Thousands of children every year are brought into the world in traumatic ways that often times are seldom discussed or processed following the event. Children who experience traumatic events as their first events of life are typically traumatized in two ways if not more...
Brain research informs us that as early as the fourth week after conception, the fetus is capable of auditory processing, and as early as the second trimester, the fetus is capable of psychological processing, which translates to mean that unborn that babies can hear and think. Stress during pregnancy can create trauma for the developing fetus. Divorce during pregnancy, domestic violence, loss of significant figure, automobile accidents, moving, or illness are a few examples of stress that may create such trauma in utero. It is important to note that stress is different for each person. What one mother may experience as stress, may not impact a different mother in the same manner, and thereby, the impact on the fetus is also unique. Secondly, because the medical profession does little to acknowledge and validate the early life of the fetus/infant, sufficient understanding of the impact of such events on the child is lacking. In fact, personal experience with a child who had two brain surgeries within three months following birth verifies that the word trauma was not even mentioned. It was not mentioned that the child may have reactions to things being placed on her head, to loud noises, sudden actions, and separations among other things.
Early traumatic experiences for infants before, during, or following birth may set the child up to be much more sensitive to stress, fear, and stimulation than other children. Because of this, creating difficulty for the child in active settings such as family time, shopping, and school is not unusual. Your child will require a deeper understanding of his innate sensitivities that can not always be seen with the human eye. He will require that you look beyond what you can see and sense deeply where he may be challenged. This will require slowing down as a parent to see where your child may struggle and thinking about how some of his existing struggles may be connected to his earliest trauma.
Copyright© 2006 Dr. Bryan Post. All rights reserved.
The Illogical Use Of Logic With Children
Can you recall when you were a child doing something that caused your mother or father upset? Research into brain activity as it relates to stress informs us that in times of high stress, our thinking processes become confused and distorted, and our short-term memory is suppressed. With this being the case, allow me to make a point which may save both you and your child many periods of frustration.
Traditional Parenting Techniques Linked to Brain Stress
Until recently, traditional parenting techniques such as consequences, points and rewards, and spanking have been used by parents throughout the world as effective measures of correction for behaviors deemed socially inappropriate. In fact, schools continue to use all of these, including spanking, as a measure to deter problem behaviors in children. New findings from the field of neuroscience are demonstrating that such measures may in fact be detrimental to healthy brain development in children and may even be one of the major causes of the over-prescription of medication.
Time-out sucks…away your child’s emotional security
One of the most commonly used parenting techniques in current day used throughout schools, homes, and day cares is “time-out”. Let’s ask the question: What makes “time-out” any different than standing with your nose in the corner, sitting on the dunce chair, being sent to your room, or having to sit in the naughty chair? Can someone please tell me the difference?
