Brain Development
Did you know that by age three, a child’s brain is 80% of its adult size? Our brains are important to us because they are an essential part of life. The brain is what tells your body to work, think, and feel. Without a brain, we wouldn’t be alive. Although the brain is an essential part of our life at all ages, the early years of development establish the basic structure and function of the brain. To help understand just how import this time period of life is to our brains, you have to understand the development of the neural pathways, the brain functions of children ages 3-8, the impact of the environment on brain development, and the activities and environments that contribute to the brain development of children.
Neural
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Brain development undergoes some major changes between the ages of 3 and 8 years old in the prefrontal cortex, cognitive development, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and perceptual development. The prefrontal cortex is the highest level of the brain and develops very rapidly between the ages 3-6. This plays an important part in attention, memory, and self-regulation. The brain in cognitive development shows rapid increase in memory and learning abilities. The density of synapses peak at age 4. Gross and fine motor skills in the brain show tremendous progress in the early childhood …show more content…
Multiple factors can affect the brain development and health of your child and among these are the environment and activities you can do with children. If a child is brought up in an environment of poverty, they could experience more stress than other children because their needs may not be met of getting food, attention, trust, and socialization needed. In a life of poverty children may be neglected of their basic needs. This can be stressful and too much stress and when a child is stressed, their brain releases cortisol. If there is too much exposure of cortisol to the brain, it could cause developmental and cognitive delays later down the road. For instance, one kindergartener may start school knowing his ABC’s, how to count to 15, and how to write their first name, while the other student who had a completely different environment, may not talk to anyone, not know his colors, numbers, or how to spell his name. It is important to form a bond with your child and understand where they are at developmentally to help and encourage cognitive growth. Some activities you can do with children are talk and explain things, sing songs, identify noises, listen, ask appropriate questions, offer a variety of games, practice shapes and colors, read to them or have them read to you, and have different activities of different subjects like math, music, and science, to mix it up and keep the
Throughout and for many years there has been a lot of controversy on how to trial someone who has committed a crime under the age of 18. A lie will be a lie even if it 's serious or innocent and that 's why just like a crime will always be a crime, no matter what the situation is. The age of a person who has committed murder shouldn 't be an issue or a complication. Many advocate that the juvenile is just a child, but despised that I believe that is no justification or defense for anyone who does a crime. America and the nation need to apprehend that juveniles that are being conducted to life in prison is not just for one small incident or crime, but for several severe crimes according to Jennifer Jenkins, Juvenile Justice Information
As every child grows up in a different environment, not all have a safe one to grow up in and as a result everything that surrounds them becomes apart of the clarity that their mind incorporates and becomes apart of that child 's behavior of way. In terms of brain development children or teens often listen, and see what is around them, it is also said, by researchers of the National Institute of Health, that in recent studies that were made that in teen years massive loss of brain tissue...
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It has been proven that a child’s early years are the peak at which the mind can bend and shape, creating the foundation for a life. We know now that even before birth, the mind is a delicate matter that if improperly taken care of could alter a person’s entire life. Nourishment and stimulation before and after the birth of a child mold’s the brain in its most malleable state. Medical and scientific institutes paired with parenting information organizations have made information readily available for parents, childcare providers, and students to advise them of the importance of childhood brain development. This information is not only critical for the child, but for the person they will become in the future.
Studies about early childhood development indicate that the brain develops in response to experiences with caregivers, family and the community, and that its development is directly linked to the quality and quantity of those experiences. Meeting a child’s needs during these early stages creates emotional stability and security that is needed for healthy brain development. Repeated exposure to stressful events can affect the brain’s stress response, making it more reactive and less adaptive. With time a child may react as if danger is always present in their environment regardless of what the presenting situation actually
The brain develops rapidly during childhood, and within the first ten years of development millions of brain cell connections are made which enable children to absorb information and learn complex skills which
Brain Development in early childhood is dependent on many factors. As the brain develops, cognitive, social and language acquisition activities build up. During cognition development language will naturally emerge. There are many factors that give to the outcome of brain development. As stated in The Development of Children, 2013 early brain development increases at a rapid rate. The brain does slow down its growth after infancy until there is another spurt around adolescence. The brain reaches about eighty percent of its mature weight at the onset of early childhood. At about five years of age, the brain is closer to ninety percent of its mature weight. Many significant changes occur during this slower time of early brain stages. “As seen within the brain the growth allows for myelination to continue. Myelination is when the brain that increases the spread of neural impulses to various areas of the head. During early childhood myelination occurs in the frontal cortex section of the brain. This fosters more cognitive protocol for the child” (Lightfoot, Cole 2013).
The early stages of a child’s lifespan is the most crucial part of their overall development. “Brain and biological development during this time is influenced by an infant's environment”(Statistics
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Brain Development is a nonstop development, we never stop learning so our brain isn’t going to just stop I mean well when it’s our time, but it won’t as long as you continue to learn and grow. The human brain begins to develop as early as three weeks after conception. But our brain development is a lifetime process. It doesn’t just stop developing at a certain age. There is a difference in brain development in children and adults the early life is impressionable then in the maturity aspect of life. This is a positive thing because as children they learn new thing they’re open to new and exciting things but then again it can be negative because children tend to be vulnerable to development problems. Our brain develops not only from nurture
Rapid growth of the brain and nervous system continues during the early years of a child’s life, however because of birth defects or health problems some children may be at a risk of cognitive delays. Problems such as Autism, where children may have a difficult time with language skills and sensitivity to touch, behavioral problems, or chemical exposures can all affect a child’s cognitive development. For most children though with a proper diet and plenty of stimulation cognitive abilities will develop rapidly, and by about 7 years ones cognitive skills have become “functionally related to the elements of adult intelligence.”
Casey, B. J., Jones, R. M., & Hare, T. (2008). The adolescent brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1124, 111–126. Eaton Reyna, V.F. and Rivers, S.E. (2008).