Research that Benefits Children and Families-Uplifting Stories

There are an overwhelming amount of positive reports about how research has made life-changing discoveries and accomplishments that have lead to life-changing event in our society and the world.. I actually have three examples of such success from research.

Head Start

Looking at research that benefits children and families I immediately look toward the Head Start Programs. I am a former Head Start parent and employee and I can only say great things about this organization. There is tons of research on how effective and beneficial the Head Start programs are, most are positive. Head Start, the large-scale federal preschool program is the nation’s most successful school readiness program and has also been shown to improve post-preschool outcomes, including high school completion and health outcomes (Schanzenbach & Bauer, 2016). Disadvantaged children receive high-quality birth-to- five education, such as Early Head Start plus Head Start, and the return on investment can be as high as 13% annually.

The research has confirmed that the programs reach all types of families with child development services and provided them with a significantly greater number of services that were more intensive than families would have received in their communities without the benefit of Early Head Start and Head Start. By age 3, most children benefited in some way from participating in Early Head Start. Similarly, most parents benefited in some way related to their parenting and working towards self-sufficiency (Love, Kisker, Ross, Schochet, Brooks-Gunn, Paulsell, Boller, Constantine, Vogel, Sidle Fuligni, & Brady-Smith, 2002).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided a lengthy Research Report on Head Start programs around the country. The report describes the characteristics, well-being, and development of children and families at the beginning of the Head Start program year. It also features projects that are currently being researched (U.S, Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2011). You can review the report at https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/data-ongoing-monitoring/article/research-reports-head-start

My Personal Experiences and Connection with Research

A Neighbor Story- Service Dogs

My neighbor suffers from Parkinson Disease and his family researched and was able to apply for and receive a service dog for him. Service dogs are specifically trained to perform tasks to assist individuals living with physical challenges, including people with Parkinson’s. Service dogs help to improve their human companion's independence and well-being, and studies show that the dogs provide a variety of benefits. For people with Parkinson’s, service dogs can be trained to perform a variety of helpful tasks, ranging from daily assistance with routine activities to specialized support. Service dogs can help with:

• Enhancing your balance while walking or using stairs, reducing fear and risk of falls

• Mitigating freezing by nudging a leg or gently pulling on a leash

• Providing support while getting in and out of chairs or getting up after a fall

• Retrieving and carrying objects, such as medication bottles or a dropped phone

• Assisting in dressing and undressing by fetching clothes or gently tugging off socks

• Opening doors and turning lights on or off

• Retrieving adaptive equipment or pulling a wheelchair

• Seeking help, pushing Lifeline call button or dialing 911 speed dial

Since receiving the dog I can actually see a change in my neighbor's spirit, behaviors, and activities. He and his dog work over to my house for light conversation, walking to the mailbox, and sitting outside with his dog. His love and attachment to the dog is very obvious.

Research has acknowledged that people with physical disabilities partnered with service dog benefits significantly. It is reported that there is an increases in self‐esteem, internal locus of control, well-being and positive affect, and that service dogs moderated the effects of depression (Winkle, Crowe & Hendrix, 2012.).

Oahu, Hawaii

A Family Story

This story is my personal experience with research within my family and it does have with a positive outcome. I can remember some of my best and scariest experiences living in Hawaii as a young girl. I had my own bedroom, my sister Audrey had her own bedroom, and my two younger sisters Elizabeth and Gloria shared a bedroom. We had plenty of time to play outside, the weather was nice and there was so much to explore in the backyard. We would go beyond our property into a wooden area and pick wild raspberries and blackberries. There was also a sugar cane field that we would visit. There were Koa seeds pods that would fall from the Koa trees and we would open up the pods and pick out the little brown seeds. Our mother would boil the seed in water to soften them and then we would use a needle and thread and lace the seeds to make necklaces and bracelets. We would also make lei from the plumeria flowers that grow in the yard. On top of all that we would eat eat wild guava fruit, lilikoi fruit, and coconut meat, and drink the coconut milk which looked more like murky water than milk there was always something to get into. We were very much Children of Mother Nature.

Koa Seed Tree

Koa Seed Jewelry

Lilikoi or Passion Fruit

Guava Fruit

However our family became very worried and confused when my sister Audrey became very sickly sometimes after a day of outside play breaking out with fever, rashes, breathing problems asthmatic attacks and even anaphylaxis symptoms. She was rushed to the hospital on several occasions, got breathing treatments and was released. Doctors could not pinpoint what was causing her illness, but they rationalized that she might be having allergic reactions to something in the environment.

This story is where my first thought of connecting research and positive outcome. I remember my mother explain that the doctors were doing to draw squares on my sister’s back and using needles would insert different types of allergen or pollen into the squares to check how her body reacted to each of the square that had had been exposed to the allergens. They were using the process of elimination to find the cause and effect of the allergens. I now know this is called the “Patch Test”. Every two week my sister would have to go and get her back read and new allergen were inserted. I can not ’ tell you how long it took to for them to come to a diagnosis but eventually there were able to pinpoint quite a few triggers.

We could no longer go into the woods and pick wild berries from the ground, or wild guava and lilikoi together, nor could we make leis because she reacted to the milk substance in the flower. She would have reactions to these fruits, flowers and many more things. With the research test and advice from the doctors our family was able to avoid foods and environments that would be harmful or life threatening to my sister. I asked her if the tests hurt and she said "no it just felt like a pinch and they itched." She is a aware of her condition and is still the proud owner of an Epipen and rescue meds her life saving tools.

References

Love, J. M., Kisker, E. E., Ross, C. M., Schochet, P. Z., Brooks-Gunn, J., Paulsell, D., Boller, K., Constantine, J., Vogel, C., Sidle Fuligni, A., Brady-Smith, C. (2002). Making a difference in the lives of infants and toddlers and their families: The impacts of early Head Start. Volumes I-III: Final technical report and appendixes and local contributions to understanding the programs and their impacts. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. Retrieved from http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/~/media/publications/PDFs/ehsfinalsumm.pdf

Schanzenbach, D. & Bauer, L. (2016, August 19). The long-term impact of the Head Start Program. Retrieved from https://www.idahohsa.org/head-start-impacts

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2010). Head Start Impact Study: Final Report. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/resource/head-start-impact-study-final-report-executive-summary

U.S, Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2011, January 11). Data & ongoing monitoring. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/data-ongoing-monitoring/article/research-reports-head-start

Wrinkle, M., Crowe, T. & Hendrix, I. (2012, February). Service dogs and people with physical disabilities partnerships: A systematic review. Occupational Therapy International 19(1):54-66. Retrieved from DOI: 10.1002/oti.323