DEFINING THE YOUNG CHILD The Whole Child Each child is unique, the sum total of a multitude of parts, and, as such, is different from anyone else. Individual natures and learning styles affect the way teachers will teach each any two children of the same age in the same class. Growth is Interrelated One area of development affects the other. Physical development affects how children feel about themselves. Intellectual skills interact with language development and creativity. The fine motor skills enhance the cognitive task of learning the alphabet. Physical development affects the language part of growth. Social- Emotional development affects physical & intellectual development. Valuing Wholeness The cooncept of the whole child strongly suggest the uniqueness of the person. Although they are often discussed separetly, the areas of development (socialemotional, physical, language, cultural awareness, intellectual and creative) cannot be isolated from one another. They each make a valuable contribution to the child. How Children are Alike The similarities of many children in a class are striking. Observation of children- how they look and how they act helps a teacher see each child as an individual. At the same time there is enough standard behavior appropriate to certain age levels that allows for some generalizations about children’ behavior. 3 Universal Characteristics That Unite Children Caldwell (1993) 1. 2. 3. They all have the same needs, the most important of which are food, shelter, and care. They all go through the same developmental stages. They all have the same developmental goals, although the timing and the cultural influences will differ. The Value of Word Pictures WORD PICTURES - is a teaching tool that helps identify the developmental strengths and weaknesses in early life of a child - use to screen developmental delays and eligibility for SPED The value of word pictures In Behavior and Guidance Word pictures of a child taken from agelevel charts help teachers know what to expect and when to expect it. By using the charts as reference, teachers lessen the risk of expecting too much and too little of children at any given age. The value of word pictures In Curriculum Word pictures can be used to tailor curriculum planning to an individual child or particular class or group on the basis of known developmental standards. The value of word pictures In Cultural Awareness Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) point out that children become aware of and form attitudes about racial and cultural differences at a very early age. Their experiences with their bodies, social environment , and cognitive development combine to help them form their own identity and attitudes. Using Word Pictures Age- level charts describe common behaviors and characteristics in the course of normal development. When used appropriately, Word pictures can be a valuable teaching tool. Six Developmental Areas Social-Emotional Development -this includes a child’s relationship with himself and others, self concept, self-esteem and the ability to express feelings. Six Developmental Areas Language Development -this includes a child’s utterances, pronunciation, vocabulary and sentence length as well as the ability to express ideas, needs and feelings. Six Developmental Areas Physical - Motor Development -this includes gross motor, fine motor, and perceptual motor development. Six Developmental Areas Cognitive Development -this includes curiosity, the ability to perceive and think, memory, attention span, general knowledge, problem solving, analytical thinking, beginning reading, computing skills, & other cognitive processes. • Six Developmental Areas Cultural Identity Development -this suggests the interconnections between developmental stages and a growing awareness of one’s attitudes toward others of differing cultures. • Six Developmental Areas Creative Development - This includes creative activities such as movement, dance, music, and painting, as well as originality, imagination, divergent thinking & problem solving. • How Word Pictures Help Teachers Critical issues that teachers address when planning for group of children. 1 2 3 Behaviors most common to the age group Those that have implicationss for children in group settings Those that suggest guidance & disciplinary measures 4 5 Those that are curtural milestones, which are highlighted by an asterisk to suggest the interaction of children’s development and their awareness of attitudes toward race and culture. Those that have implicationss for planning & developmentaly appropriate curriculum Word Pictures Guidelines for using Word Pictures 1) Balance your impression of the Word Pictures with your own experiences with children. 2) Make a profile of the whole child and resist the tendency to categorize or stereotype. 3) Get perspective on the range of developmental norms a child exhibits over time. 4) Remember that these norms of development refer to average or typical behavior. 5) Keep in mind that children go through most of the stages described and in the same sequence, but they will do so at their own rates of growth. 6) Focus on what the child can do rather than on what he or she cannot do. Use the characteristics to compare the child’s own rate of growth. How Children Differ Developmental Differences Each child has an inner timetable that is unique, which means that each child is ready to learn according to his or her maturation process. This readiness factor is to be respected and may or may not coincide with the rest of the children in the class. This is what makes teaching exciting and challenging. How Children Differ Other Factors Genetic Makeup - Each child has a unique combination of genes that determine eye and hair color, height, body shape, personality traits, and intelligence. Certain diseases, such as Tay Sachs, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia, are linked through heredity (Berk, 2009). Environment - Genetics (nature) may account for some of the differences among children but not all. The environment (nurture) has great impact throughout development. Gender and Race Differences - Girls and boys differ in both the rate and the pattern of growth, especially during adolescence. Ethnic variations in growth are common. African American and Asian American children seem to mature faster than do North American Caucasian children (Berk, 2009). How Children Differ Learning Styles Children exhibit a number of different approaches to learning that must be accounted for when planning programs. Visual Learner Auditory Learner Tactile Learner Planning for Developmental Differences • • • The following are some strategies for how to plan for these types of variations: Plan individual and group activities according to the age level of the class, considering the behavior patterns and learning styles that exist. Plan for all age levels with the understanding and appreciation of the variations within a one-year age span. Know the individual children, their strengths, and their challenges by observing their growth. …Planning for Developmental Differences • • Plan around the known similarities, the developmental tasks, and ageappropriate behavior common to that group of children, including those with special needs. Set group and activity goals based on the general characteristics of the age group, but change the goals as needed. Modify activities to make them more accessible or appropriate for children with special needs. Children with Special Needs Children with Exceptionalities Individuals whose physical, behavioral, or cognitive performance is so different from the norm that additional service meet the individual needs. Special needs - includes a great many conditions that may or may not be noticeable. Allen and Cowdery (2009) suggest three conditions under which a child is considered exceptional: A child’s normal growth and development is (1) delayed; (2) distorted, atypical, or abnormal; or (3) severely or negatively affected. This definition includes the physical, mental, emotional, and social areas of development. In the course of normal development, any one area of a child’s growth is affected by the development of the whole child, and this holds true for children who do not develop according to the norms. Any single exceptionality may lead to other multi-handicapping conditions: ■ A child with a profound hearing loss is often delayed in speech production or language abilities and suffers social isolation due to the inability to hear and speak with peers. ■ A child with a speech impairment or cleft palate may have the intellectual capacity to put simple puzzles together but may not yet have the language to engage verbally in songs and finger play. ■ A child with Down syndrome may have congenital heart defects, intellectual impairments, eye abnormalities, or poor physical coordination. ■ Children who have cerebral palsy, a central nervous system disorder, often have other exceptionalities, such as intellectual delays, epilepsy, and hearing, visual, and speech problems (Kiernan, et al). Learning Disabilities Children with learning disabilities are found in almost every classroom; they have no discernable condition but, nevertheless, are having problems with one or more basic skills or learning. Dyslexia, the most common specific learning disability, occurs when children have difficulty in learning to read. They may reverse letters (such as d and b) or words (such as was and saw), although many children do this who are not dyslexic. Learning difficulties are usually not a singular dysfunction. Children who exhibit problems with reading and writing will often have difficulties with spatial relationships and body coordination. Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - is a condition affecting children and adults and appears to be hereditary. 3 SUBTYPES OF ADHD 1. ADHD predominately inattentive type (ADHD-1) -Makes careless mistakes -Does not pay close attention to details -Easily distracted; hard to maintain attention -Does not appear to listen; seems forgetful -Has trouble with follow-through -Loses things; has difficulty with organization -Might avoid tasks that take prolonged intellectual effort .… Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 2. ADHD predominately hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-HI) Fidgets, squirms Has trouble staying seated, runs about Talks excessively; difficulty with being quiet during activities Blurts out answers; interrupts; intrudes on others Has difficulty waiting to take turns 3. ADHD combined type (ADHD-C) Child or adult meets criteria from both categories listed above. …. Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Guidance techniques that are good for children with ADHD ■ Maintain regular and consistent routines and rules ■ Have realistic expectations ■ Make eye contact when giving directions using clear and simple explanations ■ Allow time for transitions by giving a plan for the next step ■ Select jobs in which the child can be ■ Recognize accomplishments Asperger Syndrome -is a developmental condition that is part of Autism Spectrum Disorder and is characterized by a lack of social skills, poor concentration, self-absorption, and limited interests (Allen & Cowdery, 2009). Most children with AS have normal or above normal intelligence and often learn how to communicate and behave in appropriate ways (Willis, 2009). …Asperger Syndrome 4 Categories of AS (Gallagher and Gallagher, 2002) 1. Impaired social functioning; inability to make friends or show empathy, avoids eye contact. 2. Restricted and stereotyped behaviors and interests; overly intense interest in one area; repetitive hand movements and compulsive repetition, often long passages memorized from television or the movies. 3. Average or above average language development; normal use of vocabulary, yet may use language in such a complex manner that it makes no sense. They lack the language of social communication with others. 4. Average or above average cognitive development; ranges anywhere from average to highly gifted. …… 3. Asperger Syndrome Strategies for working with children with AS, (Allen and Cowdery 2009) ■ Simple and direct communication. ■ Combine objects and actions: show the child the book and demonstrate where it goes in the shelf. ■ Provide peer interactions with other children who are disabled and have similar levels of language and development. ■ Establish a predictable routine and environment; minimize distractions. ■ Improve communication skills by having the child ask for something rather than point. ■ Encourage frequent communication with the family. Family Support Parents are usually the first to notice that their child is not developing according to the norms. They may ask the child’s teacher to watch for signs of hearing impairments early childhood educators need to be skilled in carefully observing and documenting the growth and development of individual children. Teachers will then plan appropriate follow through with the family early childhood educators need to be skilled in carefully observing and documenting the growth and development of individual children. Teachers will then plan appropriate follow through with the family. Public Recognition Since the mid-1960s, there has been significant public recognition of and the advent of public funding for the education programs for persons with special needs. Prior to that, public and private attitudes seemed to be ones of shame and segregation. Th e current practice of integrating children with varying exceptionalities into ongoing programs inschools—the mainstream of American life—is not only more humane but practical as well. Highlights of the nearly 40 years include: ■ In 1972, Head Start required that a minimum of 10 percent of its enrollment be reserved for children with special needs. Head Start led the way toward largescale inclusion. ■ In 1975, Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was passed. Th is socalled “Bill of Rights for the Handicapped” ….Public Recognition P.L. 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Amendments Act of 1986, has had an even more profound impact for early childhood educators. Sections of this law provide funding for children who were not included in the previous law: infants, toddlers, and 3- to 5-year-olds. In 1990, Congress reauthorized P.L. 94-142 and renamed it the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (P.L. 101-576). Two new categories, autism and traumatic brain injury, were included, and children from birth to age 5 years were now eligible to receive services. In 1990, Congress reauthorized P.L. 94-142 and renamed it the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (P.L. 101-576). Two new categories, autism and traumatic brain injury, were included, and children from birth to age 5 years were now eligible to receive services. The Inclusive Classroom Allen and Cowdery (2009) differentiate between the terms inclusion and mainstreaming. In the past, children with special needs were integrated into classrooms only after they had met certain standards and expectations. Often they were assigned to separate special education classes. When ready, they were mainstreamed into classrooms with typically developing children. Inclusion means that a child with special needs is a full-time member of a regular classroom, a more natural environment, with children who do, as well as those who do not, have special needs. ….The Inclusive Classroom To enhance inclusion, Allen and Cowdery (2009) suggest that teachers: ■ Promote healthy social relationships between children who have special needs and those who do not so that they participate in a wide variety of activities together. ■ Recognize that every child with special needs has strengths as well as deficits and build on those strengths through a rich learning environment that fosters appropriate behavior. ■ Receive training and guidance in the critical task of working with children who have special needs and are developmentally challenged and with other professionals who work within the inclusion process. ■ Work with families to plan and implement the child’s individualized program. ….The Inclusive Classroom ■ See that children with special needs are actively involved and accepted in the total program with individualized activities that meet each child’s needs and abilities. ■ Help children with special needs to take advantage of, to the fullest extent of their capabilities, all the activities the school has to offer by including materials and activities that support the growth of the lowest-functioning children and challenges those who are high-functioning. ■ Use play as a medium for learning, but recognize that some children with special needs have to be taught play skills. Inclusion is an important concept for all children. For typically developing children, it is an opportunity to learn to accept differences in people. Children who are gifted and Talented - children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. These children and youth exhibit high performance capacity in intellectual, creative and/or artistic areas, and unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specifi c academic fields. Traditionally, children have been identifi ed as gifted if they score between 130 and 150 on standard IQ Tests. Teaching children who are gifted and talented The teacher’s role with children who are gifted is that of providing challenge and stimulation. Children who are gifted may need scaffolding strategies to support their learning. In some cases, the children who are gifted may be advanced to an older group, moving on to kindergarten or first grade, or spend part of the day in special classes where they can interact with like-minded peers (Berk, 2009). ….Teaching children who are gifted and talented The child who is gifted needs a learning environment that supports intellectual risk-taking, the use of logic and abstract concepts, and curiosity and enhances their specific talents. All the children in the classroom benefit from this enrichment; each responds according to his or her abilities and a rich curriculum benefits the whole class. This brings to mind Gardner’s multiple intelligences (MI) (Gardner, 1993). The eight different kinds of knowing that Gardner developed seem appropriate for teaching children who are gifted and talented. Dealing with Bias and Stereotypes One of the most important issues for a child with special needs is to be accepted. Young children are known for their forthrightness in commenting on and asking questions about what confuses or frightens them. Children without special needs may be anxious about what another child’s exceptionality may mean to them. Although this is a common reaction and age appropriate, we cannot allow an individual to be rejected on the basis of his or her abilities. Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) suggests the following strategies: ■ The rejection must be handled immediately with support and assurance give to the child who was rejected that this type of behavior will not be permitted. ■ It is important to help children recognize how they are different and how they are alike. ■ Children need to have their fears about other children’s abilities and exceptionalities taken seriously and to have adults understand their concerns. ■ Questions must be answered promptly, truthfully, and simply. Use the children’s own curiosity, and let the child with special needs answer questions, whenever possible. Culture, Race, & Ethnic Considerations There are more students in the classroom who are culturally and linguistically different from the teaching staff and from each other. Unless teachers are informed and educated about these differences, they may misinterpret a child’s abilities, learning, and needs. Too often, language barriers between a teacher and a child lead to the conclusion that the child is a slow learner or has a disability. Working with families will become more challenging to a teacher’s ingenuity and communication skills. A lack of understanding about the culture, history, beliefs, and values of the children is harmful to a child’s self-concept (see DermanSparks and Edwards, 2010, and other references in this book). When there are no assessment tools or instructional materials in the language of the children or depict their native heritage, children are placed at a distinct disadvantage and often eliminated from programs and services that could help them succeed. Children of Mixed Heritage Biracial - children have parents who are of different races, Interracial - children have parents who represent more than two racial or ethnic backgrounds. These terms also apply to children who are adopted by parents of a different race. Self-esteem and selfidentity can become issues as biracial and interracial children reach adolescence (Berk, 2009). People who have an interracial heritage oftenchoose to identify with one parent, most often the parent of color (Wardle, 1987). It is important to help interracial children gain a positive self-concept and identity at an early age. Cultural Sensitivity Cultural sensitivity means that each child’s heritage is honored, that it is understood as unique from other cultures, and that it is respected. It means that teachers must become familiar with the cultural norms of the children in their classes and build bridges for children and their families into the more dominant culture. “Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.”
