T H E S C I E N C E O F E A R LY B R A I N D E V E L O P M E N T. Kristen V.W. Connolly, MD Pediatrician

Transcription

1 T H E S C I E N C E O F E A R LY B R A I N D E V E L O P M E N T Kristen V.W. Connolly, MD Pediatrician

2 DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT 1. Physical 2. Motor 3. Cognitive 4. Communicative 5. Social-Emotional Body structure Body movement Information processing Speech, language and understanding Sense of self; interactions with others/world

3 Social-Emotional Communicative Cognitive Motor

4 CONDITIONS FOR HEALTHY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT 1. Relationships Healthy, nurturing, and responsive relationships provide support, guidance, and role modeling. 1. Interactions Stimulating interactions and learning opportunities with adult caregivers strengthen brain connections and facilitate social-emotional development 1. Environment Safe, stimulating,, and stable environments provide opportunities for learning activities and supports and nurtures healthy relationships with adults. 1. Nutrition Sensitive and responsive feeding supports attachment; adequate nutrient intake is vital to healthy brain and body growth and development.

5 CORE CONCEPTS 1. Experiences build brain architecture. 1. Serve and return architecture shapes brain circuitry. 1. Toxic stress derails healthy development.

6 Building Brain Architecture Babies are born with >100 billion neurons. The newborn brain weighs 25% of what an adult brain weighs. More than 80% of a child s brain develops in the first three years of life. Every second, 700 new neural connections (synapses) are formed. Neural synapses increase from 50 to 1000 trillion by 8 months.

7 Building Brain Architecture Initial synapses present at birth primarily help govern basic bodily functions (heart rate, breathing, eating, sleeping). The interaction of genes, experiences, and environment help create and strengthen synapses. Elimination (pruning) of synapses is part of normal development. (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000)

8 Building Brain Architecture P. Levitt (2009)

9 Building Brain Architecture

10 Building Brain Architecture

11 CORE CONCEPTS 1. Experiences build brain architecture. 1. Serve and return architecture shapes brain circuitry. 1. Toxic stress derails healthy development.

12 Serve & Return Circuit Building Infants offer babbling, facial expression, and gesture, and learn from and respond to the responses adults offer. Absent, inconsistent, or inappropriate responses from adults can lead to disparities in learning and behavior. Baby Still Face Experiment (Dr. Edward Tronick, Harvard University)

13 Serve & Return Circuit Building Language development starts early (infants coo by 8 weeks). Infants interact differently with different people by age 3 months. Infants demonstrate social referencing (looking to parents for how to respond) and copy expressions and gestures by 8 months. Language development requires stimulation and reciprocal interaction (talking, reading, singing) TV is not reciprocal!

14 Serve & Return Circuit Building Social interaction is a vital form of stimulation for infants and toddlers. Strong, positive relationships help babies develop trust, empathy, and self-esteem. Infant emotions can be affected by emotional health of caregivers. Emotional wellbeing and social competence form the foundation for cognition.

15 CORE CONCEPTS 1. Experiences build brain architecture. 1. Serve and return architecture shapes brain circuitry. 1. Toxic stress derails healthy development.

16 Toxic Stress Positive stress: Moderate, short-term physiological response to an uncomfortable experience. Tolerable stress: More significant stressors; buffered by positive adult supports which mitigate potential damage of stress response. Toxic Stress: Persistent activation of body s stress management system due to unrelenting adverse experiences without adult support (poverty, abuse, neglect, parental substance abuse/mental illness, violence etc.) Exaggerated stress response affects developing brain architecture and makes children more vulnerable over time to many chronic conditions.

17 Toxic Stress

18 Toxic Stress

19 Toxic Stress

20 Toxic Stress

21 WHY THIS MATTERS Early child development determines later success. Development of our children directly affects development of our local community and economy. We have an opportunity to help foster healthy child development, which will strengthen our communities.

22 QUESTIONS?