A 1996 national conference on early brain research (Brain Development in Young Children: New Frontiers for Research, Policy, and Practice) has caused people to re-examine the nature and importance of basic human interactions with babies and to recognize that early nurturing will help children become better at:

• regulating their emotions
  
• forming attachments to and developing empathy for other people; and
  
• developing the logical reasoning and problem-solving skills necessary for school and work.

Conversely, people are beginning to understand the extend that negative experiences early in life, such as abuse or neglect, may cause the brain to respond more violently to stressful situations in later life.

The conference thus focused national attention on (1) the importance of healthy brain development in young children and (2) the implications of early brain development for our nation's future well being.

Dr. Harry Chugani, pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital of Michigan, contributed to the body of research that inspired the conference. His findings suggest that how a child is nurtured in the first three years plays a significant role in how the brain chooses to "wire" itself for life. Dr. Chugani's research led to a series of significant conclusions.

• The emotional and social parts of the brain develop as a result of human relationships durin the child's first two years.
  
• There are "critical periods" or "windows of opportunity" for learning and growth in intellectual, social and emotional domains.
  
• Sensory stimulation (seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting) enables the brain to create or modify neural pathways.
  
• The brain operates according to a "use it or lose it" principle and begins to "prune" those pathways that have not been "fired" in response to early experiences.

As a result, public attention is now concentrated on how human interaction and response affects children's development in a multitude of ways. We now recognize that:

• Human development depends on the interplayt of (or "dance" between) nature and nurture.
  
• Early care and nurturing will have a decisive and lasting impact on a child's future development, learning and capacity to regulate emotions.
  
• The human brain is resilient, but there are "critical periods" when negative experiences or the absence of appropriate stimulation can have a more serious and sustained effect.
  
• Research points to the effectiveness of prevention and early intervention on behalf of children at risk for abuse or neglect.

NOTE: Some of the above information was drawn from Rethinking the Brain, New Insights into Early Developement by Rima Shore, Families and Work Institute, 1997.

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