13-1 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Chapter Thirteen Children’s Mental Health

13-2 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Mental Health Biological Factors – Genetics, temperament, physical and health attributes Environmental Factors – Family life situations (stress, poverty, abuse, neglect, parental drug use or mental illness, quality relationships, culture, parenting style) – Community well being, environmental toxins Developmental Factors

13-3 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Social and Emotional Development in Infancy Developing a social smile Imitating movements and facial expressions Expressing communication with face and body Enjoying playing with other people

13-4 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Social and Emotional Development The Second Year Imitating behaviors of others Being increasingly aware of self as separate from others Being increasingly excited about being around other children Demonstrating increasing independence Beginning to show defiant behaviors Showing more separation anxiety

13-5 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Social and Emotional Development The Third Year Exhibiting more sense of individuality Demonstrating more advanced memory in certain areas Growing an emotional understanding Increasing interest in friendships Increasing development of conscience

13-6 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Social and Emotional Development The Fourth Year Exhibiting increased interest in interacting with others Using language to communicate wants, needs, and ideas Demonstrating greater ability to manage emotions and regulate behavior Following rules and showing an interest in pleasing others Continuing interest in having a strong relationship with the teacher

13-7 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Social and Emotional Development The Fifth Year Focusing on social interactions Practicing taking leadership roles Exhibiting an increasing ability to understand the perspectives of others Demonstrating ability to focus on projects Being literal with rules and needing support to understand flexibility

13-8 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Social and Emotional Development Five to Eight Years Increasing interest in autonomy and independence Continuing to judge self on how adults value and respond to what they do Beginning to rely on peers for feedback about what is good and bad Demonstrating individual skills and competencies Communicating emotions, ideas, wants, and needs

13-9 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Promoting Social and Emotional Development Create supportive environments – Small groups – Parent collaboration – Developmentally and Age appropriate curriculum – Well prepared teachers Establish caring relationships – Emotional support – Effective guidance, use of routines, and learning times – Modeling and encouragement

13-10 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Building Nurturing Relationships Respect Responsiveness Appropriate guidance Positive expectations

13-11 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Importance of Unstructured Play Contributes to children’s cognitive, physical, creative, expressive, social and emotional development. Provides opportunities for children to use their imaginations, test ideas, practice dexterity, explore outcomes, gain mastery. Allows children to be self-directed. Encourages social interaction and problem solving. Provides opportunities to experience social skills.

13-12 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Skills for School Success and Learning Awareness of self and empathy for others Cooperation Conflict resolution skills Resiliency Curiosity and openness Persistence and focus Reflection and interpretation Imagination and invention Cognitive problem solving

13-13 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Prevalence of Mental Health Problems The National Advisory Mental Health Council predicts that childhood mental health disorders will be one of the top five causes of sickness, disability, and death among children by – Recognize consequences A child’s capacity for learning and developing relationships is impaired – Identify challenges Provide safe and nurturing school environments

13-14 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador What if… A parent does not disclose that her child has a mental health disorder until after the child is enrolled in your class? How would you respond?

13-15 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Observation Cultural backgrounds impact the kinds of behaviors considered appropriate Behavior can be influenced by sleeping or eating habits Look for behaviors that are extreme, or emotional responses that are not age appropriate

13-16 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Types of Mental Health Disorders Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Anxiety Disorders – Separation anxiety – General anxiety disorder – Social phobia – Obsessive-compulsive disorder Post-Traumatic Disorder Mood Disorders – Bi-polar disorder – Depression

13-17 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Strategies for Teaching Create nurturing relationships Conduct special social skills curriculum activities Conduct functional analysis Design child-specific interventions Use promotion strategies Plan transitions Set clear boundaries and expectations for conduct Provide leadership opportunities Model appropriate interactions

13-18 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Engage Families Key to creating a consistent behavior management plan Encourage communication about parental expectations for the child in the classroom Be sensitive to the challenges faced by the family Be accessible for questions and concerns

13-19 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador What if… A child arrives in your classroom wearing a Halloween costume, even though you specifically reported to families that costumes were not allowed. How would you respond?