Early Ed 4 Everyone?

I will be writing a series of articles on hyper-active and seemingly
underdeveloped children since I have been currently observing a child
who is thought to maybe have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD). According the Child Development Theorist, Erik Erikson, there
are certain stages a child must conquer for behavioral issues in the future
to unfold in proper timing. Certain actions in earlier years seem to effect
this ability. It was predominantly obvious in the child of my studies.

In stage one of Erikson’s theory, if a child is taunted with toys and never
given the toy, there is a great likelihood that the child will stop reaching
and this robs the child of learning to control his environment, gaining a
confidence in that area. Some examples of this are that possibly the keys
were jingled, but held back because they were dirty and the parent didn’t
want the child to put them in his or her mouth. Maybe the teddy bear
tickled, but it was always pulled away and hidden behind the back as a
game, but the child wanted to touch it, taste it, shake it and didn’t have
that opportunity.

The second theory is one of autonomy and gaining confidence over motor
skills. The playpen is the biggest deterrent here. The lack of exploration
can cause overt shyness, timidity, or fear to experiment in life. Or, the
child may begin to fight against any kind of limits and become shameless
in attempting to do the opposite of what an adult expects or wants,
especially regarding motor restrictions. The same effects can occur with
an unrestrained child who has not developed any boundaries or
self-control. In these cases just mentioned, the parent has no idea that
such actions will cause developmental issues. In a way, they are innocent.
They are very busy and to allow the child to explore and spot team him in
the meanwhile, just doesn’t fit into the schedule. This is the general tempo
of the world today, and our actions are often unconsciously directed by
circumstance.

It should be mentioned here that there is a certain amount of struggle with
behavior that is normal when a child first enters the pre-school
environment. The well developed child will adapt quickly. But when we
encounter a child who is developmentally behind in Early Education
Environments, these considerations could be noted. When a child touches
everything he may simply be acquiring skills he didn’t yet have the
opportunity to acquire in earlier growth stages. The caregiver can ask
themselves, if this child could possibly only now be having an
opportunity to learn this, rather then label it a lack of adaptation. It can be
very enlightening to look for a positive in every experience. When a child
runs away from an adult on a consistent basis, maybe this child was
simply corralled in a playpen and now he, fights against any kind of limits
and becomes shameless in attempting to do the opposite of what an adult
expects or wants, especially regarding motor restrictions, due to his
playpen days, and needs a chance to be that — free and self-exploratory.

It is a hard lesson for the parent who has had to utilize the playpen or has
played tickle and jingle with keys, consistently taking them from their
child, not knowing the need for sensational learning. The solutions are
easy but not publisized. Use a toy which is mouthable. Eventually turn
over the teddy bear. When self-confidence still needs to be developed,
Child Development Theory and Caregiving can reveal some handy techniques for the parent.