Supporting Young Children through Family Loss

Because she was the primary caregiver hile you were at work, the baby may feel a bit disconnected or vulnerable. Possible ways that an infant may respond to a family death. You may notice a bit of a change in the babys personality while she adjusts to the change, but maintaining consistency is going to help her immensely. We want her to feel safe and secure. Specific advice from experts on how to help an infant through a family loss. Because children of this age do not understand the concept of death, you may not have to get into much detail. The most crucial thing is going to be to make sure that the baby keeps a constant routine.Keeping ner routine as normal as possible will help get back that feeling of being safe and connected. Part II: Supporting a Toddler Developmental information about what a toddler may feel, believe, or understand about a family death. A lot like the baby, Toddler may not understand the concept of death but will undoubtedly experience a sense of loss from hi s life. He knows that grandma was a constant, daily fixture. Normally at this age, there is a large component of â€Å"out of sight, out of mind† however once Toddler realizes that there is a prolonged and consistent absence, he will experience grief.Also be aware that he ay be sensing and picking up your feelings and reacting to them, or become irritable, this is quite normal. There are also some other signs of grief that Toddler might experience. Possible ways that a toddler may respond to a family death. Some toddlers do experience a shift in personality or are irritable. Most of the time this is temporary, however some personality changes may happen and this is part of the coping process. Sometimes a child's view of the world is altered by trauma and causes the changes to be permanent.You may also notice that there is a loss of appetite or he may even select only certain types of food. He should work his way back to normal eating again. If it persists for more than a coup le of weeks, see your doctor. Sleep might be affected, either not sleeping or being afraid of falling asleep alone. This problem should diminish over time. Specific advice from experts on how to help a toddler through a family loss. The best advice for helping Toddler is going to be to maintain his sleep, feeding and activities routine as much as possible.This will help him regain his sense of connection and balance. If you do notice a decrease in activity and see him Just lying limply be aware that this is a normal part of the process. Try to offer opportunities for activity and play every day until he responds. Be patient with him. You may also see him regressing to previous activities. Being patient is going to be crucial for him. Part Ill: Supporting a Preschooler Developmental information about what a preschooler may feel, believe, or understand about a family death. Preschooler may experience a couple of things to be on the look-out for.Letting Preschooler know that she didn't do anything to cause grandma's death and that there is nothing that you can do to bring her back. Sometimes children develop something called â€Å"magical thinking† where they think hat they either caused the death, could have prevented it or that the person who will come back like a cartoon character. It is not uncommon for a child to continue to believe that the family member is still alive. It is absolutely 0k for you and your family to show emotion around her. This is healthy for her to see. I know how hard this time is for you.Do not add on the extra burden of trying to hide your feelings around the children. Possible ways that a preschooler may respond to a family death. Using the proper term for death is appropriate for Preschooler, so that she can understand and begin get on the road to acceptance. Take cues about attending the funeral from Preschooler. She will let you know. If she is frightened of going, do not force her. Grief is often cyclical and Preschooler ma y show grief now, and as she enters into her teenage years, she may grieve again. That is perfectly normal when a child loses a loved one in their early years.Three specific ideas or activities the family can do at home to help a preschooler through a family loss. You can offer her an alternative way to remember her like a memorial in grandma's house, releasing balloons with messages or writing a letter. She will show you how she can best grieve right now. Let Preschooler talk as little or as much about grandma as possible, keep in mind that she may be non-verbally communicating her feelings about the death through play. Acknowledge her and let her communicate in the way that she knows how. References: KidsAid. (n. d. ).Young children and grief. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from http:// kidsaid. com/dougypage. html Hecker, B. (2005). Magical thinking: Children may blame themselves for a parent's illness and death. Retrieved from http:// medicalcenter. osu. edu/viewer/Pages/index. as px? p=413 The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children. (n. d. ). Infant and toddler grief. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from http://www. tlcinst. org/toddlergrief. html EDUC 1006 Application Assignment Evaluation Criteria Application Assignments are worth a maximum of 400 points for the entire course.Note: For privacy purposes, you may not include the actual name of any student, parent, or professional referenced in the assignment. In this course there are five graded Application Assignments. Each is worth a maximum of 80 points, which will be awarded as follows: 64-80 points Response demonstrates a full understanding and correct use of the concepts and/or strategies as presented in the Learning Resources. Response follows directions and includes all components indicated in the instructions. If requested, references are included and properly cited.Writing demonstrates mastery of all criteria for high academic literacy standards as indicated in â€Å"Writing Across the Cu rriculum† (see below). 41-63 points Response demonstrates a general understanding and correct use ot the concepts and/or strategies as presented in the Learning Resources. Response follows directions and includes most components indicated in the instructions. If requested, references are included and properly cited. Writing demonstrates mastery of most riteria for high academic literacy standards as indicated in â€Å"Writing Across the Curriculum† (see below). 0 or fewer points Response demonstrates a minimal understanding and correct use of the concepts and/or strategies as presented in the Learning Resources. Response does not follow all directions and is missing components indicated in the instructions. If requested, references are not included and properly cited. Writing is unclear and/or disorganized. Thoughts are not expressed in a logical manner. Few criteria for high below) are followed. Writing Across the Curriculum Walden University is committed to high acade mic literacy standards.To develop these skills in students, this course has a strong emphasis on written assignments which may include content review questions, application assignments, case study analyses, observations, and online discussions. All assignments are expected to meet the following standards: 1 . Clear central idea carefully and coherently developed and with intended emphasis 2. Correct grammar; no persistent mechanical errors 3. Neat appearance with evidence of having been carefully proofread 4. Academic integrity and honesty 5. Full documentation of research work 6. References cited using APA style (except in discussion postings)