Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

My beautiful flawless sis!

I know of a positive benefit of research. Research has affected my family in a positive way. Research has helped my family to figure out a chronic skin disorder my younger sister has. When my sister was a child, she had the clearest most beautiful skin out of me and my older sister. We were secretly jealous of her flawless skin. However, when my sister started high school, her skin was not so flawless. Her hair began to fall out, she became itchy all over, and she started to get bumps and blotches over her skin from head to toe. My sister and family were devastated; we had never seen this happen before. We took her to so many doctors and no one could tell us what the cause was. So my sister began to do her own research by studying her symptoms. My older sister (a pharmacist) did her own research as well to see if any medications she was taking could have caused this skin disorder. One doctor performed an allergy test which yielded no results. We conducted our own research and had her eliminate certain foods and drinks from her diet which helped a little. After talking to different doctors, reading different books and typing her conditions into Google my sister figured out that she had Psoriasis and Eczema. She was able to get in contact with a very good dermatologist who confirmed her conditions. Her doctor was very amazed that no one else knew that it was Psoriasis and was proud of the research she has done. My family was very relieved once this was found out and my sister was able to start receiving treatments. My sister continues to research her condition and continues to discover something new about Psoriasis. If we all gave up we would never know what condition she had and she would not have the ability to start treatment on time. Her skin is not as flawless as it used to be but with much care she is getting there and she is still beautiful to me! 

My Personal Research Journey

I chose the topic of Autism for my simulation. When I graduated from college, my first job was an internship at non-profit Autism organization. I interned for 3 months then begin to work part time as a Programs Coordinator. Before this job, I only knew of the term Autism and maybe about one symptom. However, I began to learn a little more and had the privilege of meeting wonderful children and families. After a year and a half I decided to get a job in the early childhood field. I still wanted to do work with Autism but wanted to get my foot in the door of early childhood as well. About a month ago, my former boss asked me to join the team again for a school the organization is building for children in Ghana with Autism. I gladly joined and was interested in getting back to working on the issue of Autism. I chose Autism as my simulation topic to learn more and start back where I left off.

This week I did a research chart on understanding research. The more assignments I complete each week, the better I understand what research truly entails. I have come to understand that research is more than just reviewing an article or a book. Research starts first from understanding and analyzing the journal, article, or book and checking for its quality and credibility. Although I an understanding how to first go about research, I am still a little worried that the information may be overwhelming. I guess the best thing for me is to review what I learn each week and begin to apply what I learn. I will also seek in my colleagues and professor if I am ever confused or frustrated. 

Building Research Competency

Starting my fifth class on my journey to receiving my Master's.
Excited to learn and share once again!!

Final Blog Assignment

Throughout these past weeks, I was able to connect with professionals in the Early Childhood Field while also learning about current issues and trends on an international level.

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development:

1. Establishing Connections

 I had a challenging time connecting with international contacts. Once I found 2 professionals, I was sure that everything would go great and we would communicate on a weekly basis. However, this was not the case. Either my contacts responded late or never responded.

2. Increased Awareness

Although I did have a hard time establishing my connections, I was not deterred from learning about early childhood issues and trends abroad. I was able to study about issues in other countries from the different websites provided by Dr. Meyers. Even though, I was not able to verbally communicate with professionals; I still became aware of issues by studying and exploring international early childhood websites.

3. Increased Interest

From these assignments, I gained a lot more interest in early childhood internationally. I learned that children internationally are in need of a lot more support especially those living in poverty.

Goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations:

My goal for the field is to establish and maintain connections with international professionals. I would encourage us to not give up if our connections fail, but to continue to reach out and share and learn from international professionals.