It is critical to our young children that the real information about brain development is known and understood. There is still too much that is not common knowledge. I am continuously amazed by the number of adults that still do not know that the AAP recommends no TV (DVD's) before the age of two. This recommendation came out in 1999!
Yesterday I read this finding in a valuable report put together from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood , "56% of parents of young children believe that baby videos are good for child development."
So the BRAIN Insight to share this week is important for creating the awareness of all that really IS good for the development of young brains. Let's change this statistic to: "0% of parents believe that baby videos are good for child development."
Have you sent in your nomination?
There are many terrific programs and agencies already nominated from all over the world! I invite you to nominate programs, schools, organizations, or agencies that would benefit from a donated brain activity packet in either English or Spanish.
The winner for the donation from Week #8 is below!
Following is the Week #8 BRAIN insight to share:
BRAIN
Brains Require All Investing Now
A BRAIN Insight to share ~ Week #9
Optimal learning and healthy development occurs only through exploration and interaction with people and real objects.
Let's make this common knowledge!
To share this brain fact just cut and paste or use the the share button!
You can simply post the insight on social network sites
You can also include the fact in organizational literature or newsletters, add to your signature on your e-mail, post on a bulletin board and implement it into what you do each week.
Additionally each week, e-mail the BRAIN Insight to 5 people you know. Encourage each person to share it with 5 people they know. If each person shares with 5 people each week... we will finally have EVERYONE knowing this incredibly important information!
Enjoy contributing to make this common knowledge!!
Spreading Brain Development Even Further .... Click here to send the name of a program, agency, school, organization or business that will benefit from a brain development packet. I will draw a name and donate a brain activity packet
in the name of the person making the recommendation each week!!
The WINNER for WEEK #8:
Maternal/Infant Support program of the Dickinson-Iron Health Dept. Kingsford, MI
A brain development packet for the age of their choice will be donated in the name of :Cherie Fila
Congratulations!!
THANK YOU to all that are participating the initiative already! Tell everyone you know about the difference we can make!
Did you have a wonderful Brain Awareness Week? How did you use the week to promote and share information? It would be terrific to hear in what way you helped to create awareness. We can all benefit from everyone sharing. We are all looking forward to knowing what you did during the week.
Have you sent in your nomination?
There are many terrific programs and agencies already nominated from all over the world! I invite you to nominate programs, schools, organizations, or agencies that would benefit from a donated brain activity packet in either English or Spanish.
The winner for the donation from Week #7 is below!
Following is the Week #8 BRAIN insight to share:
BRAIN
Brains Require All Investing Now
A BRAIN Insight to share ~ Week #8
All brains need consistent and nurturing interactions. Predictability leads to
healthy emotional development.
.
Let's make this common knowledge! To share this brain fact just cut and paste or use the the share button!
You can simply post the insight on social network sites
You can also include the fact in organizational literature or newsletters, add to your signature on your e-mail, post on a bulletin board and implement it into what you do each week.
Additionally each week, e-mail the BRAIN Insight to 5 people you know. Encourage each person to share it with 5 people they know. If each person shares with 5 people each week... we will finally have EVERYONE knowing this incredibly important information!
Enjoy contributing to make this common knowledge!!
Spreading Brain Development Even Further .... Click here to send the name of a program, agency, school, organization or business that will benefit from a brain development packet. I will draw a name and donate a brain activity packet
in the name of the person making the recommendation each week!!
The WINNER for WEEK #7:
Big Valley Rancheria Parent & Child Development Center
A brain development packet for the age of their choice will be donated in the name of :Merrill Featherstone, from: Lake County Tribal Health Consortium
Congratulations!!
THANK YOU to all that are participating the initiative already! Tell everyone you know about the difference we can make!
This week provides an even greater opportunity to ensure every adult understands the wonderful opportunity we have to positively impact the development of ALL children.
We can use this week to promote and share information in even greater ways! I am thrilled by all that is happening. Thanks for your on-going part in this incredibly important effort!
Have you sent in your nomination?
I invite you to nominate programs, schools, organizations, or agencies that would benefit from a donated brain activity packet in either English or Spanish. The winner for the donation from Week #5 is below!
Following is the Week #7 BRAIN insight to share:
BRAIN
Brains Require All Investing Now
A BRAIN Insight to share ~ Week #6
Early experiences, either positive or negative, physically impact brain growth for the foundation of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social skills in life.
Let's make this common knowledge! To share this brain fact just cut and paste or use the the share button!
You can simply post the insight on social network sites
You can also include the fact in organizational literature or newsletters, add to your signature on your e-mail, post on a bulletin board and implement it into what you do each week.
Additionally each week, e-mail the BRAIN Insight to 5 people you know. Encourage each person to share it with 5 people they know. If each person shares with 5 people each week... we will finally have EVERYONE knowing this incredibly important information!
Enjoy contributing to make this common knowledge!!
Spreading Brain Development Even Further .... Click here to send the name of a program, agency, school, organization or business that will benefit from a brain development packet. I will draw a name and donate a brain activity packet in the name of the person making the recommendation each week!!
The WINNER for WEEK #6:
Children's Connections, Inc.
Texas
A brain development packet for the age of their choice will be donated in the name of :Katie Pfeiffer
Congratulations!!
THANK YOU to all that are participating the initiative already! Tell everyone you know about the difference we can make!
Brain Awareness Week provides the VERY needed opportunity to focus on all that is possible for ALL children!
Envision a world filled with happy children who are eager to learn, are healthy, feel confident in their abilities, have well developed language, strong math and reading skills, are creative and curious, get along with other children, are physically fit and active, and are self disciplined. Picture all of these children developing into adults in the community, contributing their skills and abilities.
Due to a wealth of research we are extremely fortunate to have the knowledge of all that contributes to making this dream possible!
Ongoing scientific evidence continues to demonstrate that through meeting a child’s needs for nutrition, sleep, safety, play, time outdoors, and loving experiences a child’s brain will have the chance to develop optimally.
The sad news is all children don’t have the opportunities for experiences that create the
likelihood of this vision. Too many of our young children are exposed to multiple risk factors that can affect the development of the brain in unhealthy ways. Risk factors may be inadequate nutrition, neglect, chaotic environments, exposure to environmental toxins, lack of time in nature, trauma and abuse, great amounts of screen time, a focus on academics too early, limited predictability from caregivers, high levels of stress, and lack of quality of daily care.
All of these influences can contribute to a brain being “wired” in a way that leads to physical, emotional and learning problems. The brains of young children learn very early how to adapt or survive in the environment to which they are exposed.
It is time to ensure that EVERYONE understands the positive impact this knowledge can have. We also need to make sure everyone knows how detrimental it is for us to continue to ignore this information.
Children will benefit most if everyone is involved in first creating an awareness and then invest in implementing change. Making this happen must take place at an individual level, in families, in childcare facilities and schools, through business and community organizations and in local and state government.
If we want success for our children it is up to us, the adults in their lives, to become aware of where change is needed and then work together to continue doing all we can to see improvements take place. For this vision to happen for all children, it is up to us to develop strategies to eliminate the detrimental effects on young children, and provide all that young growing brains need …. and deserve!
In addition to creating awareness, is thrilling to realize that thousands of families and professionals are now using the brain development activity packets to provide positive daily experiences! These make it so easy for busy parents to have ideas right on hand at any time to entertain busy brains!
To make it even easier for additional programs, agencies, companies, schools, hospitals, to distribute these.... Brain Insights is offering a special BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK discount TODAY!! Use promo code: BAW for 30% off your total order!
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Your organization, company, school, hospital or agency can now have your Logo printed on the packet to promote all of your positive efforts!!
I love the ease of your ideas. Brain Development Activity Packets are unique, special, meaningful, and simple for busy and caring parents. Using proven research based on science, these are a glorious and effective way to help children have a strong, healthy and positive start.
Michele Borba, Ed.D., author The Big Book of Parenting Solutions
“A handy way to attune to a baby’s magical brain.” Raffie Cavoukian, Singer, Author, Founder Center For Child Honouring “Brain Insights activity packets are incredibly valuable for anyone that cares about the healthy development of young children. These compact packets make easy access for daily use to provide the loving interaction and fun young brains are craving!” Pediatric Psychologist Dr. Lynne Kenney, author of The Family Coach Method
Today I am sharing a guest blog filled with a wealth of information for both parents and professionals working with children. The focus of the article is on the development of empathy. This of course is a critical social/emotional skill. It is a higher area brain function, but the development begins through relationships early in life.
This valuable article was published by Kids Enabled™ . This is a is a resource for parents and professionals to address the issues and challenges that come from caring for and teaching children with learning differences. The article is co-authored by Lauren Zimet, M.S.,CCC/SLP, Sharon Sokolik, M.A., CCC/SLP, and Contributing editor, Maggie Parry.
Teaching Children to Empathize
Kate and Taylor are on the playground swinging. Jamie comes over to ask for a turn. Kate says “No! We’re swinging now!” Taylor doesn’t say anything. A few minutes later, Jamie re-approaches the swings, and asks again for a turn. Kate shouts “Go away, we’re swinging!” Jamie’s eyes fill with tears. Erica walks over, puts her arm around Jamie and says, “I know how you feel, let’s go play on the monkey bars, we can swing later!” That is empathy in action.
According to the late Stanley Greenspan, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and author of Great Kids, one of the 10 traits of a “great kid” is empathy. However, for some children with learning differences, feeling empathetic is more difficult since many learning differences involve deficits in social skills.
Where it begins
For most children, the ability to empathize comes naturally, assuming the child’s environment is one of caring and discipline. Greenspan states that for children to learn empathy for others, they must first experience empathy for themselves. As a child is cared for, he learns to care for others. However, if there is a learning difference involved, especially one in which the child has trouble relating, reading social cues and discerning the emotions of others, the ability to empathize may need to be taught.
Simon Baron Cohen, in Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind, discusses the concept of “theory of mind,” i.e., having the ability to “reflect on the contents of one’s own and other’s minds.” Children who have difficulty processing verbal and nonverbal information presented by others will not be able to correctly interpret the actions of others. This is quite common with children who have the diagnosis of autism, Asperger’s, NVLD, social pragmatic disorder, language processing as well as those individuals that do not have any formal diagnosis, but misinterpret social cues.
Lynne Soraya, who writes Asperger’s Diary: Life Through the Lens of Asperger’s Syndrome for Psychology Today, is an adult living with Asperger’s. She recalled that every day at school she saw a copy of the statement, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” She understood what that meant; the problem, however, was that what she wanted done unto her was entirely different than what another child might have wanted. All people are different in their needs, and even neurotypical children have difficulty always responding appropriately to others’ feelings.
Does my child lack empathy?
Being empathetic is a key component of building a relationship with someone else. Here are some signs your child may need assistance to be able to be more understanding of how others may feel:
The child can’t seem to read nonverbal hints or cues given by peers (i.e. facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice).
The child has difficulty understanding how someone might think or feel about someone or something.
The child has difficulty expressing appropriate responses or actions for what others may be feeling.
The child isn’t able to recognize that there will be consequences as a result of how they respond to others.
The child has the inability to validate emotions that others are expressing, telling them to just “let it go” or “get over it” without truly understanding why someone has particular feelings.
What parents can do
Adam Cox, in his article Learning and Teaching Social Skills: A Relationship-Based Approach, states, “To be in an empathic relationship with another person or group is the opposite of self-absorption. Empathy implies a departure from a state of self-centeredness, and immersion into the subjective experience of others. By definition, empathy is pro-social, because it emphasizes the value of comprehending and appreciating the thoughts and feelings of other people” (http://www.iser.com/teaching-social-skills.html).
However, many kids with learning differences don’t always understand this value of knowing what others feel. They feel left out, but they don’t know how to be a friend and sustain meaningful relationships. Fortunately, for most kids struggling with a learning difference, empathizing with others is a skill that can be taught and nurtured. Even very young children can be taught to recognize the facial expressions that show “happy,” “sad,” and “mad.”
There are many ways in which parents can make teaching empathy a part of the everyday routine. Below are activities suggested by some of the experts.
If your young child seems baffled by or indifferent to the emotions of others, try drawing faces together, or take turns with your child making a face that’s happy, sad, calm, bored, angry or surprised. Each should guess what the other’s face expresses.
Model empathic behavior. A parent might say, “Your sister Noel seems upset. Let’s ask her what’s bothering her.” Or “Noel is sad that her friend cancelled their sleepover. How can we make her feel better?”
Encourage your child to see things from another person’s perspective. “You’re really good at soccer, but Bradley isn’t. Do you think he wants to keep playing? What could you do that he would like?”
Help your child recognize that people have different interests and preferences. See if your child can list the favorite ice cream flavors of family members and friends. Or ask what different people do for fun: Who plays baseball? Who builds with Legos? Who plays cards? Who plays video games? This sounds simple, but even older children can benefit from a habit of reminding themselves of their friends’ likes and dislikes before they get together.
Feelings flashcards: Create a set of feelings flashcards to help your children master this important skill. Cut out pictures of people from magazines that represent the emotions you want your child to learn. Very young children should stick to basic human emotions: happy, sad, angry, afraid, etc. For older children, you can represent more nuanced emotions—surprise, confusion, confidence or shyness, for example, and use more body language prompts than facial features. Glue or tape these pictures to index cards, and on the other side write the emotion represented by that picture. Use the cards as you would any flash cards—hold the card up and have your child guess the emotion and perhaps try to replicate it: “Good! Now how would you show through your body that you were happy about something?”
Talking stick. Often, one of the hardest parts of empathy for children is respectfully listening to another’s point of view—especially if it is a point of view they find disagreeable. The concept behind a talking stick is simple: the person holding the talking stick speaks his or her mind, and the other people make respectful and sincere efforts to understand that person’s point of view until they get the stick and are thus enabled to speak. Help your child to decorate a tree branch, dowel or paper towel roll with markers, paints, findings, etc. If you have more than one child, even decorating the talking stick can be a lesson in empathetic communication as you encourage your children to take turns and collaborate on designs. At the next sign of a disagreement, or if an important family decision needs to be made that involves input from all members, break out the talking stick and see how much it improves your children’s ability to listen to each other and treat others’ opinions as important. When children feel that their own views are valuable, they are more likely to be considerate of others’ views.
Two more great options for facilitating social thinking:
When working with children who may have a hard time with a 2 dimensional flash card game, instead, do more role playing with puppets and dolls, playing with different scenarios. Using photographs of your child and family, you can make stick puppets by securing photo face to a Popsicle stick to act out feelings. You can also use photos in a mini-photo album called “My Feeling Faces” (photos of friends, family making different emotions). It can be fun for children to identify their loved ones in different situations.
Create social stories. A social story describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format. For example, parents can create a social story about making a sad friend feel better or what to say to the new child in class. The goal of a social story is to share accurate social information in a patient and relevant manner so that it’s understandable to children who have trouble deciphering social situations and cues. For some examples of how to create and use social stories, visit the following web sites:
While reading stories to children, stop occasionally and ask children to identify the characters’ feelings in the context of the story. Discuss how the characters’ observable behaviors reveal their feelings.
Do simple role-plays by asking children, “Show me how your body and face would look if:
You got a birthday present.
A big dog barked at you.
A friend put a worm in your hand.
You found a snake on the playground.
You fell down and tore your new pants.
A friend knocked down your blocks.
Help children recognize that people may have different feelings about the same thing; people have different likes and dislikes. “Jason is excited when there is a thunderstorm, but Juanita gets scared.” “Timmy likes to climb high on the jungle gym, but Sam doesn’t.”
Help children recognize that their feelings about a situation may change. “Alejandra, you are feeling sad now and want to sit by yourself, but later you may feel differently and may want to join the group at circle.”
Modeling empathy and talking about/exploring feelings and emotions are a good starting place. Leading by example is a great way for children to make connections with their feelings and emotions. Getting your child involved in a social thinking group that incorporates perspective taking and functional problem solving with peers can be extremely beneficial. Becoming more empathetic can be a challenging task for anyone, however with the right support (for child and family), it can be done!
More for Parents
Visit the library and bookstore. Look for books with simple pictures of faces and emotions. Children learn from seeing real pictures of people showing their feelings.
You can even take photos of your family making different “feeling faces” and make these into a book to talk about WHY someone may feel a certain way.
Visitparentingscience.com. Dr. Gwen Dewar is a parent and professional who writes on the many issues of parenting and child development. She has an informative blog.
Visitpositivediscipline.com. Author Jane Nelsen is a licensed marriage, family and child counselor and the co-author of the Positive Discipline series.
Visitsocialthinking.com and click on “books and products” for a list of tools to help parents and professionals teach social thinking to kids.
Lauren Zimet, M.S.,CCC/SLP and Sharon Sokolik, M.A.,CCC/SLP are licensed speech pathologists. They facilitate social thinking groups for children, held at Tools for Families, JFCS in Dunwoody, GA. These unique social thinking groups are being conducted in schools, during the class day as well and/or after school. They work with teachers/schools and parents to help children learn to be better perspective takers. Lauren and Sharon work with children of all abilities (neurotypical) as well with children on the autism spectrum, NVL disorders, Asperger’s, apraxia, AD(H)D, and more. They are happy to speak with parents/teachers/therapists to share information on social thinking and teaching empathy.
As I posted on Twitter yesterday, I am becoming much more impatient! It has been over twenty years since the research on early brain development started being published for the general public. This is much too long for this information to not be well known! Let's ensure that 2011 is the year that this changes! Thanks for your essential part in making that happen!
Have you sent in your nomination?
I invite you to nominate programs, schools, organizations, or agencies that would benefit from a donated brain activity packet in either English or Spanish. The winner for the donation from Week #5 is below!
Following is the Week #6 BRAIN insight to share:
BRAIN
Brains Require All Investing Now
A BRAIN Insight to share ~ Week #6
While the brain makes new connections throughout life, a child will make trillions of the initial connections in the first five years.
Let's make this common knowledge! To share this brain fact just cut and paste or use the the share button!
You can simply post the insight on social network sites
You can also include the fact in organizational literature or newsletters, add to your signature on your e-mail, post on a bulletin board and implement it into what you do each week.
Additionally each week, e-mail the BRAIN Insight to 5 people you know. Encourage each person to share it with 5 people they know. If each person shares with 5 people each week... we will finally have EVERYONE knowing this incredibly important information!
Enjoy contributing to make this common knowledge!!
Spreading Brain Development Even Further .... Click here to send the name of a program, agency, school, organization or business that will benefit from a brain development packet. I will draw a name and donate a brain activity packet in the name of the person making the recommendation each week!!
The WINNER for WEEK #5:
Robinson Rancheria Preschool
Lakeport, CA A brain development packet for the age of their choice will be donated in the name of :Vicki Hays
Congratulations!!
THANK YOU to all that are participating the initiative already! Tell everyone you know about the difference we can make!
Kate and Taylor are on the playground swinging. Jamie comes over to ask for a turn. Kate says “No! We’re swinging now!” Taylor doesn’t say anything. A few minutes later, Jamie re-approaches the swings, and asks again for a turn. Kate shouts “Go away, we’re swinging!” Jamie’s eyes fill with tears. Erica walks over, puts her arm around Jamie and says, “I know how you feel, let’s go play on the monkey bars, we can swing later!” That is empathy in action.
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