When children are made to live in stressful situations the hypothalamus section of the brain is greatly affected in a negative manner (Berger, 2012).  Children in the US and in other sections of the world suffer from violent situations, poverty, and hunger which impede healthy child development (Berger, 2012). When children are mistreated early on in life the outcome can prove to be emotionally devastating (Berger, 2012).

              I have a neighbor that is now the foster mother of two children that came into care three years ago.  The children were living in a very violent household where the parents fought constantly, used drugs, and neglected their two children ages five months (a girl) and two years old ( a boy).  The mother had threatened to kill the little boy on several occasions as a revenge tactic to the father because he was repeatedly unfaithful.  When the police took the children out of the home, their bodies and clothes were filthy and they were malnourished.  The baby girl was sucking on a bottle that contained very old milk.  So they were taken by Child Protective Services in the middle of the night.  When my neighbor picked up the children they were in bad condition and the boy would not speak and he refused any attachment.  Attachment is extremely important with the caregiver at birth and when infants are denied bonding, they can be scarred for the rest of their lives (Berger, 2012).  It was evident that these children were lacking parental bonding.  My friend has worked wonders with these children because when she first received the boy he was diagnosed as possibly having autism but now he is a bright little boy with great verbal skills and now tests above average.  The children now attend a private school and are thriving well.

              A lot of the children in Somalia are starving and are malnourished because of the constant infighting in the country.  There are 1,500 homeless families that are living in refugee camps.  The NGO created child family spaces (CFS) as a remedy for the terror and hunger that the mothers and children are experiencing.  The constant violence in Somalia has affected children emotionally because they are now malnourished in addition to living in fear.  The Save the Children organization has provided food and medical services for the mothers and children that are housed at the refugee camp in Jawie.

 

References

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth

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