Reach out to Help a Child That's Vulnerable

Each year, April is observed as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. As an advocate for children, I feel compelled to join Memphis' many caring child advocates in urging you to reach out to an at-risk young child in your community. Consider devoting a few hours each week to the welfare of those children who are the most vulnerable to adversity.

Physical abuse and severe neglect are tragic at any age, but they are especially damaging in a child's first three years. Because the brain is still organizing itself in response to a child's experiences, traumatic experiences during these early years can have long-term effects on the brain's structure and functioning. By interfering with healthy brain development, early abuse and neglect have the power to affect children throughout their lives. For example, maltreatment during early childhood has been linked to the underdevelopment of areas of the brain involved in learning and memory.

Early abuse or neglect can also disrupt the brain's ability to regulate the body's stress system, causing lifelong changes in how the mind and body react to adversity. For example, when the stress system is out of balance, it may overproduce cortisol and other stress hormones. These are powerful chemicals that play multiple roles throughout the body. When they are not well-regulated, they can produce wear and tear that increases the risk of mental and physical health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Positive experiences are necessary during these crucial early years if our community's children are to reach their full potential. Responsive and consistent caregiving contributes to children's cognitive, emotional and social development, partly because it shields children from many of the effects of stress. Studies have found that infants and children with less responsive parents react more strongly than other children to new or distressing situations: Their behavior is more fearful, their bodies produce more stress hormones and their brain activity is altered. When the parent-child relationship is healthy and secure, a moderate amount of stress poses a lesser threat.

Unfortunately, the lifelong effects of early neglect and abuse can create a cycle of abuse. A childhood characterized by neglect or abuse is likely to produce an adult whose coping skills and emotional resources are inadequate for sensitive and attentive parenting. Too often, this can result in further abuse: Adults who were abused as children are more likely, on average, to be abusive parents.

April is a time for the changing of the season, a time for new birth, a time for growth. As Child Abuse Prevention Month, April also is a perfect time to help a child grow and blossom, both physically and emotionally. You can help reduce the impact of childhood abuse in our community and bolster our human capital with more beautiful, healthy, productive adults for the future of Memphis.

Chuck Scruggs, who was known as 'Mr. Chuck' in the children's programming on WKNO-TV for many years, retired in 2010 as WKNO's education manager and Ready To Learn coordinator.

This is one in a series of monthly guest columns on the importance of public/private investment in early childhood. For more information, call The Urban Child Institute at 385-4233 or visit theurbanchildinstitute.org.

Originally appeared in The Commercial Appeal at http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/10/guest-column-reach-out-to-help-a-child-thats