Sharing Web Resources

In viewing the website of The Institute for Attachment & Child Development I really have a desire to learn more about the disorder of attachment. Therefore the section on “symptoms of attachment disorder in a child” seem very interesting seeing that my professional development is about the overall well-being of the children. Within this section it gave many examples of attachment disorders in children, such as “does not trust adults in authority, manipulative and hostile, no empathy, remorse, conscience, or compassion for others, also resists guidance and nurturing”, just to name a few examples. After reading this information it made me think how so many children in our care that could be missed diagnosed if not seen by professionals qualified within that specific field. Sometimes we may look at children as having a behavior problem but indeed it could be a totally separated issue that has been developing from birth, such as attachment disorder for instance. This really made me think not to be quick to think I know what a child is going through when I have not been through it myself or have the professional qualifications to understand or diagnose without the proper training.

The Institute for Attachment & Child Development explains that “because the behavior of children with attachment disorder* often appears similar to (and is often misdiagnosed as) conduct disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder, and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it is important to be able to distinguish those children whose behavior problems indicate the presence of attachment disorder from those who have other disorders. Up until February 1997, the primary tool used to assess and diagnose attachment disorder has been the Symptom Checklist, developed at Evergreen Consultants, or one of its variations. The Checklist was developed to describe the symptoms that therapists had observed when treating children with attachment disorder. However, no research had ever been conducted to determine the reliability or validity of The Symptoms Checklist, and its items. The Randolph Attachment Disorder Questionnaire, (RADQ) was designed to be used by psychotherapists and school personnel to assist in identifying and diagnosing attachment disorder in children between the ages of 5 and 18 years. It can be routinely used as a screening tool to identify whether or not the behavior problems a child has are consistent with the presence of attachment disorder. Dr. Randolph and The Institute for Attachment & Child Development are committed to further research to validate the Attachment Disorder Diagnosis and its treatment. The Scoring Manual and Scoring Sheets can be ordered through the Institute for Attachment & Child Development”. (RADQ, 2013).

The Institute for Attachment & Child Development Resource Library. Reactive Attachment Disorder | Randolph Attachment Disorder Questionnaire (RADQ). (2013). Retrieved from

http://instituteforattachment.org/randolph-attachment-disorder-questionnaire-radq/

 

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

In looking through this website on the “Causes of Poverty” I found a host of information and important facts that I wanted to share with everyone.

• Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
• The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
• 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).

Also another article on this website stated that one cause of poverty is that many people are powerless and that the rich and wealthy are the ones that make or break certain policies that put people in some situation that they may not be able to get themselves out of. Also throughout this website there are 14 articles on “Causes of Poverty” and 6 related issues to poverty that I feel are worth looking at. Such as information on how some 21,000 children die every day around the world.

That is equivalent to:

• 1 child dying every 4 seconds
• 14 children dying every minute
• A 2011 Libya conflict-scale death toll every day
• A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring every 10 days
• A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring every 11 days
• An Iraq-scale death toll every 19–46 days
• Just under 7.6 million children dying every year
• Some 92 million children dying between 2000 and 2010

 

Global Issues: Causes of Poverty

by Anup Shah

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty

This Page Last Updated Sunday, March 24, 2013

Sharing Web Resources

The organization I chose to do research on was the Institute for Attachment & Child Development. What is Attachment Disorder?  http://www.instituteforattachment.org/

One of this organization’s focus is on attachment disorders in children. The organizations states that “attachment disorder is the inability to form loving and lasting relationships, to give or receive love or affection, form a conscience, or trust others. Attachment difficulties are on a continuum of disturbance that range from attachment issues all the way to attachment disorder.
Attachment disorder falls under many names and categories.  In children, these names include: Reactive attachment disorder or RAD; Oppositional defiant disorder; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Childhood trauma, and Pervasive development delay or PDD” (Institute for Attachment & Child Development, 2014). The organization also gave some great examples of why some children do not form attachment within the first three years of their lives. The examples they provide were;

ü  Abuse
ü  Neglect
ü  Abandonment
ü  Multiple changes in caregivers
ü  Foster care
ü  Adoption
ü  Painful illness
ü  Exposure to alcohol/drugs in utero
ü  Maternal depression
ü  Inconsistent daycare
ü  Loss of a parent due to death or divorce
ü  Emotionally distant parents

In reading through these example I found them to be very interesting but it seem as though one example could be missing from this list. I truly thought culture background would have been in this group of examples through understanding that each individual culture may have their own specific ways of displaying what is consider acceptable attachment to children within their own culture. Whereas some others may view their ways as unacceptable and view these children as having a form of attachment from the list provided above if those evaluating young children having no background information or history on the cultures upbringing.   

 

 

 

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

In my attempt to contact with someone I am still awaiting to hear back. I understand that organizations can be very busy and it may take time for them to get back with me. However I feel if I have not heard back from them by mid-week of next week I will re-send my emails and continue my search. The contacts I attempted to contact were;

South Africa

The National Early Childhood Development Alliance.

Europe

Belarus
Belorussian Parents' and Teachers' League "Step by Step"

Germany
German National Committee for Early Childhood Education

However in part 2 of the assignment I explored;

Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now28067
(Newsletter: http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_alerts.aspx )

“These providers visit the homes of vulnerable families regularly (generally once or twice a month) from the time a mother is pregnant through the first few years of the child’s life. During this critical developmental period, parents receive support and knowledge about how to provide a safe and stimulating environment as well as information about how children grow and learn. In this voluntary program, motivated parents learn how to be successful in their new role. Children get off to a better, healthier start with parents who have the skills needed to raise them”.

I believe this is what is really needed for new parents, and some parents with children but no family support or experience. Also through this program children and their families are said to be more ready for starting school.

These are some other sites that I found to be interesting as well.

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
http://www.naccrra.org/
(Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )

 

"My Supports"

 

 

 

In thinking about the support I receive daily within my environment I would have to say the use of my car is very supportive within my life. In thinking about how I could have used all the many people in my life that are very supportive I decided to use my car instead because I feel I sometimes take having a car for granted, not realizing that having a car is very important to meeting my daily needs. Although it is a material thing it provides me with the support I need to do daily task. Through transportation I can go to work everyday and do the job I love as well as help provide for my family. I can even take my son to activities he have on certain days. Also by having means of transportation I can stop at the store and buy food to keep us healthy, and have a place to put it to help me transport it home without any difficulties.

Living in an area that do not supply bus transportation would be very difficult for me to get to work each day to provide for my family. Without having my own transportation I would have to emotionally, and physically rely on others to take me back and forward to work each day and other task that I may have to do daily through the use of a vehicle. However seeing that I do not have a lot of family members in the state I live in, and those that do live in my state live at least an hour away it would be very difficult to get the support I needed. Therefore if I no longer had transportation to commute back and forward each day I could no longer pay the bills it takes to run a home, and I could eventually loose my home by having no income to pay for all these things that I need to supply through the use of a car.



"My Connection To Play"

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.”

Mr. Rogers

“Play is the highest form of research.”

Albert Einstein

   

         

  



When playing as a child I was encourage to go outside and play my own way. Growing up I had plenty of opportunities to go out and play with old friends, and meet new friends. I could not sit in the house and say there was nothing to do, because the response to that was go outside and find some one to play with. Also it did not matter what season it was when it came to play. My parents believed that fresh air was what I needed to explore, grow, and be healthy. As a result I still love being outdoors.

Play today is different than when I was young. Most children today are not encouraged to go out and play by their parents. Then you have children that can not play freely because they do not have a safe environment to play in. On the other hand you have some children who do not want to go out and play. These children and some of their parents believe play is being connected to a game system or some other type of technology that do most of the thinking for their child. This could explain why some children enter preschool not knowing how to socialize or pretend while playing. Therefore my hope for children today is that parents encourage their children to get out and experience nature or take them to an environment that is set up for children to play freely in order that they can learn to play, and interact with other children.

I believe by being encouraged to go outside, and play to meet other children, it guided me with the tools of socializing, and using my imagination through pretend play. Moreover I believe free play as a child gave me the confidence in adulthood to meet new people and share in their interest of trying new things.

Relationship Reflection

I value the relationships I have formed over the years in my life. Strong relationships are very important to me because the relationships in my life is what keeps me going daily. The special people in my life make me feel as though I am valued and important to them as well. Being valued also makes me feel that if I were not in their life or they in mind, life would not be the same. Whether am having a good day or a bad day, or may not feel like being bothered, there is all ways someone their to pick me up or just to listen. That is what real relationships are about.

The first person I have a positive relationship with is God. To me he is very real and make life worth living. In this relationship I can talk with him, day or night and he never get tired of listening or fall asleep. God has all ways shared my happiness and my pain through out my life.

 

My second best relationship would be my mother. She is my rock. I value this relationship because I watched my mother go through so much in her life and still stayed strong. In my life I watched my mom loose her mother. After 42 years of marriage my mom lost her best friend, my dad, and then over time three of her eight children and still stay strong. But that's not all, my mom had a brain tumor removed and again still stayed strong. In this loveable relationship my mom taught me how to face life as it is dealt to you by just staying strong. Today my mom is 88 years old and doing fine. Even now I hope to be as strong as my mom each and everyday.

Third, I have to say my two daughters. Even though our relationships are mother and daughters we can not go a day with out checking in if only for a moment to say “I love you”. My relationships with my daughters are special because they are married with their own families but we value each others opinion on matters. Therefore in our relationship we never seem to cross the line when it comes to respecting each others beliefs.

Lastly I have my best friend that I have not seen in over a year because we live in different states. However we speak regularly over the phone. I have known her since we were in seventh grade. We have went through good times and bad times. When we were younger we have been upset with each other, and cried and made up like nothing ever happen. In this relationship it seems like she is a sister more than a best friend. We have that bond where we can let each other know when we are wrong or when we are right. Either way we respect what each other has to say with out getting upset.

In maintaining my relationship with God, all I have to do is have faith that his word is true and believe that I am made in his image, therefore, I am special. Whereas maintaining my relationships with my mother, daughters and best friend, it is all about respect and valuing each ones opinion. Knowing that we are all human and we are capable of making mistakes, and by being willing to forgive each other makes our relationships grow deeper. Also in maintaining these relationships one must know where ones place is with in the relationship.

However there can be challenges in developing and keep relationships and I have had my share. I have found that you give all relationships a try. You try to find the best in everyone you meet. On the other hand, relationships that take a way your focus in life or put unneeded stress on you, these relationships are not worth keeping.

I believe that through these positive relationships and maintaining them in my life has taught me how to build and maintain positive relationships with parents, families and their children with in my early childhood profession. I never gave it much thought, but over the years of building relationships has set me up for understanding others and knowing how to respect people for who they are, as well as value their opinion.