THE BRAIN DEVELOPS IN RESPONSE TO ENVIONMENTAL STIMULI

Below are two photos. One of the photos shows a child doing an activity that is providing valuable learning. The other photo shows a child that is having an experience that does not support optimal learning. 

 #1

#2

Do you know which photo depicts the way a child’s brain will develop the strongest brain connections?

 

 

Information from this article will provide the answer to the question, "Which type of experience is best for growing brains?" 

“Many parents don’t know that the American Academy of Pediatrics has    established guidelines that recommend no televisions, video games, or Internet access in children’s bedrooms; no screen media for children under two; and no more than two hours of educational television a day for children older than two."

"If most parents don’t know the recommendations, they certainly don’t know the reasoning behind them."

“In the first 18 to 24 months of life, the brain is developing rapidly, primarily in response to environmental stimuli,” Strasburger says. “Stimuli that optimize the development of brain architecture include personal interactions, motor skills practice, and problem-solving activities. And the best way to teach these skills is not through screen media.”

So obviously photo #1 shows an activity that is going to lead to learning in the way the developing brain needs most.

Additionally, below are findings that reveal a need for concern. This research was reported on VentureBeat.

"If you were in any doubt that technology is now a fundamental part of kids’ lives, these statistics prove it: 69 percent of children aged 2-5 can use a computer mouse, but only 11 percent can tie their own shoelaces. More young children know how to play a computer game (58 percent) than swim (20 percent) or ride a bike (52 percent). There is no gender divide. Boys and girls under the age of 5 were equally adept at using technology.

These are the results of a study commissioned by Internet security company AVG on how children aged 2-5 interact with technology. 2,200 mothers with Internet access in the USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Australia and New Zealand were polled."

The results of this study demonstrates the critical need to create wide spread awareness. We need to ensure every adult understands that early experiences directly impacts the way children's brains are wired. It is essential that every child is provided with the opportunities that will impact their development in the most beneficial way. And we KNOW that play and direct interactive experiences are going to have the most positive impact!!  

For ways to promote and provide optimal brain development go to: www.braininsightsonline.com

INVALUABLE INSIGHTS DIRECTLY FROM A BABY!

ANNA HAS INSIGHTS… and questions!  

Anna says………

Good morning! I just woke up and see I am in my crib. I feel good after having all those hours of sleep. I can’t fully express that feeling yet, so I just coo a little to myself.

But wait… the feeling of contentment is beginning to fade. I am beginning to feel lonely in here all by myself. I am also beginning to feel wet and hungry. These sensations make me cry.  I need someone to come and take care of this discomfort I am feeling.

When I cry, I have found that my mommy or daddy comes to me to see what they can do to meet my needs. This feels so good and comforting. I am completely helpless. I have to have someone take care of me.  See…  I told you, here comes my daddy already. He looks like he is glad to see me. He smiles at me and says, “Good morning Little Sweetheart!”, as he walks into the room. (He calls me a lot of different names. It is fun to see which name he will call me each time). I stop crying right away, smile back and wave my arms and kick my legs in excitement. I am so glad he is here!

He picks me up and holds me. It feels so warm and secure in his arms. I feel so special when he looks at me and talks to me. He asks me if I slept well and if I want my diaper changed. I just continue to smile back at him.

Daddy lays me on the changing table and takes off the wet diaper. He continues to talk and then stops to make silly faces at me. It makes me laugh. We are having so much fun together. Because my daddy and I have times like this so frequently, it makes me know I am someone special.  

The hungry feelings are getting stronger now. I start to cry a little again. Daddy says, “I know you are hungry!”  It is wonderful to have him so tuned into my needs.  It sure makes me not cry and scream much.

Daddy carries me in to the other room. Oh…. I see Mommy! She is smiling and holding her arms out for me. I give her my biggest smile! I can hardly wait for her to hold me and give me a morning kiss. Because my brain is still very immature I do not have the ability to wait very long to get my needs met. But, due to Mommy and Daddy being so consistent in paying attention to what I need and then meeting them, I have already learned to calm myself a bit.

Mommy takes me, sits down, and positions herself. Because of the repetition of this process, I already know this is in preparation to feed me. I get so excited with the anticipation. It feels so warm and soothing to be fed and held at the same time. Mommy usually loves looking at me and caresses my hand while I eat. I feel so incredibly secure!  

Not only does this feel wonderful, but I am excited to know that scientists have shown that what I am experiencing is having a positive impact on my developing brain. Research demonstrates that secure attachment that results from consistent nurturing responsiveness to my expressed needs can have an incredibly important impact on my ability:

• ·         to form healthy relationships with others
• ·         to delay gratification
• ·         to problem solve
• ·         to put up with the frustration of failure and have more patience
• ·         to calm down from excitement

I may also:

•           have a longer attention span
•           be able to better manage physical reactions to emotions
•           have an increased capacity for empathy
•           feel less anxiety
•           have greater skills in communicating emotions in healthy ways
•           exhibit fewer behavioral problems
•           have more confidence and a positive self-perception
•           be less fearful
•          have more willingness to explore and learn through challenges

  

I am such a fortunate baby to have all of this happening in my life. The thing that makes me very sad, is to know this doesn’t happen for all babies. There are many babies that do not have their cries answered or have their needs met consistently. These babies become very fearful, distressed, frustrated, and hopeless. When this occurs repeatedly their emotional development remains “stuck” at this stage. When these babies grow up they will still have a focus on needing someone to care about them. Their stunted development can have a  affect on relationships and learning in many ways.These children will more likely have an extensive focus on survival and control behaviors and may not have a very positive self perception.
 

I really do not understand why all parents are not given this information at child birth classes. Do you? It could make such a difference if this were known by every parent. Is there anything you can do to help? 

There is not much I can do from my crib, except to share my insights with you. But, I would love it if every baby could have the wonderful experiences I am having.... because every baby deserves it. I would really appreciate it if you would do what you can to take steps to ensure EVERY baby develops with a secure attachment.

Now that I am fed and got the attention I needed ... I really need some playtime! 

Love Your Baby Brain Packet provides EASY ideas and simple brain information for loving interaction leading to secure attachment and healthy overall development!

IS THIS THE WAY THE BRAIN LEARNS?

M  Z  @  Y  X  Q  R  #  W * G  L  D T

Does the above have meaning to you? What if I asked you to say it out loud repeatedly? Would that help you know what it means? Maybe you could sing as you say the names of the letters and symbols! 

The repetition and singing will likely help you be able to memorize this sequence of letters and symbols. But, in the end will you have learned anything?

Do you realize that frequently two, three, and four year old children are encouraged to do this type of activity?  Children of these ages are often asked to say or sing, A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L ….

There is no meaning to a young child when they say the alphabet. They can do it, but there is no REAL learning taking place. As adults we understand that these are letters and they represent sounds and they create words. But, to children these letters are abstract. 

The brain learns with real objects first. Later, as higher areas of the brain develop, the brain is able to think and learn about things that are not experienced with the senses.  

This is the same when flash cards are used with young children. Children are just memorizing and repeating back words, but there is no real learning taking place. 

Think of a child that is looking at a flash card with the picture of an orange and the word, ORANGE printed below the photo. With the repetition of a parent saying orange when showing the picture, the child will learn to say, "orange". 

Now, compare a child seeing a photo on a card to a child holding, smelling, and tasting a real orange while hearing the word "orange" .. .. (and other words like juicy, sweet, soft, and round). It is easy to see that a child would make MANY more brain connections through experiencing a real orange. 
It is really simple.... REAL learning for young children happens through real experiences!

For EASY ways to promote and provide REAL Learning and optimal brain development even during busy everyday life.....check the links to 
The Brain Development Series on the right of this page or go to: www.braininsightsonline.com 

The children in your life will thank you for providing what they 

really want and need most... and you will feel wonderful to be providing it while you are getting all of your daily tasks completed! 

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT ISN'T COMPLICATED

     To put it very simply... Scientific research provides the wonderful opportunity to understand that early experiences impact the way a brain is wired. It is not complicated! 

       We KNOW for healthy emotional development brains need:  

                                             Consistency in meeting needs.....

                                 

                                         NOT unpredictability! 

Touch and comfort ....

NOT stress, chaos and over-stimulation!

 

Loving interactions from nurturing care givers ....

NOT ....

For ways to easily promote and provide optimal brain development go to: www.braininsightsonline.com

 

SECURE ATTACHMENT PROVIDES ADVANTAGES IN LIFE

I frequently write and speak about the fact that secure attachment has an enormous impact on success in life. Consistently meeting the needs of an baby has a dramatic, positive and long lasting influence on brain development. Children that are securely attached as a result of the the loving interaction from attuned parents are going to be most successful in learning.  

Making it a priority to provide what a growing brain need most is essential. When an infant learns that a caregiver is dependable this creates a secure base for the child. With this security wired in their brain a child is then ready to learn and explore the world. 

However, when reading or other cognitive learning is pushed on children at early ages optimal development does not occur. Children are not set up for success through ignoring the primary need of the brain. The needs of a developing brain does not change just because society has decided learning should happen earlier.

Due to my intense interest in making this critical information well know, I am thrilled to share an article entitled,  Your Baby SHOULDN'T Read written by Marsha Lucas, Ph. In the article Dr. Lucas states,"Early reading doesn't do much for your child's success in school, and there's evidence that it may even be detrimental."

Following is a portion of this excellent article:

"First and Foremost: The fundamental task of early childhood isn't learning to read, or to "get ahead" for school, or to impress the neighbors, or to give the folks something to brag about. Encouraging children to surge ahead beyond their real developmental needs leaves them with some really sludgy clean-up to grapple with later on.

The most important task of early childhood is experiencing a healthy, secure attachment in which the child's caregivers are attuned to the child's inner state and respond in a contingent manner.

Let me say that again. What kids need from the get-go is a parent who "gets" them, who pays attention to what's going on inside them, and who responds to them in a way that's actually related to what the kid is feeling.

Healthy, secure, attuned attachment gives kids some much deeper "advantages" in life than whether they learn to read early (and learning to read early doesn't actually give them any advantages, anyway - which I'll get to in section II below).

The research on attachment shows that there are a number of benefits which last a lifetime including but not limited to at least the following dozen:

1. The ability to sustain attention
2. Better management of physical reactions to emotions - leading to improved immunity and fewer stress-related illnesses
3. Less anxiety
4. Better relationships with childhood peers, and healthier relationships as adults
5. Fewer behavioral problems
6. Increased capacity for empathy
7. Greater ability to regulate mood (for example, calming down from excitement, or not getting caught up in frustration)
8. Enhanced skills in communicating emotions in healthy ways
9. Greater confidence and self-esteem(and it isn't just based on performance and grades, but rather a sense of abiding and healthy self-worth)
10. Better able to generate alternative solutions to interpersonal conflict
11. Enhanced insight into themselves, and others
12. Better modulation of fear, allowing for a willingness to explore and take on growthful challenges"

You can read the entire article here

* Marsha Lucas, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and neuropsychologist, and has been practicing psychotherapy and studying the brain-behavior relationship for nearly twenty years.

Love Your Baby Brain Packet provides caring parents with easy loving ideas and insights. This simple packet instils confidence that you are providing what your baby REALLY needs!

BRAIN CONNECTIONS AND LOVING CONNECTIONS ARE CREATED WITH BOOKS - NOT DVD's

During brain presentations, participants frequently ask if DVD’s or programs to teach babies to read are a  good idea. I recently had grandmother ask if these are good gifts to give. I so appreciate these questions because this gives me the opportunity to continue to create the awareness that these are NOT good for children. It also provides the chance to share how much more advantageous book reading is for optimal learning and brain connections.

It is difficult for many well intentioned parents and grandparents  because these products  are marketed to say they are good for early development. The reality is they are just the opposite of what growing brains need!  

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child reports:

“Although a varied array of experiences clearly stimulates learning in the preschool years, promotional statements about the superior brain building impacts of expensive “educational” toys and videos for infants and toddlers have no scientific support.”

 Sharing books with children however has been proven to benefit learning in numerous ways. Reading books to children needs to begin in infancy.

•         When a child is read to, cells in the brain are triggered within seconds.  Some existing connections in the brain are strengthened while new connections are formed.  This helps create a more defined and complex wiring in the brain. Repeated book reading experiences strengthen connections, which will benefit a child for life. 

•         Reading to a child is so important that the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that pediatricians prescribe reading activities to parents during their well child visits. The AAP also recommends no television for the first two years of a child’s life.

•        When reading a book, the child has the opportunity to hear direct language.  The brain makes connections for language development only through experiences of being spoken to directly.  Television and DVD’s do not provide the give and take of interactive language. 

•         A National Wildlife Federation report states, ““By the time most children attend kindergarten, they have watched more than 5,000 hours of television–enough time to earn a college degree.”

•        Studies have shown that children who are read to at home have a higher success rate in school. The National Commission on Reading found that reading aloud to a child is the single most important intervention for developing literacy skills.

Literacy skills development isn’t the only brain benefit that results from reading to a child. 

•         The time spent cuddling while reading is also very important.  This closeness helps the brain make valuable connections contributing to healthy emotional development.  Young babies also find the sound of the voice reassuring and calming.

•       Reading with children also presents the possibility for children to open up about feelings or things that are bothering them in a comfortable way.

•         Books also provide a way for adults to begin discussions to help children gain new perspectives and learn about people, places and things outside of their immediate environment.  

    The tag line I often use for braininsights is, "Inspiring REAL brain development for ALL young children."  Several of the points above are the reason I stress the word "REAL". Through sharing information based on scientific research, we can ensure that children have interactions with people and real objects. We will not be promoting the use of items that are detrimental, we will instead provide all that developing brains REALLY need!

For for information and REAL brain development activities ideas to use in everyday life go to www.braininsightsonline.com.



F

CHILDRENS BRAINS NEED SUPPORT!

Those of you that know me or follow my work already know the intense passion I have for making early brain development common knowledge. It continues to baffle me on why this is not yet information that every parent, grandparent, educator, judge, medical professional,  foster parent, social worker, community leader, policy maker, business owner, and voter knows! Every adult needs to know the impact the experiences in the early years has on the developing brain.  Science has been demonstrating this to us for years.  Now economists are revealing how cost beneficial it is for us to know this—and to do something about it! We ALL benefit when ALL children have well developed brains!

The primary focus of the awareness I want to create is the understanding of the dramatic difference we can so easily make on the physical development of young brains. Research clearly shows the powerful influence that results from positive early care giving experiences.

Early interactions directly influence the basis for social/emotional skills, self regulation, self perspective, physical development, language abilities and cognitive capabilities for life.  For this to occur, developing brains need, loving interaction, good nutrition, attuned parents, safety, opportunities to play, predictability, direct language experiences, nature and adults that understand early development.

We can no longer let this information be ignored. Every child is counting on us. The start of a new year ignites my desires to share this even more deeply (if that is possible!) It is my dream that 2011 is the year that EVERYONE learns what ALL children want ALL adults to know!  

Countless people are as impatient as I am. I have connected with so many wonderful and dedicated people throughout the world that are working to make a difference through sharing this information. This growing community has the capability of making an incredible impact.... and you are part of it.

Next week, I am going re-energize a campaign to make this happen. Together we can make a REAL difference in 2011! 

If you are as anxious as I am … you can start by sharing this post with everyone you know who cares about children (and the future of our world).  Let’s get this started! You are the first person in the process ... now let's see how many people we can get involved in January!!