Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

What do children need?

Above everything else children need to have a safe and secure home.

This home should be free of violence, and contain parents or caregivers that do everything they can to love and protect these children.  Children require a sense of stability and routine. The home must be their safe place so they develop a sense of trust that when things feel uncomfortable in the outside world, home is a place of comfort and their sanctuary.

Infants and small children who are exposed to violence in the home experience so much added emotional stress that it can harm the development of their brains and impair cognitive and sensory growth.

James, M., Domestic

Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention’, Issues in Child Abuse Prevention, 1994.

“Jane” a 24 year old college student grew up in a home with a significant amount of violence that took place between her parents. Jane’s father was an alcoholic. He was verbally and physically abusive to her mother. At the age of 14, Jane’s mother was able to find the courage to leave the abusive situation and take the children to a shelter.

As an adult, Jane has advocated for ongoing services must be provided to adults and children that have been victims of domestic violence.  Resources must be easily accessible for families to find safe housing and access to health care for the children.

Children must have a clear understanding hat domestic violence is wrong. They must be provided with the opportunity to see alternative positive adult influences and role models in order to develop with minimal stress and hope for a positive outlook toward the future.

There is a common link between domestic violence and child abuse. Among victims of child abuse, 40 per cent report domestic violence in the home. (Rodgers, K. ‘Wife assault: the findings of a national survey’. Juristat Service Bulletin, 1994, 14:1-22, cited in World Health Organization, ‘World Report on Violence and Health’, ed. by Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002.)

Fostering Language Development

What is language development? Machado (1985) defines language as “a system of intentional communication through sounds, signs (gestures), or symbols which are understandable to others.”

Language involves both listening to others and speaking. It serves as the foundation for most other types of learning.

STAGES OF LANGUAGE

DEVELOPMENT

Children pass through many stages as they acquire language skills. The stages below show a typical way the skills progress, but the pattern of growth varies from child to child (Corporation for National Service [CNS], U.S. Department of Education, & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1997).

• Newborn: Responds to voices and other
sounds by crying, cooing, or smiling.
• Three to Eight Months: Plays with sounds
and babbles to self and others. Waves arms and
kicks to show feelings.
• Eight to Twelve Months: Understands
and responds to simple words and gestures.
Recognizes parents and caregivers and turns to
their voices or on hearing their names spoken.
• Twelve to Eighteen Months: Begins to
say words and to follow very simple directions.
Recognizes own name. Jabbers with strings of
syllables that sound like sentences.
• Eighteen to Twenty-Four Months:Makes two-word sentences. Imitates adult words
and gestures. Asks and answers simple questions.
The way you promote language development must
take into account the developmental level of the child.

The Importance of Childhood Nutrition

Research conducted by Children’s HealthWatch and reported on by Feeding America [Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on Our Nation] finds strong ties to nutrition and overall health and well-being:

• Food-insecure children are 90% more likely to have their overall health reported as “fair/poor” rather than “excellent/good” than kids from food-secure homes.
• Food insecurity is linked to increased hospitalizations, developmental problems, headaches, stomachaches and even colds.
• When children eat breakfast, they tend to consume more nutrients and experience lower obesity rates.
• Hunger in childhood has been linked to significant health problems in adulthood.

Well-fed kids tend to be healthier overall:

• Healthier Overall: Food-insecure kids are 90% more likely to have their overall health reported as “fair/poor” rather than “excellent/good” than kids from food secure homes. [Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on Our Nation]
• More Vitamins: Children who consume breakfast at school tend to have significantly higher daily intakes of energy and protein and are more likely to obtain two-thirds of the RDA for vitamins A, E, D, and B6, as well as other minerals, than children who did not eat school breakfast. [National Institutes of Health (NIH)]

• Have Fewer Developmental Problems: Young children from food-insecure households are two-thirds more likely to be at risk of developmental problems than those from households with enough to eat. [National Institutes of Health (NIH)]
• Have Lower Obesity Rates: Girls from food-insecure households are significantly less likely to become overweight (68 percent) if they participate in federal nutrition programs like the school lunch and breakfast programs. [American Medical Association (AMA)]

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