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

My Personal Research Journey

My Personal Research Journey 


                                                      For most children death is a new experience. Like all other new experiences the unknown can be confusing and frightening. In my experiences working with young children I have seen how the trauma of death of close relatives and even a parent has haunted our children.  Dr. Bruce Perry (n. d.), noted that “Most children do not know what to expect following the loss of a family member or friend. Young children may not understand what death really means and may be confused or even frightened by the reactions of other family members.” While adults may be more familiar with death and the grieving process, young children may not understand and thus will seek answers and comfort from adults, and other caregivers in their lives. Thus I would like some concrete activities that would help young children cope with the death of a loved one.

I have chosen this sub-topic because first, recently a five (5) year old in my classroom lost a parent and it was very difficult for the team of teachers to talk to the child about the traumatic event and knowing how to help that child with the grieving process was very slim. We doubt whether we should talk about it or just ignore it. However, we were forced to intervene when the child’s behavior changed for the worse. The child became aggressive, she spoke about what happened to her mom repeatedly and even though she knew her mom will not come back she envisioned seeing her mom in her sleep. Secondly, I have a personal experience with the death one of my past pupils and I still grieve because I did not get the help I needed at the time.

This child mentioned was in therapy twice per week but she was in the classroom daily and we needed concrete activities to help the child with the grieving process.  We did not do a good job in this area. I believe we have failed the child because the child transitioned to Kindergarten and the behavior continued and today I feel responsible for not intervening soon enough to help that child in her loss. My question is “Would an earlier intervention help that child in the grieving process?”  I support the researchers who answered the question, ‘yes!’ Early intervention according to the four of the resources researched would help identify and recognize the trauma experienced by the child and would help us meet the needs of the child by performing assessment, and providing support.

Potential sub-topics in my opinion would be:

• How should I talk about the event
• Bereavement and support for children
• Should I be concerned with child’s behavior
• Resources and activities for grieving and traumatized children

Colleagues, do you have any suggestions or insights into helping children cope with death? Some concrete activities would be helpful. If you have to research this topic, how would you go about the research process?

 Beth Patterson, (2008), working with childhood grief: A case study, stated “An understanding of the child’s emotional and cognitive development will enable me to determine how best to communicate about death with  the particular child, to understand and empathize with the child’s experience and guide the child through the grieving and healing process with appropriate interventions. It is also important for me to be aware of my own triggers around death and loss in order to stay present with the child’s process and deal with the death directly, since shielding children from death deprives them of the ability to grieve and ultimately heal.”  

 

References

Auman, J. M. (2007). Bereavement and support for children. Retrieved from http://jsn.sagepub.com/content/23/1/34.abstract

Patterson, B. (2008). Working with Childhood Grief: A Case Study in Grief, Trauma and Abuse.Retrieved from http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/childhood-grief/

Perry, B. (n. d.). The child’s loss: Death, grief and mourning. Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/child_loss.htm