Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Q and A with the experts: the psychology of physical distancing for kids

The University of Waterloo has a number of experts available for comment on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As discussions continue about what the school year will look like in Canada come September, many parents are wondering what physical distancing rules mean to their kids? Do these rules confuse them? Do they do psychological harm in the classroom or at daycare?

We asked Professor Heather Henderson, an expert in developmental psychology, to weigh in.

What does physical distancing mean to kids? How old do they have be to understand it?

By the early preschool years (3 or 4 years), children can understand the need for physical distancing at a very basic level. Parents and teachers can use simple explanations like ‘to make sure germs don’t get passed around.’ By early elementary school (age 5 or 6), children will likely have more questions and we want to be sure we are explaining in a way that doesn’t cause more anxiety than they already have. Children need to know they are safe and adults should do their best to explain that everyone in their family/school are working hard to maintain social distancing so we can keep each other safe. 

How will small children in particular at daycare or in the lower elementary school grades deal with physical distancing?  

Small children may need lots of reminders, but they can definitely do this! For younger children, it is important to have physical reminders around all the time (e.g., circles on the floor showing each child’s spot) and to come up with routines that build in social distancing (e.g., standing in line with one arm in front and one arm behind to keep 2 metres between everyone). 

Young children naturally spend a lot of time in parallel play which means they like to do a solitary activity (e.g., colouring) in close proximity to other children doing the same activity. We can use this natural preference to our advantage at school and at home by coming up with activities in which children work on the same project, distanced apart, and using their own materials. Children can still talk about their projects and ideas while maintaining safe physical distancing. Young children also enjoy contributing “parts to a whole” so each child can contribute one part of a bigger project that parents and teachers can put all together to display. 

Is this something parents/teachers need to worry about in terms of their mental health?

I think isolation is difficult for children (and adults), but I do not think that our temporary need to spend time with others while maintaining safe social distancing is going to create a general risk to mental health. I think it’s really important to have honest conversations with our children about how hard this feels, but to explain that we are doing this now to make sure we all stay safe. Children should be given a chance to talk about what they find difficult about distancing. Parents and teachers can help children come up with other ways to create “closeness” like writing letters to friends and classmates about the things they will look forward to doing together when it is safe again. 

Heather Henderson is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology. Her research interests include the role of early temperament on children’s social development, affective and cognitive influences on self-regulation in typically- and atypically-developing children, and developmental psychophysiology.

Waterloo professor on The Pathologist's "Power List 2020"

Waterloo’s Hamid Tizhoosh is among the 20 pathologists and computer scientists listed in this year’s “Power List” by The Pathologist, joining colleagues who achieved big breakthroughs as "trailblazers working at the cutting edge and driving forward the future of the field”. 

Hamid Tizhoosh is a professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Systems Design Engineering since 2001 where he leads the KIMIA Lab (Laboratory for Knowledge Inference in Medical Image Analysis). His research activities encompass artificial intelligence, computer vision, and medical imaging. He has developed algorithms for medical image filtering, segmentation, and search. Presently, he is the AI Advisor of Huron Digital Pathology in St. Jacobs. In addition, he is a faculty affiliate to the Vector Institute of Toronto, where he leads a pathfinder project on using AI in radiology.

The Pathologist, an award-winning international monthly publication, is the exclusive print and online media of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The Pathologist collects nominations from the pathology community. An expert panel selects the distinguished physicians and researchers based on their track record and achievements in the field.

The magazine provides ASCP members with access to news, editorial features and opinion pieces on all aspects of laboratory medicine and diagnostics, including the research, personalities and policies that shape the pathology and laboratory medicine sector.

Campus police want your backpacks for charity

A message from University of Waterloo Police Services.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service has challenged the community to take part in its third annual Backpack Challenge. 

From now until Friday, August 21, if you can, please consider donating one of the following: 

•    New Backpacks
•    Lunch Bags 
•    School Supplies
•    Cloth Masks

Donations are being accepted at University of Waterloo Police Services, located in the Commissary building on Ring Road just north of the Davis Centre.

New remote course design experience available; other notes

The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) has added a new self-enrol course in LEARN. The Independent Remote Course Design Essentials (iReCoDE) is a self-paced, independent experience that guides instructors through the steps of preparing their remote course. The course is available by clicking on “Self-Registration” on the top navigation bar of your LEARN homepage and selecting “Independent Remote Course Design Essentials” from the list of available courses. The goal of this site is to provide you with the resources you need to become remote teaching ready -- at your own speed and in your own time. CTE staff are available for consultation at any point along the way. 

The latest event in the Engineering Alumni Speaker series will take place on Thursday, August 13. "Engineering Our Way Through a Pandemic: How Waterloo Engineers are Finding Solutions" is a virtual event open to everyone and will feature Dean of Engineering Mary Wells moderating a panel of speakers including Marc Aucoin, a professor in Chemical Engineering, Ryan Denomme, founder of founder and CEO, Nicoya Lifesciences, and Sheldon Fernandez, CEO of DarwinAI.

"In a worldwide race to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, Waterloo Engineering professors and alumni are working on engineering a variety of unique solutions," says the event's summary. "Join us for this virtual webinar to learn about vaccine development and the complexities involved, portable and rapid diagnostic testing, and innovative ways of using imaging for screening and diagnosis. The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panel."

The event takes place at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. A Zoom link will be sent to registrants. 

Here's what is coming up at the Centre for Career Action (CCA): 

• Wednesday, August 19: Career Spotlight: Management Consulting, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• See CCA’s offering of virtual programming online. Students can register on WaterlooWorks. 

Centre for Career Action virtual drop-in advising hours for August: 

• Online résumé, cover letter, interview and work search drop-ins and Career Consults for UG and Masters students are running 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. PhD student and postdoc drop-ins are running 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students can book these virtual drop-ins through WaterlooWorks.