{"id":234,"date":"2011-09-28T15:47:01","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T15:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/content.scienceofecd.com\/akdn\/?page_id=234"},"modified":"2025-06-13T18:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T18:59:18","slug":"bd-3-2-nurturing-through-everyday-experience-draft","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/content.scienceofecd.com\/akdn\/bd-3-2-nurturing-through-everyday-experience-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"BD 3.2 Caring through everyday experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Early brain development is shaped by the minute-by-minute, day-by-day sensory input: the seeing, tasting, touching and being touched, the sounds and smells of daily life. Much of this happens through daily care routines. Different parts of a baby’s brain register sensations and other parts organize this sensory input into patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensory information shapes how we relate to the world, to familiar and new experiences. As the brain develops into the preschool years, sensations and perceptions connect to higher cortical centres of the brain that are responsible for creating symbols, paying attention and planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drs. Stanley Greenspan and Stuart Shanker (2004) propose six basic stages of emotional and brain development that underlie our capacity to make sense of the world. In their book, The First Idea<\/em>, they trace the transformation of simple reflexive behaviour at birth to symbolic thinking, language and culture. They emphasize the importance of the “steady drip of daily life” in shaping early brain development.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n READ PDF<\/span>The six essential developmental stages and the growth of the brain<\/span><\/span> \n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Consider this….<\/strong> In many parts of the world, massage, a soothing and highly sensory experience, is a valued part of nurturing infant care. In the description below, consider all of the wonderful sensations, interactions and even later developmental benefits when caregivers regularly massage their very young infants.<\/p>\n

“Oil massage continues as a very strong tradition in all the villages. This is usually done by the mother or another female relative who has children herself. Massage is performed daily (usually once and sometimes twice) after birth until the baby is two months, using warm mustard oil with juano (a herb). Massage continues until children are about four years old, but on a less regular basis – often after bathing. Oil massage is believed to make children strong and to protect them from cold. These beliefs are well supported by a South Indian study which demonstrated that low-birthweight babies who received massage showed a remarkable gain in their weight and on a battery of developmental tests over a six month period. The study demonstrated a clear effect of mother-chid interactions on both physical and psycho-social outcomes” (Arnold et al., 2000, p. 69).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Sensitivity and responsiveness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research indicates that sensitivity and responsiveness are key characteristics of caregiving that positively influence a child\u2019s development \u2013 in the short term and in the long term (National Scientific Council, 2004).<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sensitivity<\/strong> includes being able to imagine how the baby is feeling and how things appear from his\/her perspective. It is interesting to note that the baby has a role to play. For example, a baby with immature neurophysiological systems may be harder to “read”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsiveness<\/strong> is when the caregiver can act on the baby’s cues and provide an appropriate response. There is evidence that babies who are responded to promptly and appropriately show a variety of positive outcomes, such as less frequent crying and more interest in exploring their environment (WHO, 2004).<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Listen now as Dr. Megan Gunnar, professor and former director of the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, explains the difference between sensitivity and responsiveness and why caregivers need to try to find the right balance. She refers to the concept of “serve and return” interaction that was introduced on the page on Nurturing (p. 2.3 in this module).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n VIEW<\/span>\n Gunnar – sensitivity and responsiveness (2:50)<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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