Page 42 of 92
Abused Children Similar to War Vets
Children who have been abused or witnessed violence suffer similar trauma to war veterans…
LONDON (Reuters) Children exposed to family violence show the same pattern of activity in their brains as soldiers exposed to combat, scientists said on Monday. In a study in the journal Current Biology, researchers used brain scans to explore the impact of physical abuse or domestic violence on children’s emotional development and found that exposure to it was linked to increased activity in two brain areas when children were shown pictures of angry faces.
Previous studies that scanned the brains of soldiers exposed to violent combat situations showed the same pattern of heightened activity in these two brain areas the anterior insula and the amygdala which experts say are associated with detecting potential threats. This suggests that both maltreated children and soldiers may have adapted to become “hyperaware” of danger in their environment, the researchers said. “Enhanced reactivity to a…threat cue such as anger may represent an adaptive response for these children in the short term, helping keep them out of danger,” said Eamon McCrory of Britain’s University College London, who led the study.
Gratitude and Patenting
An ‘emotional muscle’: 8 parents explain how gratitude helps them stay happy – TODAY
Sensory Integration: Shaping Perceptions of the World A newly emerging therapy for alcohol- and drug-exposed children
By Ira Chasnoff, MD
One of the relatively new common themes emerging in clinical care and research with children exposed to alcohol and drugs during pregnancy is related to deficits in sensory integration. Jean Ayres, an occupational therapist, first introduced the concept of sensory integration – the process by which the brain receives, organizes and interprets information from the environment. The information is received by sensory receptors, such as the eyes, nose, ears, fingers, mouth and skin. Sensations such as movement, body awareness, touch, sight, sound and the pull of gravity make up the overall sensory experience.
The information that is received from the environment is then sent to the corresponding regions of the brain where it is interpreted and organized. Proper sensory integration helps us to maintain attention and build positive relationships with others and shapes our perception of the world. In children, sensory integration provides a crucial foundation for more complex learning and behavior. All of these things contribute to positive self-esteem as well as the ability to learn and concentrate.
For most children, sensory integration develops in the course of ordinary childhood activities. However, prenatal alcohol or drug exposure or lack of stimulation in the early years of development can damage the parts of the brain responsible for sensory integration. An infant who is neglected or has limited opportunities for human interaction, movement, play and exploration is likely to develop sensory integration problems. Sensory integration dysfunction can result when babies are unable to explore their surroundings, are left alone in their cribs for long periods of time, and do not receive the nurturing touch of a caretaker. Likewise, these problems can occur in children who have been hospitalized early or for long periods of time, or in those who have suffered from some sort of trauma and disruption in their developmental process. These life factors are not uncommon in children born into a home in which substance abuse and violence are integral components of the environment.
Children who are experiencing sensory integration difficulties are not intentionally misbehaving. They are simply trying to gain the input that their body needs or avoid extra stimulation in order to function properly. Children with sensory processing problems often feel uncomfortable in their own skin, agitated or out of sorts. That is why it is not uncommon for the children to receive a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as they reach school age. These children are often intelligent but struggle to control their body and their need for sensory inputs. It is important to remember that the sensory needs of these children are just that – needs. Trying to diminish the needs for these behaviors will not be effective, but finding adaptable ways to satisfy the sensory needs of the child is helpful.
It is important that assessment of sensory integration capabilities be evaluated in children with prenatal alcohol or drug exposure. Some signs that a child may be experiencing difficulty with sensory integration include:
• Clumsy behaviors
• Over sensitivity to sounds, sights, smell, touch or movement
• Under reactivity to sounds, sights, smell, touch or movement
• Distractibility
• Hard to calm down
• Difficulty during transitions and adapting to changes in routine
• Picky when eating – particularly sensitive to the texture or feel of foods
• Resistant to touching things – e.g., resists going barefoot in the grass, playing in sand
• Defensive to light touch
• Agitation when spinning or roughhousing
• Excessive seeking out of spinning or swinging movements
• Tendency to exhibit rocking or swaying body movements
• Increased excitation during play to the point that he cannot calm down
• Distractibility when eating in a noisy environment
• Easily tired
• Weakness in various muscles
• Fear or intolerance of sounds – e.g., holds hands over ears to protect himself from sounds
• Awareness of noises that others do not notice
• Difficulties with teeth brushing, hair washing and/or bathing
• Sensitivities to clothing textures and/or needs tags cut out of clothing
• Overly fearful or avoidant of situations or people
• Impulsivity or exhibiting “daredevil” behaviors
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep.
Of course, many of these difficulties fall into the range of normal behavior, but it is when they cluster or are more frequent and more disruptive than what would be normally expected that they may indicate significant problems.
An occupational therapist, trained in sensory integration assessment and treatment, can evaluate a child and provide these services. Children with prenatal alcohol or drug exposure often suffer early neglect and trauma; sensory integration is a very helpful approach from both perspectives. It often is quite amazing to see the improvement in children’s daily behavior and functioning when they receive this specialized form of treatment.
How a New Father’s Brain Changes : Dad’s mental shifts are different from mom’s
Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-new-father-s-brain-changes/
By Esther Landhuis | Aug 13, 2015
STUART BRIERS
The birth of a child leaves its mark on the brain. Most investigations of these changes have focused on mothers, but scientists have recently begun looking more closely at fathers. Neural circuits that support parental behaviors appear more robust in moms a few weeks after the baby is born, whereas in dads the growth can take several months.
A study in Social Neuroscience analyzed 16 dads several weeks after their baby’s birth and again a few months later. At each check, the researchers administered a multiple-choice test to check for signs of depression and used MRI to image the brain. Compared with the earlier scans, MRI at three to four months postpartum showed growth in the hypothalamus, amygdala and other regions that regulate emotion, motivation and decision making. Furthermore, dads with more growth in these brain areas were less likely to show depressive symptoms, says first author Pilyoung Kim, who directs the Family and Child Neuroscience Lab at the University of Denver.
Although some physiological brain changes are similar in new moms and dads, other changes seem different and could relate to the roles of each parent, says senior author James Swain, a psychiatrist at the University of Michigan (brain diagrams below).
A 2014 behavioral study of expectant fathers showed that midpregnancy ultrasound imaging was a “magic moment” in the dads’ emerging connection with their baby. Yet the emotional bond was different than it is in expectant moms. Instead of thinking about cuddling or feeding the baby, dads-to-be focused on the future: they imagined saving money for a college fund or walking down the aisle at their daughter’s wedding.
“It was interesting how little dads’ images centered on an infant,” says psychologist Tova Walsh of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who led the study. “I didn’t hear dads talk about putting the baby down for a nap or changing diapers.”
Click to enlarge. Credit: © ISTOCK.COM
Parenting and the Serenity Prayer: Acceptance and the Peaceful Home
By Ron Huxley, LMFT
If parenting could be summed up in a prayer, that prayer might be the “Serenity Prayer”:
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
This is part two of a 5 part series exploring the essential points of this prayer and how it can help parents find grace and peace in their family relationships.
Acceptance and the Peaceful Home:
Finding serenity in our lives is a matter of achieving balance. This balance can be precarious at times as parents deal with the many stressors of work and family life. Parents might look to outside sources for this place of peace. They might even hold others responsible for upsetting that peace, blaming them for the hurts and rejections they might have caused in themselves and their home. The cause of this imbalance might include drugs, alcohol, affairs, gambling and many other vices. It can also come from non-malicious sources that we don’t have control over, including job loss, divorce, death, illness, etc.
In order to create lasting peace in the home, we have to look inward to our values and beliefs. Parents can identify a “value system” that keeps them focused and motivated despite all the outside trials and tribulations. These beliefs will guide parents behaviors, help them make choices, and keep them intentional in their efforts to support one another.
The deepest beliefs come from our identity about what it means to be a good or bad parent. It is hard to create peace if we feel like a bad parent. We will try to avoid doing what we feel a “bad parent” would do and work to do what we belief a “good parent” should be doing. Of course, this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. This often occurs because parents belief that being good is the same as perfect. They hold themselves and their family members to a standard that is impossible to maintain. When they fail and fail they will, they think they are now a bad parent.
The reality is that there is no such things as a perfect parent or a perfect child. It is important to have the courage to be an imperfect parent who raise imperfect children and can still love one another through our mistakes. This road of unconditional love and imperfect relationships will require a constant review of our values and a lot of forgiveness, of ourselves and our family members.
Ron Huxley LMFT 