The following article was submitted by Dr. Wil Blechman, a rheumatologist who developed a major interest in children’s issues as a result of his work with Kiwanis. He will be a presenter at a local parenting workshop in March.

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 ‘All of us benefit by helping prepare parents for the most important job they will ever have’
 
When we talk about bringing up children, we are really talking about helping them grow up to be successful in school and as an adult. To  help assure such success, children should be healthy, well-nourished and exposed to parents who absolutely adore them. This helps children create a more effective brain, one more likely to succeed. When these are not present, the brain is at risk for failure instead.

In human beings, the cells which will become the brain and spinal cord begin forming at about the third week of pregnancy. During the next several months, the brain in particular changes markedly, though at birth it is still remarkably undeveloped. The two greatest periods of brain growth and change are within the womb and during the first three years of life. During such rapid periods of development, the brain is more vulnerable to stresses, whether occurring internally or from external sources. These stresses can lead to abnormal changes in the brain. Since appropriate development of the brain is in part based  upon normal earlier development, it is apparent that these early days, weeks and months of fetal, newborn, infant and toddler periods are of exceptional importance in creating the eventual adult brain.

Genetic factors

Part of our brain’s development depends on genetics, but a large part also depends on the experiences this little person has, even before birth.

What experiences are we talking about? Depending on our age, it will be the experiences of smelling, touching, seeing, hearing and other  sensations. In fact, even adults have some brain changes as a result of certain experiences, just like those of a baby.
Of all mammals, the human requires the longest period to develop both body and brain. Just as with many other mammals, however, this early period of life demands a good relationship between the baby and his parent(s), especially the mother.

In the human, it is increasingly recognized that this connection allows the developing child to build the brain connections that will make her better able to get along with others. Poor relationships between the parent and child may lead to serious mental health issues, even in very young children.

The resources needed to  help those children, if the brain connections are not well-developed during the first years of life, are often extensive and expensive. In the most extreme cases in which a good relationship has not occurred, an infant may develop a syndrome called “failure to thrive” and die, if proper treatment is not given.
 
Nature and nurture

Our brains will develop no matter what.

However, the quality of that development is influenced significantly by the environment that surrounds the child, particularly during  its infant and toddler years.

When the child’s environment has only a little access to language, feelings of trust and love, appropriate play, nutritious foods, different textures to feel, different sights to see, different sounds to hear, then that child is at risk to create a less capable brain: Less capable of learning; less capable of developing emotional relationships; less capable of proper social interactions.

It is important to understand that parenting is not an innate skill.

For a first-born child, the stresses on the parent(s) are particularly strong. As Dr. T. Berry Brazelton puts it, parents learn by making mistakes, then correcting them once recognized.

However, in the absence of a supportive family or other individuals trained in aspects of parenting, the parent may never understand the errors being made. All of us will benefit by helping prepare parents for the most important job they will ever have.

Dr. Wil Blechman is a rheumatologist and past president of Kiwanis International. He was instrumental in developing the organization’s ongoing worldwide program, “Young Children: Priority One,” which focuses on children from before birth through age 5. Since leaving his medical practice, Dr. Blechman has served as Florida’s State Health Officer and as a consultant to the Departments of Health and Children and Families. He is director of Docs For Tots-Florida, charter president of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health (2001-03 and again in 2006), vice chair of the board of The Miami-Dade Children’s Trust and a board member of The Children’s Forum. In addition, Dr. Blechman remains interested in recent research on brain development in the preschool child and is part of a team of individuals in Florida who speak to this issue.

Two keys to nurturing: be positive and start early

Beth Anne Piehl
Special Sections Writer

Look at a child’s brain development this way, says Marie Sarchet, director of the local Great Start Collaborative.

“You have two seeds and you plant them,” she said. “One  is given the positive influences and the sunlight, attention, food — everything that goes into growing that seed. The other one doesn’t get the proper kind of food, the right amount of love and attention and light.

Even though both will grow, when you get to say kindergarten, you’re going to be at very different levels.”
Sarchet’s analogy speaks to the importance of core factors in a child’s brain development — love, attention, proper nutrition, exercise — that cannot be understated.

She also said that studies reveal efforts to reverse those early influences when negative, through programs and money, don’t always result in successful outcomes. “They can’t always catch up, they  can’t have that same great start,” Sarchet said.

Support for parents through the early years, when it can be difficult and frustrating to raise a child, are key. Unfortunately, she said, the societal structure that supported parents in the past — family nearby, involved grandparents and extended family — doesn’t always exist today.

“The family doesn’t raise the child anymore, grandparents aren’t as big in the picture, and we’ve stretched ourselves so thin,” she said.

Parents should reach out to each other via play groups or trading child-watching duties with a friend so one person has time off every now and then, she advised. Reducing stress can have a positive impact on children’s  development when their parents are more able to meet the daily needs of raising children.

“To have an outlet as a parent is so important,” she said.

It’s particularly important for nurturing children during birth through age 3, when brain neurons are making connections that will literally form the child.

“There is no other time that equates to zero-to-3,” she said. “Everything, your foundation, your building blocks upon which all other learning is going to take place, occurs at this time. Those neurons are your foundation."