Question

describe how the past (history, child development theories, guidance theories and practices) has influenced the present (current best practices in positive behavior guidance). Use your experiences in the early childhood setting to guide your reflection. How has the paradigm shifted from punishment to guidance? Where does discipline fit in? Do you see evidence of the past and current best practice in your preparation of the classroom environment? How about in your teaching or guidance philosophy?

In a two-page Reflection paper, discuss behavior guidance now and then. 

a

Answer 1

Child development refers to the process through which human beings typically grow and mature from infancy through adulthood. The different aspects of growth and development that are measured include physical growth, cognitive growth, and social growth.

Stages of Child Development: Infancy

Most everyone agrees that babies are cute, but what is going on with babies developmentally? The period of infancy begins at birth and ends at two years of age. It's the most rapid period of growth throughout the lifespan. During this period of child development, human beings go from being helpless, reflexive babies to toddlers who can communicate and reason.

Specific physical milestones during this period include rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and walking. Fine motor development takes longer to develop, which is why babies generally cannot write or create refined drawings. Cognitive milestones include early problem solving and increased sensory awareness and perception. Social milestones that usually occur during this period include the development of a sense of self-awareness, or that prior to the age of 12 months, we really do not understand that we exist apart from our mothers or other caregivers.

Stages of Early Development: Early Childhood

When we think of early childhood, we usually think of ABCs and 123s. This period of early childhood development lasts from two years of age through six years of age. Physically, our center of gravity shifts from the breastbone, where it was when we were infants, to the belly button. Our physical growth occurs much more slowly during this period as compared to the rapid growth that took place during infancy.

We also increase dramatically in our fine and gross motor skills and are now able to run, jump, climb, and balance. We can also write letters and create very detailed drawings due to fine motor development. Cognitive processing speed increases, which allows us to advance in thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving, as well as master our native language. Social development advances as we learn to understand our own emotions and those of others; our earliest playmates tend to be chosen based on availability.

Stages of Early Development: Early Childhood

Middle Childhood typically takes place from ages 6 through 12, Physical growth continue of rapid growth in height and weight may occur. Fine and gross motor skills continue to develop, and we become stronger and faster than ever before. This time is known as the school years, as children are usually focused on traditional education at this point in development.

More importantly, at that time began to recognize the integral role that a child’s environment plays in the development and maintenance of antisocial behaviors.

In the early 1960s, however, a “paradigm shift” in child treatment occurred. Traditional psychodynamic approaches were not very successful in addressing the immediate issues of a child’s behavior problems; any changes that did occur in the “artificial” therapeutic situation did not generalize to settings at home, school, and perhaps most importantly, parents’ non-involvement in the child’s treatment meant that little change was effected in the home environment.

Although basic behavior modification techniques were effective for managing less severe problem behaviors, therapists and researchers quickly realized that they were not sufficient for dealing with more extreme child behavior problems, such as chronic noncompliance or antisocial behavior.

Positive behavior guidance is becoming an increasingly familiar term in the field of early childhood education. Positive guidance techniques, rather than punitive discipline techniques, are considered by many experts to be the most appropriate way to respond to children’s behavior. It also focuses on helping children learn from their mistakes, rather than punishing children for making mistakes.

Children are empowered by learning to solve their own problems through the use of guidance techniques.

Because positive guidance avoids punitive responses and the use of negative or controlling language, it is often misconstrued as permissive. However, positive guidance involves ''setting boundaries and limits in a fair way, based on developmentally appropriate expectations and individual needs''. The use of positive guidance models respect of self and others, problem solving in productive ways, working cooperatively in groups, making ethical decisions about behavior, and expressing strong emotions appropriately.

At One World for Children staff use appropriate strategies to guide children to recognize, manage and reflect on their behaviours and express their emotions in positive, non-threatening and productive ways.

All children will be supported to learn and develop in a secure and empowering environment.

Behavior Guidance now and then:

Behaviour guidance: A means of assisting children to self-manage their behaviour. It differs from traditional ’behaviour management’ or ‘discipline’ which generally implies that an adult is ‘managing’ children’s behaviour or using punishment to control children. Behaviour guidance applies to all forms of behaviour, not just behaviours labelled as ‘negative’.

Behaviour guidance plan: A plan that documents strategies to assist an educator in guiding a child with diagnosed behavioural difficulties to self-manage his/her behaviour. The plan is developed in consultation with the Nominated Supervisor, educators, parents/guardians and families, and other professional support agencies as applicable.

Challenging behaviour: Behaviour that:

• Disrupts others or causes disputes between children, but which is part of normal social development
• Infringes on the rights of others
• It causes harm or risk to the child, other children, adults or living things
• It is a destructive to the environment and/or equipment inhibits the child’s learning and relationship with others
• It’s an inappropriate relative to the child’s developmental age and background.