SIDS

SIDS –Sudden Infants Death Syndrom Infant mortality refers to deaths of children under the age of one year. It is measured by the infant mortality rate, which is the total number of deaths to children under the age of one year for every 1,000 live births. The infant mortality rate is often broken down into two components relating to timing of death: neonatal and postneonatal. The neonatal mortality rate refers to the number of deaths to babies within 28 days after birth (per 1,000 live births). Sometimes a special type of neonatal mortality is assessed. The perinatal mortality rate measures the number of late fetal deaths (at or after 28 weeks gestation) and deaths within the first 7 days after birth per 1,000 live births. The postneonatal mortality rate involves the number of deaths to babies from 28 days to the end of the first year per 1,000 live births. The distinction between neonatal (and perinatal) and postneonatal mortality is important because the risk of death is higher close to the delivery date, and the causes of death near the time of birth/delivery are quite different from those later in infancy. Therefore, effective interventions to reduce infant mortality need to take into account the distribution of ages at death of infants. Many developing countries lack the resources to keep track of infant deaths; therefore data for these areas are estimates only. Another methodological problem in measuring infant mortality is ascertaining the number of live births. Sometimes this problem is one of undercounts of births (i.e., births are not registered and thus not counted); sometimes the difficulty lies in inconsistently differentiating stillbirths and live births, especially across countries because this distinction is not as clear-cut as one might imagine Kids Health: http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sids.html

My Support

The factors I see as a support system are the ladies I work with every day. I have so many things to do that I don’t always get to talk about with what’s going on in my life. I like to talk about school, my personal life, and my life with my family. I work in an office environment where we see people face-to-face all day. I face many challenges with doing my job and the encouragement I get from my job family is like no other.

My co-workers know how important my education is to me and how badly I want to open up my own childcare center and to teach early education. They are very supportive of my thoughts and my ambitions to make this would a better place for our children. All of my coworkers are family oriented and some of them are in school as well. We talk about everyday challenges with working, going to school, and raising our families. We support each other and when something is going on in our life that we need to pray about we all get together and pray. It works.

Not only do I like going to work, I also like the people I work with and they like me. It’s like we have our own little family. Let me not leave our wonderful manager who falls right in line with us. She helps me stay out of trouble and I don’t know what I would do without her either. I would not have come this far with the support of the women I work with at my job and the encouragement they offer to me on a daily basis.

Some of my worst fears are failing in school. I try to study hard and to complete task in a timely manner. Time does not allow me to do much more during the week beside work, school and raising my daughter. I want to buy a new house and open up a childcare center right now but finances and obligations are making the process very challenging for me. I am now a single mom and my income is our only support. I want to give back to the community and also provide a good life for my daughter by providing all of her needs as well as my own needs. I do very well for myself and getting started is a big step. I would have to make some sacrifices that I am afraid would put me in a bind. I don’t want to borrow money that I can’t pay back because that would only put me behind in my plans.

Finishing school would give me some tools to work with to bring the plan together. Most days I’m ok, but when I look at my future it seem so far to reach for my goals. I am a winner and I don’t give up. I encourage everyone to follow your dreams and keep the future endeavors bright. Don’t give up and don’t quit. “Loser do what they want to do, and winners do what they have to. I know I am a winner.”

How to learn to speak multiple languages

Have you ever dreamed of being able to speak dozens of languages? A new book, Babel No More by journalist Michael Erard, traces the history of people who can do just that: hyperpolyglots, people who speak 11 or more languages.http://hotword.dictionary.com/hyperpolyglot/

• A note of professional thanks and support to the Blogs of at least two colleagues

To all my colleagues,

I have tried to visit your blog’s and sometimes I’m not successful. I read your post although I don’t always comment. I take everything I’ve learned from all of you, and file it “things to review”. If I never get to meet you in person, it’s been a pleasure being in class and studying with you.

Thanks for all your encouragement, feedback, and those awesome comments. I will use this information throughout my teaching and learning experiences.

Qoutes

• At least one quote about children, or a visual/media piece with written commentary.

“When my children act out, I always threatened to find their parents.”

“When mom and dad don’t give you your way, call 1-800-Grandma.”

From me!

Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons.  ~Author Unknown

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.  ~Stacia Tauscher

We've had bad luck with our kids - they've all grown up.  ~Christopher Morley

 RETRIEVED FROM http://www.quotegarden.com/children.html

Testing for Intelligence US and China

Considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically (i.e., a commitment to “the whole child”) what, if anything, do you believe should be measured or assessed? Explain your reasoning.

Cognitive or brain development or we could call it measuring of the mind. Brain development “Recall that emotional regulation, theory of mind, and left-right coordination emerge in early childhood.’ The brain regulates the whole body. “The maturing corpus callosum connects the two hemispheres of the brain. The prefrontal cortex-the executive part of the brain-plans, monitors, and evaluates. These developments continue in middle childhood. We look now at advances in reaction time, attention, and automatization and at the ways to measure brain activity. These measurements include test of ability and achievement that indicate whether a child is developing as expected.” (Berger, 2009)

Children do things in early child hood, like wetting the bed, hiding stuff, and wanting to sleep with their parents. As they grow into middle childhood they revert back to these behaviors temporarily and parents don’t often look at it as anything other growing-up. This type of behavior could be a problem cause by some traumatic experience that the child is too afraid to talk about. Even though, it may be something as small as a bad dream or another child bulling them at school. “By the time they reach 5^th grade they have a better understanding of life. They develop what is called “selective attention, the ability to screen out distractions and focus on a given task.” They develop what is called metacognition, their own through processes which allow them to process information much faster. (DVD, 2). This is a cognitive development. Brain development is important from the first day of life until we die. I feel this is an important and should be measured in all stages of life.

In what ways are school-age children assessed in other parts of the world? (Choose a country or region of the world for which you have a personal affinity.)

China

“One of the problems existing in China’s ongoing educational system is its divorce

from the labor markets, and it is closely associated with the way to assess educational

outcomes in China. China probably has the longest history of tests and examination in

the world. Today, tests and examination are still the tools to assess educational

outcome in China, and the scores of various tests are still used in many places as the

sole determinant factors for promoting students into higher level of education or even

grades. Based on such a way in educational assessment, it is not surprised at what the

educational system supplies would not necessarily meet the demand of the labor

markets. Lack of a market-oriented system for educational outcomes seems a key for

the problem.”

“China’s skill assessment system is more characterized with the planned economy, and

remains little reformed during past over two decades. The ministry of education is the

main body responsible for assessment of formal educational outcomes and literacy.” (Zhang, 2004, revised)

What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues?

Children should be assessed in all developmental and developing areas and stages of life. From infants to adults we develop and change, mentally, physically, and emotionally. As a child your life is controlled by your parents and guardians, the amount of care you receive both physically and mentally. If a child develops emotional problems as a child he/she is more likely to carry that problem with them through middle childhood, adolescence and adult hood, if not cared for properly.

References

Berger, K.S. (2009) The developing person-through childhood. (5^th ed) Worth Publisher. Bronx Community College. http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6060781&Survey=1&47=10671176&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

The journey through lifespan. (2002). Middle childhood through early adulthood. (DVD 2) Worth Publisher, Copyright 2002.  

Zhang, J. (2004) Institute of population and Labor economics-Chinese academy of social services, Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1126210664195/1636971-1126210694253/China_Skills_Assessment.pdf December12, 2011

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

What is Sudden infant death syndrome?
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes referred to by the terms cot death or crib death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_infant_death_syndrome

The cause of SIDS is unknown, but characteristics associated with the syndrome have been identified. One of these characteristics is sleeping in the prone position.

Growing up as child I never had to experience a death of a child as far back as I can remember. As a matter of fact I don’t remember anyone passing. I first heard about SIDS as a teenager while in my health class during the pregnancy and childbirth segment. My understanding was that the baby was sleep on its stomach and could not lift its head and suffocated. Babies should be placed on their backs to prevent such deaths. As I grew older I started to hear this more often and it made me more aware when caring for infants in the early stages of life.

Since there was no main cause for death it bought the awareness of people up and the facts still remain unknown. There are fact state that death occurred in babies between one month and one year. In 2006 there were as many as 1,161 deaths reported by CDC. The majority of these deaths occurring between two and four months of age. Ninety percent occurred before age six months. More boys than girls and Native American and African American babies range among the top percentage.

The low birth weight babies and mother who lack prenatal care, smoked or did drugs were at higher risk than other babies whose parents seek early care and did not smoke or use drugs. SIDS is not caused by lack of immunization or neglect/abuse. There is no cause, and that is what scares new parents most. If there were signs of warning doctors could probable predict and prevent this from occurring.  
The risk associated with SIDS, are associated with baby sleeping on their stomach or side. Studies from doctors believe that certain brain irregularities which interfere with certain neurotransmitters in the brain while baby is sleeping. Researchers have also looked at generic traits and the health of the parents as other fact that could contribute to SIDS.

Learn more about SIDS:  

http://www.parenting.com/category/conditions/about-sids

Infant Mortality in International Perspective 

I infant mortality rates for the world, for developed and developing countries, and by continent, with some selected countries that highlight the range of levels. At 57, the world's infant mortality rate has never been lower; however, differences across the world are substantial. Africa's rate (88) is ten times higher than the average rate (8) for the developed countries. Within Africa the highest levels of infant mortality in the world are experienced, with rates as high as 157 in Sierra Leone. On average the rate for Asia (56) is somewhat lower than for Africa, but some Asian countries such as Afghanistan have rates (150) as high as anywhere in the world. On the other hand, Hong Kong's rate (3.2) is very low, illustrating that the most variation in infant mortality level occurs in Asia. Both Europe and North America (the United States and Canada) have low levels of infant mortality, with average rates well under 10. However, European variation is not inconsequential; rates in at least some parts of Eastern Europe are nearly 10 times higher than in northern European countries such as Iceland and Sweden.
Overall, income and education, both at the societal and individual levels, are closely associated with infant mortality. While the relationship between infant mortality and level of socioeconomic development is not perfect, the infant mortality rate is commonly used more than any other measure as a general indicator of socioeconomic wellbeing and of general medical and public health

Read more: Mortality, Infant - world, body, life, cause, rate, time, human, Infant Mortality in International Perspective, Causes of Infant Deaths
 http://www.deathreference.com/Me-Nu/Mortality-Infant.html#ixzz1dWQDRTFr