Research that benefits children and families-uplifting stories

OPTION 1:

RESEARCH THAT BENEFITS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES- UPLIFTING STORIES

Kaezim is a twelve (12) year old boy from Grenada, West Indies who immigrated to Michigan with his parents when he was seven (7) years old.  His mother is a pre-school teacher and his father a machine operator. His parents even though they work full time devoted themselves to taking Kaezim to afternoon extracurricular activities; soccer, baseball, and on weekends, swimming.

Kaezim seemed to be a well adjusted child however; he could not go to sleep at night. Despite a strict bed time hour at 9:00 pm, Kaezim would lay awake for hours until 11; 00 pm and sometimes 12:00 am. Unable to sleep he would read, or play his Nintendo DS or taps the wall. During the day he was noticeable crabby, tired, frustrated and those eyes seem ready to shut anytime. The teacher complained about Kaezim’s not participating in activities and at times he would put his head down on the desk and goes right to sleep.

Concerned about Kaezim his parents accepted an invitation to take part in a survey which they hoped would give the reasons why Kaezim cannot go to sleep and what that lack of sleep can do to his all round development. According to surveys by the National Sleep Foundation, 90 percent of American parents think their child is getting enough sleep. The kids themselves say otherwise. In those same surveys, 60 percent of high schoolers report extreme daytime sleepiness. In another study, a quarter admits their grades have dropped because of it. Over 25 percent fall asleep in class at least once a week.

 Research of this nature helped in the education of teachers and parents in dealing with children in the classroom and at home. Reliable resources would be available for teachers and families, which would show whether or not and how much sleep affects academic performance and emotional stability, as well as phenomena that we assumed to be entirely unrelated. A few scientists theorize that sleep problems during formative years can cause permanent changes in a child’s brain structure. Kaezim’s findings were consistent with other researchers’ work, all of which points to the large academic consequences of small sleep differences.

It has been documented in a handful of major studies that children, from elementary school through high school, get about an hour less sleep each night than they did 30 years ago. While parents obsess over babies’ sleep, this concern falls off the priority list after preschool. Even kindergartners get 30 minutes less a night than they used to. It is also noted that over scheduling of activities, burdensome homework, lax bedtimes, televisions and cell phones in the bedroom all contribute. So does guilt; home from work after dark, parents want time with their children and are reluctant to play the strictest who orders them to bed.

Kaezim’s parents have learned a lot from the research. At the end they followed the procedures given from the researchers and this helped Kaezim in his growing up years. His parent lessened on his extracurricular activities, and thus he was able to fall asleep at normal time and his studies improved tremendously. Convinced by the evidence from the research some parents have been agreed to advocate for later school start in the morning. It was believed that having a later start will make life Easier for all children.

References
Importance of sleep: Retrieved from
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health

Cant sleep? Retrieved from http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-related-problems/insomnia-and-sleep