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You and your child
 Brain Development
This section of the site is dedicated to
child brain development and the things that
affect performance and concentration in
class, as well as medications that are used
by parents to control hyper-active children.
According to
research done by growingchild.com, studies
consistently find that the first three years
of life are critical to the emotional and
intellectual development of a child. During
these early years, 75 percent of brain
growth is completed. The effects of
this emotional and intellectual development
will not be seen, in many cases, until your
child reaches the third or fourth grade.
But what you do now will greatly affect
whether your child is ready to learn when he
or she enters school.
Consider this:
-
A child who
is held and nurtured in a time of stress
is less likely to respond with violence
later.
-
A child who
is read to has a much better chance of
becoming a reader.
-
A child
whose curiosity is encouraged has a
better chance to become a lifetime
learner.
How brain
development works:
Even before your child is born, all the
nerve cells he will ever possess have been
formed. These nerve cells are like a mass of
unconnected electrical wires. From the time
your child is born, his brain will
constantly strive to connect the wires.
But what makes the wires connect and what
does the connection mean to a growing child?
Every time a infant is held, read to, or
plays with a toy, these nerves make a
connection.
During the early years of life, these wires
are connecting at an amazing pace, and
once-in-a-lifetime windows of opportunity
are opening to learn certain tasks.
The wiring for sight, for example, is
developed during the third and fourth month
of life. If the visual system is not
stimulated during this time, the ability to
form the connections for sight are lost. The
same concept is true of intellectual
connections in the developing brain.
Until about 8 months of age, many things a
child can do will be initiated by his own
interest. First, he becomes looker. He shows
his curiosity in many ways-interest in your
face, in his hands, in feeling his clothing
and blankets.
During the period after 8 months and until
the age of 2 , every one of the four
educational foundations-language, curiosity,
intelligence and sociability-is developing.
It is important to establish the basic brain
wiring during this very early age.
We are not suggesting a program to develop
genius, rather, we advocate activities you
can initiate to help your child be ready for
school and exited to learn.
The following list includes some basic
ideas.
The brain
feeds on stimulation. For example:
Vision. In the 1960's Dr. David Hubel
and Dr. Torsten Wiesel found that vision
does not develop normally in cats if the eye
and brain fail to make connections during a
critical window of time in early life. In
the test, one eye of the kittens was held
closed after birth. After several weeks the
restraint was removed and none of the
kittens could see out of the eye that had
been closed, even though it was perfectly
normal.
There are several ways to stimulate vision.
Try a mobile over the baby's bed, or black
and white picture patterns. Your baby likes
to look at objects held about 8 to 15 inches
in front of him.
Language. Children whose parents talk
to them frequently have better language
skills than do children of parents who
seldom talk to them. Research studies have
shown that babies whose parent talked to
them more had a more extensive vocabulary.
At 20 months, babies of talkative parents
knew 131 more words than infants of less
talkative parents. At 24 months, the
difference was 295.
Brain Power. Mice and rats raised in
enriched environments, with toys and
playmates, have billions more connections
between brain cells and are better learners
than mice and rats raised alone in empty
cages.
Play is a good infant stimulation.
Toys do not have to be expensive, and
can include pots, pans, and boxes. Toys and
books are the tools of childhood. Dr.
Stanley Greenspan's "The Challenging Child,"
coined the phrase "floor time." It means
getting down on the floor and playing with
your child. This starts at a very young age
and progresses into "Candyland" and kick
ball. Raising a child is not a spectator
sport. Be involved in play with your child
in the lead.
Aggression. Exposure to violence can
hinder a child's ability to learn. "Children
living with some chronic threat, domestic or
community violence or physical abuse,
continue to act fearful even when they are
in school," said Dr. Bruce D. Perry,
director of the Child Trauma Program at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Constant exposure to an unpredictable,
threatening environment causes the brain to
repeatedly activate the brain systems that
respond to threat or stress. Over time, fear
becomes so ingrained that it becomes the
child's normal state. The result is
disastrous for children trying to learn.
"A torn jacket is soon mended, but harsh
words bruise the heart of a child." -
Longfellow
A child held and nurtured in a time of
stress is less likely to respond with
violence later. There is great medicine in a
hug.
Touch. Touching is the way babies
learn. Premature infants whose sensory
systems are activated by being held and
cuddled are more mentally alert and
physically stronger than those who are
isolated in incubators.
There are many activities you can play with
your child as he grows. The aim can be fun,
but many such activities will also help him
develop and use his brain.
A positive circle
A premise in education is that we learn
what matters to us. During these early
years, an enriched curiosity and good
language skills will lay the foundation for
a child. It is a positive circle. The more a
child explores and is exposed to new
situations, the more that will matter to
him, and the more he will want to learn.
A wonderful tradition as your child grows
older can begin at your family's dinner
table by asking your child, "What did you
learn today?" As your child grows, it will
be a routine part of the meal. A friend I
knew would send her child to the
encyclopedia for a morsel of information if
she did not come to the table prepared for a
discussion.
Unique and special qualities
It has taken hundreds of thousands of years
to arrive at the birth of your very special
child. Just think of parents, grandparents
and great grandparents whose decisions and
genes contributed to your child. If just one
had moved to another city or country, the
entire pattern would have been changed.
In your child, you have created a new
individual, born with her own unique set of
special qualities.
Your child is now beginning a journey which
could span 100 years. The time you spend or
don't spend with your child during the first
few years can dramatically affect his or her
entire life. Make the commitment to know
your child. There is no greater gift a
parent can give.
It is also important to help all children
because many of them will be your child's
future friend, fellow employee, neighbor,
wife or husband. Every child is our child.
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