Birth to three matters - Communities and Local Government
Birth to three matters - Communities and Local Government
Birth to three matters - Communities and Local Government
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early development gathered largely from a1996 conference in the USA of leadingbrain scientists <strong>and</strong> experts in childdevelopment <strong>and</strong> early education. Theystated that early experiences have adecisive impact upon how the brainis ‘wired’ <strong>and</strong> that the timing of suchexperiences is crucial. Furthermore,Shore warns that research has indicatedthat the emotional neglect orab<strong>and</strong>onment of children very earlyin life can often lead <strong>to</strong> the impairmen<strong>to</strong>f brain-mediated functions such asempathy, attachment, <strong>and</strong> affectregulation (See Gunnar 1996). Theclaims that the first <strong>three</strong> years of lifeare critical <strong>to</strong> brain development lednot only <strong>to</strong> a proliferation of articlesaimed at parents, carers <strong>and</strong> educa<strong>to</strong>rs,but also <strong>to</strong> a critical response fromBruer (1999). In his review ofneurological <strong>and</strong> psychologicalevidence, Bruer refuted the view thatwindows of opportunity for braindevelopment close down after the first<strong>three</strong> years of life (with the exceptionof vision). Instead, he argues,neuroscientific findings havesometimes been stretched <strong>to</strong> formtenuous claims about early braindevelopment <strong>to</strong> fit the aims of researchor policy. While acknowledging thatthere are critical periods in braindevelopment, he reports that the brain’splasticity allows lifelong learning; forexample, he claims that,‘the limiting fac<strong>to</strong>r in vocabularygrowth, <strong>and</strong> presumably for some ofthe other things Verbal IQ measures,is exposure <strong>to</strong> new words, facts <strong>and</strong>experiences. The brain can benefit fromthis exposure at almost any time – earlychildhood, childhood, adolescence,adulthood <strong>and</strong> senescence.’(Bruer 1999:177)Further, as stated in chapter 1, Romanianchildren who were adopted after a periodof serious early deprivation made up theirphysical <strong>and</strong> psychological losses.There are, however, aspects of theevidence on brain development aboutwhich Bruer <strong>and</strong> Shore agree. Namely, thatit is during the first <strong>three</strong> years of life thatthe human brain makes trillions of new(synaptic) connections, <strong>and</strong> thatenvironmental influences are known <strong>to</strong>impact upon these connections. Bruer(1999: 264) noted that neuroscience hasled <strong>to</strong> the discovery that ‘humans <strong>and</strong>other animals experience a rapid burst inbrain connectivity – an exuberant burst ofsynapse formation – early in development’.Furthermore, environmental influences onthe brain’s early formation <strong>and</strong> ‘wiring’ canbe both positive <strong>and</strong> negative <strong>and</strong> cantake place even before a child is born.Nelson (1999) also argues thatneuroscientific work has shown that neuralplasticity <strong>and</strong> the subtle ‘dance’ that occursbetween the brain <strong>and</strong> the environmentmay lead <strong>to</strong> reconceptualisation of ideasabout intervention, competence <strong>and</strong>resilience. He stresses that it is important<strong>to</strong> dispense with nature versus nurturearguments in f avour of a new approach <strong>to</strong>u n d e r s t a n d i n gh ow ex pe ri e n ce can mod i f ythe bra i n , <strong>and</strong> how kn owledge deri ve d110 EDUCATIONAND SKILLS B I RT H T O T H R E E M AT T E R S