August 2010
Ages & Stages
What Makes the Baby Brain Tick?
By Lynne Ticknor, M.A.
Well-educated parents who want their children to develop bright minds at an early age often justify their inattentiveness to their babies by claiming, "She's watching a Baby Einstein video; how bad can it be?" Well, pretty bad.
Recent research has demonstrated that children under 2 who watch television have shorter attention spans than those who have not watched television during their first 2 years. Television-watching children have also been shown to have smaller vocabularies and be less verbal. No matter what the content, plunking a young child in front of the electronic babysitter while grabbing a quick shower or fixing dinner stifles the child's development.
Intellect Is Not Fixed at Birth
It is true that genes and physical health at birth influence a child's future, but environmental experiences after birth also contribute. New research finds that genes are not static--sometimes genes can lie dormant, dependent on the child's environment for activation. This means parents can help shape their child's future. The classic debate of nurture versus nature is no longer relevant, as nurture and nature are intertwined. Much brain development takes place in early childhood.
Most body parts, such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, are fully formed at birth and grow with the rest of the baby's body. The brain, however, is amazingly unfinished at birth. Brain cells (neurons) are mostly produced before birth, but they are very poorly connected. The connectors (synapses) are created after birth. Neural connections are formed constantly--each physical and verbal interaction a baby has with parents, siblings, friends, neighbors and caregivers creates a wealth of new connections.
Brains "Prune" What's Not Needed
During early development, trillions more synapses are developed than will ever be needed. In fact, by the time your child is 2 years old, she will have twice as many connections as your adult brain has. The baby's experiences and interactions with her environment determine which connections are strengthened and which are pruned away. Connections that are strengthened through repetition--routines such as bathing, feeding and playing with caring adults--will "stick," while learning that is no longer needed or used will be pruned. For example, if a 6-month-old baby learns the baby sign for "please," and then no longer uses it when she learns to say the word "please," she might forget the baby sign.
Early Brain Development Is Resistant to Change
The parts of the brain wired first are the hardest to change. Certain regions of the brain need stimulation at a particular time (called a critical period), or a region's function may be lost forever, according to "The Yale Study Center Guide to Understanding Your Child," by Linda C. Mayes, M.D., and Donald J. Cohen, M.D. For example, if a baby cannot see because of congenital cataracts, the part of the brain that governs vision will not form connections, and the child will remain blind even if the cataracts are surgically removed later. "It's the experiences that a young child has that help form the brain and allow a child to reach her maximum potential," says Jill Stamm, cofounder of New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development and author of Bright from the Start: The Simple Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3.
So, what's necessary to build your baby's brain? Good, old-fashioned attention! As a baby forms attachments with her parents, family members and other caregivers and interacts with her environment, the multiple and varied nerve signals form the connections and networks that will remain throughout her lifetime.
There are other steps parents can take to stimulate these important connections:
Promote physical fitness: In addition to good nutrients, the brain needs oxygen to function. The more efficient a child's circulatory system is, the better her brain can perform. A recent study by T.M. Hung demonstrated that the brains of 5-year-old children who participate in regular physical activity produce faster electrical responses than those of sedentary children.
Avoid trauma and chronic stress: According to a study conducted at the Western Psychiatric Institute in Pittsburgh, early exposure to neglect or abuse results in persistently elevated levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. The study found that, in addition to an increased likelihood of depression, anxiety and eating disorders in later life, these children have significantly smaller brain volumes.
Engage your child in mentally stimulating activities: To some extent, a child's intelligence is influenced by genetic factors that can't be changed. Yet, there is good evidence that using the brain stimulates the growth of new cells as well as new connections between existing cells. Craig Ramey conducted an intervention study with children whose mothers had low income and education levels. Children who were exposed to enrichment activities and increased parental involvement scored higher on IQ tests at age 3 than did a control group of children who did not participate in the intervention.
Talk to your child: According to University of Chicago professor Janellen Huttenlocher, children whose mothers speak to them regularly know approximately 300 more words by the time they are 2 years old than children whose mothers don't talk with them regularly. Language exposure via the television or radio apparently has little effect. The interpersonal act of talking to infants seems to be crucial for language development. Engaging in language learning enhances a child's brain development even when she's very young. So, read, sing, recite nursery rhymes and become a narrator of your day. Even a child who isn't talking yet is learning the language and making important brain connections.
Spoil away: It used to be said that you shouldn't hold a baby too much because you will "spoil" her. Today, we know it's impossible to spoil a baby. In fact, babies need lots of physical contact to thrive. Touching, hugging, kissing, snuggling and just holding your baby, create a lasting emotional connection between the two of you.
Offer different experiences: You don't need videos or the latest technological toys. Just take your baby to the grocery store and talk about what you see, hear and feel. Go to the zoo and point out the animals and their various habitats. Every time you expose your baby to new experiences--whether it's the mall, the gas station or the sushi bar--brain development is taking place. Playing with a cardboard box or inexpensive stacking cups is stimulating and fun when the child is playing with Mom or Dad.
Lynne Ticknor is a certified parent educator with the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) in Kensington and leader of PEP's Parenting Babies & Toddlers and Parenting Preschoolers classes. She writes frequently about parenting and child development for national and regional publications. For more information, visit PEPparent.org.