Tag Archives: Children
Helping Children Make Positive Diet Alterations
Child obesity is rapidly growing into a very serious problem within the United States. According to the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention, the problem has increased more than threefold over the past thirty years.
The prevalence of this issue has reached almost twenty percent, meaning that one in five children within the country is considered to be obese. The problem is mostly caused by a caloric imbalance within children’s bodies, meaning that they are taking in more calories than they are burning on a daily basis.
The human body is designed to burn a specific number of calories that is taken from the foods we ingest. This number completely depends on the person’s age and size; it can be altered through the burning of extra units through exercise.
As you exercise more, the system calls for more calories so that it can properly administer energy to the muscles and other areas of the body. This excess burning of these units can increase weight loss and the amount of fat that is present in the bloodstream.
However, those that do not get enough physical activity to burn up what is gathered from the amount of food that they are eating, they are more likely to become overweight and have an excess of unnecessary fats within their system. Unfortunately, youth that are unhealthy and not getting the proper amount of daily fitness are more likely to be at risk for cardiovascular diseases, like high cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as diabetes.
They may also be likely to experience more bone and joint problems than those who are living a healthy lifestyle. Very often, habits that we build as children carry over into adulthood.
This can be both good and bad; if parents rear their children to take care of their body, then it is not a problem. However, if the youth is not monitored and living an active lifestyle, they may form this bad habit and carry it with them for the rest of their life.
Teen years are especially difficult, for two reasons: most secondary or high schools do not have much more than vending machines and unhealthy snack foods available between organized meals, and adolescents have more money available to them because of after-school jobs. This means that they are able to spend more money on the types of products that are available to them, which are usually processed and packaged snacks that are high in sugar, sodium, and fats.
A shocking majority of teenagers do not eat a nutritious breakfast or completely skip it altogether. According to the American Dietetic Association, half of adolescent males and two-thirds of females skip the meal on a regular basis.
Eating breakfast is the best way to jump-start one’s metabolism and give the body fuel to get through the morning. Believe or not, those that have been recorded to skip it frequently are more likely to be overweight and obese.
Foregoing breakfast can shock the body and put it in hunger mode; it starts to conserve energy by slowing down the metabolism and preventing it from burning energy at a regular pace. The more this occurs, the easier it is for the body to pack on extra pounds.
Another thing that teens must be very careful of is avoiding foods that are contained in the “other” group on the food pyramid. This is the smallest section located at the top that includes sugars and fats and must be used the most sparingly.
Helping your child avoid these types of snacks is simple. You can do so by having plenty of fruits and vegetables available for them to take to school with them to munch on in between classes.
Adolescents in general tend to eat more and on a more frequent basis than adults; because their bodies are growing and changing, they need more calories to stay energetic. Very often, they turn to these fatty and sugary treats for lack of a better option.
Providing them with healthy foods that can deliver nutrients and vitamins is the best way to avoid an over-consumption of the other substances. When you cook meals, make sure that they are full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and proteins.
Not only is it necessary to alter youths’ diets and make them more nutritious, they will also need to stay active and get some form of exercise each day. You can really make a difference in your son or daughter’s life and instill healthy habits early on by being active and healthy yourself.
Terry Daniels is a personal trainer and has authored hundreds of articles relating to physical training and treadmills. He has been a health expert and physical trainer for over 15 years.
Contact Info:
Terry Daniels
TerryDaniels09@gmail.com
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Positive Behavioural Management in Young Children
On a first teaching practice when training to be a teacher was the first time in a primary classroom since leaving primary school to move to seniors. Two things caused surprise. First, the classrooms were so small — well they’d seemed huge all those years earlier! Secondly was the way that the desks, or tables by that time, were arranged in the classroom. They were set in groups with half a dozen children sitting around tables facing each other… very strange!
Comments such as, ‘What do you expect’, ‘We can’t do anything because that’s what kids are like now’, ‘We just have to put up with it’, or ‘Kids have changed and that’s how they are now’.
It’s just abject acceptance of disgraceful behaviour. It’s become a regular response that there’s nothing adults can do to prevent such behaviour. That is what’s happening in schools and homes — it’s rife throughout society in general. But, who’s going to do anything about bad behaviour if adults have decided that they can’t tackle the situation?
If the bad behaviour is allowed to continue and become even worse it’s too easy for adults to start thinking that this unbearable situation is normal – and it certainly isn’t normal!
So often, a child who is displaying any difficult behaviours is viewed holistically as a “behavior problem”. A veil of “behavior” precedes the child and in effect places a label on them. It is vital that carers strip back this veil and identify the specific behaviours that actually cause concern. In doing so, we may actually realize that there are not as many poor behavior patterns as we think, and we can target our strategies to manage the child’s behavior more effectively.
In another articles I suggested that challenging behavior is only the tip of the iceberg. 80 – 90 percent of the iceberg lies below the surface of the water, hidden. So often the actual behavior can make us so frustrated that we are blind to, or forget to look at, what might lie beneath. However, the key to actually managing behavior is unlock the “why”.
The reasons why behaviors occur are many and varied. Social changes, frustration, attention seeking, poor role modeling, and learning difficulties are just a few. The way we identify these reasons will involve careful observation and documentation, and discussion with the family and colleagues.
We need to look at why the behaviours are of concern and why we want to change them. A loud and outgoing child’s behavior does not need managing (because individual personalities should be fostered) unless the behavior is causing disruption to others, or preventing the child from engaging in learning experiences.
By identifying why we want to change the behavior, we can again target our management strategies more effectively. The loud outgoing child may actually be creating a stressful environment for staff in the indoor environment. The child who verbally dominates and bosses may be harming other child’s self confidence.
After identifying the specific behaviours causing concern in step 1, it is then important to be just as specific to identify the specific behaviours we want to develop in the child. For example, the loud outgoing child may be allowed to flourish in the outdoor environment but needs strategies for calming and settling indoors. The child who verbally dominates and bosses others may be channeled to leadership roles in some situations, but may need support to use positive language and to develop their listening skills.
The important thing is to try one or two strategies at a time, to try them for an extended period of time to allow the child to respond, and to be consistent both yourself and between other staff and carers.
Rana Ardhita is a regular Indonesian mother who runs Islam fashion shop in wisanggeni.com which tries to mix the traditional Indonesian art heritage and Islam culture
Children With Aspergers – Positive Characteristics
Positive psychology is a breath of fresh air in the field of psychology. For too long, psychology followed a medical model, in which you are diagnosed with a condition, given a diagnosis, and then told about all the things that are wrong with you. Unfortunately, this thinking can spill over into the world of parents and children with Asperger’s syndrome, so that they unconsciously start to absorb some negative thoughts about themselves.
Like everyone on the face of the earth, we are people, with a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Children with Asperger’s are different, but they are not defective. In fact, Dr. Temple Grandin, an animal scientist, herself diagnosed with autism, argues that the world needs all different kinds of minds, including the Autism/Asperger’s minds.
Trustworthy and Reliable
Children with Asperger’s syndrome don’t have hidden agendas. Unlike many people, these children will tell it like it is. What you see is what you get, and what you hear is what they mean.
Children with Asperger’s do want friends. Don’t get me wrong. However, their need for friends may not be as frequent or intense as other children. They are wired to be more comfortable by themselves. Because of not feeling the need for social contact as strongly as other kids, they can be taught to select honest, genuine, and dependable persons like themselves, who share their interests.
Unique Perspectives
Although individuals with Asperger’s struggle with seeing the big picture, they are gifted with the ability to focus intently on details of things and situations. Because of this, they may able to come up with innovative solutions to problems. Because children with Asperger’s have the ability to focus long and hard on their areas of interest, they can make great academic and scientific strides in their areas of interest.
Little or No Prejudice
Perhaps because they know what it is like to be different or quirky, children and individuals with Asperger’s tend to be more accepting of others. They are more focused on people’s behavior, versus on hierarchies or social position. They can teach the rest of the world a lot of accepting people for who they are, rather than pre-judging others.
High Integrity
The idea of trying to cheat on the job, or to slack in their work, does not occur to children and adults with Asperger’s syndrome. They are conscientious, diligent workers. They may need initial instruction, support, and coaching, but once they are situated, they can be enormously productive and loyal employees. John Robison, author of Look Me In The Eye, is a man of high intelligence, ingenuity, and business savvy. He designed the guitars that smoked and lit up for KISS, and he owns his own high end restoration automotive business! Not to mention the fact that he is a tireless advocate for Asperger’s.
Intelligence and Perseverance
While there is not necessarily any scientific evidence, Dr. Temple Grandin, diagnosed with high functioning Autism, believes there are quite a few individuals with Aspeger’s in the Silicon Valley and in NASA. Children with Asperger’s, while not all geniuses, do have very active and curious minds. And once they find their interests, they are tenacious in pursuing them. This is a very strong combination that they benefit from.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Please comment and let me know what other characteristics I have not included!
I am a child therapist who specializes in working with children and families with Asperger’s Syndrome. You can stop by http://www.myaspergers.net to find more education regarding and solutions for children and parents with Asperger’s.
