| CODE | HSC5007 | ||||||
| TITLE | Children's Health: Supporting Optimal Development | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Health Sciences | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit addresses the health-related developmental milestones expected in typically-developing, healthy children and discusses the relevance of children's optimal health to their well-being, learning and education. In view of the impact of illness and developmental difficulties on the child and the family, emphasis is placed on he importance of children's safety , their protection from illness and physical injury and the prevention of developmental difficulties. The study-unit also discusses some key health related issues in the local context such as child obesity. Evidence-based practices and policies that support optimal health and development are also addressed. Study-Unit Aims: - To develop students' knowledge of children's growth and development with particular reference to their health; - To develop students' awareness of child health and safety issues and specific health issues such as child obesity; - To familiarise students with situations where children and families need support related to children's physical health and wellbeing; - To provide students with knowledge of policies and evidence-based practices that promote optimal development, with a view to contributing positively to children's physical and mental health and well being; - To enable students to take a children's voice perspective in understanding, promoting and supporting children's health. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - demonstrate an understanding of the growth and developmental milestones expected of children at specific age points and their relevance to children's optimal health; - demonstrate an understanding of the need to protect children from illness and emotional distress, in order to encourage physical and mental health and well being; - identify the various situations related to health and well being wherein children and their families benefit from the intervention of health professionals in health promotion, prevention and remediation; - describe the various situations related to health and well-being wherein children and their families need professional intervention; - identify and critically describe the challenges to the physical health of children in the local context, eg obesity; - describe how the different occupational repertoires in childhood, together with sensory processing and sensory motor development, affect children's participation in the home, school and community and contribute to theirl health and well being. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify and implement policies and practices that promote and support children's optimal health and well-being; - identify and implement policies and practices that protect children from injury and illness; - demonstrate knowledge of the role of different professionals in children’s health-related issues by devising a care-plan; - include children's voices in research, policy development and practice related to children's health; - identify children who are at risk for health-related issues and in need of onward referral to the relevant professional(s). Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Howard A. W. (2010). Keeping children safe: rethinking how we design our surroundings. CMAJ ,182(6), 573–578. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.080162 - Musgrave, J. (2017) Supporting Children’s Health and Wellbeing. London. Sage Publications - Rescorla, L. A. & Dale, P. S. (2013). Late Talkers: Language development, interventions, outcomes. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. - Rodger, S. & Kennedy-Behir (2017). Occupation-centred practice with children. Wiley. - Rose,J., Gilbert, L & Richards, V. (2016) Health and Well-being in Early Childhood. Sage Supplementary Readings: - Cole, E. B. & Flexer, C. (2020). Children with hearing loss: Developing listening and talking. (4th ed.). San Diego: Plural Publishing Inc. - Dalton, P. & Hardcastle, W.J. (1989). Disorders of Fluency. Studies in Disorders of Communication. 2nd ed. Whurr. - Allen, D., Harlor, J.R., & Bowen, C. (2009). Clinical Report—Hearing Assessment in Infants and Children: Recommendations Beyond Neonatal Screening. American Academy of Pediatrics. 1252-1263. - Berkman, N. D., Wallace, I., Watson, L., Coyne-Beasley, T., Cullen, K., Wood, C., & Lohr, K.N. (2015). Screening for Speech and Language Delays and Disorders in Children Age 5 Years or Younger: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Evidence Synthesis No. 120. - AHRQ Publication No. 13-05197-EF-1. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. - BC Centre for Disease Control (2009). Quick Guide To Common Childhood Diseases. Available from: http://www.bccdc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Guidelines%20and%20Forms/Guidelines%20and%20Manuals/Epid/Other/Epid_GF_childhood_quickguide_may_09.pdf - Chien, C-W., Rodger, S., Copley, J., Branjerdporn, G., & Taggart , C. (2016) Sensory Processing and Its Relationship with Children's Daily Life Participation, Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 36:1, 73-87, DOI: 10.3109/01942638.2015.1040573 - Ellis, E. M., & Thal, D.J. 2008. Early Language Delay and Risk for Language Impairment. Language Learning and Education 15 (3): 93–100. doi:10.1044/lle15.3.93. - Gatt, D., Grech, H., & Dodd, B. (2013). Early lexical expression in typically developing Maltese children: implications for the identification of language delay. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 27(6-7), 459-71. - Grech, V., Aquilina, S., Camilleri, E., Camilleri, K., Busuttil, M. L., Sant’Angelo, V. F., & Calleja, N. (2017). The Malta childhood national body mass index study: A population study. Journal of Pediatric Gastrolenterology and Nutrition, 65, 327–331. - Graydon, K., Waterworth, C., Miller, H., & Gunasekera, H. (2019). Global burden of hearing impairment and ear disease. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, 133(1), 18-25. - Hanft , B. & Swinth, Y. (2011) Commentary on Collaboration, Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 4:1, 2-7, DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2011.585057 - Harrison, L. A., Kats, A., Williams, M. E., & Aziz-Zadeh, L. (2019). The importance of sensory processing in mental health: A proposed addition to the research domain criteria (RDoC) and suggestions for RDoC 2.0. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00103 - Hoogsteen, L. & Woodgate, L. (2010) Can I Play? A Concept Analysis of Participation in Children with Disability. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Paediatrics. 30:4, 325-339 - Moore, A. & Lynch, H. (2017) Understanding a child’s conceptualization of well being through the exploration of happiness: the centrality of play, people and place. Journal of Occupational Science 25(1) 124-141. - O’Toole, C., Gatt, D., Hickey, T. M., Haman, E., Miękisz, A., Armon-Lotem, S., Rinker, T., Ohana, O., dos Santos, C. & Kern, S. 2017. Parent Report of Early Lexical Production in Bilingual Children across Varied Contexts: A CDI Study. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. doi:10.1080/13670050.2016.1179258. - Rutter, M. (2008). Diagnostic processes and risk concepts. In C. F. Norbury, J. B. Tomblin, & D.V.M. Bishop (Eds) Understanding Developmental Language Disorders: From theory to practice (pp. 205-216). Hove: Psychology Press. - Verberne, L.M., Kars, M.C., Schouten-van Meeteren, A.Y.N. et al. (2019). Parental experiences and coping strategies when caring for a child receiving paediatric palliative care: a qualitative study. Eur J Pediatr 178, 1075–1085. https://doi-org.ejournals.um.edu.mt/10.1007/s00431-019-03393-w - Welters-Davis, M. & Mische Lawson, L. (2011) The Relationship Between Sensory Processing and Parent–Child Play Preferences. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 4:2, 108-120, DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2011.595300 |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Rachael Agius Nathalie Buhagiar Anna Cini Claire Copperstone Daniela R. Gatt (Co-ord.) Rita Pace Parascandalo Nadine Tabone |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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