How outside factors can
impact child development
Language, stress and nutrition are
outside factors that can affect the
development of the brain during infancy.
These factors can cause changes to
growth patterns, behavior and the child's
health. Stress and nutrition can actually
change the way the brain develops and
impact a child's cognitive abilities later in
life. Language is the foundation for
learning, and children with poor language
skills face a tougher road toward academic
achievement. Parents who do their best to
surround their children with language, limit
their stress level and fill them with
nutritious meals from birth set up their
infants and toddlers for success.
FOUNDATIONS OF DEVELOPMENT
prefron
temporal lobe
hippocampus
(in center
Of brain)
Positive early experiences lay a foundation for healthy development. These experiences include:
RELATIONSHIPS
Includes family and nonfamily
members, as well as interaction
and language.
• Language, controlled by the
temporal lobe, is the one
stimulus that has been
proved to make a difference
in enhancing a babfs brain
development.
New research shows that a
strong connection between
mothers and children after
birth can almost completely
erase the impact of prenatal
stress.
The more parents talk to
their children, the faster
children's vocabularies grow
and the higher children's IQ
tests at age 3 and later.
• Vocabulary growth at age 3
strongly correlates with
standardized test scores in
the 3rd grade.
ENVIRONMENT
Includes home life as well as
stress.
Elevated levels of stress in
pregnant women can affect a
child's cognitive development,
memory and their ability to
pay attention and solve
problems, abilities found in the
prefrontal cortex.
Children Of professional
parents hear about 2,150
words an hour, but children Of
poor parents hear an average
of 620 words an hour.
Toxic or chronic stress from
growing up poor and constant
exposure to family conflict,
violence in the home or
neighborhood, and frequent
mobility can have a direct
impact on the hippocampus
and prefrontal cortex,
affecting a child's working-
memory.
NUTRITION
Relates to the availability and
affordability of healthy food
and age-appropriate food.
Nutrition has the most impact
on a childS brain development
between mid-gestation and
age 2.
Poor nutrition during
pregnancy can lead to very
pre-term infants which
research indicates have more
problems with paying
attention, memory and motor
skills
Malnoursished children have
smaller brains, cognitive
deficits, slower language
development and lower IQs.
Iron is critical to brain growth
after 6 months of age. Iron is
critical for maintaining an
adequate number of oxygen-
carrying red blood cells, which
in turn are necessary to fuel
brain growth.
HOW A PROBLEM CAN AFFECT THIS FOUNDATION
The foundation interacts with the child's genetic predisposition to cause either a positive or negative reaction.
Adaptations
(results
in healthy
outcomes)
These adaptations or disruptions affect the
development of the child either through cumula-
tive effects over time, or through experiences
during sensitive periods, such as periods of family
stress. These experiences can include abuse,
neglect or exposure to violence.
Disruptions
(results
in negative
outcomes)
DISRUPTIONS CAN AFFECT THE CHILD'S ADULT HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
These outcomes can include shortened lifespan and mental illness and increase the possibility the
individual will drop out of school.
Sources: Cornell University. University of Rochester. University of Kansas. ZERO TO THREE. University of Allahabad, National Institute of
Mental Health and Neurosciences, Griffith University, Queensland University Of Technology and Mater ChildrenS Hospital, Harvard University
Center on the Developing Child
Research by TOPHER SANDERS AND JEREMY COX
Graphic by KYLE BENTLE/The Times-union
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