SEE HOW MUCH early brain development matters

These are the ones that pertain to early childhood brain development from the post entitled Cool brain facts….

At times during pregnancy, the baby’s brain makes 250,000 new nerve cells per minute.

Babies are born with 100 billion neurons; however, only a relatively small number of neurons are connected. 

In the first decade of life, a child’s brain forms trillions of connections. 

New research has shown that early experiences do not just create a background for early development and learning, they directly affect the way the brain is wired.  In turn, the wiring profoundly affects our patterns of emotion, language, and thought. 

Experiences do not just influence a child’s development; they finish the job of molding and sculpting the brain. 

About three-quarters of the brain develops outside the womb, in response to the physical and social environment.  Nature and nurture always work together.

Brain development is especially rapid during the first year.

Brain scans show that by twelve months, a baby’s brain resembles that of a normal young adult. 

By age three, a baby’s brain has formed about 1,000 trillion connections—about twice as many as adults have. 

Also, the areas of the brain that develop early, such as vision, are the first areas to become myelinated (wrapped in myelin), which helps that part of the brain become more efficient.

Tags: 0-3 development, early brain development