1. Early brain development
The formation and growth of the human brain are undoubtedly two of the most remarkable feats of human construction… Knowledge of brain development is critical to understanding child development” (Nelson, 2011, p. 45).
In recent years, the explosion of new science about early human brain development has changed the way we think and increased our understanding of the importance of everyday experiences for nurturing brains. Much of this is due to new information about the interplay between genes and experience and the sensitive, reactive nature of the brain.
Much of what parents and caregivers naturally do when they interact with babies is highly supportive of healthy brain development. Read the following scenario of an everyday interaction between a young baby and his grandfather.
Consider… In a kamaiya family in Jahbahi, Nepal …Saroj, one and a half, laughs and hides behind his mother when his grandfather, Bhuduram, comes to pick him up. Bhuduram puts Saroj on his lap and shakes his legs in the air to make the bells on his ankles ring. Both of them start laughing. … Read more
Saroj is having a rich physical and emotional experience. His brain is rapidly receiving and responding to sensory signals – the warm gaze as he looks into his grandfather’s eyes, the back and forth smiles and laughing, the feeling of his legs moving in association with the tinkling bells, the warmth his grandfather’s lap, and then the muddy slope under his feet, followed by the continued visual signals from his grandfather’s smiles and movements, to which he responds. Saroj already knows quite a bit about his world and is learning about it, how to be in it and feeling loved by an important adult, his grandfather.
In the next video, watch as 10-month-old Hiba enjoys time with her father and brother after they have returned home from the local early child development program. As you watch, take note of all the physical and emotional experiences Hiba has while interacting with her father and brother.
What are the physical and emotional aspects of this interaction between father and daughter?
What is Hiba learning?
What does the father do to foster this playful interaction with his daughter? How does Hiba respond?
The human brain is a complex three pound organ at the centre of human behaviour and development. Our brains orchestrate our physical, social, emotional, linguistic and cognitive development. Our personalities, emotions, language, attention, memory and thinking are all based in the brain. Our brains govern how we learn, interpret incoming information, and behave; the workings of our immune and hormonal systems influence our behaviour, and our physical and emotional health. In short, our brains make us who we are.
Listen as Dr. Stuart Shanker, distinguished research professor emeritus at York University, points out that the nature of our brains today is rooted in our evolutionary past. About five million years ago, our hominid ancestors descended from the trees, began to walk upright and the brains of the early human species grew larger and larger. In order to accommodate walking upright and larger brains (and still allow women to be able to give birth), human babies are basically born prematurely. That is, at full term, human babies are born with a brain that is one quarter the size of an adult brain, but it triples in size by the time a child is three-years-old.
In the next clip, Shanker stresses the fact that humans are the most adaptable species and that this is driven by the fact that when we are born, our brains are essentially immature. How the brain develops has a great deal to do with how caregivers interact with the child.
Think about children born into very different circumstances. How might caregiver responses make a difference in shaping children’s ways of seeing the world?
What if the adults around the children are stressed for some reason? Could that make a difference?
What questions arise for you from the two Shanker clips? Can you relate any of this information to the work that you do?
Adults who have some understanding about brain development can make a big difference in children’s growth, learning and development. Australian epidemiologist and children’s advocate, Dr. Fiona Stanley, explains how our new understanding of early brain development helps us see how all the everyday nurturing of babies and small children, the loving interactions that make up the moments of childhood, work together to benefit children and societies. Dr. Jean Clinton, clinical professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience at McMaster University, adds to this idea by explaining that loving interactions actually “build” the babies’ brains and emphasizes the importance of helping parents understand the benefit of their nurturing interactions.
Why does Fiona Stanley think it is important for those working with young children and their families to know about early brain development?
To what extent do you think people who work with young children are aware of this information? What about families themselves? Do you have any ideas on how to spread this understanding?
Do you think Jean Clinton’s message that “love builds brains” could help parents and caregivers better understand how to respond to babies?
Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development Framework (NCF)
Nurturing care refers to a stable environment created by parents and other caregivers that ensures children’s good health and nutrition, protects them from threats, and gives young children opportunities for early learning, through interactions that are emotionally supportive and responsive” (WHO, 2021, para. 6).
The Nurturing Care Framework (NCF), launched in May 2018 by WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, Early Child Development Action Network and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health after extensive international consultations, recognizes the long-term benefits of nurturing care early in life and lays out a roadmap for action to foster nurturing care in families, communities and societies. You will explore more of the Framework on pages 2.3 and 3.3, as well as in subsequent modules.
In the next video, Dr. Maureen Black, professor of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland, explains how the NCF was conceived as a result of the 2016 Lancet series on child development and describes the five integrated domains of nurturing care.
As Black explains, the Nurturing Care Framework identifies five components that children need to reach their full potential: good health; adequate nutrition; responsive caregiving; security and safety; and, opportunities for early learning.
The following reading provides information about these components including examples to provide and support each.
How do each of these components support healthy brain development in the early years?
For each of the five components, how are parents and families in your context supported to provide nurturing care?
The NCF is such a valuable tool to use when learning about early child development – and in working towards enhancing the nurturing care children receive. It is an evidence-based framework that provides strategies and goals presented in a clear and informative manner. Since the initial release of the framework in 2018, a number of supporting documents, videos, infographics, and other resources have been developed and made available.
The NCF can be seen as a “lens” or “guiding document” that is used throughout SECD. Each of the five components will be explored and revisited – in each module, and on numerous pages. (In the search box at the top of any page, you may want to search for “NCF” or “nurturing care framework” to find specific modules and pages.)
The long reach of early brain development
We now know that the human brain is highly responsive, particularly early in life. Our earliest experiences in infancy and childhood influence our brain development and reach long into adulthood and senescence. At the same time, our brains remain open to environmental influence as long as we are alive. How the brain develops can be compared to how a tree grows and develops as it responds to the environment around it. Just as a tree responds to the sunlight, water, and earth, so do our brains respond to the world around us.
Consider the following animation.
The following summary from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child reviews brain and early child development.
The following report provides a more detailed summary.
In the following reading from the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development, the late Dr. Fraser Mustard explains key concepts involved in early human development, such as environmental effects on the architecture and function of the brain, epigenetic processes in animals and humans, and potential early interventions to support healthy development.
Early brain and biological development is a large and complex area of research. In the following presentation are some key ideas, which you will learn more about in this module.
