When someone has concerns about your child’s development, a developmental assessment may be recommended. A developmental assessment involves getting to know your child and family in order to better understand his or her strengths and needs. Children’s development can vary greatly. Sometimes developmental concerns can be caused by a developmental disorder that can be diagnosed. Developmental disorders may only be diagnosed by physicians, psychologists, and/or psychological associates under the Registered Health Professions Act.
A developmental assessment may involve one professional or several professionals from different disciplines. Your child may be seen by a developmental pediatrician, psychologist, psychological associate, speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, social worker, and/or other clinicians with expertise in child development. The assessment may involve more than one visit over a period of time.
At a developmental assessment, you should expect to spend some time talking about how your child has grown and developed. Parents know their children best, so your input will be very important. It’s also important to bring any reports regarding your child to the first appointment. Informal and/or formal observations of your child’s play and social interactions with others may occur. The assessment of young children may involve having the child play with toys, puzzles and blocks, looking at pictures, answering questions, drawing, and/or completing pencil and paper type tasks. With your signed consent, the clinician(s) may consult with the school, child care, and/or other professionals involved with your child. Most children really enjoy their time playing and interacting with the clinician(s).
When the assessment is completed, parents will have the opportunity to discuss the findings, impressions, and recommendations with the clinician(s). Typically, a report is written summarizing these results and recommendations, and then given to the parents and the referring physician. With your consent, a copy of the assessment report may be sent to other professionals, such as the child’s speech language pathologist. You may also wish to distribute a copy of the report to your child’s school or child care.
Developmental assessments at hospitals are generally covered by OHIP and require a valid health card as well as a physician’s referral. The waiting lists at these clinics tend to be lengthy. Parents may also choose to see a private practitioner on a fee for service basis. Sometimes, families may have some coverage for a private assessment through their extended health benefit plans.
Source
North York General Hospital, Child Development Clinic
Angie is teasing Sophia in the school yard about her clothing. Sophia is not saying anything. You can tell by Sophia’s facial expressions and body language that she is upset. As a teacher, what do you do?
Paul takes Jack’s school books and throws them down the school hallway. Jack puts his head down and proceeds to collect all of his books that are now scattered down the hall. As a teacher, what do you do?
If we do not respond in any manner, the bullying will continue and situations that children are experiencing will become worse. Adult intervention and support is required when dealing with bullying. Expecting children to simply learn to cope with these situations or to independently find a solution is not an option. We will help you to learn how and when to approach children in these situations and what you can do to support them. The support that you provide to children in these situations will give children confidence, assist them in developing feelings of empathy and ultimately, and help to eliminate bullying.
If you observe bullying while it is occurring:
place yourself physically between the bully and the victim, preferably blocking the eye contact between the two children.
do not send bystanders away from the situation.
do not immediately ask the bully for reasons why the incident occurred.
refer to your classroom’s anti-bullying rules as specific to the situation as possible. For example, “Bullying is unacceptable. Teasing is not allowed.”
never require children to independently resolve an issue involving bullying due to the nature of bullying which always has a power imbalance.
Empower the child who is being bullied by acknowledging and affirming what happened. For example: “Angie hurt your feelings. I’m sorry it happened. It’s not your fault. You have a right to feel safe here.” Later, in private, give the victim strategies and specific words to use if it happens again. For example, she can say “Stop it. Bullying is not cool.” Encourage her to stay calm and be confident. Competing and arguing back will make the bullying worse. If Sophia finds it too hard to stand up for herself, you could also give her the option to ignore the bully and walk away. She could then talk to someone who can help, such as a teacher, friend, parent or any other adult she trusts. If a child approaches you about being bullied, be sure to acknowledge that it took courage to discuss the incident.
Teach the bystander by commenting on their inaction or lack of an attempt to help. You can teach the inactive bystander how to deal with bullying in the future by saying something similar to: “You saw Paul throwing Jack’s books, but you didn’t say anything. I guess you weren’t sure what to do. Next time tell Paul to stop and then go get an adult.” If a bystander has attempted to intervene, s/he should be praised for trying to help. For instance, you could suggest that the bystander to invite Jack to play with her/him somewhere else and comfort him so that he knows that what happened was not fair or deserved. Children need to hear this from their friends in order to regain their self-esteem.
Address and intervene immediately when you observe bullying. Tell the child that what they are doing is bullying and that bullying is not okay. Use the word “bullying” so that the child understands the fact that they are bullying. Provide an immediate consequence to the bully. If possible, it should be related to the incident. For example, Paul would need to pick up all of Jack’s books. The consequence should always involve the bully making amends to the victim. Intervention could take the form of teaching empathy and accepting differences by using games, activities, stories, discussions, or role playing. You could specifically use reverse role-play to teach empathy by having a child who has bullied act as the victim in a scenario. Helping a child to develop feelings of empathy will influence their way of behaving and interacting with others.
Plan ahead for when bullying is observed in your classroom. You can plan ahead by educating children in your classroom about bullying. You may refer to your classroom’s anti-bullying rules on a regular basis such as during daily circle times. Classroom policies may describe what bullying is and how to deal with it, including how to report it and the consequences of bullying. There are many preventative strategies to address bullying. For other ideas, please refer to the document entitled Educating Children About Bullying.
Personal stories can be a helpful tool to build resilience and self-regulation skills. With the help from an adult, children review these stories ahead of time to prepare them for new events, changes to their usual routine or to help them manage a social situation.
Personal stories can be used to:
describe social situations that are new or difficult
increase awareness of a situation
provide suggestions about what to do in the situation
give perspective or understanding on the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours of others
Any child can benefit from using a personal story. You can adjust the language, length, content and format for the child and situation. For example, for younger children you can use visuals such as photographs, drawings, or other pictures to support the written story. Incorporating elements of culture and identity into the story will help to add comfort and familiarity. Personal stories can also be recorded on an audio or video device to help children who learn best in this way.
When can I use a personal story?
To prepare your child for new events and experiences
A personal story can help prepare your child for new events or stressful situations by showing them what will happen and what they can do. For example:
asking a friend to play
going to a doctor’s appointment
having a visitor at home
entering an early learning program
To teach social skills
A personal story can help your child learn what to do or how to respond in a variety of social situations, such as:
asking for a toy from another child
keeping hands to self while waiting in line
To teach a new skill
A personal story can be used to break down and teach new skills, such as:
using the washroom
taking turns during play
crossing the street with an adult
How do I create a personal story?
In a personal story, the situation is described in detail with the focus on important social information such as what others might think, feel, or do. Descriptions about what to do in that situation are provided to your child.
Personal stories are written from your child’s perspective, using positive language in the first person (“I”), and in the present tense.
Correct: I sit quietly on the floor during story time. Incorrect: Adam must not talk during story time.
When writing a personal story, make sure that you only mention what your child should be doing, rather than what he should not be doing.
Correct: I tidy up when I’m finished playing. Incorrect: I don’t leave a mess after I’m finished playing.
Before writing a personal story, be sure that:
It focuses on teaching one skill.
You have talked to other people in your child’s life to get their input.
It is written at your child’s level of understanding and has visual supports (such as pictures), if necessary.
Sentences in a personal story
Many personal stories start with an introduction, usually stating the child’s name. The following list describes the types of sentences that could be used when developing a personal story.
Descriptive sentences explain the situation by answering the “wh” questions – where, who, what, when, and why.
Perspective sentences describe opinions, feelings and ideas related to the situation.
Affirmative sentences enhance the meaning of other statements to reassure the person.
Cooperative sentences identify what others will do to support the child.
Directive sentences suggest what the child could do (must be positively stated).
Control sentences identify strategies that children can use to remind themselves how to behave. Often, a child (with the support of an adult) adds this sentence after reviewing the story.
Here’s a sample personal story:
My name is Matthew. (introduction) I love playing with the big, yellow truck. (descriptive) Jonathan likes to play with the yellow truck, too. (perspective) When Jonathan is playing with the truck, I can say, “Can I have a turn, please?” (directive) I wait until he is finished with his turn. (directive) It is OK to wait. (affirmative) My mom will help me stay calm while I wait for my turn. (cooperative) My mom is happy when I wait for my turn. (perspective) When Jonathan is finished, it is my turn. (descriptive) I have fun playing with the truck. (descriptive) I can remember to ask Jonathan for a turn and to wait. (control)
Here’s a sample personal story for a younger child:
My name is Sadia. (introduction) Mommy drops me off at my program. (descriptive) I like when she kisses me bye-bye. (perspective) It’s okay for me to play and have fun all day. (affirmative) Mommy comes back for me and takes me home. (descriptive) I can look at Mommy’s picture, if I’m missing her. (control)
How do I use a personal story?
Once a personal story has been created, you can go over it with your child on a daily basis, until they are familiar with it. It is important to introduce and practice the personal story before the challenging or new situation occurs so they can be prepared. For example, if your child is currently working on a story about staying safe when they cross the road, you can review the story right before going for a walk to remind them what might happen and how to respond.
If the personal story is being used to teach your child new skills, provide them with opportunities to practice the steps to the skill. Go slowly and allow enough time for the child to transfer the skill from a story to “real life”.
Play is a wonderful way to connect personal stories to real life practice. If your child is not interested in books or responds more to “hands on” learning activities, you can tell them a story during play. For example, to prepare your child for going to see the doctor you can show them a play medical kit and allow them to act out a doctor’s visit.
What if it’s not working?
It is important to monitor whether the personal story is useful. If your child has not become more comfortable with the situation after two or more weeks of reading the story, it might have to be changed.
Ask yourself:
Is the story too long or wordy? Is it confusing?
Is it written at the right level for my child?
Should visuals (pictures) be included?
Does it focus on the behaviour you want to see?
Personal stories, when written and used well, can be very helpful tools in supporting children when experiencing new or challenging situations.
References:
C. Gray, (2010). The New Social Story Book, Future Horizons C. Gray, (2000). Writing Social Stories with Carol Gray, Future Horizons
For parents, teachers and caregivers, pick-up and drop-off times at the child care centre or school can be a hectic part of the day. Finding time to talk is important, but not always possible. A communication journal makes it possible to exchange a few words in writing about events in your child’s life, such as his day or night, appointments, or special events. This journal can also be used as a record-keeping tool.
Starting a communication journal between home, child care and school can be as simple as using a notebook (which can be purchased at a dollar store). Your child can carry the book back and forth in his backpack.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
Before using a communication journal, it is a good idea to discuss it with other involved in your child’s life, such as family members, teacher or the early childhood professional. In order for it to be a successful tool, you should agree on why you are starting the journal, how much detail is needed and how often everyone should be writing in it. A few lines can be written by each person on a daily basis, or a few times a week.
If possible, encourage your child to take part in using the communication journal. You can show him the book and explain how it will be used. Let your child add words, pictures, or drawings to the journal. This will help him to feel that he is adding important information to a book that is shared with others and will help build his self-esteem.
Checklists can also be used in the communication journal to help make it easier for you to communicate back and forth. You can also create visual checklists for your child to complete. He may circle the words or pictures, or use a bingo dabber to mark which ones he did that day.
Tips for parents:
Write about your child’s weekend, evening, or morning in the communication journal. Include information on your child’s mood, how well (or little) he slept, what he ate, what games or activities he played, visitors, or something special he experienced. The classroom teachers can use this important information to talk to him about his home life and to better understand his moods or actions.
Use the communication journal to inform the school and child care of upcoming doctor’s appointments, or assessments.
Tips for teachers and early childhood professionals:
Write about the school or child care day and describe his mood, what he learned, special accomplishments, or what he needs for the next day.
Use the communication journal to let parents know about field trips, specialized consultants coming into the classroom, or special events happening at the program
Communication journals make excellent record-keeping tools. This can be a way to keep informed about any difficulties and successes. The journal may help to track any concerns, with a timeline, and help identify solutions. A communication journal can also promote consistency between home, child care and school, such as progress on goal and strategies being used. It is a wonderful way to reinforce your child’s positive behaviour and development.
Remember – If there are serious concerns regarding your child’s care and his emotional or physical well being, they should be discussed by speaking either in person, or on the phone. Concerns that you would not discuss in front of your child do not belong in the communication book.
Everyone forms a circle holding hands and walks around chanting, “Motorboat, motorboat goes so slow (twice), motorboat, motorboat step on the gas (speed up), motorboat, motorboat go so fast (twice), motorboat, motorboat run out of gas” and everyone sits back down.
Clapping Game
Say “Do this” or sing “Everybody do this, do this, do this, everybody do this just like me” with various clapping patterns for the children to copy.
Hurray Song
“Hurray for (child’s name), hurray for (child’s name), someone in the crowd is singing hurray for (child’s name). 1-2-3-4, who are we for? Child’s name.”
Simon Says
Regular version without tricking children; state actions preceded by statements about what children like or attributes they have (e.g., those who like pizza touch their nose, those with brown eyes jump up and down, etc.)
Musical Hula Hoops
Spread hula hoops around the floor in a large area. Play music while the children walk around the hoops. When the music stops, everyone jumps into the nearest hoop. Each time the music stops, one hoop is removed. When there is only one or two hoops left, everyone has an arm around each other to try and draw people in as close as possible.
We Are Special Chant
Everyone forms a circle holding hands. As they rise from sitting to standing, everyone chants “We are special”. The chanting goes from quiet to a shout when everyone is standing.
Row Your Boat
Everyone joins hands in a circle and rows as a group, slowly, then quickly.
One Potato
Circle game where a bean bag is passed around to the chant of “One potato, two potato.” When the chant gets to “more”, the child holding the bean bag gets a hug or high five from the child on each side of him/her.
Silly Bones
Circle game where everyone touches the same body part (e.g., an elbow) until it goes all the way around. Then another body part is “passed” around.
Pass the Spoon
Group passes the spoon around with a small ball on it, helping each other to finish as fast as they can.
Paper Punch/Basketball Throw
A piece of newspaper is stretched by two teachers in the centre of the circle. Each child gets to punch through a piece and then the pieces are scrunched up into balls. Once every child has punched through a paper, each child throws two of the paper balls through a basket made by the leader’s arms.
Call Out a Name and Exchange Places
Each child has a chance to call a peer’s name and they exchange places. Each child’s name can only be called once.
It is common for children to develop food preferences at some point throughout their childhood. However, there are children who will resist eating a variety of foods and will develop “definite food preferences”.
The following information will assist you as a parent, teacher or early childhood professional, in the identification of the “resistant eater”, will explain some possible causes of the problem, and will provide you with some suggestions that you may want to try with your child.
Characteristics of children with definite food preferences:
They eat no more than fifteen types of food. It can actually be as low as two or three types, such as hot dogs, yogurt, and chicken nuggets.
They eat foods from only one to three food groups.
They become anxious (or may throw tantrums) when new foods are presented to them.
They eat the same food prepared in the same way over a long period of time.
They might have developmental delays and/or a medical diagnosis, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, etc.
Factors that may cause or contribute to eating problems and food aversions:
Poor oral-motor skills. Children might have difficulty biting, chewing, swallowing, etc., which may lead to:
drooling
resistance to trying new-textured foods
selective eating
difficulty digesting food
Note- For children with poor oral-motor skills, it is very important to direct families to seek good medical advice before trying any new feeding strategies.
Environmental and behavioural factors:
fear of new foods – “Food Neophobia”
unstructured mealtime environment (e.g., different schedules and settings, or distractions at mealtime)
cultural beliefs/family practices (e.g., the child who is forced to eat or is punished for not eating; the child who is not supposed to explore the food with his fingers; the child who is fed until late in the preschool years)
developmental challenges (e.g., lack of communication related to poor oral-motor development; the repetitive behaviours associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and cognitive delays).
Sensory-based and motor-based factors:
Sensory Processing Disorder – the brain has difficulty processing sensory information that comes from different parts of the body and/or from the environment.
What you can do to help a child develop healthy eating habits:
The following suggestions might help you and your “resistant eater” overcome his food aversions. Always remember that this process will take time, so you will need to be consistent in applying the strategies over and over again.
Work in a team with other staff members and parents to support the child. You may want to start gathering information by asking questions regarding the child’s eating habits (what, when, where, for how long); health, medical history, allergies, and diagnosis. Then, you will be ready to develop a plan with the family so you can all start working together on the same goals. Review the goals often and adjust them as needed. Finally, consultation with a nutritionist and an occupational therapist should be discussed with the family. An occupational therapist can provide strategies to address poor oral-motor development and sensory issues that might be contributing to the child’s eating problem.
The mealtime setting should be as predictable and consistent as possible. In the event of a change in the setting (e.g., a field trip), prepare the child for the change. You can discuss with the group when and where the lunch will take place, read a story about picnics, or prepare a short social story for the event.
Ensure that the expectations at mealtime are clear for the child, and appropriate to his developmental level.
Create and discuss the mealtime rules with the group
Follow through with these rules
Model/teach appropriate eating habits and skills
Praise the child for trying new food(s)
Food Selection
Make a list of foods the child eats, foods the child used to eat in the past, and foods that he is not eating from the major food groups. This will provide a better sense of which foods to introduce or that are missing from the child’s diet.
Introduce new foods one at a time and at the same time every day.
Include in the menu foods from all food groups.
Talk about the foods that are part of the menu (taste, texture, smell, colour).
Prepare child-friendly foods that are healthy and tasty (for example fruit cocktail).
Allow for choices from two to three healthy options.
Offer at least one favourite food per meal, but slightly change the presentation.
Go grocery shopping with the group and allow the child to pick the “new food” from a healthy selection.
Create the “Menu of the Day” with the children. Discuss what foods will be offered at lunch time (include the one selected by the child).
Cook the meal (or part of the meal) with the children, if you have the opportunity.
Always offer small portions of the new food (served on child-sized dishes). Initially, the goal could be that the child would be exposed to the new food and would be able to manage his behaviour (no crying or tantrums) when the new food is on his plate. You can start by placing the new food close to the child, but on a different plate. When you start seeing signs of acceptance (accommodation to the new situation), try placing one to two scoops of the new food directly on the child’s plate. Always evaluate the child’s reactions, and praise him for appropriate behaviour.
Create and use a First-Then visual board. This board will visually guide the child to the foods he will be offered for lunch. Include the new food as the First option and a favourite food as the Then option. The child should at least try one or two bites of the “first” food. When he does that, he can then eat the favourite food.
Note: Introduce the First-Then visual board after you notice that the child is feeling more comfortable with the “new food” experiences described above.
Allow for sensory exploration of new foods through planned activities that are fun and enjoyable. Through sensory exploration, the child can be introduced to the new food slowly by looking at, touching, and smelling it, without the pressure of having to eat it. The child learns about the new food through activities that are interesting and pleasurable. Some suggestions of these sensory activities are:
Sensory bag with two to four new food items
Hot potato game with different foods (place the food in a bowl to pass it around)
Smell and guess (blindfold or eyes closed); use new and preferred foods
Grow a garden
Use dry food ingredients for the sensory bin, art, and cognitive activities (e.g., counting, sorting)
Having a child with definite food preferences can be very challenging. It will be necessary to take the time to get to know the child and learn about his condition, think positively about changing the child’s habits, and give and take the time for the changes to occur.
References:
Ernsperger, L.; & Stegen-Hanson, T. (2004). Just Take a Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges. Future Horizons Inc.
When bullying does occur in your classroom, there are a variety of strategies that should be included in your program, such as:
Break the pattern.
Have the child who bullies admit the behaviour, apologize and atone for the action.
Help the child learn appropriate outlets for anger.
Have Clear Expectations.
Use a reinforcement schedule.
Continue to engage in cooperative, nurturing games/activities.
Continue to include activities/stories to build empathy in your curriculum.
Increase self-esteem building activities.
Self-esteem activities are important because children who bully often have low self-esteem. Do self-esteem activities to build self-esteem in the child who bullies and at group time or using worksheets, do activities to emphasize the strengths of all the children (so the bully also learns to value peers).
Once again, these activities can be done in the large group and also, emphasized individually with the child who bullies. An adult must facilitate these activities:
Board games/lotto games to help a child build empathy
Books
Worksheets
Scripted Role Plays (can use puppets/the children themselves). Make sure the child who bullies plays the role of a victim to help develop empathic understanding
Make sure the child who bullies is involved in these activities. (Initially, the activities could be introduced at circle time or in large group activities with all the children and then, more of these activities could be used in a small group. The child who bullies is always part of the small group. An adult must always facilitate these activities.
As well as clear consequences for bullying behaviour, use a reinforcement chart to reward the child for appropriate behaviour with others. Initially, begin with a short time expectation to promote success. Make sure the reinforcer is highly rewarding for the child. A token economy could also be used.
Use social stories/visuals to help the child who bullies understand the appropriate expected behaviour and the consequences of their bullying behaviour. Whatever the consequences are for the child, be consistent.
Help the child learn to recognize signs of anger/agitation, which lead the child to bullying. Then, help the child find appropriate outlets for these emotional responses:
Use books/social stories to teach anger management
Use games: circle games that teach impulse control, body management skills and games that teach appropriate anger responses
Role play using puppets or the children themselves
The child who bullies must perform some act of kindness for the bullied child (with teacher direction and consent from the child bullied).
When possible, record incidents of the bullying behavior to look for a pattern, a particular situation and who the child targets. Break the generalized bullying pattern by creating a structured activity plan (in your head at least) for the child who bullies by giving the child a variety of helpful chores to do (e.g., help bring chairs, help set out activities, help set out snack, set the table, put out cots, wash tables, etc.) Praise the child for all successful activities.
Self-esteem is defined as feelings of self-worth, self-confidence and self-respect. Children with low self-esteem often can feel powerless, lonely, resentful, defensive and easily frustrated. These feelings can lead to aggressive, teasing and bullying behaviour. Children with high self-esteem are proud of themselves, assume responsibility for their own actions and deal with frustration well.
Helping children in your classroom with low self-esteem to develop feelings of self-worth and self-respect not only benefits them individually, but can help to prevent aggression and bullying in your program. There are a variety of programming activities and resources to use in your program that can foster children’s self-esteem.
Always include cooperative, nurturing games in your curriculum. Include these activities throughout the day. Initially, the activities could be introduced at circle time or in large group activities with all the children. Then some of these activities could be used in a small group. A teacher must always facilitate the activities. Activity examples are: Simon Says (where Simon focuses on what children like to do, eat, etc.). For example, “Simon Says, if you like soccer, touch your nose” (no tricks are involved in this game), “We are Special Chant”, Paper Punch/Basket Ball Throw, Tower of Hands.
Include creative activities to build self-esteem in your curriculum. Have each child create a “My Family Book”, a book about themselves and their family (they can draw, use photographs, etc.). They can then present their story to the group. Create Scrapbooks with the children. Have children create scrapbooks about the events in their lives, including daycare, school and other situations. Each month, the children can create one page and share it with the group before putting it in the scrapbook. On their birthday, each child can present the scrapbook they have created so far to their class and discuss it.
Create “My Tree/My Hand Activities”. The “My Tree” activity can be done individually or as a group tree. For the individual tree, each child has 5-6 leaves on which to write/draw something about themselves. Then they glue each leaf on their tree. If it is a group tree, each child does one leaf about themselves and then, the leaves are all put on the tree. For “My Hand” each child traces her hand and writes something about herself on each finger. Both these activities should be put up in the classroom upon completion.
Use beads to have children make bracelets or necklaces. Each bead should represent something they like about themselves. Then, they can each talk to the group about their bracelet or necklace and the significance of the beads.
Have each child create stories about themselves to read to group. Each child can create an “I am Special Book” and an “If I were a Superhero Book” to focus on things they like about themselves and their strengths. Each child then has a turn reading it to the group if they are comfortable.
Use worksheets or provide cutting and pasting activities such as: “Things I like to do”, “Things I am Good at,” to reinforce strengths and to help build individual self-esteem.
As a group create a “Hair Colour/Eye Colour Chart” and a “What I Like to Do” chart. Talk about the charts with the children and let each child talk about their own hair/eye colour and the activities they enjoy.
Use scripted role plays with puppets, or the children themselves, to develop feelings of self-esteem by brainstorming ideas about what to do when children feel sad about themselves.
As a group, create a self-esteem puzzle or quilt. Have each child make a puzzle piece or quilt piece (can be made from construction paper) to add to the group puzzle or quilt. The piece must depict things they like to do. Then, put the group puzzle or quilt on the wall and discuss it.
Use books to develop self-esteem. As a group, write a social story about feeling good about yourself. Each child could create a page. Read your class books to develop self-esteem. For example, “The Best Me I Can Be” series by David Parker (Scholastic) has good stories. “Don’t Feed the Monster on Tuesdays” by Adolph Moser, and “The Incredible You!:10 Ways to be Happy, Inside and Out” by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, are some other examples.
Help the children to learn appropriate outlets for anger and impulsive behaviour by using books, role plays and activities (see Anger Component for detailed suggestions). Help children learn to recognize signs of anger/agitation and find ways to deal with these emotional responses. Poor self-esteem will often develop when children engage in inappropriate behaviour and are constantly in trouble. By giving the children tools to deal with anger and aggression, you will help them to feel in control and more positive. They will also receive less negative attention in the classroom as their behaviours grow more appropriate.
Finally, give children in the group responsibility and leadership roles when possible. Responsibility and leadership will help children to develop feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. Have children be responsible for chores in the classroom (these can be rotated). Also give children a chance to be the leader during circle activities such as: Cooperative Simon Says Games, Patterning Games, Freeze Dance Games.
There are several methods of testing a child’s hearing. The method chosen depends in part on the child’s age, development, or health status.
Behavioural Tests: involve careful observation of a child’s behavioural response to sounds like calibrated speech and pure tones. Pure tones are the distinct pitches (frequencies) of sounds. Sometimes other calibrated signals are used to obtain frequency
information.
Physiologic Tests: are not hearing tests but are measures that can partially estimate hearing function. They are used for children who cannot be tested behaviourally due to young age, developmental delay, or other medical conditions.
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Test: an infant is sleeping or sedated for the ABR. Tiny earphones are placed in the baby’s ear canals. Usually, click-type sounds are introduced through the earphones, and electrodes measure the hearing nerve’s response to the sounds. A computer averages these responses and displays waveforms. Because there are characteristic waveforms for normal hearing in portions of the speech range, a normal ABR can predict fairly well that a baby’s hearing is normal in that part of the range. An abnormal ABR may be due to hearing loss, but it may also be due to some medical problems or measurement difficulties.
Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) Test: an infant is typically sleeping or sedated for the ASSR. Sound is transmitted through the ear canals, and a computer picks up the brain waves in the hearing section of the brain and establishes what the hearing
capacity is. The ASSR is often done together with the ABR.
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Test: this test is performed with a sleeping infant or an older child who may be able to sit quietly. In this brief test, a tiny probe is placed in the ear canal. Numerous pulse-type sounds are introduced, and an “echo” response from the inner ear is recorded. These recordings are averaged by a computer. Certain types of recordings are associated with normal inner-ear function.
Tympanometry: this is not a hearing test but a procedure that can show how well the eardrum moves when a soft sound and air pressure are introduced in the ear canal. It’s helpful in identifying middle ear problems, such as fluid collecting behind the eardrum. A tympanogram is a graphic representation of tympanometry. A “flat” line on a tympanogram may indicate that the eardrum is not mobile, while a “peaked” pattern often indicates normal function. An ear inspection should be performed with tympanometry.
Identifying, understanding and responding to the emotions of others are very important social skills for all of us to have. These skills help us to understand and develop relationships with other people.
When we know that someone we care about is sad, we might offer them a hug or a few kind supportive words to cheer them up. When we think that someone is afraid, we may try to comfort and support them. These types of interactions help us bond with each other.
Most of us learned skills such as how to “read” other people’s facial expressions, tones of voice and/or body gestures very easily and naturally when we were very young. We learned through social interactions with peers, parents and other adults. We somehow picked up this important social information without it being explicitly taught to us.
For some children, identifying and understanding emotions does not come so easily. Some children might not notice important nonverbal cues (such as the shape of a person’s eyebrows, the movements of the body or the tone and pace of the voice) that are used to tell the difference between emotions. Without being able to correctly identify and understand the emotions of others, children are more likely to respond inappropriately during interactions.
For these children, emotions must be taught explicitly or very clearly.
By four to six years old, most children can recognize and understand the basic emotions: happy, sad, angry and afraid. More complex emotions (such as pride, guilt and shame) are built on the basic emotions. A child should have a good understanding of the basic emotions before she is introduced to the more complex emotions.
As a parent, teacher or early childhood professional you can try these games and activities with your child to introduce and practice the recognition of emotions.
1. Bringing your child’s attention to emotions
Some children need to be taught to look at faces to get social information. Find as many opportunities as possible for your child to practise recognising, labelling and responding to her own emotions, as well as other people’s emotions. Here are a couple of examples:
If your child is angry because she can not have a second popsicle, say, “You are angry right now because you want another popsicle and I said ‘No’. Your hands are folded and you are using a big, loud voice.”
If your child is happy that she gets to colour, say, “You are happy because you get to colour.” Your mouth is smiling and your eyes are big and wide. You are using a happy voice.
Use naturally occurring opportunities to help your child recognise emotions. When someone in your child’s environment is expressing an emotion, point this out for her and say, “Look, Janet is smiling. She feels happy.”
Here are some other suggestions:
While watching TV or videos use your remote control to pause a scene and point out and label a specific emotion.
When someone (family members, teachers, friends, etc) is expressing an emotion, use this opportunity to label the particular emotion
2. Learning the Names of Emotions
Once your child is looking closely at faces, it is time to teach the names of the emotions. Start with the basic emotions: happy, sad, angry, and afraid.
Start by using realistic photos. You can use familiar faces through photographs, pictures from magazines, etc.
Show your child a picture and label it, “happy”, “sad”, etc. Depending on your child’s ability, you could say, “The boy is feeling happy.”
Place two different emotion pictures on the table in front of your child and ask her to point to or give you an emotion (e.g., you can say “Give me a happy face”). At first, you may need to help your child give you the correct picture.
When your child can select the correct picture without any help, introduce a new emotion.
Increase the number of pictures your child has to choose from until there are four different emotion pictures for her to choose from.
When your child has learned the names of the basic emotions using realistic pictures, use a variety of other pictures and drawings of emotions to help her “generalize” the emotion and the name. In other words, to recognize the emotion on different faces and in various settings.
3. Saying the Names of Emotions
When your child knows the names of the four basic emotions, it is time for her to try to say the names.
Show your child a picture of someone expressing an emotion and ask, “How is she feeling?”
You might have to help your child at first by saying (modeling) the name of the emotion for her to copy.
Introduce a new emotion when your child can successfully label the emotion on which you are working.
4. Acting out the Emotions
Now it is time for your child to try acting out the emotions.
Stand in front of a mirror with your child and take turns “making faces”. For example, make an angry face and ask, “How do I feel”? If your child can label your emotion, tell her, “Now you make an angry face”.
Explain to your child what you are doing to make the emotion (“My eyes are getting smaller and my mouth is getting tight, like a little ball”).
5. Role Playing
Depending on your child’s ability, you could try to “role play” situations in which certain emotions are likely to be felt. For example, you could pretend that you are going to buy ice cream and feel happy about this.
Take turns with your child acting and guessing the emotions.
Use exaggerated nonverbal language, gestures and facial expressions at first. As your child becomes more comfortable with recognising emotions, you can act more naturally.
Set up dramatic play situations at home to practise expressing and recognising emotions.
6. Video Modelling
Many children love to watch TV. You can use this interest to help teach your child more about emotions.
Make short videos of other adults or children expressing an emotion in an appropriate situation.
Watch the video with your child and help her label the emotion.
Point out the important features such as the shape of the mouth, eyes and eyebrows, specific body movements and gestures and the sound of the voice.
7. Games
If you child enjoys playing board games, use this great opportunity to practise what you’ve already taught about emotions. Take a look at the For More Information box for a list of fun games that can help you teach emotions.
8. Story books
Books are another great way to help your child learn about other people’s emotions in different situations. Look for books with your child’s favourite television or movie character to make the learning fun. Here are a few other books that you may find helpful to read with your child:
“How are you peeling?” by S. Freymann, J. Elffers
“The social skills picture book: Teaching play, emotion and communication to children with autism.” by J. Baker
