Saturday, May 19, 2007

Work Seminar

I attended a work seminar today..

.. it was a big deal.. held at a city hospital and telelinked to other cities/towns in Qld.. the topic was Child development and events and circumstances that impact on children ..i put my hand up to attend because i thought it would provide insight with my work in child protection was so insightful..

everyone can benefit from the knowledge i received today ..i'd like to share some of the seminar with you because i think its reinforcing info for all parents ..firstly, i was amazed to hear (and its common sense on some level), that the whole "nurture or nature debate" is now outdated..

its pretty much acknowledged that you cant have nature without nurture impacting.. ..for example : the way a baby grows during pregnancy so affected significantly by the mother's diet and family circumstances.. and its not just economical.. its also emotional.. if a mother is stressed during pregnancy, due to domestic violence for example, then that has a direct impact on the developing feotus.. so nature is directly involved with nurture... that made alot of sense.. i hadnt thought about it b4, in those terms..

..the next amazing factor.. this environmental impact continues after the child is born.. and that the brain is still developing up to 2 years after birth.. so that family discord and violence continues to have an impact on a baby.. ..or the reverse, harmony and attentiveness have a postive impact..

..and its not just the impact of trauma and stress.. but that the brain and emotional development is stilted if a child is not in a healthy environment.. while a warm bed, nurturing routines and cuddles may seem like valuable components in early childhood, is actually more basic than that.. a nurturing environment is a vital component for a new baby....

attachment to a primary care giver is not only desireable but necessary to healthy, optimum development... ..i also learnt that the older a child is, when that nurturing environment is introduced, the less influence it will have in the development of the child.. b4 2 years.. there is alot of room to enhance development.. over 8 years, minimal impact will be achieved..

..another interesting fact.. that about 50% of kids who have ADHD.. will eventually have adult indicators of the disorder.. the adult indicators are not the same as those that are displayed in children.. they can be, the inability to hold down a job, aggressive behaviour, inability to be consistant and reliable in all areas of life.. ..some of those ppl that we know, that we believe are just irresponsible.. maybe they are just undiagnosed sufferers.. it makes you think.. we are indeed complex beings...

for me.. i have some new insights for working with kids.. and parents..

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