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Childhood Neglect Research Paper

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In recent years, there has been a surge of research into early brain development (Child Info). This is due to the ever-increasing issue of childhood neglect, abuse and the problems that arise with it. Neglect is the absence of critical organizing experiences at key times during development (Perry, 2002a). Childhood neglect can lead to cognitive and communicative deficiencies later in life.
Almost all childhood neglect occurs during the brain development time period. Brain development is the process of creating and discarding connections between neurons called synapses. (Child Info Gateway). These synapses are developed based on the child's environment and the stimulus received by the brain. Infants brains' develop as they immerse in an environment …show more content…

Researchers have proven the sensitive period time frames by blinding animals during their sensitive period for developing vision, which as a result, the animals may have never developed the capability to see (Perry, 2002a). Although slightly harder to prove with humans, it is known that if certain synapses are not activated, they may disposed of. Some of these deficiencies due to lost experiences can be regained later in life, although the more time a child has spent in neglect, the more resistant he/she becomes to recovering from the …show more content…

Abuse can refer to physical abuse, such as hitting, shaking, burning or other forms of maltreatment that a parent or other caregiver might inflict (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). An example of this is impatient caregivers shaking their babies to stop their crying. This sort of shaking has been known to rupture blood vessels and break brain tissue. Which in the long run, the child develops sensory impairments, as well as cognitive learning and behavioral disabilities (Child Welfare Information Gateway,

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