· PSY 127 „ Practical of early child development“ Course title: Practical of early child development Teacher: Mgr. Eva Pavliková Type of study: Bc. Type of subject: ECTS B – selective course Semester: Fall semester The schedule of the course: lectures/seminars – 1/1 Completion: graded course-unit credit Credit value: 4 ECTS Monday 12:00 – 13:30, classroom U32 Anotation: EAP is practically oriented course from applied psychology of early child developement. It enrichs the basic course of developmental psychology with practical information about uprising and caring about children between 0 and 5, that can be easily and immediately applied and practiced. This course is also planned as a form of expert assistance for childrens' nook „Dětko“ at FSS: volunteers can improve their qualification and competency by taking care about nook's clients, preparing programme on special occasions or offering help to parents, who are looking for professional advice and do not know, which institutions may be helpful. At last, students should think about the role and objective of psychological care oriented on a small children and their parents, eventually about their own specialization at this field. Possible applyment: 1) Bc. Absolvents: Employee in child helping institutions, that works with children under the age of 6 and their parents; · parents' centers, parents' clubs · leisure time centers · asylum houses for mother and child · tourist offices (conception of family holidays) · NGO (Non-Govermental Organizations) · hospitals (after another required qualification) 2) Mgr. absolvents · see bachelor absolvents · children psychologists (after obtaining required qualification) Conditions of subject completition and the acquisition of graded course-unit credit: · active cooperation with „Dětko“ at FSS (as a volounteer for babysitting or oragnizating games and entertainment for Dětko’s clients) · active work on seminars; try to find and bring relevant and authentic materials; children's paintings or another products, or write a case-study · writing an essay focused on concrete age period; using literature work with monographs and scholarly journals · 80% participation on courses · successful final test Possible essay themes: Specificity of caring for premature babies Specificity of caring for children with sensorial disorders Specificity of caring for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) Motoric and sensoric development stimulation for newborn and toddlers Infant excessive crying Small child and his temperament; activity or hyperactivity? What children and parents do together? Rituals in infant’s life Importance of child negativism for development Power of narrative in infant age Game specialist profession Death-line for essays is 25.11.2008 Lenght: 2 – 4 pages Form of signing away: electronic, to „Practical of early child development“ folder „Seminarni práce“ in Study materials (e-learning) Pooints A 26 – 30 B 21 – 25 C 16 – 20 D 14 – 19 E 10 – 13 F 9 and less Classification: Max. points Min. points Activity on seminars 5 3 Activity in children nook „Dětko“ 5 0 Essay 10 5 Final test 10 5 Content of this course: 1. meeting: Prenatal and perinatal period · Short characteristics of prenatal develompent, prenatal psychology · Prenatal learning (BabyPlus® and other) – critic view · Psychological preparation for being parents (changes, difficulities, etc.) · Childbirth, delivery (classic and alternative ways, father accompaning) · Perinatal period (newborn’s adaptation, Apgar score, rising emotional tie between mother and child, parents‘ adaptation, allowance of breast-feeding – „Laktační liga! - leage for lactation) Possible sources of information: Thomas verny, John Kelly: The secret life of an unborn child http://www.babyplus.cz (http://www.babyplus.com) http://www.isppm.de http://www.birthpsychology.com 2. meeting: Newborn child · Physical development (especially practic questions – proper care, importance of corect motoric development, locomotion, grasping, fine and gross motor, diagnostics and rehabilitation) · Cognitive development (accurate stimulation, proper toys, utilities) · Nutrition (actual findings, advises) · Developmental problems (excessive crying, problems with biorythm) · Special themes; premature birth, pre-term babies, chronically ill child or child with handicap) 3. meeting: Toddler · Development of locomotion, personality, identity, language and speaking · Importance of toddler’s negativism for progress · Motor skills stimulation, fine and gross motor, propre and healthy toys and games · Most common development disturbances (delayed development; speech, language) · Early signals of hyperactivity, ADHD; diagnosis, intervention · Lower abnormalities in psychomotoric development 4. meeting: Developmental scales – potencial of psychological evaluation detecting the level ofdevelopment · History of psych. evaluation: Gesell… · BSID II (Bayley’s scale of Infant Dvelopment) 5. meeting: Fairy-tales and stories in infant’s life · Educational function – do you know, what is in fairy-tales? · Relaxing and therapeutic function · Reading goodnight stories · Children’s own stories, fantasy 6. meeting: Fine motor · Graphomotor skills: drawings and it’s progress, characteristics of child‘s drawing (bring some, if it will be possible), copying · Modelling and other manual activities · Conjunction between fine motor development and progress in speaking, cognitive functions, creativity 7. meeting: Game in infant’s life · Game development, game functions · Thinking about the origin of toys and their function nowdays and in a history · Adult and child playing · Game specialist as a profession 8. meeting: Developmental disabilities · Behavioural and emotional disorders: abnormal excitability and crying, hypo or hyperactivity, sleep · Developmental delay · Pervasive developmental disorders · Alternative and augmentative communication, sign language with babies · Gifted children, precipitated development Important chapter. Most of the psychologists don’t have enough information at this field. It is hardly possible to diagnoze developmental disorder after one meeting. Many of the symptoms of DD, due to last reserches, could be connected with microbiological or imunity problems. So the wrong diagnosis is assigned very frequently. There is too few psychologists specialized on the early development, so the diagnosis and necessary intervention comes months later, than it should. Also there is not much summarising and complex literature. 9. meeting: Upbringing problems and tricks · What an upbringing is and its aims · Schools of psychology and principles in upbringing · „Empirical“ principles · „Easily“ and „hardly“ educated children · „Ideal“ parent 10. meeting: Guest’s seat · We will a chance to talk to professional, who works with small children or a parent, who has the experience with visiting helping institution or professional and cooperate with them 11. and 12.meeting: e-learning lessons · Space for work on other required activities in this course; babysiting in „Dětko“, preparing actions for children, writing an essay, other children and parents-helping activities 13. meeting: Final test and course feedback The ordrer of e-learning lessons may change, depends on the actual situation during semester.