The chosen topic for my research simulation is: ways to foster resiliency for children in early childhood programs in overcoming toxic stressors in their life. As a Training/Technical Assistance Provider, my work with staff who support at risk families I have found that staff need additional knowledge and resources so they can strengthen the resiliency levels of the children who are exposed to toxic levels of stress. In a majority of the trainings I facilitate the main concern from Head Start staff is how to work with children who are exposed to the multitude of stressors that accompany living in poverty.
In searching research documents on toxic stress I have found that researchers have used two different definitions for toxic stress in their work. I must make a decision on which definition I would like to use in my continued work on this topic.
“Toxic stress occurs when children lack frequent protective adult support for prolonged periods” and “can be triggered by extreme poverty, recurrent abuse, chronic neglect, or a parent with a drug or drinking problem” (http://my.brandeis.edu).
Or
“The terms positive, tolerable, and toxic stress refer to the stress response systems’ effects on the body, not to the stressful event itself. Because of the complexity of stress response systems, the three levels are not clinically quantifiable—they are simply a way of categorizing the relative severity of responses to stressful conditions.” (http://developingchild.harvard.edu)
Both of these resources and documents found in the Walden University library will support my research journey in finding additional knowledge to support early learning programs in providing nurturing environments that will support strong resiliency foundations for our at risk children.
References:
Brandeis University (2005, May 23). Reversing ‘toxic stress’ on children. Retrieved November 12, 2011 from http://my.brandeis.edu/news/item?news_item_id=103832&show_release_date=1
Center on the Developing Child Harvard University (2011). Toxic Stress Response: The Facts. Retrieved November 11, 2011 from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/science_of_early_childhood/toxic_stress_response/
Patricia,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic that you chose to research--toxic stress. I know that stresses come in many shapes and forms, one of the most prevalent is the economic stress that we are faced with. It is good to know that even though the economy poses stress on families, especially children; there is hope that the resilience of our children is remarkable, and recovery can be achieved (Novotney, 2009).
Looking forward to your future posts on this topic:)
CCWhite
Reference
Novotney, A. (2010). The recession's toll on children. Monitor on Psychology, 41(8), 42–45. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Freely Accessible Social Science Journals database.