Child Development and Public Health

I chose the topic of SIDS because it seems to be a hot topic and one that is still unresolved.  Since I work one on one with child care providers we try and educate and pass on any new information that comes out on the topic.  We also bring speakers in to speak about it.

I looked at SIDS (also called cot death or crib death) around the world and found that New Zealand had the highest incidence while Asia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland have fewer cases.  In the Netherlands in 1971, two pediatricians at a conference presented the benefits of prone sleeping positions for babies.  Mothers then switched from their traditional habit of putting babies to sleep on their backs and by 1986 the cot death rate (which had been very low) had tripled.  Yet it was the Netherlands that started the first 'back to sleep' campaign in 1989, and their Sudden Infant Death rate fell by 40 percent.

In New Zealand some research suggests that the reason for cot death is extremely toxic nerve gases that form a certain fungi that gets into the mattress.  Other researchers dispute this view, however, after they implimented matress wrapping where a thin plastic coating is wrapped around the matress, rates have fallen 48 percent.  In conclusion, it appears that there are many views out there about the causes but nothing definite.  I say if what other countries are doing is working to lower incidence then keep doing it.

When I Think of Child Development.....

The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."       Montessori

"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world".     Maria Montessori 

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men".     Frederick Douglass

Testing for Intelligence?

On the subject of viewing children holistically I believe that tests should cover much more than acedamic skills such as reading and mathematics.  Children have many learning styles and they should all be included in intelligence tests.  If a child learns through hands on experiences and seeing, then expecting that child to listen to instructions without giving concrete handson relationships is not teaching to the whole child and test results will be inaccurate for these children.   

Studies have shown that traditional "IQ" tests work well at predicting academic success but fall short of testing children's "emotional intelligence".  These predictions of success may not only be wrong, but they may create inaccurate expectations for children and their parents.  Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman offers a new concept not only for predicting school success, but future life success.  He suggests that a number of ingredients add up to good "emotional intelligence," including self-control or impulse control, the ability to motivate one's self, persistence, optimism, self-umderstanding, empathy, the art of listening to others.  He feels that children with superior cognitive skills do not always live up to their promise because they do not always possess solid emotional intelligence (Brodkin, A,M. 2010). 

I looked at Europe, specifically Switzerland, to see how children were assessed and found that special agencies in each of the Swiss Cantons were responsible for the investigatory procedures.  The special education needs are mostly identified by medical doctors and early intervention specialists including school psychologists but the final decision is made by the school administrative board.  There is no standard instrument available at this time but orientation on ICF is under discussion. 

I found my research on intelligence testing very informative.  My youngest son has just been tested for the "gifted" program.  Before this assignment I had very little knowledge on the way he was tested, as to whether or not he was tested with the whole child in mind.  I will be a more active participant in his education plan because of this new knowledge I have aquired.

References:
www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea500.htm
Brodkin, Adele.  Scholastic Parents. using your head and your heart 
www.who.int/classifications/icf/en