Early Childhood Brain Development - What's The Science?

Their brain development is most critical during the first 7 years. The brain develops at a rapid rate the first three months. It is easy to see the difference in the size of the brain between a newborn and an adult. The brain size at the end of this period is approximately half that of an adult. It is capable of taking in a lot of information during that period, mainly because it is necessary for survival. Research by the JAMA Neurology Network shows that male brains develop faster than female brains. The fastest growth is linked to movement. After birth, the most rapid changes take place. The cerebellum, which is connected to movement, grew at the fastest rate and doubled its size within the first 90 days. The fastest rate of growth was recorded for the hippocampus which is related to memory. These studies are very important as they provide information about the brain development of babies. They may also help explain why some babies can climb trees at six months old. This phenomenon is common in tribal groups that live in areas with predators. The result is that children who are educated at an early age in Western countries can learn better from school than those who are left to their own devices. This has a positive effect on governments that support early childhood learning in Australia. Children can start pre-school at 4 years old, but this is after they have already been to day-care centers where they are learning. The brain must have channels open by seven years of age to allow learning to continue. For example, children who are from bilingual families can switch easily between one language and the other. Children who have not been taught a second language at primary or secondary school will have difficulty focusing. This may also apply to science and mathematics. From birth to seven, the formative years are the most important time to teach new skills and prepare them for their future endeavors. Pseudo-suggestions can also be helpful to a child in making career decisions later on. Radha was a software engineer, perfectionist and an expert in the field of software engineering. Radha was a skilled programmer and was well-respected for her ability to solve problems and dedication. She was meticulous about every project she took on. After thoroughly researching the project, she would then analyze it and provide the correct solutions. Since the past 4 months, she had been working at home as her and her husband decided that she would not be able to stress. She was six months pregnant, and taking good care of her mental and physical health. After 3 months of labor, she was ready to return to work. She visits the doctor to learn how to manage her child and ensure that the child is not negatively impacted. She was confused that schooling begins after three years, and she wanted to learn how she could nurture her child\'s first days. This is a common problem for most working women. Early childhood is a time of rapid brain change. The brain creates and refines complex connections throughout childhood through synaptogenesis and pruning. The brain of a child goes through an incredible period of development, from birth to three years old. It produces more than a million neurons per second. Research has shown that brain development is crucial in the early years of a child’s life. This has led to an explosion in research over the last decade. At birth, a newborn has the majority of brain cells we will need for the rest of our lives, but very few connections between the cells. The brain builds connections very quickly, it\'s creating synapses (connections). In the first year of life, a baby creates 700 new neural connections per minute. Life experiences can dramatically impact the process of creating the architecture of the brain. It is not genetically wired. Our environment is literally what shapes our brain\'s architecture in the first year. This is called neuroplasticity. Although the process of creating connections is biologically driven by biology, experiences can also encourage synapse creation. The brain creates more synapses that it will ever use. This process is called synaptic overload by researchers. This rapid formation of synapse continues into early childhood. Early childhood is also a time when myelination occurs, which involves the covering of nerve fibers with myelin sheath to allow for faster impulse processing. This is the main reason that children\'s brains grow. The brain grows to 80% in the first four years, from 2.6 to 3.3 pounds (1200-1500g) during adulthood. Pruning, which is the process of removing unused nerve fibers, is key to shaping young children\'s brains. Synaptic overload causes synapses develop very quickly. These connections are refined through pruning based on past experience. Regularly used connections become stronger and more complicated. The brain will eventually remove connections that are not being used in order to improve efficiency. An infant\'s brain is wired to be able to hear sounds in all languages. The brain builds connections to the sounds she hears in different languages during her early years. The brain eventually loses connections to other sounds. Adults have difficulty distinguishing sounds from other languages. The brain of an infant is dependent upon adults\' responsiveness. All those cute things babies do from birth -- sounds, smiles, coos, gurgles and sounds -- the way an adult responds is what shapes the brain\'s circuitry. A newborn\'s first familiar sound is its mother\'s voice. It is possible that this is why, in adulthood, hearing our mothers\' voices has a calming effect due to the strong connection.