessed often enough for serious disorders that affect the child’s learning process such as Autism (Johnson, 2011). As a result of this, many children are under diagnosed and children as well as parents are not well informed or educated on the subject. A survey that was taken in the city of Seoul showed that only 65% of parents returned a questionnaire used as a screening tool. My opinion is that children issues need more advocacies in the United States as well as other parts of the world. Parents need to be educated and know that simply reprimanding their child for not having good grades is not beneficial. Being professionals in the childhood field we owe it to every child in the world to stay informed and abreast new research and statistics that can help us help them. Staying updated in all aspects of assessing a child can help us not become obsolete as teachers but stay informed on new assessment tools being used and new techniques to implement.

Reference:

Johnson, Carla. (2011). Autism Study in South Korea Finds Rate than Previous U.S. Estimate. The Internet Newspaper: News, Blogs, Videos, Community. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/autism-study-south-korea_n_859231.html

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Poverty and Child Development

The skills we acquire everyday play a substantial part in our personal and professional development. Sometimes it may be hard to comprehend but all experiences enrich us with knowledge and skills we can use later on. Through formal and informal learning I believe I posse’s skills that are very helpful and will place me in a path to help other individuals. It is my vision to never stop learning and become more efficient at what I do every day.

I grew up being poor to a certain extent. Although I always had food on the table I did not have all the privileges that are commonly associated with a bountiful childhood. Every summer my family would migrate to other states to pick crops. I first entered the work force at the age of nine. At that young age, my job consisted of walking behind the adults carrying a jug of water while they worked under the very hot Texas sun. At the age of 11, I joined the adults and also weeded the cotton fields just like them. When I was around thirteen years old, we migrated to Minnesota in the summer and worked the fields over there. The Minnesota days were longer and I remember working 12 hour days. The only advantage was that in Minnesota, it wasn’t as hot as it was in Texas. Working at an early age helped me build a strong character and believe in myself. It also taught me to give 100% in everything I do no matter what the task is. Because my father always told me I was a very talented person, I felt like I had the most important job in the world. This helped me become a secure and determined individual.

Maybe for someone that has not been through my experience, this will be difficult to understand. Growing up like that, I learned to be grateful for my parents and also value education. My parents never had an education and that is why they struggled in life. Although I never complained for helping them, I always knew I wanted something better for my children. Working for very little money at an early age made me realize the value of money. I was not the child that was spoiled with expensive toys, so I had to use my creativity.

Since my parents could never afford the big Barbie house, I would build my own houses out of twigs and anything I would find. The toys that I always had were pencil and paper. As a result of this, I spent many hours fantasizing and writing about different stories. I also became a good drawer. My skills are valuable when working with low income children because I can relate to their stories and understand. Maybe someday these skills will come in handy when I help a child .

Programs to aid poverty children in the USA

Project LAUNCH is a part of a grant that was implemented in the USA to serve families with children prenatally through age 8 and promote health, wellness, and positive child development by involving the family.

I was a community health worker for Project L.A.U.N.C.H (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). LAUNCH is a program that focuses on the development of the early childhood social and emotional health .As part of the program I was responsible for preparing and giving community presentations. This was done by presenting information to parents in their homes or at school to reflect health and wellness for families of children ages 0 to 8. The information presented was consistent and non-judgmental way that each participant’s level of understanding was taken into consideration. My responsibilities also included providing linkage of services to other agencies and co facilitating parenting classes. Most of these parents had a yearly income of $9,000 as a maximum. The poverty that you see in schools around that area is very sad and the children lack most resources that other schools take for granted. By educating the parents I was able to make them aware that there are programs out there to help their children. The problem was that most of these parents are illegal immigrants with children who were born in the United States and is hard for them to understand their children have rights. T he area that was targeted was the 79902 zip code commonly known as “segundo barrio” or second ward which was at some point the zip code with the lowest income median in the whole United States. The program’s goal is to increase the ratio of children who are sent to preschool and get them ready for that.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding refers to the feeding of an infant with  milk that comes directly from mother's breast.Thanks to the babies sucking reflex, they are able to suck the breast and swallow the milk. Breastfeeding is recommended for a minimum of the baby’s first 6 months of life. While this is going on, the baby does not need solid foods or infant formula. Although the mother’s milk is the healthiest milk the baby can get , mothers should refrain from breastfeeding when they are taking certain medications or are exposed to transmittable diseases which may be passed on to the baby. Below are some of the multiple benefits associated with breastfeeding for both mother and child.

Health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers include:

1. Lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

2. Lower risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures

3. Helps mother to maintain a balanced weight ( breastfeeding naturally uses approximately 500 calories a day)

Health benefits of breastfed babies include a lower risk of:

1. Developing eczema, asthma and other allergies 2. Getting ear and chest infections, enteritis and tummy bugs 3. Being fussy about new foods 4. Being constipated 5. Urinary infections 6. Being obese and developing conditions such diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, when they are older 7. Sudden infant death syndrome 8. Dental caries, jaw and teeth deformity (malocclusion) Source: www.breastfeeding.com/

In Mexico, women's decisions regarding infant feeding are greatly influenced by customs and culture. An example would be doctors facing difficulties due to mother’s refusal to eat typical everyday foods because they consider these harmful, although these have an unquestionable nutritional value. According to the Mexican custom, the mother should be cautious around foods which are considered “cold” such as fruits and vegetables. The consumption of hot foods is encouraged and is perceived as being healthy. These beliefs can be traced from the Nahuatl perspective of the hot/cold theory. The theory states that coolness comes from water while heat comes from the sun or the energy generated into plants and animals. Some of the foods considered to be cold are juicy fruits, poultry, corn, and beans. Red meats, onions, and aromatic beverages are considered hot. Because of this, it is crucial for health professionals to promote the benefits and importance of a healthy and balanced diet. Although I am Mexican, I have been raised in the United States all of my life and this surprised me. I was not aware these customs existed in Mexico. It is also important for doctors and nurses to take into consideration the mother’s culture and be aware of their beliefs.

References

Food Taboos among Nursing Mothers of Mexico, J HEALTH POPUL NUTR 2003 Jun;21(2):142-149 © 2003 ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research

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