First-time
Clients with Early Childhood Intervention must read and fill out the following
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Children with
Developmental Delays or Disabilities often have difficulties in one or more of
the following areas:
Cognitive/Mental
Emotional
Fine Motor
Development
Gross motor
Development
Social
Behavior
Language and
Speech
Early Childhood
Intervention helps families and children receive all the early
intervention services necessary for normal growth and development from birth
through five (5) years of age.
Early Childhood
Interventionworks with you to find the appropriate educational
services to care for your child!
Early
Childhood Intervention coordinates with other agencies such as, Head Start,
Early Head Start, Child Protection, Enemy Swim FACE Program and Healthy Start to
assure delivery of needed services.
Good sleeping habit in children is essential for the enhancement of
their learning abilities and prevention of many behavioral problems.
The required amount of sleep depends on the age:
·Babies spend at least half of their time sleeping during the first
few weeks of life
·Children age 2 to 5 years generally require 10 to 12 hours of
sleep. By 5 years, most children stop taking naps and gradually decrease hours
of sleep
·Older children and adolescents need about 8 ˝ to 9 hours of sleep
·Adults in general, require 7 to 8 hours of sleep to stay active
Our sleep patterns and needs are regulated by the biological clock in
our brains. The natural pattern of sleeping and waking within the 24-hour day is
called Circadian Rhythm. This rhythm
will vary . Some people have more energy in the morning and others are night
owls, more alert late in the day. Circadian rhythm will change when a person
crosses several time zones during travel (jet lag) or with changes in working
shifts.
Other factors disturbing the sleep pattern and making it difficult to
get a good night sleep are:
·In children:Bed-wetting,
nightmares, sleep walking or parental dependency
·In adults: Lifestyle changes( involving less physical or social
activities), medical conditions, mental health issues (depression, stress),
medications and sleep disorders (sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome)
The normal sleep cycle includes 4 to 6 cycles, each lasting about 70 to
90 minutes, of the following:
1.The non-rapid eye movement (NREM) cycles:
·Stage 1- Light sleep (body movement decreases)
·Stage 2- Intermediate sleep (helps refresh body)
·Stage 3- deep sleep ( most restorative stage, lasts 30 to 40
minutes in first few cycles, less in later cycles)
2.Rapid Eye Movement (REM) cycle- lasts about 10 minutes/ cycle,
increasing to 20-30 minutes during the last cycle. Dreaming occurs, heart rate
increases.
REM cycle activates the learning areas of
the brain. Babies spend half of their sleep time in REM, compared to only 20% in
adults.
During sleep, the brain synthesizes the memories learned during the day
and enhances them. The more one learns during the day, the more sleep one needs
during the night.
Children’s sleep patterns are different from adults. Getting enough
sleep is needed to reconsolidate the memories learned during the day. A good
night sleep is important in children for long term learning of vocabulary words.
Study suggests that during sleep, certain genes are activated and
strengthen connections in the brain.
Positive memories are processed in the part of the brain called
hippocampus, while negative memories are processed in the amygdala part of the
brain. Sleep deprivation affects the hippocampus, and a person will fail to
recall the positive or pleasant memories.
Sleep patterns also change with age. By 50 to 60 years of age, adults
spend more time in light sleep (stages 1 and 2 of NREM). They tend to sleep
lightly and awaken more easily. By 60 to 70 years of age, circadian rhythm
change will cause older adults to get sleepy earlier in the evening and wake up
earlier in the morning.
The hormone melatonin which is naturally produced in the body, induces
sleepiness and help to set the circadian rhythm. In adolescents, there is a
delay (about 90 minutes) in the release of melatonin. Teens tend to stay up
later and have a harder time waking up because by dawn, teen brains are still
producing melatonin, and they will tend to fall back to sleep after they wake
up.
Children today, including adolescents, are getting an average of one
hour less of sleep each night compared to children 3 decades ago. A study
conducted on elementary school children, reported in “The Lost Hour” by Po
Bronson and Ashley Merryman(Nurture
Shock, Hachette Book Group, 2009), showed that one hour less sleep was
equivalent to a loss of 2 years of maturation and development. In preschool
kids, this hour loss of sleep amounts to 7 points reduction in vocabulary test
scores.
To help adolescents, whose melatonin release in the brain is normally
delayed, certain school districts have started to change the time school
started. The Edina, MN schools where school start time was changed from 7:25
A.M.to 8:30 A.M., there was an increase in the Math/Verbal SAT scores of the
first 10% of children. Math scores increased 56 points and verbal SAT scores
increased 156 points. Children now have higher levels of motivation and lower
levels of depression. In short, one hour more of sleep improved the children’s
quality of life. Another study in Kentucky reported a 25% decrease in teenage
car accidents by starting school one hour later.
The role of sleep in the obesity epidemic has been studied.Dr Van Cauterdiscovered the
link of sleep loss to obesity(Sleep Medicine,Vol 9, S23-28,2008). During sleep
loss, there is an increase of the hormone ghrelin, which is a signal for hunger
and the decrease of leftin, which suppresses appetite.
In addition, the stresshormone
cortisol, which stimulates the body to make fat, is also elevated during sleep
loss.The study showed that children
who sleep less are overweight compared to children who sleep more. The middle
school children in Houston had an 80% increase obesity with sleep loss of one
hour. This is true not only in the United States, but also around the world.
Today’s children are overscheduled. The hours of sleep are shortened
due to other needs or priorities. The time spent due to trade-offs between their
sleep and other needsbecomes
cumulative. With modern adolescents, chronic sleep deprivation traits are
moodiness, impulsiveness and disengagement. In younger children, the symptoms
are less energy and motivation, decreased learning abilities and behavioral
problems.
We adults who are getting by with too- little sleep all these years
should rethink our priorities. Just imagine what a difference it would make to
have children who are more alert, motivated, well-behavednot overweight, and healthier, just by adding one hour more of sleep.
Research said that it works! Besides, if we practice the same good sleeping
habit, we could be adding more productive years to our lives too.
This is one of a series of articles from the Early Childhood Intervention
Program. Your questions and comments are welcome. Contact information:
phone- 698-4400, ext 305, email at ecip@venturecomm.net.
Mission StatementECIP
is committed to providing opportunities for normal growth and development during
the first five (5) years of life and early interventionas necessary
for children to reach their full potential.
Goal
Locate, Identify and Evaluate all children (birth to 5) for developmental
delays and disability. And to refer those in need to appropriate agencies to
determine their eligibility for specialized services and intervention.
Services
Home Visits/Screening
Referrals
Parental
Education
Financial
Assistance
