Proper Child Development Series 2: Touch the Senses

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Everything a child experiences through any of the senses supplies them with a constant stream of information which is stored in the brain. They use this information as they grow and develop to build a picture of the world around them. Even the simplest of things are very important to little children and thus can help them understand the little world around them.
From the moment a baby is born, he will use his senses to continue the development process which had started in the womb. Even while in utero a baby is already familiar with the voice of his parents.

Let's discuss briefly on the some of the senses that need to be given serious attention when considering proper child development.

The Hearing System

No one can obey an order or an instruction except that which he has heard and understood. Some persons may hear but will not apprehend. This is an expanded problem in the art of hearing.
The art of hearing and perceiving with some sense of responsibility is very important in our present day world especially when a place is saturated with too many people seeking for the best. Take for example a careless child seated in a class of near-hundred pupils with a teacher and without a public address system, such child most likely goes in and out without having much to show for it. Yes, this case is quite extreme. Even in a normal classroom situation, a careless child seated with the rest pupils face the same problem because he has not learned to hear and understand. His hearing sense has not been touched.

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Parents or guardians have a great part to play early enough in this aspect of a child’s life. To do this, there must be deliberate and systematic effort imputed to achieve this result.
One important way to go about building a child’s hearing system is to not always repeat yourself to the child. How do I mean? Each time you say something to the child and he was careless not to have heard and demands your pardon, do not oblige him all the time but insist on getting your instruction carried out by him. This is important because he might have heard but was too careless to perceive the message. When you insist he will have to make use of the brain to recall your message. If he didn’t hear, your insistence on getting him do what you expect him to do will prepare him better to hear the message once given. This process needs continuous application until the child gets used to getting your message at once.

Another way to train the hearing system of a child is by getting him involved I discussion after that you demand that he enumerates the vital points raised in the discussion. At the initial stage he will not be able to get enough of it but as time goes on in your avowed effort to develop his hearing effectiveness, better results will be achieved and once this has been done, it will go a long way to enhancing the child’s effective performance in every aspect of life.

In order to be of help to the already deficient child, like in the classroom scenario I pointed out earlier, the teacher should be kind enough to make deliberate efforts to attract and sustain the hearing-effect of the child especially when points are made. This can be done by either saying stuff like, please note that… (make the point).

Making The Observation

The eye is the sense organ for seeing. That a person’s eye passed through something or someone does not really mean that the thing or the person was actually seen. You often hear people say: “Really I did not see you” when it was expected that he should. A conscious look only can lead to observation. Such problem arises when perhaps the person was too carried away with something in mind or it may be as a result of an underdeveloped sense of seeing which is observation. With this in mind, making the observation is important. By making the observation, we mean developing that sense of observation in the child: his ability to get used to conscious look.

This can be achieved by calling or requesting the child observe a poster or calendar on the walls. Let him observe it for some reasonable time after which you turn the object and then ask him to give as much detail information as he could as per what he observed. The result might not be satisfactory at first but as you repeat it with the child you will be struck off the level of improvement in the subsequent efforts.

Another way to develop this sense of observation could be while on an outing if you usually request the child to explain the details of the scenery you passed, he will naturally and automatically learn to make the observation each time you went out.

A well-developed sense of observation is a vital asset in the child and will enhance his effective performance in life. You will agree with me that varying degree of level of sense of observation will be responsible for conflicting reports made on one event by different reporters.

The Baby-Friendly Touch

The baby-friendly initiative is a health policy on child development by WHO and UNICEF. The policy came to limelight for numerous benefits to the baby, a vital aspect of it is the end result of touch.
Baby friendly-touch here is aimed at exposing parents especially mothers and the would-be ones, on the immense benefits of the policy.

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The role of touch in the upkeep of the baby goes beyond normal appreciation of the act itself, watch the pleasant reaction of the child when engaged in Touching, Curdling, Fondling, and Kissing the Chic. Body-to-body layout between the mother and the baby during breastfeeding, is above all, the secret of the foundation of intimacy and love existing between the two.
The role played by the art of touching in the creation of love, affection, and good-will in the child cannot be overstressed as it is evidently demonstrated when such is non-inexistence. A well-balanced child psychologically should have, as a matter of fact, enjoyed this priceless gift of nature; while a child that was not privileged to have this by an act of omission or commission will rest the case in favor of the former by what fruit and characteristic they exhibit.

It is important to understand the fact that newborn babies are experiencing everything for the first time and early human contact helps to promote healthy psychological and physical development. Lack of which would prevent normal development and can even lead to a frequent visit to the hospital and increased rate of or death in infants.

The health of an infant to a great extent depends on them receiving touch simulation especially from their parents, this is because the touching directly affects the levels of growth hormones and babies who are deprived of touch can fail to thrive, lose weight and even die.

Also, children who have not had much physical and emotional attention are most likely to develop behavioral, social and emotional problems. Note that no matter how well-nourished and intellectually stimulated a child is, growing up without human touch can result in retarded mental, emotional and even physical growth. The effect of this lack of baby friendly touch will remain in such children even for years to come. According to an article posted by "Scientific American" in May 2010, orphaned children who have experienced touch deprivation were discovered to have altered level of oxytocin and vasopressin. Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the "love hormone" this is because it levels increases mostly during hugging and orgasm. Oxytocin also has impacts on bonding behavior, the creation of group memories, and social recognition.

Conclusion

As a requisite to the proper development of a child the sense of hearing, observation and touch cannot be overemphasized.
It is very necessary as a parent or parent to be (which must of us are), to have this knowledge to ensure we give our children the best possible training.

Thanks for reading this little piece, I hope you find it quite helpful.