IN INFANT ANT-TODDL ODDLER ER SUC SUCCESS: CESS: LEV EVELIN - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

IN INFANT ANT-TODDL ODDLER ER SUC SUCCESS: CESS: LEV EVELIN ELING G TH THE E PLAYIN ING G FI FIEL ELD Phone: (909) 347-7313 www.InfantToddlerSuccess.org info@InfantToddlerSuccess.org December 27, 2016

THE INFANT-TODDLER SUCCESS PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAM IS BASED ON CONSISTENT NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH: • 0-3 yrs. largely determines later success in school and in life • 80-85% of the brain develops by age 3 • during this critical window, the foundations for thinking, academic success, and social-emotional competencies are formed (e.g., Grunewald & Rolnick, 2006; Heckman, 2008, 2010; Suskind, 2015) December 27, 2016

A CHILD’S EXPERIENCES DURING THIS TIME DETERMINE THE DEVELOPING BRAIN’S ARCHITECTURE, NEURAL CONNECTIONS, AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS… • Experiences increase and strengthen neural pathways in the brain • Unused pathways are pruned away during early childhood (Gerhardt, 2015; Suskind, 2015; Nelson, Fox, & Zeanah, 2014) December 27, 2016

I. TYP YPES S OF F PARENT ENTAL AL NURTURI TURING NG (0-3 3 YR YRS. S.): Nur Nurtur uring ng is the single most important influence on early brain development. It sets off neurochemical events that allow the brain to develop normally. Positive parenting: Children flourish with pa pare rent ntal al warmt rmth, h, res esponsiv onsivene eness, ss, and sen ensitiv itive e attunement unement (i.e., a “secure attachment”). Results in optimal brain formation, creating the foundation for optimal cognitive, language, social, and emotional development. December 27, 2016

AUTHORITARIAN PARENTING STRESSES OBEDIENCE AND CONFORMITY. IT TENDS TO USE HARSH, TRADITIONAL PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PUNISHMENT, WHICH GREATLY INCREASES THE RISK OF: • less optimal brain development • weaker social and emotional development • weaker language skills and cognitive functioning • poor self-regulation, more behavior problems and attention deficits • Being less ready to start school and less academically successful • mental health problems • lower I.Q. (e.g., Cassidy & Shaver, 2016; Gerhardt, 2015; Guttmann-Steinmetz & Crowell, 2006; Main & Hesse, 2003; Masterson, 2006; Sroufe et al., 2001, 2006;Teicher, 2001, 2002; Teicher et al., 2003, 2004; Zila & Kiselica, 2001) December 27, 2016

ABUSIVE, NEGLECTFUL PARENTING RESUL SULTS S IN IN ITED: SEVERE VERELY Y LI LIMITED • brain development and functioning • I.Q. • social and emotional development • Other negative outcomes • Increased risk for teen • self-regulation, attention span, pregnancy, dropping out of and impulsiveness school, engaging in delinquent • school readiness and overall behaviors, substance abuse academic performance • higher risk for mental health • self-regulation resulting in problems/psychopathology behavior problems • cognitive functioning, formal reasoning, problem-solving, memory, & learning capacity (e.g., Cassidy & Shaver, 2016; Gerhardt, 2015; Guttmann-Steinmetz & Crowell, 2006; Main & Hesse, 2003; Masterson, 2006; Sroufe et al., 2001, 2006;Teicher, 2001, 2002; Teicher et al., 2003, 2004; Zila & Kiselica, 2001) December 27, 2016

EARLY EXPERIENCES STRENGTHEN NEURAL PATHWAYS IN THE BRAIN; UNUSED PATHWAYS ARE PRUNED AWAY DURING THE PRESCHOOL YEARS. December 27, 2016

BRAIN SCANS OF A HEALTHY CHILD AND ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERE NEGLECT: Children who experience severe neglect, abuse, or emotional trauma during early development suffer from abnormalities in brain chemistry, brain functioning, brain structure, and even brain size (e.g., Gerhardt, 2015; Perry, 2005; Teicher, 2001, 2002; Nelson, Fox, & Zeanah, 2013). December 27, 2016

II. EARL RLY Y LANGU NGUAGE GE ENVIR VIRONME ONMENT NT (0-3 3 YRS.): .): • size Children need lots of “ pare rent nt talk ” e of vocabular abulary and book k readin ing from infancy on! • more re neural al co connecti ection ons s in the brai ain A rich, , positi itive e languag guage envir ironm onment nt is • Faster er brain in processin essing g speed ed critic tical al fo for optim imal al brain in develop elopment nt. • Impr proved ed self-regu regula latio tion The number er of words s infant nts and • later er reading ding and math h ability lity todd ddler lers s hear r during ng the first t 3 years s of life is directl ctly y related ed to: • school ool readin iness ess and school ol success • learni rning g to speak ak • I.Q. . at age 3 and beyon ond • understan anding ding the meani ning ng of words (e.g., Hart & Risley, 1995, 2003; Suskind, 2015; Trelease, 2013) December 27, 2016

CHILDREN WHO COME TO SCHOOL WITH THE MOST WORDS HEARD DO BETTER IN SCHOOL December 27, 2016

THE PROBLEM: Parents with less education tend to: • Have less knowledge of positive parenting strategies • Focus on obedience & conformity • Be less attuned to child’s signals & needs; and therefore child(ren) are less attached to them • Use authoritarian parenting approaches including harsher, punitive parenting methods • Be less likely to talk or read to their children December 27, 2016

December 27, 2016

STANFORD UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INDICATES THAT LOW-INCOME 5 YEAR OLDS SCORE ALMOST TWO YEARS BEHIND ON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT TESTS WHEN THEY BEGIN SCHOOL. With less child-directed supportive parent talk: Slower in understanding language at 18 mos. Slower vocabulary growth by age 2 Lower scores on language and cognitive assessments in kindergarten and elementary school (Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder, 2013) December 27, 2016

URGENCY OF TIMING December 27, 2016

DEMOGRAPHIC MOGRAPHIC UR URGEN GENCY CY – SAN BERN RNARDINO ARDINO COUNT UNTY Y PU PUBLIC LIC HEAL ALTH TH PR PROFILES FILES 2015 5 (CA DPH PH) Approx. 33,000 live births annually in SBCo • Single mothers (2013): 46.1% (SBCo) - 45.5% (RivCo) • Family socio-economic status at birth (2013): • 52.6% in poverty or near poverty • Birthrate by income • highest rates in families earning $0 - $10,000 annually • Second highest rates in families earning $10,000 - $20,000 annually December 27, 2016

December 27, 2016

SOCIAL COSTS OF INEFFECTIVE PARENTING For every dollar spent on the prevention of child abuse and early intervention, $7-10 is saved down the road on social costs of crime, delinquency, school dropouts, etc. Illustrative annual costs resulting from ineffective parenting: • Criminal behavior, drug use, and dropping out of school for single youth: $1.7 - $2.3 million (Becker, 2001) • High school dropouts: over the next decade, 12 million students will drop out, costing taxpayers about $3 trillion, e.g., welfare, not paying taxes, incarceration costs (APA, 2012) • Child abuse/neglect in 2008: $124 billion (CDC) • Mental health disorders in children: $247 billion (Stroul et al., 2014) • cost of incarceration in California alone: $1 1.2 billion - - more than the total spent on all levels of education (VERA Institute of Justice, 2012) • cost of teen childbearing: $9.2 billion (e.g., www.thinkprogress.org) e.g., Fanton & McFarland, 2003; Heckman, 2008, 201 1; Grunewald & Rolnick, 2005 December 27, 2016

AN EXCERPT FROM THE INFANT -TODDLER SUCCESS PARENTING MANUAL The Story of the Ham December 27, 2016

INFANT -TODDLER SUCCESS GOALS AND DISTINCTIVENESS ITS GOALS ARE TO GIVE CHILDREN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THEIR POTENTIAL – IN HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND OVERALL SUCCESS – BY SHARING WITH PARENTS THE FINDINGS OF NEUROSCIENCE AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH ON STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE INFANT AND TODDLER COGNITIVE AND SOCIOEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. • THE INFANT-TODDLER SUCCESS PROGRAM, FORUMLATED BY UNIVERSITY FACULTY WHO TEACH AND ENGAGE IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, IS DISTINCTIVE IN ITS OVERALL APPROACH. ITS CLASSES ARE: • BASED ON THE MOST RECENT NEUROSCIENCE AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, WITH RIGOROUS ASSESSMENT AT EACH STEP OF THE PROGRAM; • OFFERED BY CHILD DEVELOPMENT MASTERS GRADUATES AND/OR ADVANCED GRADUATE STUDENTS; December 27, 2016

INFANT -TODDLER SUCCESS GOALS AND DISTINCTIVENESS - 2 • CONCENTRA CENTRATED ED ON PARENT ENTS OF F CHILDREN LDREN UP TO TO 3 YEARS ARS OLD, , WHEN EN 80-85 5 PERCENT CENT OF F THE BRAI AIN N IS FORMED; MED; • FOCU CUSED SED ON TREA EATI TING G NEGLECT LECT, , ABUS USE E AND D HEALTH H ISSUES ES AS WELL AS COGNITIVE GNITIVE AND SOCIOE IOEMO MOTI TION ONAL AL DEVEL ELOPMEN OPMENT T AIMED D AT ELIMIN INATING THE E ACHIEVEME IEVEMENT NT GAP; • TAUGHT IN EITHER SPANISH OR ENGLISH BASED ON THE PARENTS’ BEST UNDER ERSTOOD OD LANGU NGUAGE; E; • ACC CCOMP OMPAN ANIED IED BY A MEAL, , CHILDC LDCAR ARE E BY ADVANC ANCED ED CHILD LD DEVEL VELOPM OPMENT ENT STUDENTS, AND AFTER EACH CLASS A CHILDREN’S BOOK TO READ; December 27, 2016