Healthy Development of Children

Unit 2Lesson 2HPW 3C

Healthy Development of Children

This lesson will focus on an understanding of harmful factors that are detrimental to the healthy development of a child, with an emphasis on proposing solutions.

Environmental Influences

The term "Environmental Influences" means 'factors within' our society that can cause harm to the development of a child. These factors are 'controllable'; meaning an individual can limit or increase the use by simply making the choice to do so.

In this lesson, the student will come to understand the effect three (3) environmental influences will have on the child. The three influences are smoking alcohol illegal drugs

Key Question

Using the Internet, conduct research to find answers for the following questions. Make sure you list the sources you used to find your information.

A. SMOKING 1. What substances do cigarettes contain that are harmful to the developing

child? 2. What effect does smoking have on the developing child? State at least five

different effects. 3. What is SIDS? What is the relationship between smoking and SIDS?

B. ALCOHOL 4. What is FAS? How is it caused? 5. Explain the effect FAS has on the child. 6. State five (5) facial features FAS children will exhibit. 7. What is FAE? Explain how it differs from FAS. 8. What problems will might a child experience socially, emotionally, and

intellectually if he/she has FAE? 9. How much alcohol is safe to drink when pregnant?

C. ILLEGAL DRUGS 10. Explain the effects a child might suffer if a pregnant woman smokes marijuana

dur-ing her pregnancy. 11. Explain the effects a child might suffer if a pregnant woman uses cocaine or

crack during her pregnancy.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

(FASD)

Definition(s)…

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a medical condition describing birth defects in children whose mothers drank alcohol when they were pregnant.

FASD, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) are some of the most commonly used terms to refer to to the wide range of symptoms and conditions resulting from exposure to prenatal alcohol.

FASD is used to describe the full range of brain damage caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

FAS / FAE

FAS / FAE is a problem found in all races and all socio-economic groups.

Between 1,200 and 8,800 infants are born with FAS every year in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control)

FAS is hard to diagnose for several reasons…

No one symptom alone can identify FAS.There are no widely accepted medical tests

to diagnose FAS.Some behavioural & mental problems may

not develop until the child is older.It is hard to get a good assessment of the

mother’s alcohol use.Many health care providers are unfamiliar

with and untrained in the issues of alcohol use among pregnant women.

The Risk…

At least one out of every five pregnant women uses alcohol and/or drugs, even though NO SAFE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL HAS BEEN SET FOR A PREGNANT WOMAN…

Drinking at any time during pregnancy can cause birth defects…

Alcohol is a teratogen that causes cell death. Whenever a woman stops drinking, she reduces the risk of having an infant with FAS/FAE…

Alcohol’s Effect…

FAS is a set of birth defects that affect the brain, the face, and physical growth.

It is characterized by behaviour problems, learning disabilities, pre- and post-natal growth retardation, and specific facial abnormalities.

It is the leading cause of preventable mental disabilities…

FAS

First defined in 1973

FAS does not refer to an infant born drunk or addicted to alcohol.

However some infants with FAS have withdrawal symptoms, including tremors.

What This MeansThe alcohol passes from the mother’s

bloodstream to the fetus through the placenta.

The alcohol runs through the fetus’s bloodstream, out into the amniotic fluid that surrounds it, and is taken in a second time.

The alcohol is absorbed by the tissues that have high water content (the brain, liver, pancreas, kidney, lungs, thymus and heart).

Binge Drinking… The level of alcohol in the fetus’s blood is

often two times higher than in the mother’s blood.

Binge drinking can be just as harmful to an unborn infant as a small amount of alcohol every day. This defined as having four or more drinks in a row.

Even one instance of binge drinking can be very harmful to an unborn infant.

Developing organs are at the greatest risk for damage during the first trimester.

An increased risk of spontanous abortion occurs in the second trimester.

Drinking during the third trimester can interfere with the infant’s growth, especially the brain.

Risk By tri-mester

Characteristics…

Cognitive DelaysSlowed growthCentral Nervous System damageHead and facial abnormalities Behavioural abnormalities

Remember: physical symptoms may be present, but sometimes aren’t.

Organizations…

National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS)

www.nofas.orghttp://depts.washington.edu/fadu/www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/

Women and Alcohol Quiz…

1. Which substance do women abuse most?

a)Alcoholb)Cocainec)Heroind)crack

2. Which effect of alcoholism affects more women than men?

a)Liver diseaseb)Suicidec)Alcohol – related accidentsd)All of the above

3. Of the 15.1 million people who are alcoholics, how many are women?

a)15.1 million (all)b)4.6 million (1/3)c)3 million ( 1/5)d)7.55 million (1/2)

4. Alcohol abuse decreases a woman’s life-expectancy by:

a)15 yearsb)10 yearsc)5 yearsd)It doesn’t decrease her life-

expectancy.

5. What percentage of women who enter treatment for substance abuse have been victims of physical or sexual abuse?

a) 25-30%

b) 50-65%

c) 75-80%

d) 95-100%

6. What percentage of women being treated for alcoholism have also been diagnosed with depression?

a)33%b)44%c)55%d)66%

7. How many infants born each year are believed to suffer the effects of their mother’s drug use?

a)3,750b)37,500c)375,000d)3, 750,000

8. Women who have an alcohol addiction:

a) Are judged less harshly by their family & society than men who drink…

a) Are less likely than men to hide their drinking…

a) May be more protected than men by their families and law enforcement authorities and discouraged from seeking treatment…

a) All of the above…

9. Women usually choose NOT to seek treatment because they fear:

a)Losing their childrenb)Prisonc)Losing their significant otherd)All of the above

10. Women who drink alcohol during their pregnancies increase chances of their babies being born with:

a)Low birth weightb)Small staturec)Defectsd)All of the above

Baby Brain Development:

Good practices during pre-natal and early childhood development are essential to optimal brain development

Pre-natal to 6 years old: sets the stage for future physical and mental development

(ability to cope with stress)

At birth: -almost 100 billion neurons at birth (more

than will ever be needed) (about as many starts as there are in the

milky way)

Deprivation:

lack of adequate care and/or resources resulting in babies/young children not being able to fulfill their potentialities.

-lifelong consequences (abuse, neglect, poor diet)

-affects learning, health, relationships, behavior, ability to provide for oneself

THIS IS NOT TRUE 100% OF THE TIME: THIS IS THE GENERAL TREND

(outlier: people who overcome adverse conditions of neglect)

a dot off of the plotted line

Brochure

Assume you have been hired by a family prevention centre whose focus is to help women stay healthy during pregnancy. Your task is to prepare a brochure outlining the harmful effects of any one of the environmental influences you have just studied.

Prepare the brochure using 8 ½ X 11 inch paper. You should use a computer to pre-pare this brochure – Microsoft Word or Corel Word Perfect allows 3-column functions that can produce adequate brochures.

1. The brochure should contain all the necessary details you just discovered during your research.

2. Suggested headings to incorporate into your 3-sided brochure are: Problem? Effects? Statistics? Prevention? Where to get help? How to avoid? etc

Be sure the brochure catches the attention of the reader by including an eye-catching cover. The back should suggest where the reader could obtain more information. Be sure to incorporate the use of colour, graphics, different size fonts and any other aes-thetic enhancement.