Dr. A M M Anisul Awwal, PhD :
Every child should have the best possible start in life, every child should receive a connections, convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989, the World good quality basic education, every child should have the opportunities to develop his or her full potential and contribute to society in meaningful ways. In these Summit for Children 1990, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1979 are the most widely and rapidly ratified human rights treaties in the history.
Most of the brain development happens before a child reaches three years of age. In a short span of 36 months, children develop their abilities to think and speak, learn and reason, and lay the foundation for their values and social behavior as adults. Choices made and actions taken on behalf of children during this critical period affect not only how a child develops but also how a country progresses.
When infants are held and touched in soothing ways, they tend to thrive. Warm, responsive care seems to have a protective function, to some extent immunizing an infant against the effects of stress experienced later in life. But the brain’s malleability during these early years also means that when children do not get the care they need, or if they experience starvation, malnutrition, abuse or neglect, their brain development may be compromised.
Early childhood period starts from fertilization of ovum in the uterus. In the first moments, months and years of life, every touch, movement and emotion in a young child’s life translates into an explosion of electrical and chemical activity in the brain, as billions of cells are organizing themselves into networks requiring trillions of synapses between them. These early childhood years with the experiences and interactions with parents, family members and other adults influence the way a child’s brain develops, with as much impact as such factors as adequate nutrition, good health and clean water. How the child develops during this period sets the stage for later success in school and the character of adolescence and adulthood.
The effects of what happens during the prenatal period and during the early months and years of a child’s life can last a lifetime. It affects all the key ingredients of emotional intelligence, confidence, curiosity, intention, self-control, relatedness, capacity to communicate and cooperativeness that determine how a child learns and relates in school and in life. It is, of course, never too late for children to improve their nutrition, health and development, to learn new skills, overcome fears or change their beliefs.
With brain connections proliferating explosively during the first three years of life, children discover new things in virtually every waking moment. At birth, a baby has about 100 billion brain cells. Most of these cells are not connected to each other and cannot function on their own. They must be organized into networks that require trillions of connections or synapses between them. These connections are miracles of the human body, depending partly on genes and partly on the events of early life. Many kinds of experiences affect: how young brains develop, but nothing is more important than early care and nurturing.
From the first cell division, brain development is a delicate dance between genes and the environment. While genes pre-order the sequence of normal development, the quality of that development is shaped by environmental factors that affect both the pregnant and lactating mother and the young infant. Such factors as adequate nutrition, good health, clean water and a safe environment free from violence, abuse, exploitation and discrimination contribute to how the brain grows and develops.
The uniqueness of the human brain lies not only in its size and complexity but also in the properties that make it extraordinarily interactive with experience. Every touch, movement and motion is translated into electrical and chemical activity that shifts the genetic momentum. Human interactions are as important to the development of brain connections as having food to eat, sounds to hear and light to see. There are periods in life when the brain is particularity open to new experiences and especially able to take advantage of them. If these sensitive periods pass by without the brain receiving the stimulation for which it is primed, opportunities for various kinds of yearning may be substantially reduced.
Exactly how critical the ‘critical periods’ are, and how long the windows of opportunity for specific areas of development stay open, is under debate. Human brain is malleable and its capacity for reorganization continues throughout life and can be enhanced by interventions. But there is wide consensus that during early childhood the brain is taking shape with a speed that will never be again equaled.
The brain’s malleability also means that there are times when negative experiences or the absence of good or appropriate stimulation are more likely to have serious and sustained effects. When children do not get the care they need during developmental prime times, or if they experience starvation, abuse or neglect, their brain development may be compromised. Many children living in emergency, displaced or post-conflict situations experience severe trauma and are under exceptional and unresolved stress or conditions that are particularly debilitating for young children. Only a few synapses fire, while the rest of the brain shuts down. At these young ages, a shutdown stalls the motor of development.
(PID-UNICEF Feature: (Dr. Dr. A M M Anisul Awwal is a nutrition expert)
