Understanding early human development provides a foundation for understanding:

Perhaps J. W. Ballantyne said it best over 100 years ago when he described his personal journey while studying human prenatal development:

"I began this work in a spirit of something very like active curiosity, I have prosecuted it with an ever-deepening interest, and I have brought it thus far with the growing sense that I have been dealing with a subject of tremendous importance for the future of the [human] race and the individual…"

J. W. Ballantyne, M.D., Manual of Antenatal
Pathology and Hygiene - The Foetus
(Edinburgh: William Green & Sons, 1902), vii.

A Note to Health and Science Teachers

Is it time to rethink human development education for science and health teachers?

We are living in an exciting time when science and technology provide unprecedented insights into all aspects of human form and function throughout the human life cycle. Sadly, the tremendous educational potential of these advances is tempered by the disappointing state of early human development education at every level. (See sidebar)

Future Health and Educational Achievement Begin at (and Before) Fertilization
Many teachers and citizens are concerned with preparing children from disadvantaged backgrounds for school and toward this end strongly support programs such as Head Start. The use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs during pregnancy contributes to the number of children who need programs like Head Start. These exposures are associated with low birth weight, premature birth, miscarriage, learning disabilities, behavior disorders, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and many other complications. Substance abuse during pregnancy continues despite considerable intervention efforts. Effective early human development education can prevent behaviors that give children disadvantages and give them the best head start – good health.

A Shared Duty
Parents, health professionals, and educators have a duty to promote children’s health even if school performance is unaffected. Because health is a major determinant of school performance, promoting students’ health is an especially vital concern to educators and every responsible member of society.

Utilizing Technology
If we are to sharply reduce or eliminate substance abuse during pregnancy, we must “win over” young women and men before they are likely to become parents (See Our Introduction page). A number of studies report that showing ultrasound images of the fetus to pregnant women positively affects their behavior in the areas of smoking and alcohol use. Scientists report that prenatal imaging promotes prenatal bonding between the mother-to-be and the fetus and can help motivate healthy behaviors. The widespread use of prenatal imaging during and before pregnancy has the potential to greatly reduce prenatal substance abuse. Because health and educational achievement begin at fertilization, intervention efforts should ideally begin prior to conception and continue throughout pregnancy and beyond. The middle and high school years are the perfect time, and the classroom setting with trained health and science educators is the perfect place for this type of education.

Help is Available
EHD’s cutting edge teaching tools are based on the findings of human development experts and can be used by educators to impact and inform students’ choices regarding a host of health issues including substance abuse during pregnancy and throughout their lives.

Rethinking Human Development Education
Most health and science teachers are unfamiliar with advances in human development research and applications because such training has been unavailable (see sidebar). Teachers, we welcome you to our website and invite you to use our educational and assessment tools, lesson plans, human development summaries, and other health information. We hope you will partner with us by using our materials, embracing our health education campaigns, providing valuable feedback, and sharing your insights. Our mission is to equip you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence you need to apply the science of human development in a way which maximally enhances the lifelong health and educational achievement of every student.

Why Does EHD Emphasize Teacher Training?
An important goal of health and science educators is to impart to their students the knowledge and decision making skills necessary to maximize lifelong health. EHD is uniquely positioned to equip and train health and science teachers to achieve this goal.

Educators, we hope you will partner with us by using our materials, embracing our health education campaigns, providing valuable feedback, and sharing your insights. Our goal is to equip you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence you need to apply the science of human development in a way which maximally enhances the lifelong health and educational achievement of every student.

Additional Resources
EHD has additional resources available for educators. These resources contain training materials, teacher training seminars, web-based courses for educators, classroom supplemental materials, and suggestions for using EHD’s materials in the classroom. Resources are available for Health and Science curriculum.