AIDS Education for Children

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a medical condition that results when the Rosetta Stone V3 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) irreparably weakens the immune system so that it cannot properly fight off infections. Educating children about AIDS can not only help them understand what loved ones with the condition are going through and why, but help them prevent infection later in life. Since the condition was first identified in the early 1980s, it has reached epidemic proportions, with nearly 2.7 million people newly infected with the virus in 2008 alone, according to Avert, an international AIDS charity. Of these new infections, one in six were under 15 years of age. Thus, most children will, during their late childhood, likely have at least one friend with the disease.FunctionProviding children with AIDS education will teach them what steps they can take to Rosetta Stone Spanish Latin avoid becoming infected. While younger children may not have a very high chance of infection, their risk level goes up as they enter the teen years and begin engaging in high-risk activities such as unprotected sex and drug use. Even those teens that don't engage in high-risk behaviors will benefit from having had AIDS education early in their childhoods, in case they end up with infected friends who need their understanding and compassion.FactsWhen teaching children about AIDS, it's important that they understand the facts. Explain Rosetta Stone Spain Spanish how HIV is transmitted and what steps can help prevent infection. Also, teach students how HIV causes AIDS, and how AIDS can result in secondary illnesses that defeat the immune system. "AIDS education requires detailed discussions of subjects such as sex, death, illness and drug use," Avert notes.ContextWhat AIDS education should not include is viewpoints. For instance, opinions about AIDS being transmitted as the result of "bad" or "sinful" activities should not be shared with children. The idea that people get HIV only by engaging in immoral activities perpetuates negative stereotypes about people with the condition and increases the stigma attached to the disease.TimelineWhile it may not be appropriate to talk to first or second graders about unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, there are other ways to approach AIDS education. For instance, you can teach children about how viruses and human reproduction work as early as 5 years of age. As children get older, build on that foundation. Avert suggests that children can learn about the role of condoms in protection by the age of 9. "Often, young people are denied life-saving AIDS education because adults consider the information to be too 'adult' for young people. [ Rosetta Stone Software ] These attitudes hinder HIV prevention, as it is crucial that young people know about HIV and how it is transmitted before they are exposed to situations that carry a risk of HIV infection," says the Avert website.