Formative Years
Formation of Early Brain Architecture
Chapter 1.5
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Pallavi is 7 and her younger sister Pragya is 2. They both have grown up with the same parents and share a similar gene structure as they belong to the same family. When Pallavi was growing up, their parents had a healthy relationship and were able to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for her. However, when Pragya was born, their parents started having conflicts and ultimately decided to get a divorce. As a result, the parents were not able to give their children as much time and attention they used to. Their home environment was severely affected.
Let’s Reflect
How would this affect the development of the children? Would the negative impact be equal on both the children?
What is brain architecture?
Brain architecture helps to understand the process behind brain development and how early childhood experiences influence future development for the child.
To understand it better, we can think of the brain like a house. All houses need sturdy foundations to support the walls and the roof. Before wiring the house, walls and floors need to be built. Our brains are also built in this manner, with early childhood experiences laying a solid foundation to serve as a base for later development.
The biology behind brain architecture
Neuron A (sees mother) —> Sends signal (synapse) to Neuron B (connection is formed Between Neuron A & B) —> Baby gives out a squeal Image??
An adult brain has about 100 billion neurons.
Brain being the most complex of human organisms, is built up of a massive number of neurons (nerve cells). The prenatal stage is a period of rapid growth of the neural systems, however the connections (formed on account of experiences) amongst them take place only after birth.
The neurons produced (at a rapid rate), migrate to different locations of the brain to carry out specific functions.
Brain research indicates that upto age 10, are the years of prime learnings and are therefore labelled as “window of opportunity” The brain is most receptive and responsive during these years. (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2010)
Plasticity is the ability of the brain to develop and change as per the experiences. Every little gesture the baby does is a result of synapse formation.
Very young children participate in their own brain development by signalling their needs. Strong neural pathways are created by experiences, especially responsive relationships. A new-born does so much:
- Forever trying to get your attention by cooing
- Must whine out loud every time he/she wants to be fed
- Gazes around, trying to make sense of the surroundings
- Throws out arms and legs (sometimes just like an eggbeater!!)
Every object they see for the first time is amusing for them and gets registered as a memory.
These are just a fraction of examples. Billions of intricate connections forms as they grow. Every experience (big or small) sends a signal to the brain cells which through connections gives out signals for action or stores the information as a memory.
Everything around is new for these little ones, anything and everything catches their fancy and gets manifested into strong neural pathways.
Having said that, emotionally intense experiences, be it pleasant or unpleasant leave lifelong deep impacts on the brain. In absence of nurturing relationships such toxic-stress during early childhood can have adverse effects on the development of the neurological system
During preschool and the primary grades, considerable growth and change take place in the frontal lobes of the brain, the areas that are responsible for regulating thought and action (Obradović, Portilla, & Boyce, 2012). As a result, the skills such as attention, impulse control, planning, reasoning, problem solving, and memory, improve considerably during these years.
Caution:
Know when to step back as “over stimulation” can cause stress in babies!
Just like too little, too much stimulation can also cause stress during the early years. The need and want for action and quiet are unique to every child. Infants & toddlers usually indicate stress by tuning out and falling asleep or whining their lungs out. It is their way of letting the parents know that they are out of their stimulating comfort zone.
Hence, get to know your children – to help them to get to know themselves.
Use it or you will lose it
The connections that are formed in the early years keep getting stronger as they get used repeatedly. The connections that are not used often, weaken over time and eventually get eliminated by a natural process called pruning. This process helps the brain stay efficient. The connections that do not get pruned get stronger over time and become resistant to change.
For example, children who live in an abusive environment tend to find it hard to interpret facial expressions other than anger. This happens because their ability to understand positive expressions gets pruned since this is not used repeatedly. They are able to interpret anger as they have faced it multiple times in their home environment.
What Happens Early in Life Lasts a Lifetime…
The early years of childhood are a time of both opportunity and vulnerability. During this time, the brain is very malleable and can shape itself easily. The experiences in the early years have a powerful influence on your child’s development as they are what determines whether certain connections will be strengthened or eliminated. Connections for motor skills, emotions, logic, language, memory, and behavioural control are all built in this critical period of life.
The connections form circuits over the years and become more complex as your child grows. The circuits formed in the beginning provide a foundation for the complex circuits to be formed later. The connections are vital for many essential and complex abilities like motivation, self-regulation, problem solving, and communication are formed in these early years – or not formed.
Children who get exposed to stressful and negative experiences in early childhood along with a lack of responsive support from parents, often have poorer life outcomes as compared to children growing up in a healthy and positive environment. These can include situations like poor nutrition, lack of intellectual input or even a lack of nurturing and stable relationships. These negative life experiences can have adverse consequences for the lifelong mental health of the child.
Let us now understand this with the example given about Pallavi and Pragya
Since Pallavi is already 7, she will find it easier to deal with the stress of her parents getting divorced and the lack of support as her foundation was already built strong in her early years. However, the stress might negatively impact Pragya, as she is only 2 and the lack of a healthy and nurturing relationship coupled with the stress of the divorce will affect her brain’s ability to build a strong foundation.
Even though both the children come from the same family with the same stress source, they will get affected differently due to their age. Genes may provide the basic blueprint but their early experiences shape the way these genes are expressed.
Children are born with a truly blank slate only once in their lifetime. The amount and quality of care, stimulation and interaction children receive in their early years makes all the difference.
A child’s relationships with the adults in their life are the most important influences on their brain development. Loving relationships with responsive, dependable adults are essential to a child’s healthy development. These relationships begin at home with parents and family.
To know more about how to ensure your child gets the most suitable environment for their development, read – serve and return
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