“In Our Baby’s Illness, a Life Lesson” by D’Angelo

For this assignment, I chose the video “In our baby’s illness, a life lesson”. It is a TED talk where two parents describe their experience with their child, Mario, who had a stroke when he was 10 days old. This medical condition can have a significant negative effect on one’s life, especially so early in one’s childhood. Because of it, it was possible that Mario would not be able to fully control his body for his entire life. So, his parents went to look for ways to rehabilitate the child. Although their initial attempt with specialized treatment failed, they tried a different method — simply including him in their favorite activities. In the end, they show Mario, who seems to have no issues with motor control for his age.

The video is, above everything, inspiring. It shows how one can adapt to conditions or disabilities thought to be crippling. Furthermore, the parents’ shift from viewing the situation as a problem they needed to solve to a more positive outlook highlights the importance of positivity, especially when working with children. Personally, I have doubts about the effectiveness of either treatment since they did not confirm that Mario had motor control problems, only that they could develop after his stroke. Nonetheless, if it helped prevent the problems’ development, it was worthwhile.

This video is relevant to developmental psychology because it draws attention to how differently one can develop if he or she grows up with serious medical conditions or disabilities. Furthermore, it shows the importance of a kind and caring environment, provided by parents in this case, to one’s development, especially in early childhood. Finally, it reinforces human adaptability and the fact that there are no lost causes in childhood development.