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Influence of hereditary and environmental factors on the growth and development of a child
Effects of poverty on health
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In early childhood as in infancy, the body and brain develop according to powerful epigenetic forces, biologically driven as well as socially guided, experience-expectant and experience- dependent. Growing patterns in children change dramatically over time. During early childhood, children become slimmer as the lower body lengthens and baby fat turns to muscle. The body mass index also knows as the BMI is lower at age 5 than at any other age in the entire life span (Guillaume & Lissau 2002) BMI, the ratio of weight to height. Gone are the protruding belly, round face, short limb, and large head that characterize the toddler. The center of gravity moves from the breastbone to the belly button, enabling cartwheel, summersaults, balancing acts, …show more content…
Height differences are greater within ethnic groups than between groups, body size especially varied among children of African descent because they are more genetically diverse than people from other continents (Goel et al., 2004). Over the centuries, low income families encourage their children to eat so that they would have a reserve of fat to protect them against famine. Today the poorest nations, malnourished young children are more likely to die young than other children. The malnourished also become less capable adolescent, as shown by a recent study in Ghana. Compared with similar children who were malnourished in early childhood, more of them were depressed, mentally impaired, or both (Appoh, 2004; Appoh & Krekling, …show more content…
The main reason is their high sugar content one of the many other reasons is that some essential nutrients have not yet been identified, much less listed on food labels. This means that eating a wide variety of foods is the only way to make sure that essential vitamins and minerals are being consumed. Oral health also plays a role in too much sugar and too little fiber encourage tooth decay, the most common disease of young children in developed nations.
Brains grow rapidly before birth and throughout infancy by age 2 most neurons are connected to another neurons, and substantial pruning of dendrites, has occurred. The functions of the brain that makes us most human are the ones that develop after infancy, enabling quicker, better-coordinated, and more reflective thought (Kagan & Herschkowitz., 2005). The brain growth that occurs after infancy allows advanced language and social understanding and is crucial difference between humans and other
Many people believe the myth that a baby’s brain is fully formed at birth. However the notion has been uncovered in that last twenty years as false. A baby’s brain continues to form and develop after birth. Inside the human brains are small cell bodies called neurons. Neurons are the operating pieces in the brain. Every neuron is connected to dendrites, or arms. Dendrites connect one neuron to another and can detect chemical signals with a synapse, a part where nerve impulses are broadcasted or accepted. An electrical impul...
The way the young, old, and infants look at things has been the subject of a number of studies for many years. These tendencies are referred to as visual preferences and in infants this study can be referred to as early visual perception. Though interest in the study of visual preferences has declined, significant progress has been made in this field. This study however has been very instrumental in helping scholars understand early childhood development issues. Among these issues is how visual preferences can help infants process the stimuli they come across. The issue of whether or not infants possess visual preference abilities after birth has also shown great interest among scholars. This paper seeks to cut through the arguments and delve into the factual evidence. The paper will consider how infants process as well as respond to visual stimuli in their environment. In addition, the paper seeks to establish how age and experience affects this process. These two factors will help correlate visual preference with cognition and perception in infants. The paper will mostly focus on how infants process stimuli with respect to visual preference.
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
Children in the preschool years go through much physical development and changes. They begin to slim down and get taller. Their proportions change as they go from toddlers to children. They have stronger muscles and bones. During this stage, they have a lot of
While walking through the front gates of County elementary school, you see children of all ages playing while they wait for the school bell to ring. Walking to the classroom that I will be observing you see students with their parent’s line up waiting to get signed in. The students are to be signed in by a parent or guardian for safety precautions, and shows that the child was signed into school. As a visitor, I am to sign myself in, this shows I was in the classroom, at what time was I there, and reason for visiting the classroom.
Poverty is “the inability to acquire enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter” (Gosselin,2009). This social disadvantage limits one’s ability to receive a quality education and it is a constant problem throughout the world accompanied with“deleterious impacts on almost all aspects of family life and outcomes for children”(Ravallion,1992). Poverty is a main factor that affects normal human growth and development in a variety of ways, primarily impacting children’s early development, social behaviour, health, and self worth.
Curriculum is the organized framework that explains the content that children are to learn, the processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals, what teachers do to help children achieve these goals and the context in which teaching and learning occur. The best curriculum for early childhood teacher is developmentally appropriate curriculum that allows teachers to set-up an effective learning environment for children.
From 2007 to 2009 the percent of households that were described as having very low food security jumped from 8.3% up to 10.6%. The households with which the children are growing up in are also having an impact. Roughly 50% of households that were low-income and headed by the female or mother were food insecure. These food insecurities are having severe consequences on child development. This includes the children’s overall physical health and also the children’s ability in school. Children who lived in food insecure houses show physical symptoms occurring such as being more anxious and having stomachaches. Children who are experiencing food insecurity in their lives are showing lower math and reading scores versus children who are not food insecure. Education is crucial for child development and if the child is not getting proper nutrition then they are not going to be able to focus in school and this results in lower
that, in turn, could adversely affect the weight of very young children” (child Trends). Works cited Alaimo, K., Olson, C. M., Frongillo, E. A., & Briefel, R. R. (2001). Food insufficiency, family income, and health in U.S. preschool and school-aged children. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5), 781-786. Bronte-Tinkew, J., Zaslow, M., Capps, R., & Horowitz, A. (2007).
Adults and teachers need to do everything possible to keep physical development from being delayed. Adults can provide children with opportunities to help them in development. By the age of three a child's brain is three quarters of its adult size. From infancy to the age of two development is very rapid (Santrock, 1996). For this reason it is essential for the child to be able to explore their world around them.
Sociocultural is defined as relating to, or involving a combination of social (relating to human society) and cultural (taste in art and manners that are favored by a social group) factors.” (Socialcultural , 2010) You might ask why we are defining these words. It gives a better understanding of Vygotsky beliefs “that children seek out adults for interaction, beginning at birth, and that development occurs through these interactions.” (Morrison, 2009 sec 14.6) I agree that his theory is the best process for learning. Many people feel that social interaction and learning begin at birth, but there have been research conducted that fetus can learn through parental interaction. According to Fetal memory “Prenatal memory may be important for the development of attachment and other maternal recognition. There is much evidence that the fetus learns the speech characteristics of its mother prenatally and prefers its mother's voice to other female voices after birth. It may be that by learning to recognize its mother prenatally the newborn infant has a "familiar" stimulus in its environment after birth to respond to.” (Hepper, 2005, para 18).
Rapid growth of the brain and nervous system continues during the early years of a child’s life, however because of birth defects or health problems some children may be at a risk of cognitive delays. Problems such as Autism, where children may have a difficult time with language skills and sensitivity to touch, behavioral problems, or chemical exposures can all affect a child’s cognitive development. For most children though with a proper diet and plenty of stimulation cognitive abilities will develop rapidly, and by about 7 years ones cognitive skills have become “functionally related to the elements of adult intelligence.”
“Malnourished children are 20% less literate than those with a healthier diet, says UK charity Save the Children” (The Information Daily). When parents become victims of poverty it can have some very unpleasing long and short term effects to their children. Parents in poverty have a lot on their plate and buying the best quality food or affording enough food can be a tumultuous task. Quality nutrition is essential for the development of the brain. At a young age, poor nutrition or not enough nutrition can seriously hinder “the brain 's development, a child’s ability to learn and has a devastating impact on a child’s future”(The Information Daily). “Malnutrition in the early developmental stages of the brain, by restricting the children’s cognitive growth, can lower a child 's IQ has much has 20 points”(The Information Daily). Long term effects of malnutrition leave permanent damage to the brain, however, malnutrition has short term effects as well. Malnourishment can greatly compromise a child’s immune system, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. “Low counts of zinc, iron and vitamin A are commonly associated with weakened immune function” (Orphan Nutrition). A deadly infection can have a huge impact on a poverty stricken family leading to less affordability. Malnutrition negatively affects a student throughout their educational
Preschool programs began in the United States during the first quarter of the twentieth century with the first public preschool opening in 1925 in Chicago at Franklin School. After the 1970s the popularity of preschools increased as women were entering the workforce and people believed that children needed initial skills before they attended elementary school. (“All About Preschools, History…”2).
There are many documented theories about early childhood development, contemporary research still concurs with some of these theories. It suggests, however, that we should be thinking more holistically, taking into consideration; respect for diversity, the wider community and equity, play based curriculums, intentional teaching and ongoing reflective practices when planning for optimal educational experiences for children (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). I acknowledge that ongoing professional learning and reflective practices are a key element of the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009). I accredit working and collaborating with other teachers, families and local communities collectively contribute