Brain development in early childhood and parenting styles

Early Childhood Development

Research on the brain and early childhood development indicates that the first four years of life are a period of particularly rapid development of brain structures and function. According to Larissa Scott (2004) the potential of the brain can be enhanced by presenting the right experiences at the right times, in the right amounts. In the initial stages of life, children's brains can be compared to a sponge soaking up liquids. As the newborn's five senses are stimulated the information gathered causes brain activity. This activity leads to the development of motor, emotional, behavioral, cognitive and social functioning.

Influence of Family and Environment

As the brain collects more information it begins to make connections between old and new knowledge, discarding information that does not sustain relevance to the environment. This sorting and learning process can be regarded as a function of the elimination of unnecessary associations and maintenance of those that are used. This places a great responsibility on primary caregivers to provide children with endless opportunities for gathering new information and maintaining associations with previously experiences.

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2007) reports that specific experiences have a significant effect on specific brain circuits during specific developmental stages. The ability to think and regulate emotions is determined by the availability of appropriate experiences at the right stages of development.

Children need to be introduced to new tasks gently, too much, too soon is overwhelming. Learning requires focus, sustained attention and the capacity to tolerate frustration. Most children develop faster in one domain, motor, emotional, cognitive, social, than others. Children tend to choose activities that match their strengths and give them the greatest sense of achievement. It is important to help children find private ways to practice their relative weaknesses. Additionally, mastery in one domain can't be generalized to others. For example, even if a child has mastered motor skills, he may not have comparable mastery in emotional or social domains.

Perry (2000) describes a developmental hot zone, where a child can grasp new skills, concepts, ands behaviors. Children should be encouraged to leave their comfort zone and take on new challenges. If a child never leaves his comfort zone and moves into his hot zone, where the child is challenged, the child will never learn.

Parenting Styles

Pong, Hao, and Gardner (2005) describe four types of parenting styles based on demandingness and responsiveness. The authoritarian style is high on demandingness and low on responsiveness. It manifests in high parental control and supervision, with stress on obedience and respect for authority. Permissive parenting is low on demandingness and high on responsiveness. Parents who are permissive are very accepting of their children, making few demands for mature behavior, and allowing their children substantial self-regulation. Authoritative parenting is high on both demandingness and responsiveness. Parents who are authoritative set clear standards for mature behavior for their children. They firmly enforce rules and standards, while encouraging their children to be independent and to have open communication with parents. Neglectful parenting is low on both demandingness and responsiveness. Parents who are neglectful are unengaged, highly coercive, nondirective, and do not monitor their children's activities. Previous research has found that authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting was negatively associated with school grades and school engagement, whereas the association for authoritative parenting is positive.

Conclusion

Additional efforts are needed to integrate programs that target the emotional and social needs of young children into the broader early care and education environment. Failure to acknowledge the interrelatedness of cognitive, language, emotional, and social capabilities, in skill development and in their underlying brain architecture, undermines the full promise of what evidence based investments in early learning might achieve (Shonoff, 2009). The conventional approach to this challenge focuses on treating behavioral problems and emotional difficulties as they become apparent. However, advances in evidence-based preventive interventions offer much promise in the early childhood years, particularly when combined with the skills and commitment required to address the mental health needs of parents as well. Promising areas for creative intervention include adopting preventive approaches that do not require the assignment of clinical diagnoses to young children and providing health professionals who typically work outside of the mental health field with the skills they need to address, or at least identify, the mental health needs of their patients.

Pretending that the early years have little impact on later life outcomes is no longer a credible position. Contending that full funding of existing early childhood programs will completely eliminate later school failure and criminal behavior is similarly indefensible. The concept of early intervention as a strategy for improving life outcomes for young children is well grounded in the biological and social sciences, but the translation of that concept into highly effective programs that generate strong returns on investment needs more work.