Mental Health and the Impact on Child Development

Lisa SenatoreECE205: Introduction to Child Development (ACU1531A) Instructor: John BarlowAugust 6, 2015

Mental Health

Mental health is the influence I chose to write about . The text explains that healthy relationships have to be formed young in order to have a healthy mentality in the future. Mental health in childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones, and learning healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems, (cdc.gov).There should be positive relationships with teachers, siblings, and especially parents so a good solid bond can be formed. Mental health can also be affected by the parents situation and stresses. When children grow up in the context of maternal depression, their brain architecture is affected negatively. If the depression begins before birth, it may affect the fetus’s brain development, reduce fetal growth, and increase the risk of premature labor. (Groark C., McCarthy S., Kirk A.).

Physical Impacts

• Mental health can affect a child physically and the child can become: • Hyperactive or fidgety • Aggressive • Tantrums – hurting one self

Social Impacts

Mental health can affect a child socially and the child may become:

A loner with no friends Refuse to go to school Always in the house in room no interaction with others

Cognitive Impacts

Mental health can affect a child cognitively and the child can become:

School Performance decline and grades suffer No matter how hard child or adolescence in school they still cannot get good grades

Emotional Impacts

Mental health can affect a child emotionally and the child can become:

Disobedience decreases Aggression increases against others Temper Tantrums Depression Irritability

Mental Health Professionally Speaking

In the education field as a teacher I have to watch out for certain mental health issues.

Are the parents involved? If there is a child that needs more guidance I must pay attention to that. • It is meaningful to me to help

a child in need as a teacher I am an advocate for the children.

• Personality and behavior issues must be assessed

References

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/mentalhealth.htmlGroark, C., Kirk, A. & McCarthy, S. (2014). Early child development: From theory to practice. San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education