A HEALTH AND SAFETY NEWSLETTER FOR CALIFORNIA CHILD CARE PROFESSIONALS PublishedPublished by by the the California California Childcare Childca reHealth Health Program Program (CCHP), (CCHP), a program a program of the of Universitythe University of California, of Califo Sanrnia, Francisco San Francisco (UCSF) School School of of Nursing Nursing (UCSF)(UCSF) vol. 23 no. 3 Nurturing Empathy May + June 2010 mpathy is the ability to recognize, appreciate and respond to another's feelings. Human beings are born with a capacity for empathy. Newborn infants are able to identify the cries of other newborns and will cry in response. These are the earliest expressions of what later becomes E 2 the child’s ability to empathize with another. But empathy doesn’t develop only because of the way our Analyzing Behavior brains are wired. Very young children must experience empathy in order to develop the ability to be Problems empathic with others. Empathy develops out of young children’s earliest relationships with parents and caregivers who recognize, understand and respond to their needs and feelings. 3 Encouraging children’s capacity for empathy is important in early childhood because morality Caregiver Touch in Children's depends on it: in order for children to be able to treat others as they want to be treated, they have to be Mental Health able to recognize and understand how others feel. True empathy doesn't begin to appear until the age of 18 to 30 months, when toddlers begin to develop a sense of self and other. It is only when they are able 4 Emotional Resilience to understand that someone else exists as separate from themselves that toddlers are able to recognize the feelings of another and respond in a comforting way. 5 Empathy is important for children’s ability to get along socially with peers. When a child is capable Your Child's Self of empathy, she is able to understand the emotional and social effects of her behavior on others. She can Esteem also more accurately interpret the social cues of her peers and understand their intentions. On the other 6 hand, children who are less empathic tend to behave more aggressively towards others. This may be Inclusion of Children related to their inability to perceive or accurately interpret the feelings and behaviors of others. with Special Needs 7 How can you nurture empathy in young children? Talking with Families • When a child hurts another child, explain in simple words how the hurt child feels. Focus on feelings, About Problem not actions. Model empathy by expressing your own concern about both children in the situation. Behaviors • Ask questions like, ”How do you think Sam feels when you take away the truck he is playing with?” 8 Health and Safety Resources Nurturing Empathy continued on page 3 health + safety tips Managing Challenging Behaviors In order to address challenging behaviors that continue despite ECE providers’ attempts to manage them, providers should: a. Observe and document the child’s behavior over time to identify patterns of behavior. b. Get information from the family about the child’s history, relationships and behavior at home. c. Have another person observe the child. d. Summarize the concerns about the child’s behavior with the parents and together develop strategies to meet the child’s needs. e. Ask that a child care or mental health consultant observe and assess the child and provide, with the parent’s consent, strategies for intervention. ask the nurse A HEALTH AND SAFETY NEWSLETTER FOR CALIFORNIA CHILD CARE PROFESSIONALS Published by the California Childcare Health Program (CCHP), a program of the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing (UCSF) Child Care Health Connections is a bimonthly How to Analyze Behavior Problems newsletter published by the California Childcare Health Program (CCHP), a com- munity-based program of the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, I have a new 3 year old in my program whose behavior is very Department of Family Health Care Nursing. puzzling to my staff, his parents and me. He has only been The goals of the newsletter are to promote here for 3 months. What would help me understand his and support a healthy and safe environment Q for all children in child care reflecting the behavior and what to do about it? state’s diversity; to recreate linkages and promote collaboration among health and It sounds like you have a good beginning in that you’ve been talking to the par- safety and child care professionals; and to be ents. Next step is to organize your observations that may provide clues on how to guided by the most up-to-date knowledge of the best practices and concepts of health, A proceed. Observe the child in 10-minute periods in different settings for 5 days wellness and safety. Information provided and write down exactly what you see. Then reflect on the possible causes. These suggestions in Child Care Health Connections is intended appear in the CCHP Curriculum for Child Care Health Consultants chapter on Behavioral to supplement, not replace, medical advice. Health, available online at www.ucsfchildcarehealth.org/pdfs/Curricula/CCHC/14_ Major support for this publication is CCHC_Behavioral_0406.pdf, and are adapted from WestEd’s Program for Infant/Toddler provided by the California Department of Caregivers. Education/Child Development Division. Is the behavior a result of? Six issues of Child Care Health Connections 1. Developmental Stage – Emerging developmental stages are often accompanied by are published each year in odd-numbered troublesome behavior. What do you know about the developmental challenges of 3-year- months at the subscription rate of $25/year. olds? Where can you find more information? If it’s typical, you can relax and channel the Newsletter articles may be reprinted with- behavior in more tolerable ways or put a stop to it. out permission if credit is given and a copy 2. Individual Differences – Not all children of the same age act the same way. A child may of the issue in which the reprint appears have temperament differences or special needs that affect the way a child perceives or is forwarded to the California Childcare responds to their world. What do you know about these factors? Observe and identify a Health Program at the address below. child’s unique style and reflect on ways to appreciate and work with a child’s unique qualities. 3. The Environment – What are the environments in the home, the child care program, Subscriptions, Renewals, Inquiries the culture and are the expectations in the home the same as in the child care setting? Is Contact CCHP at (800) 333-3212 or the behavior improved in different spaces? Try different strategies to promote protection, [email protected]. order and calm. Is the behavior getting better or worse over time? Why? 4. The Child Does Not Know But is Ready to Learn – The child might be in a new/unfa- CCHP Program Office miliar situation or facing a new task. Use messages that help the child express what they 1950 Addison St., Suite 107 are feeling appropriately (e.g. “use your words”) over and over again and teach acceptable Berkeley, CA 94704 behaviors. T (510) 204-0930 5. Unmet Emotional Need – The behavior has a certain driven quality and may require F (510) 204-0931 some guidance from an early childhood consultant. California Child Care Healthline (800) 333-3212 There is no magic formula to understand challenging behavior but this guide may [email protected] provide a reflective framework to focus your research and to develop your intervention www.ucsfchildcarehealth.org strategies. If the hurdles and frustration remain, you may have to consult an early child- hood behavioral specialist. Newsletter Editors A. Rahman Zamani, MD, MPH Resource Bobbie Rose, RN The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL): Judy Calder, RN, MS Individualized Intensive Interventions: Determining the Meaning of Challenging Behavior Tahereh Garakani, MA Ed www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/resources/training_preschool.html. Victoria Leonard, RN, FNP, PHD by Judy Calder, RN 2 May + June 2010 www.ucsfchildcarehealth.org child care health connections infant + toddler care The Role of Caregiver Touch in Children’s Mental Health ouch is the first of our senses to develop. The skin is the also feel more securely attached to their parent and have fewer T largest of our sense organs and provides our simplest and behavioral problems at the age of two. Touch can also help young most direct way of connecting with the world. Some researchers children cope with stress. Touch researcher Tiffany Field also say that the contacts we have with one another through touch are points out that cultures that shower physical affection on young more powerful than our verbal or facial expressions, and affect children have little adult violence. everything we do. Interpersonal touch has been shown to play To ensure that touch is incorporated into your ECE practices: an important role in our emotional well-being and in children’s • Provide careful, open communication with families and staff healthy social, cognitive, and physical development. This is espe- about the value of touch in children’s development. cially true for our early social interactions. Infants’ first lessons • Do not institute “no-touch policies” to reduce the risk of child in loving often come through the touch of caregivers. Through abuse. No-touch policies are misguided efforts that fail to rec- touch, adults soothe young children, reassure them that they are ognize the importance of touch in young children’s healthy safe and promote the formation of secure attachments. Unfortu- development. 1 nately, the role of touch is often left out in discussions of healthy • During daily activities such as greeting, story time or nap time, emotional development of children.