7/29/2019 Your Babys Developing Brain

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distances. They also receive touch and

position inormation as they learn to

move in coordination. Think o the work

out their eet and hands are getting in

preparation or later ne motor tasks.

Body awareness is quickly improving

as a result o the stimulation o the

many touch and movement receptors

in their muscles and ligaments as

they move across the room. They are

also gaining urther 3D awareness

through their vision and hearing. This

is a tremendous time or exploration

and learning about themselves and

their world through sensory input.

The Mid Brain

The mid brain comes next up this

orderly, predictable, sequential child

development ladder. It controls all

the messages coming into the brain

rom the body and urther stimulates

the development o perception and

3D awareness through creeping.

Creeping on the hands and knees is

the hall mark o this period o

development. Both sides

o the brain called the

hemispheres are

now working

in coordination,

this is called cross

pattern. Right arm and hand orward

and at the same time the bent let leg

moves orward. All this is refex driven

and does not appear again until the two

hemispheres o the brain begin to work

independently and in support o one

another, during the third year o lie.

Think o the muscle development

o the shoulders, arms and hands,

while the inant is creeping. This is

so important to later writing. The

distance also between the eyes and

the hands o a creeping inant, are

the same as between the eyes and

a book at school age. Think o the

sensory messages bombarding an

inants brain as they creep. This is a

very dramatic period o development.

The Cortex

The cortex sits over the brain stem and

is responsible or comprehension o

and response to the sensory messages

coming in rom the body. It orms the

bulk o the let and right hemispheres,

with a mass o nerves

interconnecting the two.

As an inant begins to push

into an upright position, the

cortex begins to play a more important

role, usually in the early months o

the second year o lie. Initially, each

hal o the brain does the same thing,

almost as i it needs to reinorce each

hemisphere. For example, our toddlers

push along with both eet in the same

pattern when riding a push along car.

Early speech appears and the slow

transition to independent control o the

two hemispheres begins to develop.

The later postural refexes now

develop and exist or the remainder

o lie. These refexes are

important or posture andbalance. Coordination and

balance improve in order or

the next important stage o

development cortical or sensory

integration to ully develop. This is

a period o important consolidation.

Cortical/Sensory Integration

Somewhere between 2 or 3 years

o age, the brain matures and there

is a separation o controls or specic

tasks by the two hemispheres. This

allows independent movement o the

limbs such as standing on one oot,

and cutting out with one hand while

holding the paper with the other.

Children prior to this stage worked

both hands or both eet

together. Now children can

learn to ride the tricycle,

which requires the eet

to push in opposite

directions to one another

and the arms to work in

coordination to steer.

Independent hand skills allow

the emergence o recognisable drawing

(mainly!) They still draw as they see

or instance a three year old drawing

o a man will be a big head with arms

and legs coming out rom the head

this is how they see an adult as they

look up. The our year old with better

body awareness, knows he has a

body and draws people accordingly.

It is oten also said that a child enters

this stage in nappies and leaves it in

pants! In other words, the child now

has a better tactile system. It is another

dramatic year in a childs development.

Finally, the most recent brain

acquisition in evolution, the neo

cortex, begins to mature. This part o

the brain is only present in humans.

The Neo Cortex

The neo cortex is the top secti

brain. It is responsible or the

level o inormation processing

result o all the inormation rela

the brain up through the brain

and other complex neural circu

Children by now are automatic

patterned in their movements

one side and the leg on the oth

being orward). This is seen in

running, walking, throwing, etc

automatic unc

improves b

and ena

many n

such as

skipping, g

up and down stairs unaided, th

more accurately with a preerre

speaking more fuently and dra

Thus with growing independen

and understanding, children e

more in control o themselves

their world. I can do it myse

the catch cry o this age! This

also a tremendous time or lan

development and an understan

o the things in their world, in

preparation or a great time at

Helping your childs

developing brain

Child rearing is one o the mos

important tasks in lie. Parents

to be aware that they are their

rst and most important teach

that they can assist in their chi

healthy development. Recogni

that brain development occurs

a natural, orderly and sequenti

pattern is an important compo

o understanding how to best

children achieve. Providing ex

and opportunities that best ma

requirements and capabilities o

developing brain is a great star

Dr Jane Williams is the Research a

Education General Manager of Gy

and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Scho

Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition,

Cook University, Townsville, QLD.is an edited and updated version o

written for GymbaROO parent edu

in 1994 by Margaret Sasse, found

GymbaROO.

Illustrations by Georges McKail, ta

Tomorrows Children, Sasse, M. (2

Melbourne: GymbaROO.

05

BabyROO

Dr Jane Williams

Birth is an important and exciting timeor new parents. At birth inants are

perectly ormed human beings, but

their brains and nervous system are

very immature. How well an inant

develops depends on the type and

number o experiences a growing

brain receives. Genetics, nutrition,

emotional security and the opportunity

given to the inbuilt refexes are

essential components o healthy brain

development. But brain development

is orderly and sequential, so the timing

o dierent types o opportunities and

stimulation are also important. Just as

you cant teach a newborn baby to read,

you cannot teach a ve year old to read

i they have not had the opportunity

to develop the oundational skills o

learning in inancy and early childhood.At GymbaROO we believe that parents

who understand their childrens

developmental needs are more likely

to provide an environment that is

conducive to healthy development.

Understanding how the brain develops

is an important part o this knowledge.

At birth, babies see, but they do not

understand. They have no control over

their eye muscles, so they cannot x

upon an object or bring it into ocus.

They hear, but know little o the source

or meaning o the sounds that reach

their ears. They eel, but have no idea

o their body shape. They taste and

smell, but have yet to learn the meaning

or signicance o these senses.

Their bodily responses and movementsare dominated by involuntary, inbuilt

refexes. For example, an inant easily

startles, arms fy out, they cry, and

as they do, they take a deep breath.

Some say this is the rst time the

inant becomes aware that those things

on the end o their arms are theirs!

These responses provide our inants

with survival mechanisms and early

movement patterns, refecting thelevel at which the brain is unctioning.

The Medulla

At birth the inant is operating at the

lowest level o brain unction in the

brain stem, or the medulla. This is a

refex stage, which nature has provided

to ensure the survival o the inant.

As can be

seen on the

illustration,

this inant

is in what

is called

the encing

position; this

is a refex

position,

which occurs

when the inants head is turned to

one side. Head movement triggers

most o the early refexes. These

refexes are called primitive refexes

and are automatic involuntary. These

movements come under voluntary

control during the early months ater

birth. For example, a refex that enables

an inant to suck also stimulates the

opening and closing o their sts, so

tightly shut ater birth except when

sucking. In time and with experience,

the inant learns to suck at will and

open and close sts when desired.

Early vision is a refex to light. Inants

cannot see at near point at rst but

this develops through experience

and movement. Light and movementstimulate vision. For this reason visual

specialists oten recommend a light

be let on in an inants room low

on the foor and within their sight.

Babies have no idea o touch, they can

eel, but do not know where! Slowly

as the messages rom their refex

movements and through eeling, light,

sound, taste and smell, they gain

more voluntary control andenter a higher brain stem level o

development aided by the input

generated by the cerebellum,

which eeds inormation into

the brain stem, primarily into the

medulla and pons stages.

The Cerebellum

The cerebellum is situated at the

side o the brain stem, at the back

o the brain. This area is responsible

or regulating the refexes and

muscle tone, thus maintaining the

body's coordination and balance. It

also plays an important role in the

control o the muscles o the eyes.

Stimulation o the cerebellum occurs

as inants are rolled, bounced, tumbled,

spun and generally

moved about by

their parents,

stimulating the

tiny hairs in the

inner ear, which

send bulk

messages to the

cerebellum about

where their body is in relation to

space and gravity. This is oten

called vestibular stimulation.

The cerebellum interacts with both

the medulla and the pons areas o

the brain stem. Its greatest period

o growth is rom birth to 15 months

o age and at a slower rate in the

seven eight years o age group.

The Pons

Between ve and eight months,

inants gain control over the refexes

and they begin to move orward in a

sort o crocodile crawl. This occurs

at the pons level o the brain.

As inants can now get that toy by

themselves their eyes are learning

to ocus at diering

Your

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