HUS 2541 - Working with Families in the Early Childhood Period

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Spring 2007 (375)

Course Description

This course addresses three important issues of early childhood: health, development, and parenting. The depth of developmental knowledge provided is intended to enhance the skills of the family health and support worker, to increase their ability to provide anticipatory guidance and teaching and to empower the parent-child relationship. Common health problems of infancy and early childhood that affect normal development are discussed along with important health promotion and disease prevention strategies for creating a safe and nurturing environment for the child. Additional topics will include social, environmental and biological influences and factors that collectively impede or facilitate individual and family development, the major periods and domains of child development from birth to five, the importance of early learning experiences that enhance brain development, and the characteristics and importance of parent-child interactions as well as cultural and social influences that affect parenting skills.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will understand the influences of genetics, the environment, and Maternal and Child Health on the developing child during the first five years of life by:
    1. describing common health problems of infancy and child development.
    2. discussing the contributions of heredity, biological, and environmental teratogens on the overall health and development of the child.
    3. describing behaviors that promote health and disease prevention inclusive of daily hygiene and nutrition, infectious disease risk management, immunization schedules, environmental toxins (i.e. lead paint, pets, chemicals in carpets, clothing dyes), sleep routines and patterns, as well as physical activity.
    4. explaining the influence of environmental allergens (i.e. pets, dust, mold) on child health.
    5. describing the importance of regular and preventive health care to promote development (i.e. Kid Care/Health Insurance and Medical Home).
    6. describing common health problems that affect or relate to a child’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development (i.e. food allergies, asthma, ear infections).
    7. describing the nutritional requirements of infants and children.
    8. describing and explaining the cultural, societal, parental, and developmental influences on child eating and nutritional habits.
    9. explaining techniques to encourage positive food choices and good eating habits for toddlers.
    10. identifying foods that are potentially dangerous for young children’s consumption.
    11. explaining parental behaviors that support good dental health and oral hygiene.
    12. describing parental behaviors that promote safe and nurturing home environments including home safety, food safety, car seat safety, injury prevention, swimming pool safety, handgun safety, education regarding shaken baby syndrome, and domestic violence prevention.
    13. identifying children in need of emergency care.
    14. recognizing situations that warrant referral to a health care provider.
  2. The student will explain the importance of early experiences such as sensory input, environmental, and social influences on brain development (cognition) by:
    1. describing the physical, cognitive and socio-emotional developmental domains and how they collectively support child development.
    2. describing how infants use their reflexes to develop early learning schemes (patterns).
    3. describing how infants develop the ability to make mental representations of the things in their environment.
    4. describing the influence of sensory input from multiple sources on learning.
    5. describing the relationship between good nutrition and the development of neurons and their protective myelin sheaths.
    6. discussing the myelinization of brain cells as it affects information processing.
    7. discussing the stages of cognitive development from birth to five years of age.
    8. describing the influence of gross motor and fine motor development on learning.
    9. demonstrating the importance of appropriate sensory input for development of learning (i.e. choices of toys, reading materials, music, mother-ese, and tactile stimuli).
    10. describing the characteristics of normal physical, social, and cognitive development from conception through the first five years.
  3. The student will demonstrate an understanding of how infants and young children communicate and learn by:
    1. explaining the development of language from the babbling stage through verbal fluency.
    2. explaining the use of the total language approach to teach children to communicate especially when developmental delays are evident.
    3. describing and explaining the influences of play and role playing behaviors of young children on early development.
    4. explaining the importance of socially-mediated learning opportunities.
    5. explaining the importance of providing a text rich environment for children.
    6. explaining the importance of talking to and reading to a child in the early stages of their language development.
    7. explaining the importance of openness and truthfulness in parent/child interactions.
    8. describing and recognizing inhibitors to open communication between parent and child and the influence of these inhibitors on all domains of development.
  4. The student will demonstrate an understanding of Maternal-Child bonding and attachment and other environmental influences on a child’s emotional development by:
    1. describing critical or sensitive periods of development.
    2. describing the reciprocal effect of parent/child interactions on the development of attachment.
    3. explaining how attachment bonds begin to form in the prenatal period and continue on throughout childhood.
    4. describing parental behaviors that show sensitivity and adaptability to cues of distress from their child.
    5. explaining the influences of temperament on the attachment formation.
    6. describing the influence of the formation of object permanence on attachment.
    7. describing the importance of appropriate child care takers both within the home and outside of the home.
    8. describing and explaining the fear of strangers stage of development.
    9. explaining ways that parents can help children relate to a variety of people in their environment.
    10. describing the characteristics of a positive parent-child relationship.
    11. explaining the importance of positive parent-child interactions on a child’s social outcomes (i.e. teacher-child interactions, peer interactions, and ability to negotiate social interactions with others).
  5. The student will demonstrate an understanding of important mental health issues in young children including the development of trust, competence, self-esteem, and self-regulation by:
    1. describing the importance of the early development of trust and security on future developmental periods, particularly interpersonal interactions with others.
    2. describing how young children learn to resolve conflicts that occur in their developmental stages including issues of competency and self-esteem.
    3. describing how young children learn self-regulating behaviors and the ability to control impulse and thoughtless behaviors.
  6. The student will be recognize cultural and social influences that affect parenting roles and discipline styles by:
    1. describing four parenting styles.
    2. describing multicultural/ethnic views on parenting styles.
    3. explaining the effects of each parenting style on child behavior and learning outcomes both at home and at school.
    4. explaining the effects of each parenting style on a child’s psychosocial development.
    5. describing the importance of developing self-discipline and self-regulating behaviors in the early childhood years.
    6. describing responsible behavior of children at different developmental stages.
    7. explaining the importance and benefits of having established routines and expectations for children.
    8. explaining the importance of parental consistency in handling children’s needs and challenging behaviors.
    9. explaining how and when to refer a family to a supporting agency for managing child behavior.
  7. The student will demonstrate the ability to provide guidance to parents with children that are experiencing developmental delays and challenging behaviors issues by:
    1. explaining how to identify behavioral issues that may result from low self-esteem, or the lack of a sense of competence.
    2. explaining how extreme parenting styles can lead to behavioral problems and social competence issues in school.
    3. describing strengths and weaknesses within the family dynamics that can contribute to a child’s behavior both at home and at school.
    4. explaining ways to positively reinforce good behaviors.
    5. describing and explaining resources for assessment of development delays.
    6. explaining the importance of early detection of developmental delays.
    7. explaining the relationship between developmental delays and behavior problems.
    8. explaining how to identify and make appropriate referrals to agencies that provide information and support for families with a child experiencing developmental delays.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course the student will, with a minimum of 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors. 1. Examinations: a. teacher made b. FDC Chapter test 2. Written Assignments: a. in-class ATD program assignments and activities b. journal entries c. outside of class research project/activity 3. Participation and Attendance

History of Changes

C&I 6/22/04, BOT 7/27/04, Effective 20041(0340). Effective 20062(0375). Flex Access 20082. 3-Year Review 2010—Acceptable As Is
C&I Approval: 01/23/2007, BOT Approval: 02/20/2007, Effective Term: Spring 2007 (375)

Related Programs

  1. Community Health Worker Certificate (CHW-CT) (595) (Active)
  2. Social and Human Services (HUS-AS) (640) (Active)