Early Brain Development

According to a report in the Lancet more than 3 million children die each year because of malnutrition, accounting for more than half of all deaths in children under 5.

New research on first impressions

Mice raised without bacteria in the gut showed distinctly autistic patterns of behaviour, choosing to interact with objects more than other mice, scientists at University College Cork (UCC) have found.

President’s plan for universal preschool calls for investment in programs to close achievement gap.

Research into why some people have strong memory well into old age suggests that their brains are different from their peers.

We've all been there: You're at work deeply immersed in a project when suddenly you start thinking about your weekend plans. It happens because behind the scenes, parts of your brain are battling

Neuroscience research shows epileptic patients with brain electrodes surgically implanted in their medial temporal lobes learned to consciously control individual neurons deep in the brain with thoughts.

This really is what life is simply ALL about!! 

 “A baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it” ~ Frank A.Clark

One of my greatest desires is for every baby to start out life feeling loved! It is what the brain needs most....  and we do never outgrow the need to feel love.

"In their earliest months and years, children’s interactions with familiar, sensitive, and stimulating caregivers fuel their social, emotional and intellectual growth, with enduring effects on their future development, learning, and academic capacities."

Researchers still do not know what the future might hold for a generation raised with smartphones and tablets.

Ed Boyden is only 33, but he's already helped invent influential technologies in the study of the human brain.

Can kids really be thoughtful, intelligent, brave and creative? Can kids really stand up and speak their mind? Can kids really make a difference?"

In terms of physical activity and fitness, Marco's more like a lower-middle class Kenyan kid than an upper-middle class American kid. credit for right photo:

"I was friends with the son of a Hell’s Angel for several years … until he went to prison. As a way to show Tom love, his dad would beat him every day as a kid. This, in order to toughen him up, to increase his pain threshold so as to prepare him for a world that could be pretty cruel and uncaring. It worked. Tom was definitely tough, and physical pain was something he had little trouble enduring. The problem was that dad’s Hell’s Angel methods left Tom with little prefrontal, executive function brain development. Like the majority of violent offenders in prison, Tom couldn’t control his emotional impulses in the least, particularly anger"

Being exposed to arguments between parents is associated with the way babies’ brains process emotional tone of voice, according to a new study to be publis

It seems that some very young humans play with iPads nearly half of their waking day. This is leading to withdrawal tantrums of an extreme kind. Read this article by Chris Matyszczyk on CNET News.

"Maybe I’m just being nostalgic, or reactionary. But I think these imaginary people and places, elaborate collaborations between the author and the reader, help kids put themselves in others’ shoes, and test themselves in situations they may not encounter in real life. I remember learning some of my lessons in bravery from The Hobbit, and those in compassion from The Secret Garden, and I don’t need data to know that I’d like my daughter to have the chance to do the same."

When faced with unimaginable tragedy, in a terrifying situation where people did not know how to respond or behave, when no one could know if there would be any more bombs being detonated or any more people being harmed, in a set of circumstances that, by all logic and reason, should have discouraged most people from lending a hand, people still jumped into the crowd and helped. In droves. They stepped up, pitched in, helped strangers. They put themselves in potential danger to make sure that strangers were okay.

After chatting with Deb and Dana, it became clear
to me that the sorts of assessments conducted by neuropsychologists are often conflated with the ‘psychoeducational testing’ administered by other professionals (e.g. psychologists, educational therapists, and school district administrators). Consequently, the power of neuropsychological tests and their implications for educating students are lost.

We like to think we are paying attention to our kids and are in tune with them all, (or most of), the time but sometimes we can forget that when they are grouchy or are behaving in a certain way that there is a feeling behind their behaviour. It may be that they are hungry, tired, ill or upset about something.

REDLANDS, CA–Nicholas and Beverly Serna's daughter Caitlin was only four years old, but they already knew there was a problem.

Did You Know...?         ...... feel good chemicals are released in the brain through loving interactions.
....... families and cultures that express warm physical affection have fewer issues with anger and aggression.

..... Researchers who examine the life histories of children who have succeeded despite many challenges, have consistently found that these children have had at least one stable, supportive relationship with an adult early in life.