K4D806B_Explain_Early_Brain_Development

D806d - Explain Physiology of early brain development – from conception to early life. - How it forms and what stimulates connections Connections or synapses between the cells form as the baby experiences their surroundings. This network of neurons and synapses controls various functions, such as seeing, hearing, and moving. By the age of three, a child’s brain has twice as many synapses as an adult brain. If a child’s brain is not stimulated from birth, these synapses don’t develop, impairing the child’s ability to learn and grow. Brains cells are perfectly designed for making connections. Each cell sends signals to other brains cells and receives input from other cells. The signals, in the form of electrical impulses, travel down the length of the nerve cell and with the help of special chemicals they travel from cell to cell, creating connections. Repeated activation of neuron networks strengthens the connections and a single cell can connect with as many as 15,000 other cells and experience shapes the way circuits are made in the brain. The first stage of brain development is called prenatal stage. This stage begins when a baby is inside the womb as a foetus as the brain begins to work before a baby is born. By three weeks of conceiving, the brain cells begin to form at the tip of the embryo, this tube expands and it matures to form the spinal cord, after that the tube forms the brain. The brain cells or the neurones get developed in a slow process and the neurones begin to make contacts with each other. At this stage, the brain cells mature very quickly and nearly 250,000 cells grow in a child's brain every minute. The growing rate usually slows down after around the 20th week and the brain development of the foetus is almost complete when your baby reaches the age of 6 months in the womb, mostly all the neurones that are needed for a human life are now present in the brain. During the last three months of a pregnancy the neurons become more connected with each other, it can make the foetus have a sense of vision, movement, hearing and language. The entire nervous system is built through his foetal brain development and by the 24th or 25th week, the foetus’s brain is remarkably developed. The neurones make their way to the cortex and this helps the foetus’s brain to mature by sending more messages to each other. This is very important because this process helps a baby’s brain function and after birth, this connectivity will help the foetus to make connections with the outer world. Nicola Francis 2/06/11 Continued Ass 16 The second stage of brain development is called postnatal stage. This starts after the birth of a baby as the brain is rapidly making these connections. A baby’s brain is super-dense and will stay that way throughout the first 10 years of life. Although all the neurons in the cortex of the brain are produced before birth, the connections they've made with each other are weak and therefore need reinforcing. The connections present at birth are only those necessary for basic survival and all the other synaptic connections are formed after birth. At birth the lower portion of the brain is well developed but the upper portion of the brain is still immature, this still developing part of the brain includes the major part of the brain is responsible for our voluntary actions, emotions and memories. In the deluge of new information that the baby is exposed to after birth, many new connections are constantly being laid down. The brain is really a sponge at this moment, as it absorbs new senses and experiences. These enable the child to recognize smells, colours, familiar touches, people who are frequently seen, especially parents. To ensure a child’s healthy development while I am at work I must shape the experiences which allow the brain to develop. Every important keyworker or caregiver is a potential source of love and learning, comfort and stimulation. All children need experiences with important keyworkers or caregivers that are sensitive to their emotional and physical needs. By providing consistent and responsive care giving, I can ensure that a child will have the best opportunity for a healthy emotional and social development. Here are basic practices to help ensure a child’s healthy brain development: • Be warm, loving and responsive. • Respond to the child’s cues and clues. • Talk, read and sing to the children. • Establish routines and rituals. • Encourage safe exploration and play. • Use boundaries as an opportunity to teach. • Recognize that each child is unique.