Brain Development Determines Happy + Healthy Kids
Early childhood experiences directly influence the physical development of the brain. At the 2017 INA conference, we had the privilege of learning from Deborah McNelis from Brain Insights and would love to share that knowledge with you.
Understanding the intricacies of infant brain development is imperative for caregivers to provide the necessary support that is required. Genetics set up the potential for how the brain can develop but life experience is what actually wires the brain.
As caregivers, it is our responsibility to provide nurturing experiences as the brain is experience-dependent. 80% of all brains develop by age three, 90% of all brain development happens by age five, and humans are born with 100 billion brain cells. Preschool years are similar to the 4th trimester in terms of brain development.
The early years of life are where our brain development peaks so the experiences are absolutely critical. Brains develop based on the experiences and environment in an effort to 1) survive and 2) succeed.
With siblings, they’re raised In the same environment BUT they’ve had different experiences and they’ve got different temperaments and perception, if you read the same book to two siblings they’ll have totally different perceptions of growing up, based on their experiences.
Interestingly enough, the brainstem is the only part of the brain that’s totally developed at birth: its focus is on survival aka managing heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, body temp, etc. Oftentimes premature infants need breathing tubes and heart rate monitors because the brain stem isn’t done growing.
The midbrain/cerebellum develops and aids in balance, regulates sleep patterns, motor skills, napping and bedtime becomes more regulated that’s why newborns are wacky sleepers, don’t have developed motor skills! Once they start grabbing toes and reaching for rattle they’re developing midbrain.
The limbic system regulates emotion and memory, which are super closely related. If a child feels safe loved, and secure while they’re learning, they’ll retain the learning and memories much more.
Finally, the cortex completes development, this is second to last part of the brain to develop and in healthy growth, it should have the most brain cells and connections.These parts of the brain are all developing along the way but this is the order they complete development.
Here Are Fetal Neurons Making Connections:
The very last part of the brain to develop is right behind the forehead, the prefrontal cortex. Once this part of the brain is completed it becomes the CEO of the entire brain usually at age 25. For example, when a child wants candy as a 2-year-old they can’t regulate their behavior or control their impulses so they cry and may throw a tantrum wanting that candy.
As an adult, your brain allows you to take control of your emotions, you might be feeling embarrassed that people are looking at you guys throughout the tantrum, but you can talk to the 2-year-old and show them how to stay calm through the situation. Identify their feelings and empathize with them, guide them through that process and by doing so you actually aid in their development.
When caregivers and parents don’t understand brain development, children are sometimes criticized for behavior that they simply can’t help. Sometimes emotional brains are too immature for them to behave better, and behavior that results from immature brain development is sometimes perceived as rudeness or defiance.
Nurturing and supporting infants by consistently responding to their cues and meeting their needs directly correlates to the healthy development of their brains. Neglected children are shown to have literally less active brain cells.
Throughout early development, so many connections are made within the brain and it becomes confusing so the brain prunes out connections that aren’t regularly used, brains operate under a ‘use it or lose it’ policy so that it can become more efficient and organized. The brain adapts to whatever it’s exposed to so the brain hangs onto those experiences and whatever happens more frequently is considered important and those connections are preserved.
The brain creates easier and easier pathways the more that you do something, you can even change pathways by creating repeated new experiences. If you want to change behaviors you must create new pathways, it takes time and isn’t quick and easy. Repeating positive experiences makes a HUGE difference to babies brains! Lay the groundwork correctly as they’re tiny and you’ll positively their brain development and their future behavior patterns.
Photo By: Nat Caron
Whenever we feel threatened the brain stem and mid-brain pop into action and help us fight or take flight, if this happens repeatedly there’ll be more connections developed. With neglect, the emotional and thinking area of the brain doesn’t develop well because of a lack of nurturing experiences. With repeated trauma and neglect, the brainstem and midbrain develop to become larger while the cortical and limbic develop smaller. As a result, the child’s behavior is then based solely on survival. The kids will always be on high alert operating from their stress-response areas, not from their emotional and thinking brains.
When we feel stressed, cortisol is released and if a child is in a chronically stressful environment they have a consistently high level of cortisol which makes them overly alert, always expecting danger and looking for signs of death, chaos, threats, unpredictability, etc. Not having needs met on a consistent basis causes cortisol to become like acid and it kills the connections in the brain.
Too much stress or an unavailable caregiver may cause the child to be fearful of exploration, uncertain about safety, doubtful of their ability to master new tasks, and they often become mistrustful of others.
Predictability reduces stress level for children which is HUGE for their brains development. Creating routine makes it easier for them to focus on the emotional thinking part of the brain. They need to be able to predict your response to things too, they need to be able to predict that you are there for them. The brain is always asking: ‘are you there for me’ and that reduces stress level when the answer is consistently ‘yes’.
In summary, the time from birth to 18 months is the critical window of opportunity to establish secure attachments with parents and caregivers. The brain needs a nurturing and stimulating environment, repetition of positive experiences, nutrition, sleep, touch, routines + consistency, and positive, predictable relationships. Keeping this in mind, meeting the child’s expressed needs does not spoil them but rather sets them up for self-regulation and a secure attachment to those that are caring for them.
To learn more about brain development check out Brain Insights, the incredible program that Deborah McNelis has created. She offers so many valuable resources to support and educate caregivers and parents.
What are some of your favorite resources for working with your youngest nanny kids? We’d love to hear about your personal experiences – reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram, and check out the other posts on the blog!
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