Researc Around the World

From Early Childhood Australia (ECA) website, one current research topic is school readiness and children transition. This is very important because most times, starting school can be stressful for children, the school buildings are bigger, there are more children and the incoming pre-schoolers are the smallest, the classrooms are more formal with more rules they are not familiar with. To make a decision about school readiness, we may consider the following:

Language skills: communication is used to engage with and teach the children. Each child needs to be able to follow instructions and understand what teachers are saying, as well as being able to communicate well with teachers and other students.

Physical well-being: a child who has a disability or a chronic illness may have difficulty with some aspects of schooling. This does not automatically mean they are not ready for school but any physical or functional limitations need to be considered.

Motor co-ordination and skills: children need co-ordination skills to allow them to dress and undress, unwrap lunch, use a pencil and scissors, and participate in other activities that require eye, hand and motor co-ordination.

 Concentration and emotional adjustment: each child needs to be able to socialise and play with his or her classmates. They also need to be able to deal with the structured nature of a more formal learning environment, such as being able to focus on tasks, follow directions and instructions from teachers, cope with transitions, and understand the rules.

Independence: children need a range of skills so that they can cope with minimum adult supervision. This includes going to the toilet by themselves, dressing, and being able to follow a structured classroom routine.

Secondly, one new insight I gained from visiting ECA website is that Researchers in the United States have studied 112 children with the aim to evaluate autistic children over time. Their results have been published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study found that 34 children who were diagnosed with autism in early childhood, no longer functioned with their autistic symptoms in school-age or early adulthood. Improvements were made in their language, face recognition and social interaction, though repetitive behaviours were still recorded. However, experts have cautioned that results of this study cannot conclude any ‘cure’ for autism and further research is needed.

 

Research that Benefits Children and Families - Uplifting stories

                                                   

My heart goes out to parents that are struggling with any kind of developmental disorder in their child. I am concerned about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Autistics Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ADD is a general term normally used in describing individuals that have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder without the hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. The terms ADD and ADHD are often used interchangeably for both those who do and those who do not have symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorder). These individuals may have trouble paying attention, finishing tasks, or following directions. They may also easily become distracted; appear forgetful, careless and disorganized; and frequently lose things (Berger 2009, p. 328).  ASD is used to describe any of several disorders characterized by inadequate social skills, impaired communication and unusual play (Berger 2009, p. 328).  Many experts and parents believe that artificial colors and preservatives in food make the symptoms worse. The treatment for these conditions is usually medication plus psychotherapy (Berger 2009, p. 328). The medications usually come with side effects and there seems to be so much frustration on affected parties in keeping up with the routine. Berger (2009) reported that about 10% of all children have ADD.

If  I have the knowledge and the means, I will carry out research on possible causes of these disorders and generate alternative ways of treatment that will not be too demanding on both the children and parents. Understanding the causes and broadcasting the knowledge will stop the increase of children with this condition. The alternative treatment will also guide parents and children in helping the ADD, ADHD and ASD children deal with the frustration involved in their daily lives.  

 References

Dell, E. Y., & Shultz, S. M. (2009). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Has diet therapy taken a place at the table?. Journal Of Consumer Health On The Internet, 13(1), 93-102. doi:10.1080/15398280802675088

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth

Edition, Text Revision) DSM-IV. Washington, D.C. 2000.

Russell A. Barkley, PhD. Taking Charge of ADHD. Guilford Press. 2005

 

My personal research journey

 












During my Early Childhood Development course, I went to a school for an observation assignment. I met a six years old child that would not join others to play during break. When I asked him why he was not playing, he told me that play is for unserious children, that his parents told him not to play in school and his teacher confirmed his story. The teacher explained that he scores high in academic works but can hardly relate with his peers, does not function effectively in school’s social activities. This got me thinking about other parents I see that stops children as young as toddler stage from playing. In fact one of my friends boldly told me that her toddler girl will be a failure academically if she continues playing freely instead of learning letters now.

The general topic I will like to look at is Early Childhood Development in areas of social development and language development. I will like to look at the impact and influence of play on social development of children. Another issue that bothers me is how parents and children of expatriate communities manage language development and adjustment. I am an expatriate in South East Asia where I have noticed that many children have to deal with three languages in their daily lives. The official language of the country (Brunei Darussalam) is Malay, the communication language of the international schools that serve the expatriate children is English and many of the children from different nationalities come with their mother tongues. I will like to research on how to help children, parents and workers adjust to this complex situation. Hence my two subtopics are:

1.      Correlation between play and social development among pre-schoolers.

2.      Ways to foster bilingual children to learn English as the international language while maintaining their mother tongue amongst expatriate children.

I have a commitment to influence the world of children positively but I understand that I can only succeed via collaboration. Therefore, I am completely open to any insight, ideas, resources, feedbacks and suggestions to my topics. Any kind of support will be appreciated.