I have been thinking about baseball lately with spring training starting next week, little league starting up, my son who has injured his leg playing soccer so baseball is out this year and having watched moneyball for the second time last night. All this baseball on my mind inspired me to dig up an old paper I wrote about the developmental importance of little league. I wrote this in 1999 for my "Life-span Development" course at the California School of Professional Psychology - Los Angeles. Enjoy!

Little League: A developmental tool?


Baseball has been coined "Americas favorite pastime." It has been enjoyed by all ages since the turn of the century. The game of baseball is a game of skill, cooperation, and competition. As an organized sport, baseball has manifested itself through the Major leagues, minor leagues, and the focus of this paper, the little leagues. The official age range to join the little leagues is five to twelve years old. This raises the interesting clinical question of whether or not five is the developmental appropriate age to participate in this organized support.

For those new to the game of baseball here is the basic breakdown. It is a game that requires two teams of nine to play against each other. One team attempts to hit a ball, one player at a time, either pitched or on a tee, into a field where the other team attempts to catch the ball or throw it to one of four bases before the opponent reaches that base. The object is to be able to run around the four bases to score after you have hit the ball. Depending on the kind of hit, a player may run to the first base and stay, or the second, and so on. A player at a base then waits for the other teammate to hit, and then runs further down the bases in an attempt to score. This will continue until there are three outs. An out is accomplished by the team in the field catching a hit ball in the air, throwing the running player out by getting the ball to a base before s/he does, or by the hitter swinging at the ball three times and missing. When this occurs the team that was in the field is up to bat, and the team that was hitting before is in the field. This goes on for nine innings or nine full rotations of the teams. There are many other details and exception to the general rules, but for our purposes this will do.

Baseball is a game that requires a certain physical ability to participate. A child of five years old is just beginning to develop these physical skills. The child is beginning physical independence. At this age a child develops mature motor control. The balance of a child is maturing at this age as well. The child can walk, run, and jump with ease. "Between the ages of 6 and 12, children become noticeably more agile in their large- muscle movements (running, jumping, hopping, twisting, catching) (Thomas, R.M. 1990)." A child is also beginning to sense a physical preference over their right or left hand. However, a child does not have complete hand-eye coordination yet. Nevertheless, these are all necessary physical skills to begin the acquisition of the sport of baseball.

A child must be able to run in order to make it around the bases. A child must have appropriate balance skills in order to have the appropriate stance to hit the ball. A child must also have the ability to catch fly balls, which begins to occur at this age and begins to noticeably mature at age six. Having a preference of your right or left hand is important, allowing the child to develop a specific hitting style. However, one physical concern at having five-year-olds playing baseball is their lack of complete hand-eye coordination. In little league this is actually taken into account. The first entry level to little league is tee ball, which is where the ball is not pitched. The ball rests on a large tee to be hit by the child. This takes less of a mastery of hand-eye coordination then would hitting a pitched ball.

Physically, little league seems to be age appropriate. In fact, it would seem to be a perfect opportunity to allow children to hone in on their physical development and ability. The skills needed to play baseball are just beginning to develop at five years old. Having a sport that allows a child to work on their physical skills is a very important and fun way for a child to develop these skills. As a parent, I would want my child to have this opportunity to foster an understanding of their physical ability and limitations and be able to develop them through the game of baseball. This outside activity beats the Wii and XBox Kinect any day. However, baseball is not only a physical game, but also requires appropriate cognitive skills.

"By age five, the child has mastered his sensorimotor play sequences and is developing the ability to integrate knowledge concerning reciprocal roles, complex plots, and a vast array of objects and meanings into coherent themes (Trad, P.V. 1990)." At age five, according to Piaget, a child is at the end of his/her preoperational stage. The child's speech becomes more social and less egocentric. Soon the child will be in the concrete operations stage where s/he becomes even "more allocentric, meaning that the child can now better understand other's perspectives (Thomas, R.M. 1990)." Rules of a game are not completely developed, but authoritative do's and don'ts are understood. However, in the concrete operational stage rules are slowly understood and adhered to.

In baseball, the cognition needed to play is just forming in the entering little leaguer. Baseball has many rules that need to be followed and the five-year-old child is
slowly gaining this ability. Baseball is also a team sport and requires a less egocentric cognitive style, which is another ability developing at this age. The complexity of baseball can be enjoyed at many cognitive levels. However, below the age of five, a child would not be equipped to enjoy the sport on an organIzed level.     .

While a five-year-old child is just beginning to gain the cognitive skills to play baseball, one may argue that the minimum age to enter little league should be six. A six-year-old is more of a concrete logical thinker. I would rebut that a five year old is just beginning to join the ranks of the concrete thinker, and being a part of a baseball team will help make that transition easier and the development stronger. Five is a perfect cognitive age to begin playing, and, as a parent, I would strongly encourage my child to play. This leads into what I believe to be the most important reason to have little leagues. In addition to the physical and cognitive skills, baseball requires the development of social skills.

At age five, a child begins to develop heightened social skills in comparison to the year's prior. The child learns to give and receive as well as observe and compete with others. Again, this illustrates the move away from the egocentrism that has been a part of the child life until now. The child actually prefers to play with other children instead of playing alone. At this age the child is at the end of Erikson's psychosocial stage of "Initiative vs. Guilt." Here the child is initiating his/her own activities, cooperating with others, and broadening his/her skills through active play of all sorts. However, the child is also on the fringe of Erikson’s next stage of “Industry vs. Inferiority.” Here the child relates to peers according to rules. The child progresses from free play to play that may be elaborately structured by rules and demand for formal teamwork. Here the child begins to master the more formal skills of life learning. S/he becomes more competent and confident in activities valued by their peers and adults. However, in both these stages, if growth is not encouraged then the child may feel guilty for his/her independent desires and inferior in his/her development.    

In baseball, the social component is one of the most crucial aspects of the sport. It is a team game, and will not function otherwise. A five-year-old child is forming the ability to understand the concept of a team. Baseball is also a game with many rules and would lose all structure without them. A five-year-old now understands rules. At five it is more "yes" and "no" rules, but a good coach will be able to explain the game that way. Nevertheless, the child will soon enter the stage of understanding complex rules and regulation. One can’t play baseball without the appropriate social skills. There are nine players on a team that need to constantly think of each other. A five-year-old is just beginning to grasp this.

Baseball, especially for the camaraderie that it creates, is a wonderful social skills builder. A five.year·old child is just beginning to see the world outside of his/her personal space. To give a child the opportunity to foster relationships and begin formal social activity is a necessary task of parenthood. To not allow my child to participate in little league, or the sort, would be detrimental to his/her developmental growth. Age five is the perfect age to begin a child in the social environment of little league. Baseball is a game of physical, cognitive, and social competence. The minimum age to enter little league is five years old and ranges up to twelve or fourteen, depending on the city. These are crucial years of development that baseball caters to. There is a reason why little leagues can be found in any town and city in this country. America's favorite pastime may actually be America's best psychological tool of development.

References
Thomas, R.M. (1990). Counseling and life-span development. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Trad, P.Y. (1990). Counseling with preschool children: Uncovering developmental patterns. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.

On April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated for his nonviolent war against hate and intolerance. His death, and, more importantly, his life was not lived in vain. His fight changed the landscape of civil rights in this country and became a symbol of justice and equality for all who seek it. Below is a video I made a few years back about he history of hate in our country which features Dr. King.

When I watch this video I am grateful for the life of Dr. King and all the activists during the civil rights movement. We have a come a long way since the day of fire hoses and German shepards. I am also just as grateful for those who continue the fight as injustice and intolerance continue to plague society. We must remember that Dr. King was not only fighting for the civil rights of black Americans, but the rights of all mankind. As Dr. King said, "When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

We owe a debt to Dr. King, but it is a debt that can be repaid by continuing his work and make his "dream" a reality. The time for change has not past. The time for change is now, tomorrow and every day after. Every day we have decisions to make that can move us one step closer to tolerance, acceptance and equality or, sadly, one step further. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Below is a reminder of Dr. Kings' famous "I have a dream speech" that continues to inspire us to stand up against evil.

Thank you Dr. King.

I came across this unique business card recently and it struck me as a great message for this New Year. For those of you who are not sure what "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" means, it is the three keys you press on a PC to reboot it. It is used when your computer gets stuck or frozen and you have no choice but to restart. Nine out of ten times it solves the issue by clearing the local memory and lets you start over. It is not without ramifications as any unsaved work will be deleted, but lets you get back to work where before your computer was just an expensive electronic brick.

I think this is a wonderful analogy for the New Year. For many, New Years' is a time that we reflect on the past year and what we want to accomplish, change and make better this upcoming year. We make promises and resolutions for the new year and we are looking to start fresh. In many ways we are "rebooting" for the year ahead. This rebooting can create a sense of hope, purpose and excitement for the new year.

In therapeutic work, there is also value in rebooting. While there are different therapeutic styles and modalities, often part of the therapists responsibilities is helping our clients get unstuck. Often a client will perseverate on negative aspects of their past that they feel will never change. They can't see a positive future and do not feel they have any ability to effect change. They are stuck. It is the therapists job to work with them to effect this change and we have various therapeutic tools at our disposal. However, sometimes they just need a "reboot."

They need to know that things can change, that they can effect that change and that the bleak future they see can be replaced with one filled with hope, purpose and excitement. This can begin with a "reboot" in the form of the first day of therapy and a commitment to change. This could be at the start of the New Year with its built in fresh start. Either way, making a conscious decision to focus on positive change with practical and realistic steps to get there, while at the same time shifting focus away from negative aspects of ones past is a reboot that can help get that fresh start.

Of course, the idea of a reboot for the New Year and in therapy is not the key to happiness and therapeutic success, but like the computer it is the first step to being able to begin working again. I want to wish all you a Happy New Year filled with personal joy, health and meaning. Happy New Year!

As individuals dedicated to the emotional well being of our clients, I am always surprised when I come across a mental health professional who has seemed to have lost the muscle strength to smile. Clearly, smiling is not appropriate all the time. I have learned this the hard way as I have often found myself smiling in situations where my colleagues have had to kick or elbow me under that table, but controlling smiling is for another post.

Smiling is contagious. Smiling illustrates joy, being proud, acceptance and can be comforting. Smiling does so much.

For school guidance counselors, as you walk the halls of your schools, pick up a student from the classroom, give a presentation to parents or just spend a few minutes with with a group of students between classes, smiling can give our students that little extra boost they need to get through a long hard day. For therapists in private practice, as you welcome a client into your office, walk them out or when you are listening to them discuss their week, smiling is reassuring, shows you are listening and illustrates you are human. In fact, telling a joke or listening to one and laughing out loud with your client doesn't hurt either. Of course if you are new to smiling, start with a few smirks before you jump into a full belly laugh. You don't want to pull a muscle.

I came across this TED talk about "The Hidden Power of Smiling" and recommend you spend the seven minutes to watch it. It is fantastic.

Working with children in a school, whether you are an educator or a guidance counselor is an awesome responsibility. They spend most of their waking hours there and in essence is their second home. Does a school have a responsibility beyond academic advancement? Do our schools consider the social/emotional welfare of its students? In my experience, the answer is, depends on the school. I want to share one story that focuses on a well intentioned principle, but fell into the “we take care of our own” mentality and in my opinion falls short of taking social/emotional issues seriously.

I was once called by a young person looking for help because this child was being abused by a parent. I explained my mandate to report such abuse and ways this child could get help. The child seemed relieved. Shortly after, I received a voicemail from the principle of this child asking me not to report the abuse stating irrelevant reasons related to "handling this within the community".

After getting permission from the child to speak with the principle, I asked him how long he had knowledge of the abuse. He said for about a year and that he was working with the family. I then strongly educated him on his mandate to report and told him how his action was irresponsible and illegal. In many ways he was responsible for any abuse that took place after becoming aware of the situation and not reporting it. I then ended the conversation and reported the abuse to the department of children and family services (DCFS).

Child abuse is something, as I am sure for most of you, I find truly abhorrent. Sadly I have seen more than my share of it through my clinical work with emotionally, physically, and sexually abused children over the years. Fortunately, I have also had the opportunity of helping these children. There are so many young people out there at this moment without a voice, without an advocate, and without a chance of repairing the damage done by others. My work with these kids focused on regaining a sense of control, sense of self and, above all, a sense of innocence brutally robbed from them. More often than not the thief was a relative or someone close to them. When it happens within a close knit community it is often someone the child's educators, therapists and community members know as well. It is for this reason the mandate to report is so important, lest we thing we can handle it “within the community.” We can’t and more importantly, we shouldn’t!

Many people either think there is nothing they can do or that someone else will take care of it. I have met too many teachers, community leaders, neighbors, friends and parents who have allowed child abuse to continue because they thought someone else would deal with it or they just could not "believe" that so and so would hurt a child. We need to educate ourselves on the signs of abuse. We need to become better advocates for children, especially if we work with them on a regular basis.

I implore anyone who suspects that a child is being abused to do something about it. Check out this site and learn the signs and what you can do. If you live in New York you can report child abuse at the New York State Child Abuse Hotline: 800.342.3720 or call the 24-hour Crime Victims Hotline: 866.689.HELP (4357) to find resources outside New York. If you live in California check out the DCFS website or call their abuse hot-line at 1 (800) 540-4000. If you live outside California you can call them at (213) 639-4500 and they can guide you to your local state agency.

As for the child whose abuse I reported, DCSF got involved with the family and, I am happy to say, through various clinical interventions and support the abuse stopped and the young person and family are all doing well.