Stress can be toxic at any age. It rattles us when it strikes, shaking up our relationships and narrowing our focus. When it becomes chronic, it ravages our health. Physically, emotionally and intellectually, stress can drag us down.

An even more insidious effect is the assault it can launch on a child's brain, impeding the development of critical cognitive skills. A number of researchers, including myself, have discovered that psychological stress affects the thinking skills and brain development of even very young children, likely beginning prenatally. It is no mystery that stress thrives in difficult situations, but research is now showing that a disadvantaged upbringing may set back children in profound, lasting ways. In fact, stress may be one important mechanism through which poverty adversely affects children's ability to perform well in school.

13 Comments

1. 1. turtle2258 04:57 AM 9/16/12

   It's about time educators may begin to put first things first. I had to go to first grade twice ONLY because I was afraid to ask the teacher questions on how to do certain things. If I could have got my internal fears and anxiety resolved first, my outlook would have been different and I would've WANTED to go to school. Instead, it seemed that these SAMe early issues remained with me thoughout my schooling life any time that I was afraid to be honest with my teachers or parent(s). Putting the "cart before the horse" will always keep us from seeing where we want to go. To this day, I think this is the reason why I am able to learn freely and well on my own but am anxious to be tought in a formal setting. This prevents me from learning alot of things that I otherwise would. I can go on and on. But we all come from different environments. If pain is blocking the brain from learning, well then trying to make a child learn some subjective standard and ignoring any prerequi-sites of learning that will only create rebellion and leaving school. Why would it be wrong for worthy students like these "go on strike" like the Chicago teacher's do? Why arn't the teachers truent? Sheese!

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2. 2. ToNYC 03:04 PM 9/26/12

   This fails to differentiate the basis of the stress. If a parent reduces the stress of social pressure consisting of not having smartphones and expensive brand name apparel to wear to school, therein is no cure but only kicking the kid down the road to a false but totally modern, Western sense of identity.

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3. 3. Don Quixote in reply to turtle2258 03:32 PM 9/26/12

   Not trying to be too insensitive here, Turtle, but you're an adult now and it's time to move on (or seek professional help). All the power for change is in you, not in the past. And as for the Chicago school teachers: I'd have fired every one on strike and started over. They aren't the solution; they are the problem. I taught high school biology, AP bio, and physical science. I was also the Union president of our local and I'd have recommended to the administration to fire all of them if I was in charge. There are good teachers out there (lots of them!!); hire them and get rid of the problems. Chicago schools have lots of problems (parents are big part of the problem, not teaching responsibility first and foremost), but I'd start with teachers and then on to parents. Sorry, but this is an incredibly sore subject for me. Stress is only a small part of children's issues; getting rid of crappy teachers and revamping a crappy system would go along way to reducing that stress.

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4. 4. sfpkent 11:40 PM 9/26/12

   Stress affect anything and anyone, not only children. This is especially true in today's world. Learning how to handle stress is a must have skill for everyone. I believe religion can help.

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5. 5. S. N. Tiwary 04:01 AM 9/27/12

   Stress affects physical, mental and spiritual health. Hence, it has great impact on intelligence, skill, talent, memory, efficiency and stamina which leads to depression. It is applicable to all, i.e., child, youth, old, etc.
   One must lead stress free life which enhances everything.
   S. N. Tiwary
   Director
   
   

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6. 6. patbell101 in reply to sfpkent 04:54 AM 9/27/12

   But purveyers of religion pray on the insecure resulting in replacement of rational and critical thinking. This can prevent proper understanding of principles fundamental to our society.

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7. 7. ToNYC 08:55 AM 9/27/12

   Stress is a natural response to change in any organism including young humans. Having a race to get to the other end of the schoolyard and back can be stressful. Shall we relieve stress and eliminate races or ball games? Giving trophies to everyone like the PC 80's didn't work out so well.Grading can be stressful, etc.
   Stress-free is life-free. "Free is not something you get. Free is something you make."℠

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8. 8. kaebomb in reply to Don Quixote 11:46 PM 9/29/12

   Wow Don. Rude. Thank you Turtle, you comment was helpful.

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9. 9. turtle2258 03:16 AM 9/30/12

   If you're insecure or if I am irrational, I'd beleive that I couldn't have one without the other. If you need to beleive that, then be your true comfortable self. I would be no more than "comfortably numb" if I tried that now. I suppose if i was a stressed out suicide piolet in a suicidal mission for my countries religion during world war II, I would function irrationally. But the "religion" I take a path on lately is not that fearful or ignorant. Perhaps transcendent thinking is the only way we can really come to embrace the fundamental principals of America's society; the freedom of free speech and individual choices. Freedom of religion, lifestyle, thinking and feeling. Not just blind following of anothers critical thinking or assumptions of education and life. People like Albert Einstein came here for freedom and individuality. Not for a choiceless life or the either of art OR science. Maybe that what he meant, somehow when he said "Science without religion is lame". But your only referring to perhaps the meaning of the first half of his quote that said, "Religion without science is blind". Either way, I always felt sortive lobsided or obsessive compulsive when I would try one without the other. It's not as fulfilling for me. Too bad schools don't understand how to teach both. It would more often than less make a fundamentally happier society, at least for we who choose to use this. No, for everyone. If people are all compelled to memorize facts and learn classes that most (say 1/2) will never use at the governments waste of money, why not learn true essen-tials of life and relationships that everyone can use? The fundamental essentials are things like how to grow a better family. Maybe how not to "screw people over" in life and business. How to tell a crook from someone sin-cere. How to marry someone that you won't need to devorse. And even the best way to retain honour even if you never go to jail. These are the fundamentals that will make society work and never get over it's head in debt and crime. The other stuff that we're frantically trying to teach the "unfundamentalized" students are not very much worth learning. Had the CEO's of mortgage bankers, credit agencies or all the lowlier criminals that fill our jails and "steal" our tax $ - had they learnded these things first, we would have a better econ-omy, more money for education and better parents of students too. Oh, one more thing. Teaching parents and their children how to be healthy inside and out would solve future health problems. Noweknow

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10. 10. Yallim 02:28 PM 10/4/12

    I have used biofeedback and neurofeedback with students from 5th grade to Jr. college. This allows the student to learn to manage stress, focus attention (no need for drugs for mild ADHD). For more information, several teachers and I have prepared an 80-page booklet with lesson plans and theory for any one who wants to explore this important topic to evolve the school room environment to improve education. The Booklet is called: "Self-Discovery Science" and it is available for a free download from www.fmbr.org/Millay. Included with this is a 4 page printout in color of an electromagnetic spectrum chart to show the frequency relationship between human energies of heart and brainwaves and those of the Sun, Earth, and sound. Ten-year-olds can see how we are all connected in energy. This information is vital to the needed changes in our public educational system.

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11. 11. Yallim 02:33 PM 10/4/12

    In addition to learning about their own energies using biofeedback, the children will have the knowledge to keep themselves healthier. The effect of this on reducing the future cost of healthcare could be substantial. Currently, students don't get a class in electromagnetism until they sign up for physics in high school, and then only if they are in the college-prep classes. However, ten-year-olds can easily understand it with the 40" color chart (free from www.fmbr.com).
    

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13. 13. pandorameka 06:03 AM 10/12/12

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