A Child's Brain Is Critical To Brain Development

The ear (hearing), it is completely developed in the fifth month of pregnancy. This sense is stimulated by internal and external experiences from the environment. “research done in Japan has shown that newborns whose mothers lived near Osaka airport during pregnancy were able, after birth, to sleep through the roar of airplanes while other newborns resented such disturbing sounds.” (UHB pg.8)

The physical development of a baby in its first six months of life shows limited range of movement but the beginnings of an ability to respond to stimulus around them. They show their reaction to people, sounds and movement by turning their head toward whatever attracts their attention. They will watch an adult’s face whilst feeding, but have already begun to shows signs of recognition as they will smile when familiar people are around them either because they can see them

The latest research into development and learning of babies and young children shows that early stimulation are vital to the healthy development of brain. Babies are born with 100 billion neuron cells and they need to connect together in order to function. Many of these connections are made as result of what a baby senses and experiences. Stimulation, sufficient sleep and healthy diet makes a difference in allowing connections to be made. Development of brain begins well before birth. Neurons (cells in the brain which transmit electrical impulses to other cells) are formed between the 10th and 20th week of pregnancy. These cells are critical as they will later join together to allow the brain to function properly. Electrical pulses pass between cells via dendrites and axons which causes the connection between the neuron cells. The dendrites and axons of the neurons develop and begin the process of joining up in the final two months of pregnancy. Those that have not made enough strong connections are killed off and this is one reason why some children are

*. By repeatedly obtaining brain scans of the same children for up to four years, researchers found that the children’s brains experience undergo dramatic anatomical change between the ages of 3 and 15.

Between 6-9 months the baby’s brain will start to develop faster and faster at any other time during their life. Their memory will become quite strong they will repeat things over and over again. They will also learn what they are hearing which could be songs or rhymes or whilst they are being spoken to by parents siblings or strangers.

How do we know infants can see at birth? They can’t tell us. For this we depend on clues such as eye movement, light sensitivity and the appearance of the eye. Though an infant 's vision is present at birth the strength of their vision is far from mature. However, vision develops rapidly in infants, going from only being able to focus on images 4 to 30 inches away to a rapid ability to see details and shape (Berger, 2014). By 3 months these same infants with immature ability can see patterns color and motion. Surveys and medical research are regularly used to develop a better understanding of infant development.

The author invites the reader on his own journey to understanding how the developing brain works. He learns that to facilitate recovery, the loss of

Brain development is very critical in the early stages of life. The brain begins to form very early in prenatal life, however, brain development is a life marathon not a sprint. This is why brain development and emergent literacy belongs together like peanut butter and jelly. Emergent literacy is a gradual process that takes place over time from birth; until a child can read and write in what we consider to be a conventional sense (Machado, 2013). Infants almost immediately communicate with their mother after birth, their bond initially begins when the mother holds them for the first time making eye contact; this is called gaze coupling. As the child brain develops over the next few weeks the mother and baby become attached. Making eye

Infant learning and brain development is fragile and contingent upon numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The most critical time frame for infant brain development is from the second trimester to the first three months of life (Marshall, 2011). During this time, neural pathways are forming, areas of the brain are maturing, and brain development is rapid. From infancy until the age of 3 years, neural pathways are still being formed in response to stimulation and for this reason, it is extremely important for caregivers and parents to be aware of the many factors that can influence brain development in infants (Marshall, 2011).

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

Advancement made in regard to cognitive neuroscience has enabled a better understanding of the cognitive processes in infants. Studies have indicated that cognitive development in infants starts before they are born. In the eighth week of pregnancy, fetuses have the ability to hear. They become accustomed to their

Habituation is applied in discovering the perceptual systems which indicates that children advance earlier in developing perception compared to the acquiring the idea of the permanence of objects. Vision, hearing, smell and taste, language, touch, and pain are the early infant sensorimotor perceptual improvement in the infants’ mental growth. Motor development, required for the child to create relationships between vision, touch and

It was previously thought that the cerebellum was only involved in motor functions. However, it is also involved in some cognitive functions, for example language. As Buckner RL said: “This controversial observation challenged the well-entrenched view that the cerebellum solely contributes to the planning and execution of movement.” How and why it performs these functions is not yet fully understood, but the discoveries do show us that the Cerebellum’s functions extend beyond the control of movement in a way we do not yet fully understand.

During the first two years the brain is the most flexible and prepared to learn. At this time everything is new. Everything an infant does build brain connections. According to EDUCARER.org "Touch, talking and things an infant sees and smells all build connections if done with continuity in a loving, consistent, and

Sensation and perception are tested in infants through the senses sight, sound, taste, smell, touch and pain.