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How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development

Recent advances in brain research have provided great insight into how the brain, the most immature of all organs at birth, continues to grow and develop after birth.

Whereas this growth had been thought to be determined primarily by genetics, scientists now believe that it is also highly dependent upon the child’s experiences. Research shows that, like protein, fat, and vitamins, interactions with other people and objects are vital nutrients for the growing and developing brain, and different experiences can cause the brain to develop in different ways. It is this "plasticity" of the brain, its ability to develop and change in response to the demands of the environment, that will....(Read the entire article)

40 percent of 3-month-old infants are regularly watching TV, DVDs or videos

A large number of parents are ignoring warnings from the American Academy of Pediatrics and are allowing their very young children to watch television, DVDs or videos so that by 3 months of age 40 percent of infants are regular viewers.

That number jumps to 90 percent of 2-year-olds, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute. (Read the entire article)

Baby DVDs, videos may hinder, not help, infants' language development

Despite marketing claims, parents who want to give their infants a boost in learning language probably should limit the amount of time they expose their children to DVDs and videos such as "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby."

Rather than helping babies, the over-use of such productions actually may slow down infants eight to 16 months of age when it comes to acquiring vocabulary, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute.

The scientists found that for every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants understood an average of six to eight fewer words than infants who did not watch them. Baby DVDs and videos had no positive or negative effect on the vocabularies on toddlers 17 to 24 months of age. (Read the entire article)

Are Behavioral Problems a Real Issue?

Seasoned teachers beginning in preschool and continuing in later grades report children are less respectful and more aggressive. Preschool owners report they receive frequent questions from parents regarding behavioral issues; asking “Is this normal? is this abnormal; what should we do?” Listed below are a few of the alarming statistics:

Children identified as hard to manage at ages 3 and 4 have a high probability (50:50) of continuing to have difficulties into adolescence

9% to 13% of American children and adolescents between ages 9 to 17 have serious diagnosable emotional or behavioral health disorders

When aggressive and antisocial behavior has persisted to age 9, further change intervention has a poor chance of success (Read the entire article)

Physical Activity and the Health of Young People

Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

Helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles.

Helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and chronic disease such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and promotes psychological well-being.

Long-Term Consequences of Physical Inactivity

Overweight and obesity, influenced by physical inactivity and poor diet, are significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis, and poor health status. Physical inactivity increases the risk of dying prematurely, dying of heart disease, and developing diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure. (Read the entire article)

The science of early brain development can inform investments in early childhood

These basic concepts, established over decades of neuroscience and behavioral research, help illustrate why child development—particularly from birth to five years—is a foundation for a prosperous and sustainable society. Brains are built over time, from the bottom up. (Read the entire article)

Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects between 4% and 12% of US children and is the most common behavioral disorder of childhood. 1–5 Despite decades of research, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of this condition. In particular, we know surprisingly little about its cause and what, if any, environmental factors may influence its development. ADHD has been shown to have high heritability, and partly for this reason research has focused on the structural and neurochemical features of the brain, 6–8 yet the heritability of ADHD goes only so far in explaining its cause. Twin studies have established 50% to 80% concordance with monozygotics being more concordant than dizygotic.6–11 However, the most prominent of the twin studies have not controlled for environmental influences.9–11 Moreover, the emphasis on structural or operational neurologic features of the central nervous system has perhaps lent a sense of inevitability or immutability to the condition and contributed to an underappreciation of the potentially crucial role that early childhood experiences may have on either the development or the modulation of attentional problems.12 Recent research suggests that gene–environment interactions may be important in conditioning the risk of ADHD as well as its severity and progression. (Read the entire article)

A Systematic Review for the Effects of Television Viewing by Infants and Preschoolers

Young children in the United States watch an astonishing amount of television, spending more time in front of a screen than any other single activity except sleeping. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children 2 years or older of age have less than 2 hours of screen time per day and that children less than 2 be discouraged from TV watching. Despite growing concerns, ample evidence indicates these recommendations are ignored.

The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines refer to a number of adverse effects of television viewing including aggressive behavior, obesity, and decreased school performance.3 Although the bulk of research focuses on adolescents and school-aged children, a growing body of literature focuses on infants and preschoolers. Observational studies suggest positive effects on learning and behavior from viewing educational programs specifically developed for younger children. Other studies have correlated viewing noneducational programs with negative outcomes, such as aggressive behavior, obesity, risk-taking behavior, and attentional problems. (Read the entire article)