Contact: Erika Celeste
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Any parent who's had a child repeat an overheard conversation at an inopportune time knows children always are watching, listening and learning.
As Mississippi and other Gulf Coast states enter the middle period of the 2007 hurricane season, researchers at Mississippi State's Early Childhood Institute are reminding parents that the fear and anxiety they may feel about a potential disaster is as much a part of their child's life as it is their own.
Institute director Cathy Grace, a professor in the university's College of Education, says, "It's important to monitor what children are watching on TV so they are not bombarded with storm scenes of the past, because young children [preschool age and younger] cannot differentiate between what was and what is."
Grace also cautions adults to be mindful of their conversations with other adults when little ears are present. Children often overhear more than parents realize and may draw incorrect conclusions, which may lead to additional anxiety, she adds.
Grace said the institute's Katrina Recovery Project currently is taking the additional step to educate preschool teachers in the Gulf Region about how to build coping skills and resiliency with their young students who may have suffered trauma during Hurricane Katrina.
"We would remind families in the affected areas that anyone needing mental health services, references and/or help may contact us for assistance," Grace said.
For more information, contact Cathy Grace at 662-325-4954 or cgrace@colled.msstate.edu.
Katrina Recovery Project coordinators Pam Mottley and Connie Clay may be reached at 601-544-4959 and 601-853-3972, respectively.