Personal Research Journey

     The general topic that I have chosen to research in the early childhood field is if there is any information out there on the possible long term side effects of ADHD/ADD medication on children and how the ongoing development of assessments and a more stringent curriculum will play a role in the amount of children diagnosed not only with ADHD/ADD but sensory processing disorder as well.  My journey into researching this subject so far has brought me to three subtopics of interest including what genetics tells us about the inheritence and gene expression that are predictors of ADHD and ADD and the prevalence of males versus females, do universal assessments take into account phenomenons such as right-handnessness, left-handedness and the differing learning abilities between males and females, and what medical information is currently available about the long term effects of ADHD/ADD and SPD medication on young children into adulthood and what are the alternatives.
    I have many reasons for choosing these particular areas to research.  With advances we have seen so far in early childhood, and the emergence of universal standards, it makes individuals accountable for their part in early education but what is also creates the field of " expectation" for some parents and education is race and as a result full day kindergarten has become a nationwide event. (Elkind, 2009)  But how does the emergence of more rigourous standards and this need for specific outcomes affect our children?  First legislation brings forth the "No Child Left Behind Act," which ensures that children get the help they need to move on to the next grade but as a result disorders such as ADHD and ADD become more prominent and children who are exhibiting problematic or inability to sit still are often being medicated to make it through the school day. But is this just a short fix that will ultimately cause further problems in a child's future not only academically but possibly medically? 
     I have seen and educated children with ADD/ADHD and and a child who the school system had misdiagnosed and encouraged the parents to medicate their child even though he was only in preschool and after six months, assessments,  and progress reports I, at the time not having any knowledge of sensory processing disorder, encouraged the school to re-evaluate and with the help of specialists came to conclusion that he had SPD and the help he needed was with a therapist not medication.  I was so facinated by this discovery and to find out that in his medical file, being from an orphanage in a poor, underdeveloped country whose mother was victum of malnourishment and no pre-natal health care that he chances of having this disability were very much increased.
     I have chosen an area which engulfs many areas of research and has an immense amount of information to offer.  I will still research what I can find out about how children progress in the years after taking medication for ADD and ADHD but I have chosen to mainly focus on what genetic predictors are out there in recognizing children who are successtable to this type of behavior and what other options there are for parents of these children in hopes that as an educator I will learn valuable information that will help in my quest in creating and running a more inclusive program that will adhere to these needs.  I hope in my quest I will take from it key aspects that will also help me in creating curriculum appropriate and adjustable to varying needs of individual children.
    What I have learned so far is that the knowledge of this particular subject requires the specialization of the fields of not only education but neuroscience, genetics, and psychology and I hope that in the years to come information like this will be used in appropriately assessing children.  I would love any suggestions any one has or research studies that they would recomend or suggest, it is not a small topic.

Reference:

Elkind, D. (2009).  The Wisdom of Play.  How Children Learn to Make Sense of the World.  Retrieved from http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/RoomPlanningWisdomofplay.pdf.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

  For this week's assignment, I have chosen to share studies from the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) and available at www.childrenandnature.org.  I am huge advocate of children having the ability to explore and learn about nature first hand.  I think often with many of our busy schedules, just finding the time to play outside with our children can be a bit of a challenge and the unfortunate consequence of this is that our children sometimes miss out on self directed learning and exploration.  Don't get me wrong, the time spent learning in the classroom is a must but simple things like studying the shapes of clouds, or watching flowers bloom and lets not forget what of the most important benefits of fresh air is it's great for our health!
   The first study I found interesting is about called "School gardens positively impact children's learning and behavior,"a study by D. Blair from Penn University. (childrenandnature.org, 2010)  Gardening takes place in schools throughout the nation and D. Blair did her research on evaluating the relationship between school gardening and it's relationship to children's learning and behavior. The study targets on on the many reasons school gardens exist which includes providing children experiences with natural ecosystems, enhancing children's understanding of food systems, helping children develop environmental attitudes and behavior , and serving as a basis for experimental learning. (childrenandnature.org,2010)  Out of 12 qualitative studies reviewed it was found that 9 of the 12 studies found significant positive impacts from gardening in test measures,which included children's science achievement and food consumption behavior.  And of 7 of the qualitative studies reviewed it was determined that students enjoyed and were highly motivated by gardening, students demonstrated improved attitudes and pride as a result of the gardening,enhanced bonding between the students along better teamwork skills and more learning opportunities.  (childrenandnature.org, 2010) Based on the results, the research indicates that gardening had an overwhelming positive impact on student's achievement and behavior.
     The next study I found interesting is "Nature-smart kids get higher test scores,"by the American Institutes for research. (childrenandnature.org, 2010)  The study observed at-risk youth, 56% of whom reported never having time spent in a natural setting and then comparing them to students who had experienced an outdoor education program.  The results were staggering, major findings illustrated a 27% increase in measured mastery of science concepts, enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills, gains in self esteem, gains in positive environmental behavior, as well as problem-solving motivation to learn, and classroom behavior. (childrenandnature.org, 2010).
    And a third study titled " Green School Gyms improve children's health,"by the BTCV,which is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that created Green Gyms to improve people's health and the environment. (childrenandnature.org, 2010).  As part of the project, individuals participate in a large range of outdoor conservation and gardening projects and as part of the School Green Gyms an average of 1 to 1.5 hours sessions are provided for 10 weeks for 10 children at each school.    As part of the evaluation process,questionnaires were filled out before and after participation in the program.  In analyzing the results, researchers found that the children's psychosocial health along with their overall health improved; weekend physical activity levels significantly increased after the program and children exhibited positive feelings about the program,  (childrenandnature.org, 2010)  The program provided valuable data information about the impact of an innovative outdoor program on children's health.  (childrenandnature.org,2010)
    These were only a few of the studies from the website but there was so many more interesting ones to view and can be found at:

http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/EducationsynthesisMarch2010Final.pdf

Additional references for the full articles:

Blair, D. (2009).  The child in the garden; an evaluative review of the benefits of school gardening.  Journal of Environmental Education, 40(2),15-38. http://www.heldref.org/pubs/jee/about.html (Volume 4)

American Institutes for Research (2005).  Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California.  http://www.sierraclub.org/youth/california/outdoorschool_finalreport.pdf(Volume1)

BTCV.  (2009).  Evaluation findings: health and social outcomes 2009.  BTCV. http://www2btcv.org.uk/display/greengym_research (Volume 4)

Quotes about children

"Children see magic because they look for it." ~ Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

" A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~ Carl Sandburg

" Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to always and forever be explaining things tho them." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

" Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls, the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands.  Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith.  When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much." ~ Lisa Wingate

" The soul is healed by being with children." ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

" Nothing you do for children is ever wasted." ~ Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home

" Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."~ Emilie Buchwald

Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/children