Too much stimulation over an extended time can most definitely affect infant development in a negative way. Sometimes parents try too early to "teach" their children in order for them to be smarter when they are older. Infant stimulation is important, but it is more important to do what they are ready for in order to not overstimulate them. Too much stimulation during early childhood can change a child's whole life by causing an inibility to focus. "ADHD is on the same rise as ADD and both are increasing at an alarming rate. Some 4 to 5 percent of children have ADHD and 60 percent of these children carry symptoms well into adulthood (Vera)." Introducing infants too early to too much can increase the likelihood of ADHD and inattention. "At the same time, ADHD is associated with environmental factors. Prenatal teratogens- particularly those involving long term exposure, such as illegal drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes- are linked to inattention and hyperactivity (Berk p.291)."
Along with infants, this issue is also important later in child development. I've seen many times where parents want their children to do sports at a very young age. They are not always developmentally ready for this, and they may end up hating it and wanting to quit because they do not feel successful. My brother had issues with sports early on. My dad is a huge football fan, and wanted to start him young in camps and football leagues. He wasn't ready, and wanted to quit after a very short time. A few years later, after he had further developed, he tried again and was extremely successful in the sport.
Studies show that too much video games, tv, and movies can also cause problems for children. "Frequent TV viewers in early childhood were most likely to score in the highest 10% for concentration problems, impulsiveness and restlessness. Scoring within that 10% doesn't mean a child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but many would have it, and the others could face major learning problems.Every added hour of watching TV increased a child's odds of having attention problems by about 10%. Kids watching about three hours a day were 30% more likely to have attention trouble than those viewing no TV (Elias). " Coincidentally, my brother was also diagnosed early on with ADHD. He was constantly playing video games, watching TV, and started activities before he was ready. Looking back, I now know that his early ADHD may be attributed to these factors.
As a kindergarten teacher, I see daily the impact child development has on learning. Each year, we are pushed more and more to teach our kids material they are NOT ready for, earlier and earlier in the school year. For instance, our school district wanted us to teach about money and time near the beginning of the year. My kids were incredibly frustrated and wanted to give up. I stopped teaching, and tried again at the end of the year. The learning came easily to them because they were ready for the material, Thankfully, the early presentation of the material did not hinder their learning later on, but it scares me to think about what will happen in the future. It is such a scary thought that we are forced to teach material that we know children are not ready for. Our school district is realigning our learning targets for next year to incorporate the 8 step process. I am worried to see what will happen with our youngest learners. If we really want children to learn we also need to be able to recignize their needs and wait till the children are ready.
A lot of this TED talk was incredibly interesting, but the very last sentence he said stuck with me the most,"If we change the beginning of the story, we change the whole story." What an amazing way to wrap up his talk about stimulation and early childhood.
Sources
Berk, Laura. Child Development,. nineth edition. New York: Allyn and Bacon, 2010.
Cushman, T., LeBlanc, M., & Porter, G. (2004). ADHD: Results of a national survey of school psychologists. Ethical Human Sciences and Services, 6(3), 183-192.
Elias, Marilyn. “Short Attention span linked to TV.” USA TODAY (online) 4/5/2004. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-04-05-tv-bottomstrip_x.htm>
Vera, M. ADD/ADHD. <http://hype-glory.wetpaint.com/page/ADD%2FADHD>
No comments:
Post a Comment