Child Development and Brain Growth

Brain Development

• Genes provide the basic framework for brain development, but environmental influences shape the brain's connections and growth.
• Connections used frequently grow stronger, while unused ones fade away.

Stress and Development

• Positive stress (e.g., starting daycare) helps children develop coping skills and confidence.
• Chronic, uncontrolled stress (e.g., abuse, neglect) is toxic to children and can lead to lifelong changes in learning and behavior.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

• ACEs include abuse, neglect, exposure to intimate partner violence, parental depression or addiction, and poverty.
• ACEs can impact social, emotional, and cognitive functioning, and increase the risk of disease, disability, and social problems later in life.

Stress Response

• The stress response is activated when experiencing stress, causing alertness, increased heart rate, and stress hormone levels.
• Without caregiver support, the stress response can stay active, affecting immune system functioning and increasing disease risk.

Brain Areas Affected by Toxic Stress

• The executive centre (problem-solving, attention, reasoning) is vulnerable to toxic stress.
• The emotional centre (emotional processing, impulse control) is affected by toxic stress.
• The memory and learning centre (learning, memory formation) is impacted by toxic stress.

Behavior and Health Consequences

• ACEs can lead to emotional distress, poor emotion regulation, impulsivity, learning difficulties, and physical and mental health problems.

Epigenetics and Gene Expression

• Epigenetics causes changes in gene expression without changing the DNA code, influencing how genes work.
• Adverse childhood experiences are associated with epigenetic changes related to stress, brain development, and mental and physical health.

Prevention and Intervention

• Positive, supportive relationships at any stage in life can mitigate negative outcomes.
• Supporting families and children early on can prevent many negative outcomes.
• Warm, loving, and actively engaged caregivers are key to healthy development.

Brain Development

• Genes provide the basic framework for brain development, but environmental influences shape the brain's connections and growth.
• Connections used frequently grow stronger, while unused ones fade away.

Stress and Development

• Positive stress (e.g., starting daycare) helps children develop coping skills and confidence.
• Chronic, uncontrolled stress (e.g., abuse, neglect) is toxic to children and can lead to lifelong changes in learning and behavior.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

• ACEs include abuse, neglect, exposure to intimate partner violence, parental depression or addiction, and poverty.
• ACEs can impact social, emotional, and cognitive functioning, and increase the risk of disease, disability, and social problems later in life.

Stress Response

• The stress response is activated when experiencing stress, causing alertness, increased heart rate, and stress hormone levels.
• Without caregiver support, the stress response can stay active, affecting immune system functioning and increasing disease risk.

Brain Areas Affected by Toxic Stress

• The executive centre (problem-solving, attention, reasoning) is vulnerable to toxic stress.
• The emotional centre (emotional processing, impulse control) is affected by toxic stress.
• The memory and learning centre (learning, memory formation) is impacted by toxic stress.

Behavior and Health Consequences

• ACEs can lead to emotional distress, poor emotion regulation, impulsivity, learning difficulties, and physical and mental health problems.

Epigenetics and Gene Expression

• Epigenetics causes changes in gene expression without changing the DNA code, influencing how genes work.
• Adverse childhood experiences are associated with epigenetic changes related to stress, brain development, and mental and physical health.

Prevention and Intervention

• Positive, supportive relationships at any stage in life can mitigate negative outcomes.
• Supporting families and children early on can prevent many negative outcomes.
• Warm, loving, and actively engaged caregivers are key to healthy development.