Download Early Brain Development

Early Brain Development
What We Know About Brain Development
 Conception to age three is a period of unparallel and intense growth
in brain development.
 The brain begins forming three weeks after conception, grows from the inside out,
and never stops changing and growing and continues throughout life.
 Brain development in the first year of life is more rapid and extensive than once
thought.
 We grow and learn because we are biologically programmed and because
brain development is influenced by environmental factors.
 Each brain develops in many different ways, depending on factors such as
genetics, experience, relationships, health, and nutrition.
 The quality of relationships and experiences in the first three years has a deep and
lasting impact on how the brain gets "wired."
 The synapses that get used most will strengthen and last - those that are unused
will eventually disappear .
 High quality early care has decisive and long-lasting effects on how children
develop and learn, how they cope with stress, and how they regulate their
emotions.
 Nurturing is the key factor to learning and regulating emotional responses.
 When parents and caregivers show responsive and positive early care,
babies thrive.
 Secure attachments, during the first year, predict social competency later in life.
 If an infant gets too little stimulation, such as lack of play, affection, language and
one-to-one contact, parts of brain development will be slowed down or will fail to
progress.
 Fostering and reinforcing positive interactions with babies will greatly influence
development.
 Reading, singing and talking are effective ways to help your child become a
successful learner.
 Good nutrition is one of the best ways to aid healthy brain development.
 At age three, a child's brain is twice as active as that of an adult.
 Critical periods represent a narrow window of time during which a specific part of
the brain is most vulnerable to the absence of stimulation or to environment
influences.
Newborn Brain Development
 The brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) that regulate cognitive activity.
 Brain cells connect through electrochemical structures called synapses.
 The neural circuits are responsible for breathing, heartbeat, circulation, sleeping,
sucking, and swallowing and are functioning well at birth.
 The brain is "wired" to seek our and learn language.
 The brain is mushy and fragile until myelin develops.
 Myelination begins at birth and continues until age two.
 By three months, the brain is ready for longer periods of sleep and extended
alertness.
 By three months, the brain distinguishes several hundred spoken words.
 Positively attached infants reduces a negative reaction to stress By six months, the front and rear lobes of the brain - those involved with
reasoning, language, and vision - become highly active.
 Vision is suited for social interaction- the baby focuses well on objects that are
8-12 inches away.
 Sense of smell is fully developed - the baby is able to distinguish smells from one
another.
 Sense of taste is fully developed - the baby is able to distinguish mild flavored
differences and will show preferences.
 Hearing is well developed - the baby can distinguish changes in volume, they
hear higher pitched sounds better.
 Sense of touch is well developed. The baby enjoys physical contact and responds
to how he/she is held, stroked, and patted.
 By eight months, most parts of the brain are fully active.
Age 1 – Age 3 Brain Development
 The cortex contains over a hundred trillion synapses.
 The brain has the greatest density of brain cell synapses (connections) by age
three.
 The brain has more synapses that it needs.
 The synapses used frequently become permanent.
 Those synapses not used, are eliminated.
 Between ten and eighteen months, the baby's emotional intelligence is aroused
and developed.
 After age three, the "window of opportunity" decreases.
Keys to Successful Brain Development*
Safe, healthy environments positively effect brain development.
Communication begins at birth and continues throughout life.
Loving, consistent, positive, trusting and stable relationships are
necessary for constructive social competency.
Interactions with people and objects positively influence development.
Touch is a critical nutrient for growth.
Play is essential to appropriate development.
Literacy experiences are essential to successful skill development in
talking, listening, interacting, viewing, and responding.
Music activities develop sound discrimination, rhyme, movement, and
memory.
Good nutrition plays a vital role in the growth and development of a
young child.
High quality care has encouraging long-term effects on children.
* In full compliance with From Neurons to Neighborhoods: National Academy Press,
2000.
Early Brain Development
Glossary
Brain: An oblong organ with a groove down the center. This groove separates the brain
into two hemispheres. A baby's brain triples its weight in the first three years.
Cerebral Cortex: The highest region of the brain, both in location and function. It
controls the lower, older, more automatic parts of the nervous system.
Critical Period: Developmental phases in which the brain requires certain environmental
input or it will not develop normally.
Dendrites: Neuron branches that are major receptive surfaces of the neuron, receiving
and processing signals from other neurons (brain cells).
Lobes: The four areas of the brain that are demarcated by major fissures (grooves) in the
brain. Occipital lobes responsible for vision, frontal lobes involved in movement,
judgment, emotional regulation, problem solving, decisions, planning, and creatively.
Parietal lobes involved in higher sensory-motor coordination and language. Temporal
lobes involved in memory, hearing, language, and emotion.
Myelin: Butter-like insulation around the nerves. Myelin enable nerves to quickly
conduct electrical impulses from one brain area to another.
Myelination: Process by which myelin is laid down on the nerves of the brain. At birth,
most of the brain lacks myelin. As the parts of the brain myelinate, the functions of the
specific area makes gains.
Neurons: Brain cells that store and send information.
Synapses: Connections between neurons through which nerve impulses travel. Unused
synapses will die off. Used synapses will survive and grow stronger.
Windows of Opportunity: Critical periods of time when the brain is capable of learning
most efficiently and thoroughly. During these periods, a baby can benefit most from the
learning he/she experiences through his/her senses.