ACT Webinar - Second in the Series!

Hello! See our invitation below and register for this great Webinar. Feel free to forward to your colleagues and networks. The Webinar will address applying Motivational Interviewing to parenting groups. Looking forward to talking to you at the Webinar!

Here is the link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3264748356506523394

Once registered, you will receive the link to connect to the Webinar.

Julia Silva

Director, APA Violence Prevention Office

           

5 Myths about Child Maltreatment submitted by Julia Silva

#1: When risk factors are present, protective factors can mitigate the likelihood of maltreatment. Such protective factors include parental social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, and children's social-emotional competence. Because maltreatment is so difficult to predict, prevention approaches that strengthen protective factors among at-risk families broadly--even if the risk is low--are likely to be most effective in reducing maltreatment. 

That’s exactly what the ACT Program is all about: a universal prevention intervention addressing protective factors for all families regardless their risk for abuse. And we are seeing the results

#2: Many parents may love their children, yet not be equipped to deal with the stresses that come with raising children. When a parent perceives their environment to beunpredictable and stressful, and does not take advantage of available social supports, they are more likely to respond to children in an aggressive manner. 

That’s what ACT addresses too: helps parents in our groups though activities, discussions and social interactions to share their difficulties with their children, see they are not the only ones, create social networks and friendships.

#3: We know how many children are maltreated, more than the official numbers show.

Another important rationale for promoting a universal program like ACT in the communities.

#5: It is the inability to cope with anger-provoking situations that increases the risk for potential abuse, as parents lose control of negative emotions and harm their children. Abusive parents are shown to have more unrealistic expectations of child behaviors, and with a low frustration tolerance, are more annoyed with child behaviors.

That’s why the ACT curriculum was conceived around research=based child development information to help parents be more realistic and understand what their children in general, are capable of thinking, understanding, feeling and doing at different ages and stages. The curriculum is also heavy on anger management, problem solving, and recognition of different emotions.

The Secret to Success in Positive Parenting: The ACT Raising Safe Kids Program

by ADMINISTRATOR • APRIL 8, 2015

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This is the second in a series of posts about APA’s ACT Raising Safe Kids (ACT-RSK) program. ACT-RSK teaches positive parenting skills to parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 8. Read our first post here.

By Howard Baker (Executive Director, Lemberg Children’s Center at Brandeis University)

Repeatedly over the last five years I’ve heard parents at our center say:

“I’m a better and happier parent from what I learned in the ACT Raising Safe Kids Program and my children say so too.”

“I found the parenting education groups so valuable I joined three times!”

Hearing such comments is delightful, and I owe a lot to the parenting program we provide – the American Psychological Association’s ACT Raising Safe Kids Program (ACT RSK).

Of course, providing an excellent childcare curriculum and well-educated teachers is primary, but we’ve gained so much from supporting the parent and child relationship with ACT RSK. Led by our teachers over 8 to 10 weeks, the curriculum provides an opportunity for parents to form support groups, discuss typical behaviors of their children and practice positive parenting with an enhanced understanding of child development.

Parents learn what research has been found to be the most effective in guiding how children manage their feelings, work well with others, think about their actions, and enjoy learning. Consequently participants and their children report enjoying their time together much more.

You may wonder what makes ACT Raising Safe Kids different from other parenting education opportunities a childcare center might provide.

For three decades the Lemberg Center teachers led workshops for parents and provided presentations by psychologists and other professionals. We held question and answer sessions and we had parenting round tables. Our presentations were good, but they were not like ACT RSK, which is the result of 15 years of professional collaborations and evaluation research.

ACT is for nearly everybody. Studies repeatedly find ACT RSK is successful in:

• anger management,
• social problem-solving,
• non-violent discipline,
• media literacy (i.e., understanding and reducing the impact of violent media on children),
• increased social support,
• pro-social parenting practices and nurturing behaviors, as well as
• reduced harsh discipline and psychological aggression toward children.

Furthermore, the children show less aggressive and disruptive behaviors.

Since the curriculum is available in Spanish as well as Greek, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese and Mandarin, the program is being used with families in Colombia, Greece, Brazil, San Francisco, Toledo, Miami, the Bronx, Boston’s Chinatown, Japan and soon in Taiwan.

It’s been effective with prison inmates, teen parents, college professors, in churches, community health centers and even in corporate lunch gatherings. There is even a curriculum for teachers to use with children in childcare that matches the topics the parents are using in each session.

ACT RSK has been found to be an effective curriculum with a vast range of diverse people. We’ve found it effectively engages parents in asking questions, doing role-plays, and in discussions with others outside the classroom.

Our childcare center reaps a lot too. Parents volunteer more, laugh with our teachers more and have formed closer relationships with other parents. Teachers who have become Certified ACT RSK Facilitators are more articulate in their knowledge of child development, and comment lots more on the positive behaviors they see, while remaining unflappable setting a limit and moving the child along. Our school has more parent involvement and collaboration. Years later, many of our parents are still friends with others in their parenting group and are still in contact with me.

If you want to become an ACT Facilitator, you can easily get access to training. ACT Coordinators conduct trainings in several areas across the U.S. and the program continues to expand to several other nations. For more information, go to http://actagainstviolence.apa.org/training/index.html.

Biography:

Howard Baker is the Executive Director of the Gersh & Sarah Lemberg Children’s Center at Brandeis University and the Director of the ACT RSK Northeast Regional Center. He was named the 2012 Director of the Year by the National Coalition of Campus Children’s Centers.

Kindergartners explain about anger and calming down!

Check out this great resource for parents and facilitators on anger. Kindergarteners tell us all about anger and calming:  http://www.mindful.org/news/kindergarteners-talk-about-mindfulness-in-just-breathe-short-film#.VRvlWPIFtq0.facebook

Science Daily: Some Things Hugs Can't Fix

Some things hugs can't fix: Parental warmth does not remove anxiety that follows punishment

Date:

March 16, 2015

Source:

Duke University

A loving mom can't overcome the anxiety and aggression caused by corporal punishment, and her otherwise warm demeanor may make it worse, according to research led by Duke University that was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.

"If you believe that you can shake your children or slap them across the face and then smooth things over gradually by smothering them with love, you are mistaken," wrote lead researcher Jennifer E. Lansford on the Child and Family Blog. Lansford is a research professor at the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. "Being very warm with a child whom you hit in this manner rarely makes things better. It can make a child more, not less, anxious."

The blog is a joint project of the Future of Children at Princeton University and the Applied Developmental Psychology Research Group at the University of Cambridge.

Lansford calls it "one of many worrying findings" in the multicenter research about corporal punishment. They interviewed more than 1,000 children and their mothers, from eight different countries, asking about levels of physical punishment and also about anxiety and aggressive behavior on the part of the children.

They found that while maternal warmth can lessen the impact of "low levels of corporal punishment" among children ages 8 to 10, both anxiety and aggression still remain -- just not quite as much. It doesn't typically diminish the negative impact of high levels of physical punishment. Lansford said countries with a more authoritarian parenting style, like Kenya and Colombia, see less effect on the children than other countries.

"Generally, childhood anxiety actually gets worse when parents are very loving alongside using corporate punishment," she wrote. The researchers aren't sure why, but she said it might be "simply too confusing and unnerving for a child to be hit hard and loved warmly all in the same home."

More severe punishment leads to more severe aggression and anxiety, she said, adding that 43 countries have outlawed corporal punishment.

"It's far more effective and less risky to use nonphysical discipline," Janet Lansbury, a Los Angeles parent educator, told the Deseret News recently for a story on effective nonphysical discipline. "Discipline means 'to teach,' not 'punishment.' "

"Discipline is tricky terrain, but experts say there are effective nonphysical ways to promote wanted behaviors. Using techniques that teach proper behavior while treating both parent and child with respect frees parents from worry about how physical is too physical when it comes to discipline," the article said. It included ideas based on a child's age and the type of issue being addressed. For example, taking things away from a teenager may not be as effective as making a teenager participate in activities that benefit others and broaden the teen's experience. Putting younger children in time-out yields results.

Parenting "styles" are largely determined based on how a parent chooses to discipline. According to Psychology Today, authoritarian parents "see their primary job to be bending the will of the child to that of authority -- the parent, the church, the teacher." Authoritative parents are strict and consistent but use nonphysical discipline to get their points across, it said.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Duke University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Jennifer E. Lansford, Chinmayi Sharma, Patrick S. Malone, Darren Woodlief, Kenneth A. Dodge, Paul Oburu, Concetta Pastorelli, Ann T. Skinner, Emma Sorbring, Sombat Tapanya, Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado, Arnaldo Zelli, Suha M. Al-Hassan, Liane Peña Alampay, Dario Bacchini, Anna Silvia Bombi, Marc H. Bornstein, Lei Chang, Kirby Deater-Deckard, Laura Di Giunta. Corporal Punishment, Maternal Warmth, and Child Adjustment: A Longitudinal Study in Eight Countries. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2014; 43 (4): 670 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2014.893518

---

Cite This Page:

• MLA
• APA
• Chicago

Duke University. "Some things hugs can't fix: Parental warmth does not remove anxiety that follows punishment." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 March 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150316165949.htm>.

For Parents - Extra Curricular Activities for Your Child

Common Parent Myths About Extra Curricular Activities

Making a child practice or go to an activity will eventually help them like it. Actually it's quite the contrary, the more you force it, the more they will dislike it.  Let you child explore different activities to find what they enjoy.

I need to be on my child to get him or her to perform well.  Punishment or criticism or even harsh words meant to motivate child on will not only cause your child to dislike the activity, but could really deteriorate your relationship.  Also, if you are pushing your child each time, you will not develop a willingness to engage in hobbies.

He or she is wasting their natural gift by choosing not to participate. Though your child may show an early competency or talent, unless he or she enjoys it, it will not be maintained. 

If I let my child quit, he or she is learning to be a quitter. It is not the end of the world if your child wants to end an activity.  This predict that your child will be a quitter in later life.  If it is important to you that your child participates, remain encouraging, and flexible, without punishment.

My child needs to be busy, the more activities the better.  Built in down time is crucial for a child and parent to decompress from their busy day.  Be sure to incorporate a little veg time every day. 

Screen-Free Week is coming up very soon!

Screen-Free Week is Just 5 Weeks Away!

Taking time off from media allows us to experience closer connections with ourselves and with each other. Then we can find ways to prioritize those connections going forward. Screen-Free Week offers a powerful community of support for that process. - Mary Rothschild, Healthy Media Choices

Just 5 weeks until Screen-Free Week 2015! From May 4th to 10th, children, families, schools, libraries, and entire communities will rediscover the joys of life beyond the screen.

Want to join in the celebration? Unplug from digital entertainment and spend your free time playing, reading, daydreaming, creating, exploring, and connecting with family and friends. Visit screenfree.orgto download our free Screen-Free Week Organizer’s Kit, and to access essential SFW handouts, screen-free play ideas, and more. To connect to other Screen-Free Week organizers, “like” our SFW Facebook Page.

More than 30 organizations endorse Screen-Free Week including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mercy Children’s Hospital, the American Public Health Association, KaBOOM!, and the Center for Child Honouring. If your school or non-profit would like to endorse SFW, email us atccfc@commercialfreechildhood.org.