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Early Brain Development and Self-Regulation
Betty Rintoul, Ph.D.
Early Childhood Mental Health
l Form close, satisfying relationshipsl Experience, manage, and express a range of both positive and negative emotions
l Actively explore the environment and learn
The developing capacity to:
These critically important life capacities are rooted in our earliest social experiencesCohen, Onunaku, Clothier, & Poppe, 2005
Early Childhood Mental Health =
Promoting Healthy Social Emotional Development
Why are the early years so important?
l The brain lays down the foundation for all future development during this time
l The human brain grows in response to human interactions and emotion
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Growth of Brain
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
Conception 5 10 15 20
Conception to BirthBirth to Age 20Birth
Source: A.N. Schore, Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self, 1994.
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Who
le Br
ain W
eight
in G
ram
s
Developing Neuron
Source: Healy, Your Child’s Growing Mind, 2004
Source: Conel, JL. The postnatal development of the human cerebral cortex. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1959.
Nelson, 2000, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
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Experiences Build the Brain
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2011
CEREBRALCORTEX
LIMBIC SYSTEMBRAINSTEM
Managing Impulses and Emotions
l Connections in the frontal cortex allow us to manage those strong emotions and impulses that arise from the limbic area
l Those connections develop through early childhood, showing a significant growth spurt from ages 2 through 5
l Children need the “coaching” of a caring adult to model, guide, and support the development of self-regulation
Road to Self-Regulation
l Self-regulation involves promoting effective connections between the structures of the limbic system and the cortex
l Become aware of emotions, then decide how to act, or not act, on them
l These skills begin to develop in preschool years - continue developing actively through adolescence
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Brainstem
Cortical
Limbic
Adapted from Perry, B. (2006)
Emotional Communication
Schore, 2001
Caregiver Infant
Keeping in the Comfort Zone
Over-arousal(distress, agitation)
Under-arousal(bored, drowsy)
Quiet Alert
Caregivercomforts
Encouraging Connections™
Power of Responsiveness
Tronick’s “Still Face” Paradigm, Mind in the Making, 2011
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Think about What You Saw
l How were the mother and baby communicating? What connections do you think were being formed in the baby’s brain?
l How did the baby respond when the communication link is cut by the mother not responding? How did the baby try to restore the link to the mother?
l How did you feel as you watched the mother ignore her baby’s efforts to connect?
Brain “Rules”
l Repeated use strengthens brain connections
l If connections are not used, they are more likely to be “pruned” away
l The brain “grows itself” for the environment it experiences
l Emotion and relationships appear to play particularly important roles in shaping the brain’s development
Early Childhood Mental Health
l Form close, secure, meaningful relationshipsl Experience, regulate, and express emotionsl Explore the environment and learn new skills
Definition: Healthy social, emotional, and behavioral well-being, or the developing capacity to:
Relationships Matter
l Children with secure relationships show more confident exploration and mastery in new situations
l Caregivers who are more emotionally responsive and offer verbal and cognitive stimulation provide the best chance for optimal development
Raver, 2002;; Howes, 2002
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Walk the Path to Build the Path
Walk the Path to Build the Path
Encouraging Connections™
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