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 

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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