Sunday, November 24, 2013

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development~Chaos







Stress comes in many forms war, poverty, racism, natural disaster, isolation, hunger, abuse, neglect, noise, chaos, disease, pollution and violence. Stress does not discriminate; it does not care if you are two, thirty-two or sixty-two; worldwide children are affected by stress on a daily basis.  Sometimes stress can be positive, pushing a three year old to become toilet trained, a six year old to learn to ride a two wheeled bike,  a sixteen year old to study extra hard to pass that history exam. It helps us meet our next goal, giving us a shove in the right direction.  Stress also has the opposite effect.

War torn countries struggling with trying to survive and reestablish, communities trying to rebuild after a natural disaster, countries devastated by decades of drought unable to feed their people, developing populations fighting diseases, crime and violence in inner cities, over-population and over-crowding in families, homes and neighborhoods, no matter where you look the end result is the same. All of the above items create chaos. Chaos creates negative stress.     

The brain carefully records all this information and documents social history through neurochemistry.  The key players in neurochemistry are neurotransmitters.  They are the chemical components that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other.  A win releases one chemical, being afraid, bullied and victimized releases another (Bailey, 2000).  Because the brain is pattern seeking and survival oriented, these chemical releases (cortisol, norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine) create patterns and over time hardwires the brain.  

Prolonged exposure to these stress hormones (cortisol and norepinephrine) cause chemical changes in the hippocampus within the limbic system of the brain, leading to a  permanent deficits in learning and memory, a higher risk of developing depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, hyper-vigilante, or emotionally flat (apathetic), ADHD, as well as a host physical disorders (Berger, 2012).  

Dopamine is another neurotransmitter that regulates emotional connections in the brain. Too much causes anxiety and hyper-vigilance, too little causes feeling of hopelessness.  Infants and toddlers who are taken care of well, have their needs met consistently learn that looking and interacting with others is of value and produces pleasure, conversely children who are left alone, experience poor quality care, or are degraded learn that ignoring, shouting and disrupting are valued.  These children learn that acting out gets them the attention they desire and thus the chemical release they crave.  You know these children; they are the ones who are disruptive in class causing chaos and disorder; they find comfort in chaos (Bailey, 2000).

Children from homes that are chaotic, abusive, stressful, tense have lower levels have brains that lower the levels of dopamine in order to survive, this leads to those hopeless feelings we discussed above. These feelings of hopelessness are compounded by their parents and teachers lowered expectations for the child’s behavior, withdraw from academic challenge, lack of persistence, and general disconnect from peers and pursuit of personal interests.

In an effort to reengage these children teachers must create classrooms that are routine and ritual oriented, inclusive and attentive to the needs of ALL the children enrolled, and create many opportunities for positive social interactions.  The brain functions optimally when it feels safe, once this happens it sends out a neurotransmitter transmitter called Serotonin.  Serotonin is the partner to dopamine, while the dopamine helps us focus, serotonin helps regulate under or over stimulation.  Low levels of serotonin link to aggression; where as high levels associate with obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

As you see, chaos and stress can lead to a myriad of problems physically, cognitively, and socially, that left untreated will have a far-reaching impact on the successes and failures of our children.

References:

Berger, K. S. (2012).The Developing Person Through Childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishing

Bailey, B. (2000). Conscious Discipline: 7 Basic Skills for Brain Smart Classroom Management. Oviedo, FL: Loving Guidance Inc.

2 comments:

  1. Great post!

    All of these stressors can cause a significant amount of harm to children. I know a few parents at the school I work at who are in an abusive household. Violence is a huge stressor in many homes. Children who grow up in families that practice child and spousal abuse are more than likely to exhibit this behavior in school. Many people, including myself, believe that the frequency of violence in our society and in the media, gives children the message that violence is acceptable and is an effective way to solve many problems.

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  2. Davey I think you make a point my stating that when a teacher can provide and create a environment that is stable and safe those children have a greater chance of doing well in school and actually learn to love the education that they are getting. I think very often we as educators forget that child has issues just like we do but they can't control them like we can. So as teachers we need to have more understanding, patience, compassion to those children, We don't always know what the children are dealing with at home but when they walk through the doors school they know they can breath and release.

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