Why We Can't Be Like Chuckie

We all know a few.

Chuckie from the Rugrats is best known for his expression of fear and anxiety. Regardless of the situation he seems to always have a bad feeling about what could happen, and rightfully so in some cases. However, if not for the fearless Tommy, Chuckie would have most likely been excluded from various activities and experiences that may have contributed to his development as a functioning adult.

So what’s the point?

Okay I get it, starting the entry with a quick summary of a children’s TV show character may not make the best of sense but bear with me, in a talk given by Dr. Kalin we were exposed to some rather interesting data supporting the correlation between childhood shyness and later anxiety disorders. Dr. Kalin believes that children who express the anxious temperament, AT for short, phenotype are affected by behavioral inhibition. In addition, children can be effected by various levels of AT, from low levels which have a 50/50 chance of either being grown out of  or developing into behavioral disorders such as ADHD, anxiety or even depression to Chronic cases of AT, i.e. high levels, almost always develop into one or more types of disorders. Dr. Kalin later states that studies are in support of the belief that children as young as two can be seen to express shy and introverted tendencies associated with AT. Chuckie, who is about 1 and a half to 2 years old, can be used as an example child for someone with AT. The reason children like Chuckie are so at risk is attributed to not only their increased risk of developing psychological disorders but also due to the fact that these children, as stated by Dr. Kalin, are at risk for developing addictive habits like drug abuse and gambling.

Poor Chuckie!!

Anxiety and depression can strip people of their lives and sense of control, so to know that your child may be at risk of developing these disorders can really tug at the heart strings but luckily there is hope. If acted upon early enough, children can be treated for these disorders before they become an even bigger problem in the future. However, the longer a parent waits to act the harder it is for treatment to aid the child.

Naturally then the next question would be “How do I know if my child needs help?” lucky for us Dell’Antonia, a writer for the times, mapped out 5 telltale signs for us , while these are written to asses children ages 4-6 we can still apply them to younger cases, I will discuss a few of these points now. For instance, the first sign described by Antonia is “when your child is endangering himself or threatening to harm himself”(2013)  this can be seen as anything as extreme as rapid swings in temper to purposely throwing themselves on the floor. These could be seen as more extroverted problems but none the less it is best to address possible problems early as in any case, the longer we wait the hard it is for treatment to work. The second more relevant sign is “when the child’s behavior is interfering with his daily life, or the family’s functioning.“ (2013) introverts can be weary of new experiences and as such they can adapt poorly when thrown into unfamiliar environments. Dr. Kalin has studied the behaviors of children, much like Chuckie, and compared their dispositions to more well-adjusted children. His result saw that, when presented with a stranger, introverted children more readily shut down and avoid eye contact with unfamiliar adults, the more extroverted children on the other hand while initially a bit hesitant quickly adapt and accept strangers as seen in their willingness to play. While these introverted children’s attitude towards strangers may not be a completely bad it does correlate towards their later success in life attributed to how willing these children are to taking risks. The remaining points that Dell’Antonia make revolve around the family life and how the child’s behavior can affect the marriage as well as the well-being of siblings. Regardless of the cause for doubt in your child’s wellbeing it is always better to be proactive in their assessment and possible treatment as it could rob them of their future success if they are left untreated.

Hey that wasn’t my next question!

Okay I may have jumped the gun; logically one would also want to know “how” a child’s early temperament can be a predisposing for adulthood mental disorders.AT, as explained by Dr. Kalin, may result from changes in the prefrontal cortex. These changes are attributed to Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, SNPs, during development that changes the expression of a gene slightly. SNPs can vary in their effects based on where in the three based sequence they occur. For instance a mismatch of the first nucleotide can result in the coding of a completely different amino acid, which can then go on to change the shape of the protein that it codes for, resulting in a mutation that can directly affect the person’s life. Based on the nature of sequencing, it is most favorable for a mismatch to occur in the third base of the triplet since the chances of this point causing a drastic life altering effect are slim. Since AT is described as a phenotype, the altered base pairs affected by SNPs can attribute to the varying levels of AT expression in the developing embryo. As a result, this predisposes these children to future disorders like depression and anxiety.  

The best treatment depends on when this problem is identified but if addressed early there are good chances for these children to become functioning adults. So relax Chuckie, I'm sure you’ll turn out just fine! 

Works Cited.

DELL'ANTONIA, KJ. "5 Signs That It's Time to Seek Outside Help for a Struggling Child." Motherlode 5 Signs That Its Time to Seek Outside Help for a Struggling Child Comments. The New York Times, 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. <http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/5-signs-that-its-time-to-seek-outside-help-for-a-struggling-child/>.