Our Relationship to Risk | Judy Klein | TEDxTahoeCity

Summary

The script discusses the decline in children's risky play and its impact on their development. Risky play, such as climbing or playing in the dark, is crucial for children's sensory, motor, and decision-making skills. The fear of abduction and injury has led to a 50% decline in free play, causing a 'risk deficit disorder.' This decline is linked to increased obesity, poor motor skills, and anxiety. The script advocates for more risky play to foster resilience, confidence, and better decision-making in children.

Takeaways

• 🌳 **Risky Play Decline**: There has been a 50% decline in children's free and risky play over the last few decades.
• 👨‍⚕️ **Risk Deficit Disorder**: The term coined by David Eager to describe the negative trend of avoiding risk in children's play.
• 🚫 **Perceived Risks**: Parents' fears, such as abduction and injury, contribute to the decline, despite being statistically low.
• 🏡 **Intensive Parenting**: Children are over-scheduled, leaving little time for unstructured play.
• 📺 **Screen Time**: Children are spending more time indoors with screens, averaging 7.5 hours per day.
• 🧠 **Brain Development**: Risky play is crucial for developing neural pathways, sensory integration, and motor function.
• 🌱 **Sensory Integration**: Children need diverse sensory inputs for proper brain development, which risky play provides.
• 💪 **Motor Skills**: Risky play helps develop gross motor skills through activities like jumping, climbing, and running.
• 🧗 **Risky Play Elements**: It may involve heights, speed, tools, fire, or the possibility of getting lost, all crucial for child development.
• 🧠 **Adolescent Brain Development**: Early risky play experiences can affect risk-taking decisions in adolescence by influencing brain maturation.
• 🌟 **Benefits of Risky Play**: It promotes resilience, confidence, self-control, group work, adaptability, and emotional regulation.

Q & A

What is the term coined by David Eager to describe the decline in free and risky play among children?

David Eager, a professor of engineering and a safety expert from Australia, coined the term 'risk deficit disorder' to describe the decline in free and risky play among children.

How has the time children spend on free and risky play changed over the last few decades?

Over the last few decades, there has been a 50% decline in the amount of time children spend engaged in free and risky play.

What are the common fears that parents have regarding their children's safety that contribute to this decline?

Parents are afraid their children might be abducted, injured, or exposed to poisonous plants or animals, which are concerns that underestimate a child's ability to evaluate and manage risk.

What is the impact of intensive parenting on children's opportunities for unstructured play?

Intensive parenting often involves shuttling children from one scheduled activity to another, leaving little time for unstructured play.

What are the health consequences of reduced active play in children as mentioned in the script?

The health consequences of reduced active play include a rise in obesity, accelerated cardiovascular disease, and an earlier onset of metabolic syndromes like diabetes or high cholesterol.

How does risky play contribute to the development of neural pathways and sensory integration?

Risky play allows children to recognize and evaluate challenges, which is optimal for the development of neural pathways for sensory integration, motor function, and balance.

What is the significance of walking barefoot in the mud according to the script?

Walking barefoot in the mud is significant as it helps in developing arch strength, balance, and tactile processing on the feet.

What role does the vestibular system play in children's development, and how can risky play activities enhance its development?

The vestibular system coordinates balance, eye position, posture, and attention. Activities like spinning, rolling down hills, and hanging upside down can enhance its development.

How does risky play influence decision-making skills in children?

Risky play allows children to develop clear strategies for minimizing harm, making them more resilient, confident, self-controlled, and better at working in groups.

What are the two critical parts of the brain involved in risk-taking, and how do they develop during adolescence?

The two critical parts of the brain involved in risk-taking are the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. During adolescence, the limbic system develops more rapidly, becoming more active in reward processing, emotions, and risk-taking, while the prefrontal cortex, which controls impulses, develops more slowly.

How can early childhood risky play experiences affect risk-taking decisions in adolescence?

Early childhood risky play experiences can help children outgrow natural fears as their skills develop, potentially leading to better impulse control and decision-making in adolescence.

Outlines

00:00

🧒 The Decline of Risky Play in Children

The paragraph discusses the concept of risky play and its decline among children. Risky play, which includes activities like playing in the dirt, climbing, and getting lost, is seen as a natural part of childhood. However, there has been a 50% decline in children engaging in such free and risky play. The term 'risk deficit disorder' has been coined to describe this trend. Parents' fears, such as child abduction and injury, contribute to this decline, as does the era of intensive parenting and over-engineered playgrounds. The speaker, a pediatrician, argues that such play is crucial for child development, including the development of neural pathways, sensory integration, and motor function.

05:01

🌳 Sensory and Motor Development Through Risky Play

This paragraph delves into the importance of sensory and motor development in children, which is facilitated through risky play. Activities like walking barefoot, climbing, and playing in various sensory environments help children develop a strong sense of proprioception, balance, and coordination. The speaker highlights how modern children often lack these experiences, leading to issues like poor strength and balance. The paragraph also discusses how risky play is crucial for the development of the vestibular system, which is important for balance, eye position, posture, and attention. The speaker emphasizes that decision-making skills, which are like a muscle, are developed through exposure to risk in childhood.

10:03

🧠 Brain Development and Risk-Taking Behavior

The final paragraph focuses on how early childhood experiences with risk-taking can impact adolescent decision-making. It discusses the development of the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system, which are critical in risk-taking behavior. The speaker explains how the balance between these two areas changes during adolescence, leading to increased risk-taking. The paragraph also explores how limited risk experiences in early childhood can lead to either excessive risk aversion or risk-taking in adolescence. The speaker concludes by advocating for free play and risky experiences in childhood as essential for proper brain and body development.

Keywords

💡Risky Play

Risky play refers to activities that involve a certain level of danger or uncertainty, such as climbing trees or playing near water. In the video, it's discussed as a crucial part of child development that has been declining due to overprotective parenting and a shift towards structured play. The script mentions activities like playing in the dirt, running through mud, and whittling as examples of risky play.

💡Risk Deficit Disorder

This term, coined by an Australian professor, describes the trend of children having fewer opportunities to engage in risky play, leading to potential developmental issues. The video explains that this disorder is characterized by a lack of exposure to risk, which can hinder a child's ability to evaluate and manage risk effectively.

💡Free Play

Free play is a type of play where children engage in activities without adult intervention, allowing them to explore and learn independently. The video script notes a 50% decline in the time children spend in free play, which is seen as a negative trend affecting children's development.

💡Sensorimotor and Balance Problems

These refer to issues in a child's physical development, particularly in their sensory and motor functions. The video mentions that a decline in risky and free play may lead to an increase in sensorimotor and balance problems, as these activities are essential for developing neural pathways related to movement and spatial awareness.

💡Screen Time

Screen time is the amount of time spent watching television or playing video games. The script highlights that children are spending more time indoors with screens, which is associated with negative health consequences and a lack of physical activity.

💡Intensive Parenting

Intensive parenting is characterized by highly scheduled and controlled child-rearing practices. The video suggests that this approach leaves little room for unstructured play, which is essential for a child's development.

💡Neural Pathways

Neural pathways are the connections between neurons in the brain that enable the transmission of signals. The video explains that risky play helps develop these pathways, which are crucial for sensory integration, motor function, and balance.

💡Sensory Integration

Sensory integration is the brain's ability to process and interpret different sensory inputs. The video argues that risky play is important for developing good sensory integration, as it exposes children to various sensory experiences that they might not get otherwise.

💡Motor Development

Motor development refers to the growth of a child's physical abilities, such as strength, coordination, and balance. The script mentions that risky play is necessary for developing accurate and strong gross motor skills, as it involves activities like jumping, climbing, and running.

💡Vestibular System

The vestibular system is responsible for balance and spatial orientation. The video explains that activities like spinning and hanging upside down are important for the development of this system, which is crucial for coordination, attention, and concentration.

💡Decision Making

Decision making is the cognitive process of choosing a course of action. The video suggests that risky play helps children develop decision-making skills by allowing them to evaluate risks and consequences, which can lead to better impulse control and resilience.

Highlights

Risky play is essential for child development, including activities like playing in the dirt, running through mud, and climbing.

There has been a 50% decline in the amount of time children spend in free and risky play over the last few decades.

The term 'risk deficit disorder' was coined to describe the trend of decreasing risky play among children.

Parents' fear of abduction, injury, and exposure to harmful elements has contributed to the decline in risky play.

Children today spend an average of 7.5 hours a day on screen time, leading to health issues like obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Risky play is child-directed, allowing them to recognize, evaluate challenges, and decide on a course of action.

Risky play helps develop neural pathways for sensory integration, motor function, and balance.

One in six children is now referred to therapy for sensorimotor and balance problems due to a lack of risky play.

Early exposure to various sensory inputs is crucial for the development of neural pathways and sensory tolerance.

Children need five to eight hours of physical activity daily for proper motor skill development.

Walking barefoot helps develop arch strength, balance, and tactile processing on the feet.

The vestibular system, which coordinates balance and attention, may not develop properly without risky play.

Children who engage in risky play develop better decision-making skills and are more resilient and self-controlled.

Early risky play experiences can affect risk-taking decisions in adolescence.

The prefrontal cortex and limbic system in the brain are critical for risk-taking and undergo significant changes during adolescence.

MRI technology has shown that the limbic system develops more rapidly than the prefrontal cortex, affecting risk-taking behavior.

Risky play can lead to better impulse control and decision-making in adolescents.

Children report being happiest when engaged in free play, indicating the importance of allowing natural development.

Transcripts

let's explore our relationship as humans

to risk when we think about risky play

these are usually the images that come

to mind crazy stuff seemingly defying

rational thought as an emergency

position this is the bread and butter of

my day but as a pediatrician and a

wilderness educator I think about risky

play as starting earlier in life playing

in the dirt running through mud jumping

climbing getting lost whittling playing

in the dark but sadly these sorts of

images of children are becoming more and

more rare over the last few decades

there has been a 50% decline in the

amount of time children spend engaged in

free and risky play David eager a

professor of engineering and a safety

expert from Australia coined the term

risk deficit disorder to describe this

trend so what's behind this decline in

free play in risky play in children

unfortunately these days we view risk as

something negative something to be

avoided if you ask parents they're

afraid their children are going to be

abducted a fear that is bolide by actual

statistics they're afraid their children

are gonna be injured or exposed to

poisonous plants or animals once again

concerned that underestimate a child's

ability to evaluate and manage risk we

seem to view our kids as less confident

less responsible less trustworthy than

we were when we were young

in one study 70% of mothers reported

daily outdoor free play when they were

young but only 30% allowed their

children to do the same we're also in an

era of intensive parenting shuttling our

children from one scheduled activity to

the other with little time for

unstructured play when kids do get a

chance to play outside it's often on

playgrounds that have been over

engineered to be safe unchallenging as

my child says unfun nothing high few

things that spin and very little that

allows them to balance or hang upside

down but sadly these days most children

are spending their time indoors amidst

the glow of the television set or the

buzz of video games in one study of 800

Canadian kids aged

six to eleven children reported an

average of seven and a half hours of

screen time every day now there's been a

lot in the press about the health

consequences of this decline in active

play in kids notably a rise in obesity

and accelerated cardiovascular disease

and an earlier onset of metabolic

syndromes like diabetes or high

cholesterol but what about the effects

on the brain and the nervous system in

her groundbreaking new book balanced and

barefoot Angela Hanscom a pediatric

occupational therapist chronicles the

rise and sensorimotor and balance

problems and children that may be the

consequence of this decline in risky and

free play these days one in six children

is referred to occupational or physical

therapy for problems that used to be

rare basically bodies that are left

unchallenged don't develop properly so

what exactly do we mean by risky play so

at its core risky play is child directed

it allows a child to recognize and

evaluate a challenge and decide upon a

course of action it may involve height

or speed or dangers tools like knives or

axes it may involve dangerous elements

like fire or cliffs or fast-moving water

deep water or uneven terrain it may

occur in the dark it may involve the

possibility of getting lost it is her

opinion and mine that such risky play

provides the optimal state for the

development of neural pathways for

sensory integration motor function and

balance walking barefoot in the mud

breeze in the face

birds chirping jumping climbing managing

risk all without the sensory overload of

screen time so what kind of problems can

arise in kids that are deprived of such

experiences well scientists have long

known that early exposure to a variety

of different sensory inputs vision

hearing smell taste touch proprioception

all enhance the development of the

neural pathways between the sensory

organs and the brain and also enhanced

tolerance to a variety of different

sensory stimuli so for example

kids who are never given an opportunity

to play outside in weather or to walk

barefoot in rent and sand or mud may not

be able to tolerate wind in their face

or rain on their bodies or muddy hands

or feet children develop their sense of

vision by moving briskly jumping or

swinging and looking around at the same

time and if deprived of these

experiences their visual systems may not

develop well children enhance their

sense of hearing by learning to listen

in three dimensions walking barefoot

through the forest trying to identify

the location of a bird call provides a

perfect opportunity for this by lifting

heavy objects pushing pulling climbing

children develop their sense of

proprioception where their bodies and

limbs are in space without looking

without these experiences children may

follow a lot or have a difficult time

regulating their physical interactions

with other kids notably in games of tag

they may just push too hard bringing

together all of these different sensory

inputs is referred to as sensory

integration and kids who are deprived of

some of these physical challenges of

childhood may not develop good sensory

integration what about motor development

well in order to develop accurate and

strong gross motor skills children need

to activate the large muscle groups of

their core their arms and their legs

risky play does theirs through jumping

and climbing running on uneven terrain

and around obstacles and really in order

to develop these systems well young

children need to do this for five to

eight hours a day and even elementary

school kids need three or four hours a

day this kind of activity but sadly

that's not happening these days and the

consequences are apparent when you look

at strength so twenty years ago only one

out of every 20 kids was unable to

support their weight hanging off of the

bars by 2008 that number had doubled and

continues to rise walking barefoot is

another really important thing not only

develop arch strength and balance but

also for tactile processing on the feet

but most children many children aren't

being allowed to walk barefoot because

of safety concerns

what about the misstate of their system

so the vestibular system is super

important because it coordinates

balanced eye position posture and

attention so spinning rolling down hills

hanging upside down all enhance the

development of this system and kids who

don't get an opportunity to engage in

these sorts of activities either because

they're not playing outside or because

they're playing on these over-engineered

playgrounds may not properly develop

this system and they may follow a lot

now the other thing that the vestibular

system is super important for is

coordinating attention and concentration

children who don't have well-developed

the state of their systems will fidget

or rock back and forth in order to

activate this system and keep alert and

if you talk to teachers there's a lot of

that kind of behavior happening in the

classroom these days and what about

decision making well decision making is

kind of like a muscle that needs to be

exercised studies have shown that when

children are allowed to follow their

natural instincts and expose themselves

to risk they develop clear strategies

for minimizing harm they become more

resilient more confident more

self-controlled they're better able to

work in groups they're more adaptable

and they're more have their ability to

regulate their emotions play that

involves child Direction not adult

direction is what's key so organized

sports don't have the same effect let's

dive a little bit deeper into this

particular impact of risky play in

childhood do risky play experiences

early in life affect risk-taking

decisions in adolescence if we never

learn how to manage the risks around

climbing a tree or walking a street

across the stream on a log or making our

way through a forest how can we can

negotiate more high risk decisions like

sexuality drugs or extreme sports to

understand this a little better let's

take a look at brain development by the

age of six

our brains are 90

percent of adult size but there's a

whole lot of dynamic changes still

happening in the brain when it comes to

risk-taking there's two parts of the

brain in particular that are critical

the prefrontal cortex and the limbic

system and both of these are undergoing

a lot of changes during adolescence the

limbic system is responsible for reward

processing emotions risk-taking while

the prefrontal cortex controls our

impulses it's kind of like the police

for the limbic system now advances in

MRI technology have been amazing they

allow us to look at the development of

these various regions of the brain the

structure and size their level of

activity their interconnectedness so

what does MRI tell us well it's helpful

to think about nerve cells or neurons as

an aspen tree like this with regions of

the brain represented by groves and the

forest represented representing the

brain itself as nerve cells or neurons

grow they develop more branches or

dendrites their bark or myelin sheath

becomes thicker and more efficient at

transmitting messages and they become

more interconnected dopamine which is a

stimulatory chemical in the brain kind

of like a fertilizer of sorts starts to

bathe the limbic system earlier and more

generously than it does the prefrontal

cortex and gaba which is kind of like an

inhibitory chemical in the brain kind of

don't do it chemical is really hard to

find so enjoy believe it or not so in

childhood

both the prefrontal cortex and the

limbic system are similarly small and

undeveloped but they're balanced so

children are impulsive but they're not

driven to take great risks for rewards

or emotional reasons in fact studies

have shown that it can be pretty

analytical when it comes to taking risks

they take risks but they consider the

hazards in adolescence this balance is

lost because the limbic system develops

much earlier and rapid more rapidly than

the prefrontal cortex becoming a forest

while the prefrontal cortex remains a

sapling

so let's take a little closer look at

what are some of the determinants of

risk-taking in adolescence so on an

individual level gender and temperament

are particularly important boys and some

more so than others tend to take more

political risks

girls more social and emotional risk

messages from and more importantly the

actions of our siblings and our parents

also affect risk-taking behavior and

peer influences are well established by

the age of eight what about risk

experiences and early childhood now

emerging research and trends and

behavioral health suggest two ways in

which limited experience with risk in

early childhood can affect risk-taking

behavior in adolescents now young

children have natural and appropriate

fears based upon their abilities and as

they expose themselves to risk they

outgrow these fears as their skills

develop without risky play children may

never experience this ability to cope

with and overcome their fears and may

develop extreme risk aversion and

anxiety and that's what we're seeing

actually if you according to the

National Institutes of mental health

anxiety is epidemic among our children

with nearly one in four children

diagnosed with a disorder at the other

end limited opportunities to experience

risk manage risk and experience the

negative consequences of risky play in

childhood can lead to excessive

risk-taking in adolescence and studies

and showed in fact that there's a lot of

variability in the development of the

prefrontal cortex with more mature

adolescent decision-makers having

increased activity in this region of the

brain and studies and rats have actually

shown the same thing rats with plentiful

3play opportunities have enhanced

maturation of their prefrontal cortex

and better impulse control

so using this analogy of the aspen tree

early and ample risky play opportunities

may actually feed that prefrontal cortex

so by the time they reach adolescence it

doesn't lag so far behind

the limbic system better impulse control

to balance that desire for rewards would

be a boon for any adolescent and

certainly an adolescent who may already

be predisposed higher risk-taking

behavior because their temperament

children already report that they are

happiest when they are engaged in free

play and this may seem intuitive but

here are a bunch more reasons why we

should let children do what feels

natural to them kids know what they need

to develop their brains their bodies

their senses so let's get out of their

way and let them wander and explore play

in the dirt climb high Whittle play near

fire take risks and make mistakes

because this is the best education that

we can offer them thank you

you