Monday, September 17, 2012

Research that Benefits Children and Families

Option 2:
Imagine that you possess the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic in the early childhood field. Imagine further that you are not restricted by the reality of the present. Imagine that your study will make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children and/or their families. What topic would you choose? What can you imagine the positive contribution(s) would be?


I would do research on ways to decrease medications for children with behavioral disorders. I selected this topic because I use to be a case manager and one of the children that was on my case was diagnosed with almost every type of behavioral and emotional disorder (as well as her mother). She had to take certain medications in the morning before she was allowed to walk in the school building (she would be out of control if she did not take them.. so the teachers said) but when she did take them.. the mixture of all the meds would make her sleepy resulting her getting sent home for going to sleep during class time. So this was a no win situation for her. I use to wonder if there was other treatment that she could take so that she could interact within the class on a daily basis.
The research I am conducting is ways to treat children with multiple behavioral/emotional disorders without taking the medicine. I would take a group of children and divide them into three groups. One group would remain the same (stay on all the meds they are already on). The other group would be taken off of all meds completely and provided therapy and a mentor during the day. The last group would be given placebo pills just to see if the children are calming down because of his or her mind telling them that they are on the bills this group will receive the same therapy that the middle group is receiving.
In the end I am hoping that my study will allow parents to be able to decrease the amount of pills that their children who have been diagnosed with behavioral disorders will have to take and be able to live normal lives through therapy. Many families have to watch their children take multiple pills just to be able to stay in school. These pills can not be good for their over all health.

Friday, September 14, 2012

My Personal Research Journey

 My chosen research stimulation is Why men tend to shy away from the Early Childhood Field and the impact of more males in the early Childhood Field.

I selected this topic because I really wanted to find out why so many men tend to stay away from early childhood education. Many will teach your higher grades but like to stay away from teaching the early learners. I also selected this topic because my husband came to me one day and said that he would hire a foreman (he owns a construction company) and work with me. I thought he was joking so I did not respond. Later when I sat down and thought about how great the idea sound I went back to him and took him up on his offer. But, now I can not get him to make the switch. He says what so many other males have said, which is "how would I look working in a daycare center?" I said "you will look like  a man working along side his wife in our Childcare center assisting children as they develop in the early years." I try to explain to him that with some many young boys in the early childhood field that they need men working with them instead of so many females.  This most have scared him because he has never brought the issue back up and changes it when I try to bring it up.
My question to you all is should I blend the to together or does this sound like two different topics?

 I do not see anything wrong with this picture. My husband said "of course he will do that, he is older and probably retired."