During their first year, babies
grow faster, both physically and emotionally, than during any other time
of their lives. Babies need food and physical care along with help and
encouragement through every stage of development to thrive and grow into
strong, healthy, and confident people.
Most parents try to do the
best they can for their children even when there are adverse circumstances.
PSSs can help support parenting efforts by providing emotional support,
by helping parents gain the knowledge they need to develop confidence
and competence, and by linking them to health and social services and
other community resources when needed.
| Objectives
|
- By the end of
this unit, participants will be able to:
- Describe
what is meant by physical/motor, cognitive, emotional, social
and communication development.
- Discuss
why it is so important for an infant to feel loved and cared for.
- Discuss
how parents and caregivers can help infants develop feelings of
security and trust.
|
|
Time
|
4
1/2 hours |
|
Outline
|
A. Why
Learn About Infant Growth and Development?
B. Building Blocks
of Infant Development
C. Summary and Review |
|
Materials
|
- Resource
Mothers. (1993). Resource Mothers Curriculum Sourcebook
(Ch. 12). Sterling, VA: INMED.
- Resource
Mothers. (1993). Resource Mothers Handbook (Ch. 14). Sterling,
VA: INMED.
- Video "Your
Baby and You: Understanding Your Baby’s Behavior",
Communication Skill Builders, 3830 E. Belleview, P.O. Box 42050,
Tucson, AZ 85733.
- Weitzberg,
B. (1992). Exploring the World of Infants and Toddlers: A Training
Manual About Infants, Toddlers, & Their Parents. Baltimore,
MD: Friends of the Family, Inc. (410) 659-7701.
- Shelov,
S.P. & Hannemann, R.E. (Eds.) (1991). American Academy
of Pediatrics Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age
5. N.Y.: Bantam Books.
- Child Development
True/False Quiz ( Handout #1).
- Post-Unit
Test (Handout #2)
- Role Plays
(Training Aid #1)
- Role Play
Feedback (Overhead #1)
- Post-Unit
Evaluation
- Program
policies regarding child abuse and neglect.
- Program
policies concerning confidentiality.
- Blackboard
and chalk or newsprint, markers and tape.
- Video Equipment:
video camera, tripod, tape, television, VCR.
|
| Advance
Preparation
|
- Review Chapter
14, "Child Growth and Development" of the Resource Mothers
Handbook and ask trainees to review it ahead of time.
- Review Resource
Mothers Curriculum Sourcebook, Unit 12, Child Growth and Development.
- Review video:
Your Baby and You: Understanding Your Baby's Behavior.
- For background
information, review Exploring the World of Infants and Toddlers.
- Make sufficient
copies of any handouts to be used.
- Review and
bring the group a copy of Caring for Your
Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5.
- Have several
special pictures, sayings, poems about babies and their development.
Two suggestions are:
- Leach, P.
(1990). Your Baby and Child, Birth to 5 Years, (pp.9-12).
N.Y.: Alfred Knopf.
- Bermont &
Langston (1965). The Child. N.Y.: Pocket Books, INC.
- Try out
video equipment. Set up camera to videotape role plays.
|
A. Why
Learn About Infant Growth and Development?
(1 1/2 hours)
| Rationale:
|
PSSs
are parents themselves and have lots of practical knowledge of infant
growth and development. Just like the PSSs, most parents learn how
to care for their infants through "on the job training." It is important
to establish in the beginning of this unit why learning some principles
of infant growth and development can benefit PSSs and their clients. |
|
Procedure:
|
1.
Use special pictures, sayings or poems to begin this unit.
2.
Activity. True/False Quiz. Distribute the Child Development
True/False Quiz (Handout #1) and ask participants to take
five or ten minutes to complete it. If participants have difficulty
reading, you can administer the quiz verbally. Reassure participants
that this is not a test of their knowledge and the papers will not
be collected.
When participants
have finished, read aloud each of the statements and ask them to
raise their hand each time you read a statement they believe to
be true. Encourage discussion and provide correct answers and rationale
only after each item is discussed.
3.
Discussion. Ask participants who have children to try to
recall their feelings when their children were infants. Looking
back, was there ever a time when they worried about something their
baby didn't seem to do as soon as other babies -- like smiling,
rolling over, sitting up, talking, sleeping through the night, or
walking? Some mothers may not have been concerned when their babies
achieved these developmental milestones. Other mothers may have
worried that their child was "slow" or behind other children they
knew. If you have children, you may want to "get the ball rolling"
by sharing one or two concerns about your own child's development.
4. Discussion.
Now ask participants what can sometimes happen when parents don't
understand the emotional and physical capabilities of their children.
Possible answers: Parents
can get angry and frustrated with the child.
- Parents can feel
inadequate.
- Parents might push
the child to do something they aren't yet ready to master and
instead of enjoying the exhilaration of learning something new,
the baby becomes frustrated and stops trying.
- Babies may be held
back from mastering more difficult skills for which they are ready.
- Baby's behavior
may be misinterpreted as willfulness, stubbornness, or naughtiness.
-
Parent may
not recognize the need to help baby master basic skills.
- Parent may not recognize
something is wrong with baby's development and get help as soon
as possible.
5. Discussion.
Ask participants who do parents in their community usually turn
to for information and advice about child growth and development.
Possible answers:
Ask
if participants think there is a role for PSSs when it comes to
helping parents understand infant growth and development. What is
that role? Possible answers:
- listening
-
answering questions
-
observing
-
offering support
-
being a source of advice
Discuss what PSSs can
do if the advice they give conflicts with advice given by another
trusted source.
Discuss
how PSSs will decide who to include in discussions about infant
growth and development. How about involving members of the family
besides the baby's mother, for example the grandmother, father,
aunt, or godparent? Use Role Plays from Training Aid #1. Each
PSS will need a partner. Each pair will act out the role play that
they were given. Discuss the role plays with the whole group to
get feedback after each pair is finished.
Reinforce
the important role that PSSs can play in helping to support parents.
Helping parents understand how to foster the healthy growth and
development of their newborn is just one of many ways PSSs can assist
new parents.
6. Activity:
Designing Objectives. Again, let the participants know how much
you value their knowledge and experience. Ask them what they would
like to learn about infant growth and development. What would help
them in their roles as PSSs? Write their suggestions on the blackboard
or newsprint. Be prepared to modify your agenda based on their perceived
learning needs.
|
B. Building
Blocks of Infant Development
(3 hours)
| Rationale:
|
In
this unit, participants examine five basic areas in which infants
grow and develop skills during the first twelve months of life. Participants
will also discuss how the development of trusting relationships can
foster development in all five skill areas.
Refer to the definition
and explanation of 'trust' in RM Handbook. This unit presents the
idea that a baby is a 'person-in-the-making' and that there are many
factors that can impact development.
|
|
Procedure:
|
Mini-lecture
and discussion. In Chapter 14 of the Resource Mothers Handbook,
four general areas in which babies grow and develop skills are explained.
Ask if anyone can name them. The Resource Mothers Handbook includes
Communication (speech and language development) in the Cognitive area.
We are going to look at Communication as a separate, fifth area of
development. Responses should include:
- Physical/motor
development (physical movement for stability and mobility as well
as finer movements of the arms and hands for play and self feeding)
- Cognitive
development (thinking, memory, responding to the world with one's
senses ie.smelling, touching, hearing, tasting)
- Emotional
development (self-esteem)
- Social
development ( responding and reaching out to others)
- Communication
development ( understanding and expressing)
With each developmental
area give examples of skills in that area and ask for ideas from the
participants as well. Include ideas of developmental milestones and
developmental progression of skills.
For each of
the five developmental areas have a different colored square of paper.
Post these on a blackboard or flip chart. Explain that these skills
are all interrelated, which means that one skill can affect one or
more of the others. This is especially true during the period we are
talking about, Birth to One Year of Age. Give one example of how skills
are interrelated, such as a baby seeing her mother and reaching up
to touch her. The baby sees (cognitive), extends her arms to touch
her mother (physical), and responds to her mother by reaching for
her (social, emotional, and communication). Ask trainees to give other
examples from their personal experiences.
Write skills
on individual post-its. Have participants place each skill in the
area in which it belongs; ask if the skill really fits in more than
one area.
Discuss how
one activity can elicit skills in many areas and how a skill in one
area can facilitate skill development in another area.
Discuss how
a parent's actions can help or hinder normal growth and development.
Possible points for discussion:
Infants need to
feel they are loved and cared for. During the first couple of
years, children have a strong need to develop close, loving attachments
with a few special adults in their lives. Some experts label this
important social task as the development of trust. Feeling secure
and loved helps a child with all other stages of development.
- Ask
how parents can help their infants feel loved and secure.
- Respond
quickly and consistently to the baby's needs. In the first several
months, it is impossible to spoil a baby. Ask the group if they
agree with this and discuss their reactions. (Also see Unit 11,
Baby Care.)
- Provide
consistency. Babies do not require absolute consistency, but establishing
some regularity in routines, environment, and responses helps
baby to feel that life is predictable and secure.
- Show
love and affection often. There are many, many ways to do this.
Ask the group to name some (smiling, holding, singing, rocking,
patting, admiring, carrying, etc.). Even at very young ages children
imitate the people they love. Newborns imitate adult facial expressions.
One of the most important jobs of a parent is to reflect back
to the child his or her instinctive joy. Children are naturally
full of joy and love. PSSs -- and parents and grandparents --
have an opportunity to make this world a better place by helping
children hold onto these instincts, rather than becoming distrustful
and fearful. You may also want to discuss that it is sometimes
hard to love a baby -- especially if the baby is fussy or colicky
and doesn't fulfill a parent's expectations. It can also be difficult
if parents are stressed by other pressures in their lives. Learning
to show love is an important task for new parents.
- Try
to understand what the baby is attempting to communicate. Get
to know what makes baby happy and miserable. If the baby arches
his back and pulls away from the adult that is holding him, he
may be telling that adult that he is over stimulated and needs
a rest in a quiet room away from bright light, noise and other
extraneous stimulation. Ask the group for other examples.
Help the infant
develop specific skills.
- There
are many ways parents can help their babies develop specific skills.
Most new skills in the early months will emerge without help from
parents -- skills like sucking and swallowing, learning to use
arms and fingers, learning to crawl and then walk. But there are
many, many toys and games that can assist in infant development
and help babies and parents enjoy the time they spend together.
- Providing
positive reinforcement is another way to encourage baby in skill
development. "Wow. Look at you! Aren't you having fun? What a
strong baby!"
Encourage interest
in the outside world by stimulating the infant's curiosity.
- Children
discover very early that learning is fun. The child who learns
to enjoy his or her early attempts at exploration and who meets
with positive reinforcement will develop curiosity and a true
joy in learning. One way to foster that interest in the outside
world is to provide activities that interest and stimulate the
baby.
People who have never
had loving, trusting relationships in their lives sometimes find it
difficult to establish warm, loving relationships with their children.
The PSS should be alert to signs that indicate parents are having
difficulty forming loving attachments with their babies. Ask the group
to name some signs to watch for. Possible response:
-
parent ignores baby's cries
-
baby's physical needs (food, dry clean diaper, clean clothes
and bedding, safety, etc.) aren't met
-
parent doesn't seem to enjoy baby or take an interest in his
or her growth and development
-
parent doesn't enjoy physical contact with the baby
-
infant cries incessantly or not at all--as though he or she
has given up
-
baby has a vacant stare and doesn't attempt to make eye contact
or reach out to parent in any way
-
baby shows outward signs of physical abuse such as bruises,
welts, and other unexplained injuries
-
baby cries when parent comes near
Let participants
know that if a PSS has concerns about the formation of trust and loving
attachments between her client and baby, she should discuss the situation
immediately with her Supervisor. Physical signs of abuse must
be reported to the Supervisor immediately. Review the child
protection laws of your state, your program policy regarding child
abuse and neglect, and policies regarding confidentiality. You may
have discussed these requirements in Unit 2 and will again in Unit
14, but it is prudent to review these guidelines again.
|
C. Summary
and Review (15 Minutes)
|
Procedure:
|
- Rephrase
the objectives on the first page of this unit as questions. Ask
a volunteer to answer each question.
- Distribute
the post-unit evaluation forms.
- Distribute
post-unit test.
|
Unit 12 Handout #1
Child Development True/False Quiz
Put
a check by the statements you believe are true. This is not a test and
will not be collected.
- Babies
are born with the ability to see.
- Most
babies are ready for toilet training by the time they are one year old.
- Picking
up a two month old baby every time he cries can spoil him.
- Newborn
babies are attracted to bright colors.
- At
two months, if a baby smiles, it's probably due to gas.
- Playing
loud music can damage a baby's ears.
- The
five month old baby who doesn't respond to her mother's face and voice
may have a problem seeing or hearing.
- You
don't have to worry about a three month old rolling off a bed or changing
table because they don't have the physical skills to roll over.
- Babies
who are more advanced in one area, like language, may be slower in another
area, like physical development.
- Two
month old babies can be taught not to pull their mother's hair and jewelry.
Unit 12 Handout #2
Post-Unit Test
1. Describe what is meant
by:
a. physical/motor
development:
b. cognitive development:
c. emotional development:
d. social development:
e. communication development:
2. Why is it important for
an infant to be loved and cared for?
3. Discuss how parents and
caregivers can help infants develop feelings of security and trust.
Unit 12 Teaching Aid #1
Role Plays
Use each scenario
for a pair of participants. One should be the client and one the PSS.
- Grandparents have a lot
to say about the baby and mom's care of her. They are visiting for a
week from Michigan. Mom seems close to tears.
- Godparent wants to be involved
with the baby but seems inappropriate with the baby. Mom doesn't seem
to know what to do.
- Father seems uninterested
in the baby but he does hang around while others are caring for the
baby. Mother seems to want the father to be there and help out but she
doesn't give him a chance.
- Best friend of mom wants
to talk about herself while you are visiting. Mom is distracted from
what you are saying.
- A 2 year old and a 4 year
old sibling are running around and interrupting you and the mom. The
mom keeps yelling at them to be quiet and go play somewhere else.
- Maternal grandmother lives
with the family. She has many of her own ideas about how to care for
the new baby. Sometimes mom seems angry but doesn't say much.
Unit 12
Teaching Aid #2
Role Play Feedback
- What do you think you the
Parenting Support Specialist did well? What do you think you the Parenting
Support Specialist did well?
- What could the Parenting
Support Specialist have changed or done differently?
- What other things do you
think the Parenting Support Specialist might say or do to help a mother
in this situation?
Unit 12 Post-Unit Evaluation
Unit
Covered: _____
Date: _____
- Do
you feel we covered all the information in this unit that we said we
were going to?
- What
did you like best about the unit?
- What
did you like least about the unit?
- Was
the information in this unit presented clearly? If not, please explain.
- In
which skill areas do you feel you need more practice or help?
- How
can we make this unit better?
- Any
additional comments?
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign