Are Devices Stunting Kids' Social Development?

There’s no question that children are spending more time with screens and devices than they were just a decade ago.  Many parents, caregivers, and medical providers for children wonder what this will mean for today’s children.  An April 2015 New York Times article by Bruce Feiler, Hey, Kids, Look at Me When We’re Talking, thoughtfully discusses the suggestion of whether or not ever-increasing screen time for young people is making them lose “...the ability to read nonverbal communications and learn other skills necessary for one-on-one interactions.”, contribute to sleep loss, and result in lowered self-esteem or conversely, does “watching television and playing video game…have cognitive benefits…”?

Pre-teen children who spent five days at an overnight camp without electronic devices or phones read human nonverbal emotional clues “significantly better” after their digitally-deprived camp experience than did a control group of children who had “retained usual media practices”.  It should be noted that the student were old enough to have pre-dated the era of ipads and cell phones and may have been reinstating skills learned in earlier childhood.  

Children and young people who are spending the majority of their day with screens and devices are missing important opportunities to interact face-to-face with others, to share feelings, to read non-verbal cues from others, and to learn empathy.  Often we learn about ourselves through getting to know others, as well as developing self-esteem and interpersonal skills. 

What are some ways we can encourage children to disengage from devices and engage with others?  Setting aside time for personal interaction can be an important skill-builder to give children some of the tools they need for relationships.  Isn't it interesting that there is not a disorder called "technology deficit" but there are disorders called "expressive language deficit" and "pragmatic deficits", and "social communication deficits". We need to spend more time in direct conversation with our friends and family to develop these valuable skills.

School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts

 

 

Have you ever considered circus training as a form of developmental therapy for children?  Really!  Yes, the Circus!  At Clear Speech Inc., we’re passionate about helping children, and their families, reach their own highest potential in growth and development.  When our young clients need extra support in the areas of motor control, body awareness, vestibular (balance) and sensory information there are many options in the community. There are the traditional occupational or physical therapy activities, but now a wider variety of options exist that also promote skill development in developmentally appropriate and fun ways; hippotherapy, martial arts, gymnastics, and now SANCA.  

We’ve heard great things from families who have trained at the School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts (SANCA).  SANCA’s website says, “The Every Body's Circus Program offers classes & camps for youth with disabilities such as Autism, cerebral palsy, hemiparesis, spina bifida, visual or hearing impairment. In classes, students gain core strength, balance, and gripping strength.Students try every kind of circus, including trampoline, tightrope, juggling, handstands, trapeze, and aerials.  Every Body’s Circus provides a set curriculum of skill progressions that enable youth to develop physical skills and social interaction skills in small achievable steps that build upon each other. These progressions are adapted to the abilities and needs of the students participating in each class.  SANCA partners with organizations throughout the Seattle area such as Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic and Seattle Children’s Hospital as well as Clear Speech, Incorporated in Everett.

 

This is an exciting way for children with challenges to be front-and-center, participating in a colorful, exciting program that captures their imagination!  

Have fun kids!!

 

photo credits NonFiction Media

Could your child have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

There are many reasons why a child might be easily distracted, fidgety, restless, and have a hard time focusing.  One of those reasons could be lack of adequate rest.  The Center for Disease Control suggests 11-12 hours of sleep per day for preschoolers and at least 10 hours a day for school-aged children.  

What if a child is having trouble sleeping, and displaying issues like snoring more than half the time while sleeping, “heavy” or loud breathing, occasional bed-wetting, and a pause in breathing (especially those lasting for 10 seconds or more) while sleeping?  According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep-related breathing disorders occur in 2-20% of children and directly impact their health and well-being.  Look for some of these signs during waking hours: forward head posture, dark circles under the eyes, heavy breathing, excessive daytime sleepiness, poor attention span and cognitive skills, and waking un-refreshed in the morning.

Imagine startling awake with your heart pounding with adrenaline!  This is a sad reality for many with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a disorder which reduces or stops airflow to the lungs during deep relaxed sleep stages.  This lack of airflow can reduce oxygen saturation in the bloodstream, interrupt sleep, and could contribute to other issues related to heart health, obesity, diabetes, behavioral disorders and more.  OSA is characterized by the muscles of the throat and tongue relaxing and collapsing the airway.  Studies suggest that as many of 25% of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity may have symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea and behavior problems can be the result of chronic fragmented sleep.  Enlarged tonsils or need for orthodontic treatment, are a couple causal considerations.

As parents and caregivers, we play a crucial role in helping to provide important clues and information to our children’s health care providers, which enables them to give the best and most informed care to our kids. If you have noticed any symptoms that appear to be a breathing or sleep disorder, please bring it up with your child’s provider, much can be done to ensure that children can get the rest they need to grow and learn.  In particular, orthodontic expansion treatment has been shown in some cases to be a treatment for OSA and can make surgical correction, such as adenotonsillectomy, unnecessary.  Kids definitely need their sleep, so bring up any concerns right away with his or her health care provider!

It's Summer Reading Time!

Summer is upon us!  That wonderful time when days are long and bright, and children are set free from the classroom routine.  Keeping children's reading skills up over the school break can be fun, especially if they are signed up with your library's summer reading program. 

If you are in Everett, this year's theme is "Dig into Reading".  There is a lot of useful information about the program at this link, click HERE for a PDF of all the free events planned. The library is focusing on making it a positive learning experience, which we think is great!  There is even an "Adult Summer Reading Challenge" where you can lead by example while earning prizes and being entered to win one of four grand prizes. 

Enjoy your summer! 

We like "Through Edina's Eyes"; a blog focused on child development

It's always a pleasure whenever we find a kindred spirit when it comes to enthusiasm for child development.  We are adding a link on our sidebar to Colorado-based Dr. Lynn Hellenstein's site,  click "Blog" on her website to reach "Through Edina's Eyes" or click HERE.  You will find useful information about health, child development for special-needs and typically developing kids, and a focus on vision. 

Dr. Hellenstein

Here is some information from Dr. Hellenstein's website:

Children go through distinct periods of development as they move from infants to toddlers to grade-schoolers to young adults. During each of these stages, multiple changes in the development of the brain take place.

When your child starts walking on his or her own, it opens up a whole new world of freedom. Exploration of the environment is your child’s mission. Language development also takes major leaps. Your child learns words which turn into sentences.

By the end of 24 months (2 years), many children are able to:

• Have approximately 200 words in vocabulary
• Speak in small sentences
• Show some independence, including defiance
• Imitate motor movements like dance, gestures, etc.
• Run
• Use stairs independently
• Kick a ball
• Build a 6 cube tower with blocks
• Start coloring
• “Pretend” read (look at pictures and babble-like reading)
• Have interest in potty training

Ways to Encourage Development:

• Baby-proof your house. Bumps, bruises, eye injuries & other serious injuries can occur as your baby begins to physically explore the environment. Keep cabinets that contain cleaning supplies or dangerous objects locked. Put barriers in front of stairwells.
• Provide plenty of playtime, including playing alone, with peers and with their parents
• Have plenty of SAFE objects and toys that can be pulled apart
• Use building blocks, puzzles and balls of all shapes and sizes to play with to boost fine motor skills
• Read or tell stories to stimulate your child’s ability to visualize and pave the way for learning and reading
• Listen to music and play with musical toys
• Provide tools for drawing, cutting and other artistic activities (crayons, markers, safe scissors, paint, clay, etc.)
• Get your child outside as much as possible, even in the colder weather. Well-chosen outdoor play games can provide for plenty of fun, exploration, education and physical development.
• With all the electronic media available (computers, tablets, TV, movies, etc.), electronic input for children of this age should be limited to no more than 2 hours per day (including educational programs).

Research shows that the key to healthy child development is the amount of time children spend time with their parents, having fun and learning at the same time.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season, from all of us at Clear Speech, Inc. 

 

 

Worldwide Day of Play

What would cause Nickelodeon’s TV networks and website to plan to go off the air and offline for 3 hours on September 24th, 2011? The answer is: Worldwide Day of Play (WWDOP). It’s all part of a campaign to get kids and families up and active featuring an all-day event in Washington DC and over 4,000 other locations around the world.

First Lady Michelle Obama has joined the effort by encouraging kids to get active an hour a day, earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA), and to celebrate WWDOP on September 24th. For information to sign up for the PALA program click HERE.

Even if you are not able to participate in this particular event, are there ways the children in your life could become more active? Physical activity is an important part of a child's overall growth and development.

Social Groups at Clear Speech, Inc.

Have you ever paused to consider social interaction and the enormous role it plays in our everyday lives? From childhood to adulthood we have social interaction as we play, work, and cooperate with others. The ability to interact socially enhances the richness of our lives and even, in part, determines some of our success.

While children can pick up social skills naturally from their environment, many children can make tremendous strides in this area in a social group setting, where the foundation can be laid and put into practice by trained, caring facilitators. Social groups can be especially beneficial for Children with developmental delays, physical disabilities, autism, or other diagnoses such as ADHD or ADD

At Clear Speech Inc., we have had the privilege of watching the growth and bonding of five of our children in our first social group, which began last fall. Clear Speech founder, Lorioux Loup, enthusiastically says of this group, “These kids are excited to see each other [at each meeting]…I love it!” She credits Clear Speech’s Gabriela, Wendy, and Cristy for facilitating the group in a natural setting filled with teachable moments, while focusing on music, literature, and art.

Want more information about social groups at Clear Speech, Inc? We are currently forming new groups, click HERE for contact information. We seek to place children in groups where they will benefit the most, with consideration to their age and abilities. We feature smaller group sizes for an excellent ratio of trained facilitators to clients. Come join the fun while working on necessary foundational social skills, after all, as Lorioux says, “We’re all here, and everybody needs a friend!”