
Photo by Emma Bauso
By The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
Tags: brain development, early childhood, policy and practice
Resource (PDF): The Science of Early Childhood Development (2007)
Core Concepts of Brain Development

- Concept 1: Child development is the foundation for societal development
- Children are the foundation of a prosperous and sustainable society
- Concept 2: Brains are built over time
- Concept 3: From genes and experiences that interact to shape the architecture of the developing brain through “serve and return”
- Concept 4: From the bottom up: advanced circuits (e.g., cognitive) build on top of simple circuits and skills (e.g., emotional)
- Concept 5: These circuits and skills (cognitive, emotional, social) are inextricably linked
- Concept 6: Toxic stress
- Affects the nervous system and stress hormone system
- Damages the architecture of the developing brain
- Can lead to lifelong problems in learning, behaviour (physical and mental)
- Concept 7: Setting the right foundation early is most effective and less costly than addressing problems later
Implications for Policy and Practice
- Promoting supportive relationships and rich learning opportunities for children creates a strong foundation for higher school achievement and later productivity in society
- Supports for vulnerable children later rather than earlier can have less favourable outcomes and cost more long-term
- Quality early childhood services lies in the expertise, skills and capacity of well-trained staff and professionals
“When we invest wisely in children and families, the next generation will pay that back through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship.”
The Science of Early Childhood Development

Concept 1: Child development is the foundation for community and economic development
- The skills and capacities children develop from birth build the foundation for success into adulthood, such as:
- Workforce skills
- Cooperative and lawful behaviour
Concept 2: Brains are built over time
- Beginning before birth and continues into adulthood
- Process begins by laying the foundation (like with building a house)
- Brain architecture consists of “sensitive periods” that are associated with forming specific circuits
- Complex circuits and skills build on earlier circuits and skills
- Early experiences are the foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour (physical and mental)
- Strong foundation = positive future outcomes
- Weak foundation = increases possibility for later difficulties
- Early experiences are the foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour (physical and mental)
- Complex circuits and skills build on earlier circuits and skills
Concept 3: Genes and experiences interact to shape the architecture of the developing brain through “serve and return”
- The brain is filled with lots of connections among brain cells that are “wired” through the influence of genes and environment/experiences
- Genes determine when specific brain circuits are borned
- Individual experiences shape how that formation unfolds
- Appropriate sensory input (e.g., through hearing and vision) + stable, responsive relationships build healthy brain architecture that create a strong foundation
Concept 4: Brains are built from the bottom up: advanced circuits (e.g., cognitive) build on top of simple circuits and skills (e.g., emotional)
- E.g., Being able to understand what a ball is then say the word “ball” depends on earlier development of the ability to differentiate and reproduce the sound
- The ability to put words together and speak form the foundation for the ability to master reading and writing skills
“Emotional well-being, social competence, and cognitive abilities together are the bricks and mortar that comprise the foundation of human development.”

Concept 5: Cognitive, emotional and social skills are linked
- Emotional and social skills (simple circuits) set the foundation for cognitive abilities (complex circuits)
- These are the foundation of human development
- E.g., Acquiring oral language depends on:
- Adequate hearing of sounds
- Ability to differentiate sounds
- Capacity to link meaning to specific words
- Ability to concentrate, pay attention and engage in social interaction
- Are essential to success in school and later in the workplace and community
Concept 6: Toxic affects the nervous system and stress hormone system and can damage the developing brain architecture and lead to lifelong problems
- When the body’s stress management system is activated it produces a variety of physiological reactions:
- Increase in heart rate
- Rise in blood pressure
- Elevated levels of stress hormones (e.g., cortisol)
- The body prepares to deal with threat (i.e., “fight -or-flight”)
- Prolonged activation of this system can have adverse effects, even to the developing brain
- Stress in early childhood can be growth-promoting or seriously damaging
- Depends on the intensity and duration of the experience
- Children respond differently to stress
- A supportive adults helps to support a child to deal with stress

- Three different types of stress:
- Positive: moderate, short-lived, brief increases in heart rates and blood pressure; an important and necessary aspect of healthy development; supportive adult helps to bring stress response down
- E.g., Meeting new people, dealing with frustration, managing separation, getting an immunization, coping with adult limit-setting/discipline
- Tolerable: stress responses could disrupt brain architecture and have long term consequences; relieved by supportive relationships
- E.g., death, serious illness of a loved one, fighting an injury, parent divorce, natural disaster
- Toxic: most threatening; prolonged activation of stress response; the absence of protective adult support; can affect the immune system and metabolic regulatory mechanisms; greater susceptibility to stress-related physical illnesses (cardio-vascular disease, hypertension, diabetes), mental health problems (depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse)
- E.g., extreme poverty, family chaos, recurrent physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, enduring maternal depression, substance abuse or exposure to violence in the community or within the family
Concept 7: Setting the right foundation early is most effective and less costly than addressing problems later
- When a circuit is “wired” it stabilizes with age, making it harder to alter
- Plasticity: the capacity of the brain to change; the brain is most plastic in early childhood and decreases with age
- The window of opportunity for skill development remain open for many years; however, trying to change behaviour or build new skills on a weak foundation requires more work and is more expensive later
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