How does stress affect child development?

How does stress affect child development? The early years present us with a window of opportunity to enhance development; we also need be aware of times of vulnerability when the brain is affected by adverse experiences. (Landy, 2009, p.29) This is a passage taken out from Landy, Pathway to Competence; encouraging social and emotional development in young children. From her book, we see evidence of how children can be influenced through different experiences. Stress for instance, can have significant adverse effects on how children develop whether physically, mentally and socially. Children display changes in their physical well-being when under stress such as, getting sick frequently, and weak immune systems. Illness in children due to weak immune system impacts the mental developmental stage as children experience high levels of stress affected by trauma and abuse that influences their brain in dramatic ways. As the childs brain experiences dramatic changes, it also affects the social developmental stages and plays an impa ct on the childs behaviour. We often see children who are abused at home would normally exhibit peculiar behaviours that would affect them negatively with their social relationship. These developmental stages are interrelated with each other; usually interference in one area would frequently mean delays with the others. Hence it is important to provide a nurturing environment that promotes balance with all stages of development. How does stress has adverse effects with children physically? Stress is the physiological and psychological responses to perceived threat. (Weiten, 2004, p.529). Stress is often times related to bad experience; this is the general public assumption. The fact is that stress can be good or bad. The body response to stress by pumping the heart faster to increase blood flow to our muscles so we have better strength, bronchioles in the lungs are dilated so we can breathe better, pupils are dilated so we see better (Sympathetic nervous system, 2010). Stress in a positive aspect normally puts children in a stage of alertness, which can help them focus. When children are focused, they can learn and they will be better at retaining information, they will have appropriate responses; all in all, stress can be a good thing as it leads to positive brain development. Prolonged exposure to stress however will also have critical undesirable effects on children and their brain. Stress response includ es reducing peristalsis movement in the gastrointestinal tract, decreased urine secretion and triggered releases of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. (Gould, 2006, p. 218). Adrenaline and cortisol both play an important role in stress physiology. Adrenaline and cortisol suppressed immune system, additionally; cortisol also suppressed physical growth and affects many aspects of brain activities, including memory and emotion. (Victor G. Carrion, Carl F. Weems, and Allan L. Reiss, 2007) Due to the prolonged exposure of stress, children can get sick frequently from all sort of infection due to suppressed immune system; unable to heal properly due to malnourishment and delay or undergrowth from excessive adrenaline and cortisol hormones. These hormones cause childrens brain to under develop leading to their physical development being delayed. Positive stress in childrens physical development will lead to healthy overall development of the child. Stress in early development can either have positive effects or be extremely destructive of brain organization and development. (Landy, 2009) The structural organization of the brain from early childhood helps shape and defines a person. According to Doctor Perry, in his article regarding traumatized children, children reflect the world in which they are raised. If that world is characterized by threat, chaos, unpredictability, fear and trauma, the brain will reflect that by altering the development of the neural systems involved in the stress and fear response. (Perry, 2000, p48-51) As mentioned above, stress response from our body triggers the release of the hormone cortisol. The prolong secretion of the hormone cortisol can affect the cells activity in our body; which mean children who are under stress constantly are at higher risk of developing genetic disorder, both mental and physical. (Landy, 2009) The brain consists of many different circuits and pathways of neurons connecte d to each other; it can be extremely sensitive to any disturbance. Long term stress can rewire the brain, leaving affected individual more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. (Smith, Gill, Segal, 2009) Extended period of stress can cause part of the brains to weaken, for example, the hippocampus in the limbic system, which is an area of the brain that is responsible for memory and information processing, can become smaller. (Smith, Gill, Segal, 2009) There are cases of abused children who have limbic system abnormalities; Research has shown that abused children or children who are suffered from post traumatic stress disorder have smaller hippocampus, due the degeneration of dendrites in the hippocampus area. (Lundback, 1997) Dendrites are the branches of neurons which are important for conducting information through all parts of the brain and body. Children who are under chronic stress may show signs of fatigue, loss of appetite, disinterest, short attention span, difficulty und erstanding or retaining information, and the list goes on. All these factors will reflect on childrens brain their mental development; as they are unable to stabilize due to the stress in their environment that they are being exposed to. Negative emotions related to stress are often manifested through behaviours. Stress may cause disruptive behaviours such as problem with controlling impulses, which may end with children hurting themselves or hurting other children around them (Nemours Foundation, 1995-2010). Children who have no self control may not have a sense of time, may be prone to throwing temper tantrums, display aggression towards others. Stress may also causes changes in behaviour. Children under stress change their behaviour and react by doing things that are not in keeping with their usual styles. (Nemours Foundation, 1995-2010) As mentioned aggressive children may take out their frustration on other children around them; behaviours with hitting, biting, kicking, pushing, forcefully taking other toys are normal in children who are suffering from stress. Children who are stressed may show disinterest towards many things; they lose focus in school, withdrawn and no interest of new friendship, unable to func tion independently, may exhibit fears and timid toward their surroundings and are unable to form social relationship. Other children may shun them for their aggressive behaviours, wary of their disruptive behaviours, or may not want to socialize with them because of the lack of responses. The lack of social support may eventually lead the children who also suffer from stress to depression. If a child leaps to depression the brain is unable to relay messages to different parts of the brain which in return leads the child to unable to process information to making positive decisions in the social aspect. There are interventions available for children who suffer from stress. First and foremost, parents must realize there is something wrong with their children. The presence of sensitive and responsive caregivers can help equip children with the tools needed to handle stress in a healthy manner. (Gunnar, Herrera, Hostinar, 2009) Parents must be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress. Once a parent realizes their children are in need of help, parents should continue to provide care. Care givers may help children meet basic care by making sure they are eating adequately, sleep, eliminates, and maintains personal cleanliness. (Valfre, 2009, p.142) Often times parents or caregivers are the only people who can provide love and acceptance, no matter how peculiar the behaviours of the children may be. Each child is capable of doing something. Parents or care givers can help them find something to do; encourage them to think of ideas that help them reduce their stress. Encourage yo ung children to grow and to reach for higher levels of functions, to strive for more. (Valfre, 2009, p.143) Children who can actively contribute ideas can help them build confidence and reduce stress. Children who found something to help with their stress would feel that their situation is not so hopeless after all. Encourage self care and independence help children grow and develop. (Nemours Foundation, 1995-2010) Parents and care givers should be there to listen, provide assistance when needed, and limit stress situations as much as possible. It is normal to be anxious when parents see their children under stress, and as parents and care givers, it is normal to want to fix their problems. However this will not help them in the long run. Instead, parents and care givers should focus on helping them with their problem solving skills, helping them grow. The least but not the last, parents or care givers should be there when their children need them. Kids dont always feel like talking about whats bothering them. Sometimes thats OK. Let your kids know youll be there when they do feel like talking. Even when kids dont want to talk, they usually dont want parents to leave them alone.(Nemours Foundation, 1995-2010) Stress can have adverse effects in developing children. Consequences of unmanaged childhood stress are linked to physical, emotional and behavioural difficulties that adversely influence all aspects of development, often leading to lifelong problems.(Landy, 2009) It is essential for parents, care givers or teachers to realize when a child is in need. Early intervention can often prevent serious complications. Children should have a chance to grow in an environment which will help their brains develop. The brain is an essential part of humans in which the proper development in the early years of childhood is essential to healthy brain. The early years of life constitute a particularly sensitive period during which chronic stress may lead to dysregulation of the stress system and may compromise brain development. (Gunnar, Herrera, Hostinar, 2009) After all, according to Nash, Rich experiences in another word really do produce rich brain. References Berk, L.E. (2002). Infants, children, and adolescents. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. (Berk, 2002) Gould, B.E. (2006). Pathophysiology for the health professionals. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier. (Gould, 2006) Gunnar, M.R, Herrera, A, Hostinar, C.E. (2009). Stress and early brain development. Manuscript submitted for publication, Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development, University Of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA. Retrieved March 1, 2010 from http://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/ECLKC/encyclopedia/Enc09_Gunnar-Herrera-Hostinar_brain_en.pdf (Gunnar, Herrera, Hostinar, 2009) Jewett, J, Peterson, K. (2002, December). Stress and young children. Retrieved March 1, 2010 from http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/disorders/childstress.html (Jewett, Peterson, 2002) Landy, S. (2009). Pathways to competence: encouraging healthy social and emotional development in young children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks Publishing and Co. (Landy, 2009) Longenbaker, S. (2007). Maders understanding human anatomy physiology. Toronto: McGraw-Hill. (Longenbaker, 2007) Lundback, . (1997). Brain explorer focus on brain disorders anxiety disorders aetiology. Retrieved March 3, 2010 from http://www.brainexplorer.org/anxiety/Anxiety_Aetiology.shtml (Lundback, 1997) Valfre, M. (2009). Foundations of mental health care. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier. (Valfre, 2009) Nemours Foundation. (1995-2010). Helping kids cope with stress. Retrieved March 3, 2010 from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/stress_coping.html Perry, B.D. Traumatized children: How childhood trauma influences brain development. In: The Journal of the California Alliance for the Mentally Ill11:1, 48-51, 2000 Smith, M, Gill, E.J, Segal, J. (2009, July). Understanding stress signs, symptoms, causes, and effects. Retrieved March 2, 2010 from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm#authors (Smith, Gill, Segal, 2009) Sympathetic nervous system. (2010, March 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sympathetic_nervous_systemoldid=349741366 (Sympathetic nervous system, 2010) The Franklin Institute. (1994-2009). The Human brain-stress. Retrieved March 2, 2010 from http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/stress.html (The Franklin Institute, 1994-2009) Victor G. Carrion, Carl F. Weems, and Allan L. Reiss. Stress Predicts Brain Changes in Children: A Pilot Longitudinal Study on Youth Stress, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the Hippocampus. Pediatrics, Mar 2007; 119: 509 516. Retrived March 5, 2010 from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/119/3/509. Weiten, W. (2004). Psychology: Themes and Variations. Toronto: Thomson Nelson Learning. (Weiten, 2004)

The A Bomb :: essays research papers

The Atomic Bomb The first atomic bomb was tested on July 16,1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico and was developed, constructed and tested by the Manhattan Project. The new device represented a completely new type of explosion. All explosives before this time got their power for the rapid burning of a chemical compound like gunpowder. These bombs could only do a limited amount of damage. This new group of nuclear explosives involved getting energy sources from within the nucleus of the atom. The Atomic bomb gained its power from the fission of all of the atomic nuclei in several kilos of uranium. A Ball about the size of a baseball made an explosion equal to about 20,000 tons of TNT. An atomic bomb can also be called a fission bomb because it uses fission to release the nuclear power from the fuel. The fuel is usually either Uranium-235 or plutomium-239. Uranium-235 has an extra property that makes it useful for both nuclear power production and for nuclear bombs - it is one of the few materials that can undergo induced fission. If a neutron runs into a Uranium nucleus, the nucleus will absorb the neutron, become unstable and split immediately. As soon as the nucleus captures the neutron, it splits into two lighter atoms and throws off 2 or 3 new neutrons. These neutrons then hit other uranium atoms and a chain reaction is started. An incredible amount of energy is released, in the form of heat and gamma radiation. In order for these properties of U-235 to work, a sample of uranium must be enriched. Weapons-grade uranium is composed of 90% or more U-235. In a fission bomb, the fuel must be kept in small and separate masses. These must be small enough to not support fission otherwise the bomb could explode before it is meant to. These masses are called subcritical masses. Critical mass is the minimum amount of fissionable material needed to keep a nuclear fission reaction going. Because the masses are separate there had to be ways to bring them together to detonate the bomb. There are two ways to detonate an atomic bomb. The first is the gun-triggered device and the second is the implosion device. In both of these types, neutrons had to be introduced to start the fission. This was done by making a little neutron generator out of a small pellet of polonium and beryllium, separated by foil.

Slavery in the United States

The problem of slavery in the territories created tensions that contributed to the breakup of the Union in 1860-61. The main explanation for the origins of the American Civil War is slavery, especially when it came to Southern anger. The Southern anger was based on the Northern attempts to avoid further slave expansion, which lead to numerous acts, and essentially caused the war against Mexico. The United States was a nation divided into two different regions separated by the Mason-Dixon Line. New England, the Northeast and the Midwest had a rapidly-growing economy based on family farms, industry, mining, commerce and transportation, with a large and rapidly growing urban population and no slavery north of the border-states. Its growth was fed by a high birth rate and large numbers of European immigrants, especially Irish, British and German. The South was dominated by a settled plantation system based on slavery. There was some rapid growth taking place in the Southwest, (i. e. Texas), based on high birth rates and high migration from the Southeast, but it had a much lower immigration rate from Europe. The South also had fewer large cities, and little manufacturing except in border areas (which were very influenced by the Northern region). Slave owners controlled politics and economics, though two-thirds of Southern whites owned no slaves and usually were engaged in subsistence agriculture The economic and social differences between the North and the South were two main f actors that caused tensions that contributed to the breakup of the Union. As stated earlier the South was dominated by a settled plantation system based on slavery. Unlike the North in which slavery was frown upon. The North? s economy was based in small farms, and industrial labor in the urban populated cities. As for the North that socially was shaped by European immigration, the South was very much isolated. The North was progressing as labor united various kinds of cultures achieving a society that sustain in each other, unlike the South who solely depended on the Slaves, even though most farms did not contain slaves the Southern society was moved by the richest plantation owners (which did solely depend on slavery). Some other factors that lead to tension leading to the separation of the Union are; States versus federal rights, the fight between Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents, Growth of the Abolition Movement, and finally the election of Abraham Lincoln.

Woodrow Wilson s Progressive Era - 1159 Words

After America had finally established itself as an industrialized and urbanized nation to be reckoned with, the country had turned to follow a new set of ideologies described as progressive thinking; hence, the following of the Progressive Era. The Progressive Era was a period of widespread social activism and political reform that spread across the United States, and was in a response to problems that arose from immigration, industrialization, urbanization, and governmental corruption. Following the Presidential Election in 1912, this set of progressive ideologies was most sought after in a presidential candidate. This is one of the main reasons why Woodrow Wilson had won. Although many other candidates had also followed these progressive†¦show more content†¦Along with this, Wilson had also enacted a second antitrust measure called the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914. The act allowed for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), â€Å"...to investigate possible violations of regulatory statutes, to require periodic reports from corporations, and to put an end to a number of unfair business practices,† (The Americans 333). This act was also taken well by the public and allowed for the ceasing and desisting of over 400 cases of illegal activity, proving Wilson to be a positive impact in the political aspects of society. Economically, Wilson followed a similar strategy by administering legislative acts and systems, such as working to lower tariff rates as well as to establish a new type of banking system. Following this effort to curb big business, Wilson tried to lower tariff rates by lobbying in 1913 for the Underwood Act, which would substantially reduce the rates. Because of Wilson’s efforts and perseverance in addressing the issue, â€Å"...the new president’s use of the bully pulpit, the Senate voted to cut tariff rates even more deeply than the House had done,† (The Americans 333). Wilson’s persistence in acquiri ng this reduction of tariff and a greater need to find a way to restore the money that will be lost by these cuts (Federal Income Tax) shows especially how Wilson has economically impacted the Progressive Era. Along with reducing tariff rates, Wilson also aided the era by establishing the Federal Reserve System.Show MoreRelatedTheodore Roosevelt s The Progressive Era Essay1543 Words   |  7 Pagesof a very liberal period in American history. This new ‘Progressive Era’ was mobilized largely by the middle class as an attempt to put an end to the problems created by the period of excess that was the Gilded Age. 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