Certainly war affects everyone, but a new study by psychology professors at the University of Utah report that children who grow up in war zones are particularly affected. One finding of the study, published in the journal Child Development, is that children growing up in war zones begin to believe that stealing from others or hurting them in revenge are okay. In short, these children lose their moral centers, according to a recently published review of the study.

The study’s findings were based on interviews with 96 Colombian children and indicate that war will encourage children to steal when they feel physical threatened, almost always expect violent behavior from anyone in daily life, and view acts of violence as an option in any circumstance. Furthermore, these children exhibit a sense of distrust of others. There is a sense among these children that violence and stealing become an alternative, particularly the older the children are.

The research, however, does not address how being around childhood violence might induce violence. In nearly 50 countries worldwide, children are growing up in the midst of armed conflict, including Colombia, where nearly 2 million children have been forces from their homes over the past 15 years. Researchers are seeking the affect of these circumstances on a child’s sense of right and wrong.

Study co-author Cecila Wainryb said that "Overall, these findings unveil a reservoir of moral knowledge among war-affected children. Even the impoverished environments of war and displacement present youths with opportunities for reflecting on the intrinsic features of actions that harm others."

Wainryb and Roberto Posada, a Colombian native and doctoral student at University of Utah, say that there are a number of "vulnerabilities" for the moral compasses in these children of war. Because the children are concerned with survival, their ability to view themselves as moral agents may be compromised, and revenge may create cycles of violence.

Many of the children in the study endorsed hurting and stealing for revenge; all participants said it is wrong to hurt other or steal; most said it was wrong to hurt others or steal from them even when doing so can help ensure one’s own survival. A majority of the subjects said they expected others would steal from and hurt other people in most situations. That view was strongest among teens.

The authors cite other research that children everywhere violate moral behavior expected of them, but that those who are exposed to and perpetrate violence don’t get a chance to discuss or learn from those violations.

Gas prices may be high, but many families are still  making roadtrips. No doubt boredom and complaining will make an appearance, but BradentonHearld.com offers some suggestions for warding off boredom and encouraging family learning time without resorting to electronic entertainment.

From Lisa Church’s book Everyday Creative Play, here are some suggestions for engaging kids in learning during car trips:

Borrow books on tape from the library or friends and listen as a family.

Tell a collaborative story. Let one person start with a line, and have other family members continue.

Count cars, dogs, churches – you name it. Choose a category, and count how many items you see that fit that category.

Play measurement games by deciding which is bigger – a rhino or an elephant? Which is farther away – Grandmother’s house or Aunt Nancy’s? Discuss what we measure and why.

Take the measurement game farther by playing money games. Get the children to point out places where people spend money, how much things cost, and what has greater value.

Talk about where you’re going, what road you’ll take, and what you’ll pass on the way. Turn this into a running travelogue.

Bring along magnetic games; many games are now designed specifically for travel and have magnetic boards that allow for play while moving.

Play “look and see” games. There are many variations, like looking for different shapes, or letters of the alphabet.

Build in “quiet time” when everyone is just silent and still. This may be hard, so start of with short periods of time, and make this time part of the daily routine.

Car trips can encourage interaction between family members and can provide lots of learning time if creativity and patience are employed.

There are numerous benefits to pretend play, among them, a venue for children to express and talk about a variety of emotions within a safe, fun environment. Some children have difficulty expression emotion, particularly children with developmental delays such as autism.  A recent article by Sandra Russ, she suggests some ways to help children express emotions through make-believe play.

Since play is a way for children to learn adaptive skills like how to understand social cues, how to negotiate fairness, and express feelings in a thoughtful way, it promotes empathy by allowing children to think about and attempt to express how others are feeling.

A child playing the “bad guy” in a game may express anger, or, conversely, in the role of “hero,” he may express joy.

Pretend play also lets children label their feelings and is linked to their creativity.

Some suggestions for fostering this exploration of emotions through play are:

Comment on your child’s play through narration. For instance, you may say of a playmate, ”He looks really happy that he won the game!”

Demonstrate for younger children what emotions look like. Jump up and down and use a high-pitched voice to show happiness.

Ask open-ended questions such as, “I wonder how she feels?”

Encourage your child to demonstrate emotions by suggesting he make up a sad story about a child who has lost a favorite toy.

Managing the behavior of young children is an ongoing challenge for many parents and caregivers.  Positive Discipline without shaking, Shouting  or Spanking addresses these concerns and offers effective strategies for the best ways to manage aggressive behavior in young children. This  is an ongoing and important topic of discussion among parents and teachers. In a recent article Carolyn Tomlin also discusses  some of current theories and practices in managing aggressive behavior and offers her suggestions for best practices.

Developmental theorists generally concur that early experiences shape behavior, laying down neural paths in a child’s brain at a time of crucial development: when brain pathways can be created more quickly than at times later in life. This consensus makes it that much more important that early aggressive behavior be treated effectively.

A recent new approach to disciplining young children was developed by Seth Scholer, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University. Scholer’s program, called Play Nicely, is a CD ROM that teaches parents, counselors, child care providers, and health care professionals the basics of agression management for children ages 1 to 7. Through the training, participants learn that there are more effective responses than speaking angrily, physical punishment, or ignoring the aggression.

Dr. Scholer says, “early childhood aggression is one of the strongest predictors of violence later in life.” Scholer’s interest in managing aggression was influenced by a presentation by Dr. Richard Tremblay. After the lecture, Scholer realized that “we need tools to help teach caregivers why and how to manage aggression in the early years.”

Scholer believes that Play Nicely gives caretakers and parents insight into cognitive skills depicting social adjustment of children, teaching important lessons, including setting the rule that aggressive behavior is not allowed. The program also covers redirecting – that is, that children have other options instead of hurting, and promoting empathy by showing that others can be hurt by aggressive behavior.

Suggestions for Managing Aggressive Behavior

Caregivers need to know how to handle aggressive behavior in young children: what to do when a child hits? How to know when to encourage parents to seek professional help? Some strategies that will help parents and teachers are as follows:

Teach children not to be a victim of aggression. Encourage children to say to an aggressor, “That hurts,” followed by discussing with both children their feelings and how to resolve the conflict together. Set a firm rule that hitting will not be tolerated.

Decrease exposure to violence. Know what television shows children watch or what video games they play. Television time should be limited to two or fewer hours per day for children over age 2; no television for children under age 2 is best.

Show lots of love by giving individual attention, and play with children and be consistent with rules. Do not ignore a child’s rule-breaking, follow thorough with what you say or say nothing at all. Make sure parents and caregivers agree on the rules.

Some situations may warrant professional help, and warning signs of these situations may include frequent aggressive acts towards others, toward the self, or toward pets. Children who never follow directions or listen may need professional intervention, as may those who seem unattached. If the child does not return to his parent or caregiver in strange situations or frequently chooses violence on television or in video games, he may need professional assistance.

Founder and President of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation Dr. David P. Weikart said that "When we accept that learning comes from within, we achieve a critical balance in educating children. The adult’s role is to support and guide children through their active learning adventures and experiences. Helping children to learn to help themselves is one of the most important ways adults can be of service to them.”

Certainly considering Scholer’s suggestions and striving to manage aggressive behavior in a positive way will help children to learn from within.

Being a parent is hard work, and new research shows that many parenting strategies are scientifically proven to fail. Alan Kazdin, a psychologist at the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic gives eight examples of how well-intentioned parents fail at disciplining their children. His research is summarized by Nancy Shute in US News and World Report.

According to Kazdin, “It's intuitive to scream at your child to change their behavior, even though the research is unequivocal that it won't work.” Other examples of discipline strategies that do not work are:

1. Parents Fail to Set Limits

Children who do not have limits have proven more defiant and rebellious than those who do. In the absence of limits, children feel unsafe and push to see whether their parents respond.

Columbia University Teachers College psychologist Suniya Luthar reported in 2003 that children who are indulged with advantages are more likely to be anxious, depressed, and abuse drugs and alcohol than those who are not.

Giving simple, clear commands and being consistent are keys in setting limits. Parents may let children choose between two acceptable choices, such as “A half-hour of Nintendo right after school, then homework? Or, “Finish all homework before game time?”

Mother, Lauren Jordan says that she has “to be very strict with [herself] and go over and tell [her son] the rules and walk away.” Parents know that isn’t always easy, but this consistency pays off and can make a home a much happier place.

2. Parents are overprotective

"Many well-meaning parents jump in too quickly," says Robert Brooks, a clinical psychologist in Needham, Mass., and coauthor of Raising Resilient Children. "Resilient children realize that sometimes they will fail, make mistakes, have setbacks. They will attempt to learn from them."

Brooks goes on to say that parental intervention “communicates to the kid that 'I don't think you're capable of dealing with it.' We have to let kids experience the consequences of their behavior." If not, they may be afraid to try and afraid to fail.

3. Parents nag, lecture, repeat, and then yell.

Abundant evidence exists to prove that humans tune out repeated commands. Lynn Clark, professor emeritus of psychology at Western Kentucky University and author of SOS Help for Parents says that "So many parents think they have to get very emotionally upset, yell, threaten, use sarcasm. The child imitates that behavior, and you get sassy talk."

Nagging doesn’t work, either; it gives children an incentive – parental attention – to keep misbehaving. Mother of 9-year-old-Nick, Nancy Ailes, says she “was kind of ignoring the good behavior, and every time he did something wrong, I would step in and give him attention." She was frustrated with her son, who would melt down if the day’s schedule changed and call her a “bad Mommy” if she complained.

4. Parents praise too much—and badly

While it seems intuitive that praise would make children feel good about themselves and act as a motivator, parents don’t praise children as often as they think. Praise that is generic (“good job!”) or is centered on the child (“you’re so smart!”) and not the task, actually works to make a child less motivated and self-confident. An experiment by Carol Dweck, now a psychologist at Stanford University, found that fifth graders who were praised for being intelligent, rather than for making a good effort, had a harder time dealing with failure and made less of an effort on tests.

5. Parents punish too harshly

According to Murray Straus, professor of psychology at the University to New Hampshire, as many as 90 percent of parents think spanking young children is okay.

Jamilia Reid, co director of the Parenting Clinic at the University of Washington says that “Often parents come looking for bigger sticks. We tell parents the word discipline means 'teach.' It's something to teach a child that there's a better way to respond."

Key findings about research into time-out as a disciplinary strategy shows that discipline that is immediate, mild, and brief,, works best.

Teens who have outgrown timeouts and instead have privileges revoked shouldn’t lose a privilege for more than a day, because after that, the child’s attitude shifts from the behavior to resentment of parents.

Kazdin says this “puts a little wedge in the relationship between parent and child," and that it is better to ask the child to practice good behavior to win back privileges.

6. Parents Tell their Children How to Feel

Many studies show that empathy for others is a top quality that people need to be successful in relationships, and children need to think about others’ feelings as well as how their own feelings are affected by what they do. Myrna Shure, a developmental psychologist at Drexel University and author of Raising a Thinking Child, says "That is what will inhibit a child from hurting others, either physically or emotionally."

If parents tell children you're fine" or "don't cry," they don’t let children have a chance to learn these lessons. "The child learns empathy through being empathized with," says Stanley Greenspan, a child psychiatrist in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Greenspan’s book Great Kids helps parents help their children to develop 10 essential qualities for a happy life; empathy is on the top of the list.

"Modeling empathic behavior is really very important," too, according to James Windell, a counselor with the juvenile court system in Oakland County, Michigan. "How you respond to your children's needs sets the stage."

7. Parents put Grades and SATs Ahead of Creativity

Overemphasizing good grades can give a distorted message about how and what children learn. "We like kids to learn rules, and we want them to learn facts," says Greenspan. "We're impressed when they can read early or identify their shapes. It's much harder for us to inspire them to come up with a creative idea."

Creative thinkers are more likely to be able to “bounce back if their first idea doesn't work” and know that a good solution takes time and patience to reach. Greenspan says the goal is to have a child who grows up to ask the important questions, not to have one who knows how to answer the questions.

To help children become independent thinkers, parents can ask open-ended questions like “Can you think of another way to solve the problem with your teammate?”

8. Parents Forget to Have Fun

Robert Hendren, a professor of psychiatry at the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute at the University of California-Davis and president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, says that "When I talk to families that aren't functioning so well, and I ask, how often do you laugh together, they say: ‘We haven't laughed together for a long time.’”

Hendren says that little signs of love and connection, of sharing a song or a laugh, are signs of health.

Two wonderful conferences were in session last week: the World Association on Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) 11th Congress, "Celebrating the Baby, Family & Culture"; and the Early Head Start, "12th Annual Birth to Three."  In the past these two conferences have been held, typically, in June and July.  This year they overlapped, creating a difficult choice for those who wanted to be at both events.

he WAIMH conference was held in Yokohama, Japan, and with 1,700 participants was the largest conference in the history of the organization (this according to Tina Houghton, from WAIMH). The 76 page program offers a unique glimpse into the work being done with babies and their families around the world. Two outstanding titles from the Child Development Media collection were showcased at our Video Theater at WAIMH: 1) Every Child Can Learn was on view as an invited poster presentation by author, Katrin Stroh; and 2) the video Babies and Young Children with Each Other was presented by Maria Vincent from the Pikler Association of France.  Mark your calendars now for the 12th WAIMH Congress, June 30 - July 3, 2010 to be held in Leipzig, Germany, for an unforgetable experience.

The Birth to Three conference was held in Washington, DC and hosted just under 1,000 home visitors, center-based staff, directors, managers, technical-assistance providers, and  all staff that serve Early Head Start babies and families. The Video Theater has been an integral part of the conference since its first year in 1996. This year the most popular videos were John Bowlby: Attachment Theory Over Generations and Mary Ainsworth: Attachment and the Growth of Love.  We consider it a great privilege to be part of this conference and to watch the impressive evolution of the work and growth of the organization.  The 13th Annual Birth-to-Three Conference will be held June 22 - 25, 2009 in Washington, DC.  It is not to be missed!

Another baby conference that we all love, Zero to Three National Training Institute, is coming back to Los Angeles on  December 5 - 7 of this year (2008) at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.  This was the site of the first Zero to  Three conference that was held in California in 1986 and was co-hosted with the Infant Development Association of California. That event included our very first Video Theater.  This year will be a wonderful time to share knowledge, learn from each other, and to celebrate our achievements in this critical field of endeavor.  Hope to see you there!

Parents and caregivers are increasingly aware of the need to take advantage of brain development in the first 5 years of life.  The Heart of Learning  . . Unlocking the Key to Every Child's Potential offers guidelines to support development.  A unique focus on language development happens at the Sponge Schools in Seattle and Issaquah, Washington, children from newborn to age 5 learn Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese. According to an article in Northwest Asian Weekly, the school’s Mandarin program recently surpassed the Spanish program to become the school’s most popular language and the favorite of many parents.

“It’s natural to them,” said Taryn Zier, the director of communications at Sponge. “Language is so powerful for kids. Our school reaches out to really young children.”

Many parents accompany their children to school on Saturday mornings to learn Chinese in an interactive classroom complete with toys, snacks, and a native Chinese teacher, Wenxin Huang-Gillis. During the 55-minute sessions, Huang-Gillis speaks only Chinese to the students and their parents, and uses language, props, and her enthusiasm to reach them.

The toddlers repeat the Chinese words back to Huang-Gillis. During snack time, one child asked for more crackers by saying, “Hen duo hen duo” (many many), to the delight of the classroom’s parents.

Zier states that “We want to offer a quality program. We use things that are meaningful to kids. We do a session about things in the house, things in the park, words and activities associated with kids. Learning things that are meaningful to them is very powerful.”

Sponge School provides parents with cultural tips, monthly newsletters, and strives to help children make a language connection outside of the classroom.

Jackie Friedman Mighdoll, the founder of Sponge School and a parent of two children, aged 2 and 4, recently returned from a family vacation to Shanghai. Her children have taken the Mandarin class for over two years, and were not afraid to speak up during the family’s visit.

“The more you speak, the more you want to speak. … It’s the thrill of asking, and people are thrilled to show,” said Mighdoll.

Teachers and parents are delighted to see the young children embrace learning that goes beyond language. As Huang-Gillis says, “For me I am not only teaching Chinese language, but also I am trying to propagate Chinese culture and let people know China and Chinese people well.”

For more information about the Sponge School, visit www.spongeschool.com.

Identifying academic problems early, at least by middle school, and proving intervention can boost overall achievement and high school graduation particularly for English Language Learners.

California law requires that students pass The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order to graduate from high school. This exam is the only part of the extensive accountability system that has direct consequences for students, and researchers at the Public Policy Institute of California recently studied what can be done to help raise the skills of students at risk of failing this crucial exam. The findings are available here.

The exam itself tests math at grade level 8 and English at grade 10 level; current legislation is targeted at student in grade 12 and those 2 years beyond grade 12 who failed the exam. The California Public Policy Research report aims to demonstrate that it is possible to identify accurately elementary school students who are at risk of failing the CAHSEE. Using the San

Diego Unified School District, the study’s authors learned how to forecast who will pass and who will not, and to identify factors that may improve students’ chances of passing.

About 10 percent of students in San Diego failed the CAHSEE at the end of the 1006-06 school year, but district officials believe many would have failed to graduate even in the absence of the exit exam since they had trouble with requirements and grades. Large numbers who did pass did so by a narrow margin, raising the question of how students who can barely pass an exit exam at grade 8 math levels can prosper in the workforce.

The research findings, according to the study’s authors, are relevant for 2 groups: Parents, teachers, and school administrators; and district and state policymakers and state legislators. The key questions are “What interventions can boost the achievement of those struggling with the exam and when should these interventions begin?”

Findings and implication include several indicators that school officials could use to intervene selectively to help students before high school. For instance, English Language Learner (ELL) status “should not be a matter of great concern for younger students,” but if the student reaches middle school and is still an English Language Learner, that status is a strong predictor of failure on the exit exam. Interestingly, in San Diego, Vietnamese-speaking English Language Learners did better than other ELL students.

The researchers found that the last-minute interventions currently in place are not sufficient; focus needs to be on earlier grades versus grade 12 and post-grade-12 learners. Early intervention, the authors state, “could improve students’ trajectories throughout the rest of their academic careers, for instance by boosting their achievement, reducing the chances that they will be retained a grade, increasing academic engagement, and, especially for English Learners, boosting reading ability in a way that will benefit students’ ability to digest material in all other subject areas.”

In 1991, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) began a $200 million study to determine the immediate and long-term effects of early child care on cognitive and social-emotional development of children. The study sought to answer questions such as: How important is the quality of child care? How do the effects compare with the quality of at-home parenting? The most recent report was released in March 2007 and extends findings to the effect of child care experience on fifth and sixth grade conduct and school achievement.

Developmental scientists at 10 locations throughout the US studied 1,364 children and their families throughout infancy and childhood. Assessments of children’s language, social-emotional, physical health, and cognitive development were conducted, and were based on questionnaires, maternal interviews, and home, child care, and laboratory observations. As the children entered school, the research continued, using teacher reports and academic achievement.

The study found that the quality of child care is important. No matter the setting, higher quality care was associated with higher vocabulary score at the fifth grade level.

Parenting quality is far stronger an influence on cognitive and social-emotional development than is the influence of child care, regardless of the amount of time spent in child care.

Children of mothers who were more supportive, responsive, and sensitive had higher fifth grade scores on reading, math, and vocabulary. Teachers at the sixth grade levels rated these children higher on work habits and social skills, lower on classroom behavior problems.

Teachers at the sixth-grade level rated children with more experience in child care centers as being somewhat more disruptive. Behaviors like being argumentative or uncooperative were within the normal range, although slightly elevated, for children with center-based early experience. They were not elevated for children in other types of care.

The findings show that parents are the most important influence on their children’s development. However, attention to quality of childcare and to playground and classroom dynamics is important to ensure positive behavioral and language development.

The study reports that the average quality of child care in the United States is mediocre, needing much improvement. The study’s findings also suggest that greater attention to early social and emotional skills in preschool is important, as well as is teacher training focused on how to help children get along with others.

The study also found that the effects of early child care disruptive behavior at the sixth grade level were small.

Many parents will tell you that they can almost see the wheels of an infant’s mind turning, making connections, decisions, and observations. That’s not our imagination, brains grow and develop rapidly during infancy as described in Right From Birth: Building Your Child's Foundation for Life.  An article in the Detroit News discusses a recent symposium held at Harvard that addresses this time of intense brain-building during the early childhood years.

Research has discovered that, during the first 3 years of life, the brain is at its optimal flexibility and plasticity, and its early circuits cannot later be rewired. Brains develop over time and build on what has been built before, so the ability to change decreases over time. Unconnected synapses are waiting in infants to be developed and told what to do, making the development between birth and age 3 even more critical.

The concept of “Serve and Return” governs cognitive and emotional growth, meaning that when infants interact with a nurturing and responsive adult, more synaptic connections are created. This process shapes circuit development in the developing brain; think of how when your baby smiles and you smile back as a way of increasing brain cell connections.

Brain development, while influenced in large part by genetics, is also influenced heavily by experiences and environment in early childhood. The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child states that this can “either weaken or strengthen the initial blueprint; … the circumstances in which [the brain is] built are every bit as important as the … framework handed down by genetics."

Optimal neural growth is fostered by secure and nurturing early relationships, and parents and caregivers who understand that these relationships are essential to healthy development can do a lot to promote the well-being of children.

Early childhood policies can be positively affected by these new findings; state policies can help by promoting early education and childcare services devoted to young children.