The development of childhood

Studies on Kenyan and Ugandan primary schoolchildren's knowledge of medicines and self-treatment practices show that children aged between 10 and 18 years have a broad knowledge of herbal and biomedical remedies and that they use them frequently, often without adults' involvement. They use pharmaceuticals, including prescription-only drugs, but lack knowledge about indications and dosages. There is a gap between the children's life worlds and the school health education as it is presently designed and taught in Kenya and Uganda. It limits itself to disease prevention and health promotion, and does not teach treatment or medicine-use. Self-treatment based on insufficient knowledge poses a threat to children's health and to the health of the wider community. Therefore, education on the critical and appropriate use of medicines needs to be developed and tested for possible use in Kenya, Uganda and other countries in which home-treatment is common. The proposed education on medicines should go beyond providing information on accurate dosage and indication: it should create critical awareness with regard to medicine-use, enabling children to use them appropriately and cautiously. Kenyan and Ugandan primary schoolchildren are active agents within pluralistic medical fields. By taking the children seriously as competent health care agents, the dangers of self-treatment could be reduced, and the potential of children could be guided to fruitful use. Educational interventions cannot solve the problems of self-treatment, which are related to the wider social and economic context, but they could contribute to increased awareness as a necessary condition for change.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the theory, policy and practice of child labour in Latin America. Interventions to reduce child labour are more likely to be successful if they are locally‐driven, supported by legislation and based on theoretical understandings of childhood that reflect the realities and needs of the children, families and communities whose lives they aim to improve.Design/methodology/approachSociological and anthropological discourses on children's life worlds are reviewed to situate changes in our understanding of child labour. These theoretical developments are then discussed in the light of changing international legislation, such as ILO's convention 182. Recent statistics suggest a trend for declining child labour and we study the link between statistics, theoretical and legislative positions.FindingsThe ILO's 2006 child labour statistics and examples of policies in Latin America support the hypothesis that theoretical developments in the concept of childhood have influenced successful interventions aimed at its reduction. This theory‐policy‐practice partnership appears to have been a catalyst for the development of successful “government–private‐enterprise – civil society” programmes to reduce child labour.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough these multi‐sectorial strategies have been successful in Latin America, further research is needed to see whether similar policies and interventions can be repeated in other regions.Originality/valueThe paper is original in its linking of theory, policy and practice in the context of recent statistics and programmes at reducing child labour in Latin America.

Improving children's lives is high on the UK policy agenda. In this study for a recent birth cohort of UK children we examine how three aspects of parental resources – income, mother's mental well-being and family status – in early childhood enhance or compromise their children's cognitive and behavioural development. As well as examining how these three aspects of parental resources separately and jointly affect children's well-being, we also enquire whether persistent poverty or persistent maternal depression are more deleterious for children's current well-being than periodic episodes of poverty and depression. We find strong associations between poverty and young children's intellectual and behavioural development, and persistent poverty was found to be particularly important in relation to children's cognitive development. Maternal depression (net of other factors) was more weakly related to cognitive development but strongly related to whether children were exhibiting behaviour problems, and persistent depression amplified the situation. Family status, net of other factors (most noticeably poverty), was only weakly associated with children's development.

L'etude menee aupres des enfants d'un village rural sur la cote orientale de Dominique montre la relation entre le stress et la composition du groupe domestique (âge, sexe, relation intergenerationnelle, nombre de personnes). Les enfants vivant dans des foyers ou prendre soin d'eux est une attitude frequente et stable ont un niveau de cortisol modere contrairement aux enfants connaissant des evenements familiaux traumatiques

The family is the closest environment that children have. The family is part of the first and foremost educational institution for children, because it is through families that children learn, grow and develop. All aspects of child development need to be stimulated and supported by parents, especially at the smallest level of the environment, the family. These aspects of child development include the development of religious and moral values, aspects of physical motor development, cognitive development, language development, social emotional development, and aspects of artistic development.
 Parents need to know aspects of the child's development, so that they can provide appropriate stimulation in the family environment. By knowing aspects of child development, parents are expected to create a conducive family environment in order to maximize the child's growth and development. Children's social relationships will develop through interaction with family at home. This social relationship will further develop through interaction with peers when the child is at school. The more often a child interacts with others, the more skills his children have in developing relationships together with others.
 Parents have a very important role to always stimulate and direct the growth and development of children. Children's togetherness experiences with parents, are the basis for future play activities. Children who have a good relationship with their parents will find it easier to play together with others. It will be easier to adapt to other environments. Children aged 1-4 years is a very vital period in the growth and development of children. Children have aspects of development that require stimulation and support from all parties, both parents, teachers in children's educational institutions, and the environment in which children live.
 The family is the first school for children, so the role of the family is important for further child development. Good habits are part of instilling character and positive things that parents can do as the child's first teacher. Introducing a new environment, including introducing children with new friends such as entering pre-school world, is also an important part that must be done by parents so that children are able to adapt well. Planting positive character values, will make it easier for children to enter the next stage of development in a child's life, so that the child is ready to enter the next life development.

Background. Modern psychology of parenting offers various phenomena for study, including parental relations, parental attitudes, and parenting practices. The study of parental attitudes enables us to describe the cognitive aspect of the family environment in which the child develops. Previous studies have found a significant association between parental attitudes and the cognitive and socio-emotional development of children. However, their results are ambiguous and require further clarification. Objectives. The aim of this study is to analyze the connection between parental attitudes regarding the necessity of structuring the environment or supporting the child's spontaneous activity, and the indicators of the child's cognitive and socio-emotional development. In addition, the study examines the presence of confrontation between parents regarding the characteristics of upbringing and fostering. Study Participants. The main sample of the study consisted of 338 people, specifically parents of preschool children, aged from 23 to 65 years (M = 36.63, SD = 5.004), and their children aged from 53 to 81 months (M = 70.36, SD = 4.198). Methods. We developed three groups of statements to identify parental attitudes: 1) statements about the organization of the child's life; 2) statements about the role of play activities; 3) statements about confrontational attitudes within the family. Indicators of children's cognitive development were identified using J. Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and subtests of the NEPSY-II method. Social-emotional features were identified with the "Test for Understanding Emotions". Results. Most parents consider a structured environment to be more important for the well-being of their child. In addition, research has shown that attitudes towards the positive impact of a structured environment are a strong predictor of a child's nonverbal intelligence. Similarly, attitudes towards the importance of spontaneous activity are predictors of auditory-verbal memory and the ability to switch tasks efficiently. Parental attitudes did not show any associations with the socio-emotional development of children. Conclusions. Parental attitudes play a significant role in child development. The belief in the need to structure the child's environment may have positive effects on the child's cognitive development. However, it does not affect social-emotional development. On the other hand, the belief in the need for spontaneous activity is more likely to be associated with lower levels of executive functioning in the child.

This article reports on an analysis of 320 empirical research articles published between 1993 and 2010 in three of the leading ‘childhood’ journals. The study looked to establish the potential samples used in accounts of empirical research studies with children; and to explore the methodology employed. The first part of this article outlines why a consideration of the ages used in childhood research is worthy of investigation. This addresses technical, methodological and epistemological dimensions of the area. It then goes on to discuss the results of our investigations. The guiding question was ‘who are the children in the social study of childhood?’, and the authors conclude that there is an over-focus on a particular age group.

Family homelessness is a key social issue across many European countries and is associated with uncertainty, a lack of safety and increased risks for children which can trigger the involvement of child welfare services. Living in homeless accommodation during the early years of a child's life also has the potential to impact on a child in many ways, for example, academically, physically, emotionally and socially. In the current paper, the authors review existing literature regarding the impact of family homelessness on children's development in order to identify key messages for social work practitioners working with children and families experiencing homelessness, for example, in the field of child protection and welfare. Findings reveal that family homelessness impacts on various aspects of a child's world and ultimately on their development, as a result of reduced social networks, inappropriate space to facilitate play, increased school mobility and school‐dropout rates and increased levels of behavioural challenges and mental health concerns. These findings are discussed with relevance to social work practice when working with children and families who experience homelessness and how social work professionals can address the developmental needs of children who experience homelessness. Implications regarding future research and the education and training of social workers are also explored.

Young children from impoverished backgrounds experience high levels of family and environmental stress, adversely impacting developmental functioning. Early identification provides a pathway to solutions, but many children are never assessed. In addition, the child-serving workforce lacks resources and expertise to use traditional measures. Furthermore, existing measures do not account for the substantial influence of a child's ecology. To bridge these gaps, we developed the Neurodevelopmental Ecological Screening Tool (NEST) and conducted a pilot study (n=60) to test its feasibility for use with caregivers of children ages 3-5 in low-resource settings. We developed an item pool across three domains (child, caregiver, environment), vetted it with experts, and conducted cognitive interviewing with parents (n=15) and case managers (n-10). Simultaneously, we built an online, user-friendly delivery platform. We used a one parameter Item Response Model and a Rasch-based Rating Scale Model (RSM) and fit confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models to test for unidimensional and construct validity. The results support the feasibility of screening children from low SES populations within low-resource settings using an ecological perspective and supports the work of child-serving paraprofessionals in identifying and addressing risks in the lives of young children.

The article discusses approaches to creating a unified system for early detection and correction of disorders in children’s development. Special attention is focused on the problem of intellectual development and education in child psychology and pedagogy. For this purpose, examination, differential diagnosis and medical-psychological-pedagogical correction of children’s developmental disorders were considered. The stages of the development of the early care system in Ukraine are determined based on the generalization of the legislative basis for the years of Ukraine’s independence regarding the development of the education system for children with special needs and international and domestic practice of early care for children from birth. The article analyzes the main provisions declared in international and national legislative and regulatory documents on the organization of the system of early assistance to children with special educational needs in different time periods, describes the existing practice of organizing early assistance at each stage of its formation in Ukraine. Changes in society, educational policy, humanization of education and upbringing aimed at the harmonious development of the individual, his or her socialization and individualization determine changes in special education, for which one of the most important tasks is to create conditions for early detection, correction and compensation of secondary deviations in the development of young children. Adequately organized early diagnostics and comprehensive correction from the first months and years of life allow not only to correct existing developmental disorders, but also to prevent the onset of secondary disorders, to reduce the degree of social maladjustment of children, and to achieve the highest possible level of general development, education and degree of integration into society for each child. Early and effective help for children with mental retardation is an important issue today. Early intervention is intended to create conditions for the development and correction of a young child in order to prepare him or her for entry into the educational space and is the foundation of inclusive education for children with special educational needs. The fact that early intervention is applied does not mean that the child will be able to achieve the necessary developmental success. Empirical research is the key to identifying best practices in early intervention. The effectiveness of an early intervention program should be demonstrated through experimental application to a relevant group of children. A retrospective analysis of the history of early intervention has made it possible to trace the measurement of the values of society and the state in addressing this issue. The priority is to ensure the quality of life of a young child and to identify ways to form an effective communication style.

One of the most influential parenting figures in the world is Diana Baumrind. His studies on parenting are widely used as references by some scientists in various countries. On the other hand, the parenting theory he found was often associated with children's academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze Diana Baumrind's parenting style and its relationship to early childhood cognitive development. The research method used is descriptive qualitative with a literature study approach. The main data of this research is a scientific article from Diana Baumrind which contains parenting styles. The results showed that there are four parenting styles of Diana Baumrind that have an influence on children's cognitive development, namely authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglecting. Each style has a different effect, both positive and negative. Parents can choose and determine the parenting style according to the needs and characteristics of the child's development. In short, every parent's support and motivation in parenting will determine the child's life in the future.

ON MAY 11 and 12, the Sub-Committee on Health Legislation of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare held hearings on S.904, a bill to provide for research relating to child life and development. As previously reported in this column, this bill proposes to provide $7,500,000 for the first year, and as much thereafter as may be necessary, for research relating to child life and development. This bill would broaden the mandate of the Children's Bureau to investigate and report upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children and child life. The chief emphasis of the bill is on integrated research calling for a multiprofessional approach, including the biologic, medical, psychologic, physical and social aspects of child life and development, as well as the community aspects of child life. Funds would be made available to disseminate information as to the practical application of new knowledge related to the health and well being of children; to make grants to universities and other public and private agencies for research projects; to establish and maintain research fellowships for qualified research specialists; to "provide training and instruction and establish and maintain traineeships in child life and development and pediatrics." A National Advisory Council of 15 members would advise the Children's Bureau in running this program, and would recommend research projects and programs.

Impact of epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs on health and quality of life in Indian children

by Harry Hendrick ( ed .) Bristol : Policy Press , 2005 ISBN 1861345666 , 558 pp , £25.00 (pb) This reader seeks to provide a broad framework within which to observe some of the complexities and ambiguities regarding children's well-being and to think about and analyse policy and practice. Aimed at students, it is intended to make them aware of different concepts and approaches used by researchers and policy makers and to stimulate their critical reflection on social policy for children. The 26 chapters were selected to provide a state-of-the-art picture of child welfare and social policy, so that together they show the variety of ways of thinking about children's well-being. Most were originally published in the period 1997–2003 and are drawn from a mixture of monographs, edited collections and journals. The book is in four parts. Part One highlights the historical antecedents of current debates, drawing out themes such as the perennial tension between family and state and the contrasting images of children as victims or threats. Part Two discusses concepts such as rights and social capital, describing the different ways in which children have been perceived and categorised in relation to welfare and how these play out in New Labour policy. Part Three sharpens the focus on policy and practice in 21st-Century Britain, with chapters on anti-social behaviour, health, disability, housing, education, young carers and day care. Part Four turns to the future and what it perceives as the growth of the ‘social investment state’ in which children are viewed as human capital. It would be easy to get lost amidst such disparate contributions, so Hendrick's overview chapters provide a useful map and give the book coherence. There are at least two recurring themes – one relating to research, the other to policy. First is the need for a more child-centred approach to social policy analysis, much work to date having considered policy and practice from the perspective of families, households, professional outputs or economics. Ridge (2005; Chapter 5) illustrates the value of this approach in her elaboration of children's real-life experience of poverty and social exclusion and elsewhere has done the same in relation to child support policy, with interesting results. The authors are particularly concerned to stress the importance of considering children's experience in the present, criticising the recurring portrayal in policy of children as ‘becomings’ not ‘beings’. This is exemplified in Nigel Thomas's discussion of the Children Act 1989 (Chapter 9) and Ruth Lister's powerful argument that policy in liberal welfare states such as the UK conceives of children as ‘citizen-workers of the future’ (Chapter 25). There has been a marked shift in recent years in this direction, informed by the body of work known collectively as childhood sociology or ‘the new social studies of childhood’. Second, the book neatly crystallises the underlying tension in much social policy for children between a needs-led or ‘welfare’ approach and a more rights-driven agenda. Jeremy Roche's analysis of recent legislation captures well the growing influence of rights but also the sense that its impact has been somewhat less than many advocates would wish (Chapter 12). Lansdown, meanwhile, defends the rights perspective from its critics, pointing to the way that adults abuse their power over children (Chapter 6), although one might of course ask if the decline in aspects of children's well-being in a supposed golden age for children's rights does not call the agenda into question. Significantly, John Davis and his colleagues (Chapter 18) contend that the shift from a medical or needs-led model of disability towards a more social or rights-based approach has been detrimental because the latter tends to view disabled children as an homogenous group and ignores differences and complexities. Most of the chapters acknowledge benefits that have accrued to children since Labour took office in 1997 while also expressing unease about the direction of some policies and calling for more progress. In the latter case, most of the authors are less forthcoming, which lends weight to Michael King's argument (Chapter 3) that there is a need to move beyond moral indignation to formulate practical measures aimed at changing behaviour towards children (p. 66). If it is short on solutions, however, this reader is rich in fascinating and thought-provoking accounts and cannot fail in its aim to encourage thinking theoretically and politically about child welfare – which Hendrick rightly identifies as being ‘in a rather elementary stage of development’ (p. 478).

The diagnosis of cancer in childhood implies a transformation in lifestyle, which has a significant impact on multiple dimensions of the child's development and well-being. This study aimed to describe health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children diagnosed with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was developed, in which two instruments were applied, the first one allowed to characterize the sociodemographic aspects; the second one consisted of the Kidscreen-27® instrument, validated for Colombia, which evaluates health-related quality of life in the child population. Results: A total of 20 children participated, of whom 11 (55%) were female. Ninety-five percent belonged to socioeconomic strata 1 and 2; 35% resided in rural areas, and 50% were under active treatment. When evaluating the quality of life, it was evident that all the dimensions were positively evaluated. However, in the dimension related to the school environment and peer relationships, 47.4% of the participants rated themselves as not very or moderately happy in their educational context or their interaction with their friends. Conclusions: In the face of future challenges arising from health emergencies, it is essential to adapt and strengthen support systems to comprehensively address medical and psychosocial needs, ensuring a holistic, sensitive, and equitable approach to pediatric cancer care in hospital and educational settings.