Consider and Analyse the Factors that Act Upon Contemporary Perspectives of Childhood and Articulate: Contemporary Perspectives of Childhood Essay, NYP, Singapore

Task:

Consider and analyse the factors that act upon contemporary perspectives of childhood and articulate, with justification, personal beliefs, and values.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the module, the students will be able:

• To synthesise recent research, theory, and policies that contribute to contemporary perspectives of childhood
• To critically analyse a range of factors that impact contemporary perspectives of childhood.
• To reflect on contemporary issues of childhood, clarify and articulate personal beliefs and values.
• To communicate in an appropriate academic style, drawing on a wide range of sources including journal articles that are referenced accurately using the Harvard Referencing system.

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD): raising awareness in early years settings

Introduction

With an increasing number of children attending educational settings presenting unidentified and emerging special educational needs, the opportunity and necessity for staff to provide support to vulnerable children and their families is immense. It is essential, therefore, that education staff has the confidence to identify and meet such needs, and that they are supported in these endeavors with information and resources aimed at improving outcomes for such children, through directed early childhood intervention and adaptive teaching techniques.

History and prevalence of FASD

First officially recognised by Jones and Smith (1973, 1975), foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has received considerable worldwide attention in recent years. Prenatal alcohol exposure has now been recognised as a major public health issue in all industrialised nations, as well as in many developing countries where alcohol abuse by women of childbearing age is common. Indeed, foetal alcohol exposure is the leading known preventable cause of intellectual disabilities in the western world (Abel & Sokel, 1987; Stratton, Howe & Battaglia, 1996).