From Birth to Two: the Neuroscience of Infant Development

Dana Foundation・2 minutes read

The event "Neuroscience And Society: From Birth to Two: Prepping For Life" delves into infant development, highlighting the importance of early experiences shaping brain architecture and skills development over time; Research on early communication gestures in infants can predict later language development, emphasizing the impact of quality engagement in everyday activities on optimal brain development.

Insights

  • Early brain development is influenced by both genetics and experiences, with connections forming and strengthening through repeated use while unused connections are pruned away.
  • Sensory systems in infants are mapped early, with critical periods existing for setting up auditory and visual maps, emphasizing the importance of nurturing environments for healthy brain development.
  • Communication milestones in infants and toddlers are crucial indicators of healthy development, with delays potentially signaling underlying health issues or developmental disorders.

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Recent questions

  • How do infants develop motor skills?

    Motor skills in infants develop progressively from head control and rolling over in the first few months to crawling, standing, and walking in the following months. Experience and temperament influence the timing of these milestones, with babies typically walking between twelve to eighteen months and becoming "playground ready" by eighteen to twenty-four months.

  • What are the key communication milestones in babies?

    Babies show social awareness early on through engagement with faces and voices, matching facial expressions, and engaging in conversations as early as two months old. By five to nine months, they respond to their name and follow commands with gestures, transitioning to socially engaging behavior and pointing to indicate wants or interests by nine to twelve months.

  • How can parents support healthy brain development in children?

    Parents play a crucial role in supporting healthy brain development in children by providing nurturing environments that encourage sensory experiences, social interactions, and language development. Modeling language, engaging in play that involves language, and responding to children's communicative efforts are essential for fostering cognitive and social skills.

  • What are the research priorities for infants to two years old?

    Research priorities for infants to two years old include newborn screening and diagnosis for genetic and congenital conditions, brain development and connectivity changes over time, and the impact of parenting on healthy brain development. Understanding early predictors of developmental issues like autism spectrum disorders and fragile 'x' syndrome, as well as interventions for premature birth and trauma management, are also key areas of focus.

  • How do early communicative gestures in infants impact language development?

    Early communicative gestures in infants between nine and sixteen months can predict language development two years later, with at least 16 gestures by 16 months being a positive indicator. These gestures play a significant role in language acquisition and social communication skills, highlighting the importance of monitoring and supporting early communicative behaviors in infants.

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Summary

00:00

Early Childhood Development: Science and Society Insights

  • Mark Frankel directs the program Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights, and Law at AAAS, focusing on ethical issues in science and technology.
  • The event titled Neuroscience And Society: From Birth to Two: Prepping For Life features speakers discussing infant development.
  • The event is a partnership between AAAS and the Dana Foundation, with upcoming sessions on mental health and genius and creativity.
  • A Toddler's Creed by child psychologist Burton White is shared, highlighting possessiveness in toddlers.
  • Photos of AAAS members' grandchildren, Tyler and Max, are shown, with Tyler being Debbie Runkle's grandson.
  • Doctor Pat Levitt, a neurogenetics expert, discusses factors influencing postnatal infant development, emphasizing genetics and environment interaction.
  • Common misconceptions about child development are addressed, including brain development occurring mostly by age three.
  • The core story of development is explained, focusing on how brains are built over time from the bottom up.
  • The brain's structure is influenced by genes and experiences, with early experiences shaping brain architecture.
  • Connections in the brain form circuits that are strengthened through repeated use, with unused connections fading away through pruning.

14:50

Early Brain Development: Building Strong Connections

  • Neurons form strong circuits and connections for various skills during early development, becoming more efficient with repeated use.
  • Specific areas of the brain originate these circuits, which are interconnected and essential for various skills to function together.
  • Development is not a blank slate; a foundation of brain connections is established at birth for interaction with the environment.
  • Sensory systems are mapped early to allow infants to interact and gain experiences through sensory modalities.
  • Critical periods exist for setting up auditory and visual maps, with the brain being plastic enough to correct issues like lazy eye amblyopia.
  • Sensory circuits form first, followed by motor and language skills, with higher cognitive functions taking longer to develop.
  • Executive function, crucial for emotional regulation and problem-solving, takes a significant period to develop.
  • Synapses play a vital role in nerve cell communication, with brain development continuing beyond age two.
  • Myelination, wrapping nerve fibers for efficient information flow, begins after birth and continues into adulthood.
  • Toxic stress from prolonged activation of stress hormones in early childhood can weaken neural connections crucial for learning and reasoning, emphasizing the importance of nurturing environments for healthy development.

31:07

Early Development Milestones in Infants and Toddlers

  • Newborns are pre-programmed to grow, move, vocalize, socialize, and learn, with initial movements often governed by reflexes like the startle reflex and ATNR.
  • Newborns come into the world ready to learn through sensory experiences, focusing best on objects 7 to 12 inches away, particularly faces, and showing a preference for the human voice.
  • Motor milestones from birth to four months include head control and rolling over, with motor control developing from the neck downward.
  • Between five to nine months, babies may start pulling to stand and crawling, with different crawling styles observed.
  • Babies typically start walking between twelve to eighteen months, with experience and temperament influencing the timing of this milestone.
  • By eighteen to twenty-four months, toddlers are usually "playground ready," able to walk, run, climb stairs, kick balls, throw things, and jump.
  • Communication development involves pre-language skills like engagement, attention to language, and communicative efforts, which can be observed from early ages.
  • Babies show social awareness through engagement with faces and voices, matching facial expressions, and engaging in conversations as early as two months old.
  • By five to nine months, babies are attentive to language, responding to their name and following commands with gestures.
  • By nine to twelve months, babies are socially engaged, attentive to language, and able to follow commands without gestures, with pointing emerging as a key communicative skill.

48:10

Language Development in Toddlers: Milestones and Concerns

  • At this age, babies transition from putting things in their mouths to engaging in play that involves language, with parents modeling language for imitation.
  • Babies in this age group start understanding commands and gradually begin producing a few words, initially related to wants and routines.
  • Between eighteen and twenty-four months, children become socially motivated, initiating interactions and showing behaviors, seeking constant attention.
  • Elaborate pretend play emerges in this age range, reflecting the child's observational learning and ability to imitate actions.
  • Toddlers pay close attention to language, understanding a significant amount and showing interest in books and conversations.
  • Communication milestones are crucial to monitor, with specific expectations at different ages, such as responding to names and pointing to indicate wants or interests.
  • Developmental delays in skills like motor and communication can signal underlying health issues, neuromuscular problems, or developmental disorders.
  • Specific clinical scenarios, like a toddler struggling to go upstairs but managing to go downstairs, can indicate potential health concerns like muscular dystrophy.
  • Not responding to one's name at 21 months can be a concerning sign for autism, as it reflects a lack of attention to language and potential communication difficulties.
  • A 24-month-old with a wide vocabulary but inability to communicate needs through words may raise concerns about autism or a disconnect between language and communication skills.

01:05:50

Early Brain Development in Infants: Key Research

  • Research priorities for infants to two years old include newborn screening and diagnosis for genetic and congenital conditions with interventions.
  • Emphasis is placed on brain development and connectivity, focusing on changes over time and their association with behavior.
  • Understanding the impact of parenting on healthy brain development is crucial for the success and competence of children.
  • Research is conducted on early predictors of math difficulties, language acquisition, and communicative gestures in infants.
  • The development of self-regulation, including the ability to self-soothe and inhibit dangerous behaviors, is a key focus.
  • Early predictors of autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities like fragile 'x' syndrome are of interest.
  • Research also covers premature birth prevention, treatment, and management of physical and psychological trauma in infants and children.
  • The impact of adversity, poverty, toxic stress, and discrimination on brain development is being studied.
  • Resources like neuroimaging databases for children and the Human Connectome project for infants are available for researchers.
  • Research findings indicate that early communicative gestures in infants between nine and sixteen months can predict language development two years later, with at least 16 gestures by 16 months being a positive indicator.

01:23:44

Impact of Handheld Devices on Children's Development

  • Felicity Crawford, an associate professor at Wheelock College in Boston, inquires about the impact of handheld devices on children's cognitive development.
  • Children under two years old do not learn effectively from electronic media unless they engage with a parent while using it.
  • Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest limiting device and TV use for children under two due to competition with real interaction.
  • Bilingual research indicates potential cognitive benefits and no delays in development for children raised in bilingual households.
  • Early vocabulary complexity in bilingual children is similar to monolingual children, with a later surge in vocabulary learning.
  • Interventions targeting both children and primary caregivers, focusing on social engagement, show positive impacts on development trajectories.
  • The balance between interaction and overstimulation in child development is crucial, emphasizing quality engagement in everyday activities.
  • Early experiences, especially traumatic ones, may not form conscious memories due to coding differences and biological consequences on brain receptors.
  • Sensory systems retain memories of early experiences, aiding in the formation of sensory maps.
  • Accessing neural imaging databases typically requires affiliation with a research institution and signing a data use agreement, with resources available on the NICHD website.

01:40:49

Infant attention studies focus on Elmo's impact.

  • Tracking attention in infants is crucial for developmental studies, with Elmo being a highly salient object for one-month-olds, while other cartoon characters may have no impact; studies focus on using different objects, colors, and movement to understand what infants pay attention to and for how long, with wireless tracking methods now available for gaining insights into infant attention without the need for wires.
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