Prenatal Development and Its Influence on Child Development: A Foundational Course on the Parent-Infant Relationship
9-week online course begins Monday, October 18 to December 13, 2010
The ways in which children develop and interact with their parents and environment is unique for each child. Seldom do people consider that many of children’s behaviors observed in the preschool years originate in the prenatal period. What happens during pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum not only sets the stage for parents but can influence the way children develop and interact with their environment throughout life. This online course is grounded in the belief that pregnancy, regardless of the outcome, begins the parent-infant relationship. It is designed for family educators, social workers, health care providers, and others working with families to facilitate positive parent-baby interactions that begin in the prenatal period.
About the Instructor
Joann O’Leary, Ph.D., MPH, MS, IMH-E® (IV). Joann holds a B.E.S. and a Masters in Maternal-Child Health from the University ofMN. She also has a Masters in Psychology through research fromQueens University in Belfast,Northern Ireland which was funded through a Rotary Scholarship. Her thesis title was: Psychosocial factors influencing maternal adaptation in Primiparas and the effect of the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Intervention. Her Ph.D. is in Work, Community and Family Education and from the University of Minnesota. Her dissertation was The Meaning of Parenting During Pregnancy After the Loss of a Baby: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study of Parenting a Subsequent Baby Following a Perinatal Loss. Her first career as an LPN in Pediatric NICU led into her second career as a birth to five preschool Special Education Infant Teacher in the inner city of St. Paul. She became certified as Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale examiner during her MPH course and moved into a hospital setting working within a HighRisk Perinatal Center.
Dr. O’Leary’s Ph.D. research was funded by the Bush Foundation. She does research and writing on prenatal parenting; pregnancy and parenting after the loss of a baby, including its impact on fathers and siblings, including adults who were the child in their family born after the loss of a baby.
If you would like a sample syllabus or have questions, please contact Karen Anderson, CEED Online Course Manager, at 612-625-6617 or ander352@umn.edu.
More information & online registration
A continuing education certificate for 24 clock hours, approved and issued by the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, can be earned by successfully completing course requirements. Our courses are also approved by the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) for their members for 24 clock hours each.
Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, 1954 Buford Avenue, Suite 425, St. Paul, MN, 55108. Phone: 612-625-3058. Fax: 612-625-2093. http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed.