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Malnourishment

Malnourishment is defined as lack of adequate nutrition. Children who suffer from hunger or experience hunger intermittently in their life are considered malnourished. On the other hand, children who receive enough food on a regular basis but experience deficiency in certain minerals, vitamins, etc., are also considered malnourished. While malnourishment is a widespread problem in developing countries, it is also seen in North American children. Being too small for age can be an indication of a child’s malnourishment, but this is not necessarily the case in all types of malnourishment. Research shows that malnutrition during rapid periods of growth, i.e. infancy, damages the brain impacting child's intelligence and ability to pay attention. This can be the case even for children with history of malnourishment during infancy who are now just as tall and weighed as children with no history of malnourishment. A symptom of malnourishment is often listlessness of the child. Lack of energy and enthusiasm to be active causes a self-perpetuating cycle in which the malnourished child lacks both the nutrients and the cognitive stimulation for physical growth. Treatment of malnourishment may seem to only involve providing food with adequate nutrition, but in order to break the negative self-perpetuating cycle, children need more than a better diet. Fostering development combined with dietary supplements often help malnourished children catch up with their peers in physical and intellectual growth. Therefore, the best way to treat malnourishment is by addressing both biological and socio-cultural factors.

Children Development Themes

Continuity vs. Discontinuity: The theme of Continuity views development as a continuous process stating that later development is solely based on early development. The topic of Discontinuity does not view any relationship between the later development and the early development and therefore, it does not view development as a continuous process. Neither of these views are completely accurate. Early development is probably the most direct route toward later development but not necessarily a requirement for it. Therefore, early development is not perfectly related to later development; hence, influential factors, i.e. environmental factors, play a significant role in development.

Children Behavioral Theory

Operant conditioning is a behavioral theory that discusses how occurrences of a behavior can be affected by the consequences of that behavior. In other words, the operant conditioning theory believes that behaviors are shaped by events that follow them. Two kinds of influential consequences within the context of operant conditioning are reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement is a consequence that increases the probability of recurrence of the behavior it is caused by. Positive reinforcement is one that encourages certain behaviors by giving rewards whereas negative reinforcement is all about rewarding by taking away something unpleasant. Punishment is an aversive consequence that decreases the probability of recurrence of the behavior it follows. Punishment discourages a behavior by withholding a pleasant event or by causing something unpleasant to occur.

What is pre-writing and pre-reading?

Learning while having fun is usually the primary goal for all early childhood workers. Attention and identification (visual discrimination) of the child is developed through several activities including pre-reading and pre-writing. At the level of fine motor skills, activities must essentially aim to refine the movements of the hand and fingers. The child who is stimulated will be more comfortable with a pencil, a brush and a pair of scissors as opposed to unnecessary energy expenditure!

What is pre-reading?

This is the step before reading. The observation of an image (interpreting emotions, characters, identifying different temporal, corporal and spatial concepts) contributes effectively to the development of attention and identification in children. Association of words with images allows the child to discover all that is seen is written and read. In addition, he will discover the pleasure of reading (knowledge, new words, identification and word games).

What is pre-writing?

This is the step before writing that allows the child to work on his fine motor skills. To be more precise, fine motor skills is divided into four components. The eye-hand coordination (the eye that directs the hand), the digital dissociation (move your fingers independently), the braking ability (start and stop at the right moment) and the digital tone (force in the fingers). The braking ability will allow the child to form his letters well. Hand-eye coordination will allow him to write between two lines.

Writing activities must be offered through attractive games. Writing material must be available to children at all times so that they can write at any time the wish.

Tips:

- Never force a child to do an activity.
- Do the activity with pleasure, be a model, the child will imitate you.
- Bet on the approach and not on the finished product.
- Remember that planning stage of an activity is the most important stage.
- Keep in mind that the goal is to have fun!