Dr. Fonagy, a psychologist and psychoanalyst and an internationally recognized authority in the field of infant and child development, will share his observations with November conference participants. Some of the things we know about children in Kansas are that social class, and particularly poverty, is a prime forecaster of the future in a child's life. For instance, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which accounts for 16 percent of infant deaths, is on average 4-5 times higher in mothers with less than a high school diploma than it is among those with a college education. Infants and children growing up in poverty are more likely to have health problems, cognitive delays, and behavioral problems when compared with more affluent children. Poor children are more likely to experience medical problems and are more likely to be further jeopardized by a greater exposure to power-assertive discipline and physical punishment in the absence of supportive parenting.
Poverty is only one factor in a child's development.
Other factors include marital quality, adolescent parenting, and family violence. Twenty-five percent of births in Kansas between 1989 and 1994 were to single mothers. The children of single mothers have injury rates double those of children in two-family homes. Though many young mothers do well, there is considerable room for assisting adolescent mothers. While studies differ, Dr. Fonagy said, it may generally be claimed that children in secure, loving homes, tend to grow up to be healthier in terms of emotional expression, social relationships, more competent in terms of language skill and achievement, and have a more positive self image.