Developmental Risk Factors

Unfortunately, there are many children who experience one or more developmental risk factors during their early years. This blog will outline the “Six Developmental Risk Factors” by Dr. Karyn Purvis of Texas Christian University.

There are many events that present risks for a child’s healthy development. Dr. Karyn Purvis lays the following out as the six main risk factors for children:

1. Difficult Pregnancy – stress (even minimal amounts negatively affects the baby’s neurochemistry), substance use during pregnancy, domestic violence, homelessness, lack of prenatal care, lack of optimal nutrients, etc. Many people mistakenly believe that babies are born as a blank slate, when in actuality, babies are affected long-term by the mother’s behaviors and mental health during pregnancy.
2. Difficult Birth – birth complications, emergency c-sections, premature birth, and lack of oxygen for any amount of time for the baby
3. Early Hospitalization – spending time in the NICU can have adverse effects due to unpredictable and sometimes painful touch from medical equipment, less time spent with the mother which results in less attachment opportunities like holding, rocking, singing, eye contact and touch.
4. Abuse – Abuse sends the child the message, “I don’t like you.” This includes emotional/verbal abuse as well as physical/sexual abuse.
5. Neglect – Neglect sends the child the message, “You don’t exist.” This includes failure to meet the child’s physical and/or emotional needs.
6. Trauma – Trauma includes any event in which the child experiences an event in which she believes there is a risk of injury or death to herself or others and feels extreme fear and helplessness.

Fortunately, the brain can be healed if a child has experienced one or more of the developmental risk factors. The first step is providing a consistent, predictable and nurturing daily schedule for your child that includes food, drink, a sensory activity and an attachment activity every two hours. I recommend researching the Trust Based Parenting Model by Drs. Karyn Purvis and David Cross. There is a list of TBRI-trained therapists from all over the United States on their website that you can contact for support in implementing this model with your child/children.

Reference:

Derived or reproduced from Trust-Based Relational Intervention® resources (Purvis & Cross, 1999-2012).