Healthy Interactions
Critical Factors in Early Child Development
While children are the future of our planet, through modern technology, we have unconsciously created a “virtual reality” for our children to call home, a reality devoid of connection and human interaction. TV’s, videogames and computers are now the educators of our children, not teachers and parents. The result has been an alarming increase in attachment and developmental disorders. Glued to a bucket seat, toddlers aged 0-2 years old are watching an average 2.2 hours per day of TV, resulting in sensory, motor and attachment system disorders which the health and education systems are just being to detect. Due to sensory deprivation, these children are being diagnosed with a rising variety of disorders, often accompanied by medication. Eventual school categorization of children as “learning disabled” and “developmentally delayed” is eminent, with these children experiencing difficulty achieving even the basics of literacy. Now is the time to plant the seed for children to grow and learn in new and conscious ways. Recognizing the need for critical developmental elements of movement, touch and human connections are crucial in this day and age of ‘techno’ obsession. Teaching children to bring awareness to themselves, so they know who they are, creates a strong healthy foundation for development. Using their energy in positive productive ways, children can learn to create balance and wholeness of body, mind and spirit.
Workshop Goal – Healthy Interactions raises awareness regarding the critical factors for healthy early child development of movement, touch and connection, and offers parents, teachers and therapist’s practical strategies to ensure sustainable futures for all children.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze current research on technology’s impact on early child development, and differentiate popular toddler mental diagnoses from TV and videogame addictions.
- Identify three critical factors for early child development, and list five techniques to improve infant, toddler and pre-school sensory and motor development.
- List three reasons why bucket seat, back packs and stroller use should be limited.
- Using the provided Foundation Scale for Infants, Toddlers and Pre-School, rank individual performance levels, and determine three creative intervention strategies for pre-school and parents.
- Identify government, university, health and education system initiatives (one of each) to increase movement and play, and reverse the sedentary trend to not move.
Foundation Series Workshops are designed to be introductory level for therapists, intermediate for teachers and advanced for parents, child care workers and teaching assistants. Foundation Series Workshops course content includes the following AOTA Classification Codes for Continuing Education Activities: performance skills, areas of occupation, evaluation, intervention and outcomes.