Infant Brain Dev: Extrinsic & Intrinsic Factors Impact Learn & Growth - Essay Sample

Introduction

Brain development and infant learning are contingent and fragile upon several extrinsic and intrinsic factors. In most instances, infant brain development begins from the second trimester to the first three months of infant life. At infancy, neural pathways are created, brain development is rapid, and other parts of brains are maturing. Until the age of 3 years, neural pathways are created to respond to stimulation. Because a child experiences a significant change in terms of social, physical, and biological changes, brain development is the leading determinant.

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Brain Development and Early Childhood

Gilmore et al. (2018) suggest that during infancy until two years is influenced by dynamic and rapid brain development, which leads to cognitive development and other disorder' risks as schizophrenia and autism (Gilmore et al., 2018). A child's early life is vital for later health advancement. The first eight years of a child establishes the foundation for life success, learning, and health development. Brain development is embedded in genes and many factors like infants' experiences with people around them and the world, exposure to infections or toxins, and adequate nutrition that begins during pregnancy.

Prado et al. (2014) support that proper nutrition plays a significant role in healthy brain development (Prado et al., 2014). In essence, nutrition is needed during infancy and pregnancy, which play crucial roles in brain formation and creating a foundation for cognitive-motor development and social-emotional abilities throughout adulthood and childhood. In other words, nutritional deficiencies during infancy and pregnancy are more likely to influence productivity, behavior, and cognition throughout a child's school period and adulthood. Throughout a child's life span, nutrition plays a significant part in brain development.

Kok et al. (2014) argue that early caregiving can influence brain function and structure in children (Kok et al., 2014). Caregiving quality' normal variations have a significant maker of children's development. Such that fathers and mothers play a vital role in brain development. When babies are born, they are ready to learn and to acquire skills during their long life. Children depend on caregivers, family members, and parents as their first teachers to adopt the right skills to lead a successful and healthy life by becoming independent (Kok et al., 2014). A child's experience with the world and people influences how their brain develops. Children' brain grows best in a safer environment where they are protected from chronic stress and neglect. In such an environment, they get an opportunity to explore and play. Caregivers and parents can support children's healthy growth by caring, playing, and speaking to them.

Structural brain development influences the impact of poverty on a child's achievement and learning. Children from low-income earning family's registers low scores on academic achievement, lower educational attainment, and poorer grades in schools. The patterns can persist into adulthood, which can lead to low income and wages. Nurturing children by understanding their requirements and complying with their sensitive help to relieve their brain from stress.

Brain Development' Typical Process from Conception to Early Preschool

In human, development begins during conception, by the time a woman is three weeks pregnant, the embryo develops a neural groove, which is the brain structure foundation. At the gastrulation period, the embryo develops from simple cell groups to form a multi-layered organism. In this stage, three germ layers are formed, which entails ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In essence, ectoderm refers to the outermost layer, which forms the nervous system, brain, and skin. Mesoderm is the middle layer that develops to form the circulatory systems, muscles, and skeletal (Prado et al., 2014). The most inner layer, endoderm, forms the internal organs' lining. The neurulation process in the ectoderm undergoes a thickening process where it creates a neutral plate. The changes in cell shape and attachments make the plate fold and rise, with both sides merging in the middle to form a tube. In this context, the tube pushes the ectoderm to create a neutral tube. When it reaches 27 days, the neutral tube becomes closed completely, which transforms the spinal cord and the brain (Kok et al., 2014). If the neural tube fails to close, it makes the cerebral cortex and spina bifida to be formed.

Along the inner surfaces of a neutral tube, tube neutrons are created where the nerve cells receive passed information to other different nerve cells through electrochemical impulses. When the neutrons are formed, they are passed and migrates to a different location within a child's brain. Ideally, brain development is experienced outside the womb, which is termed as the postnatal phase (Prado et al., 2014). At this stage, the environment plays a vital role since it encompasses children's social and physical world by increasing neural connections in their brains.

The time a woman delivers a baby, the child will have more than 100 billion neurons. When a child is born, the nervous systems lower portion are well-formed, which includes the brain stem and spinal cord. In essence, the higher regions of the brain are in the primeval stage, which entails the cerebral cortex and the limbic system (Gilmore et al., 2018). The lower parts of children's brains control their behaviors, such as grasping, crying, and kicking. A child's behavior is determined by the function of the spinal cord and brainstem. Ideally, it also captures the visual behavior, which enables them to track moving objects. Children's brain becomes entirely developed when a child reaches late adolescence.

Arguably, it is not right to believe that brain is fully developed when children reach puberty. In essence, the brain undergoes significant changes. During these stages, essential life functions are established, and the frontal lobe is not fully developed. In other words, a person of the age of 25 and below cannot make the best judgment and best decision. Every before a baby is delivered, their brains go through different changes for months, producing nerve cells and linking them between cells. A child is born with necessary reflexes and survival skills in the brain.

A child development stage begins at the sensorimotor stage. In most instances, brain' development depends on children's sensations, developmental moments, and children's experience. At the sensorimotor stage, a child tends to discover objects through trials and errors such as putting objects in their mouths, throwing objects, and shaking objects. A child has twice synapses as compared to adults' brains, which entails the maintained connection and those improved by learning a new thing.

When children are born, they cry in their languages by words of the tongue or ending their cry on low or high note complying with the ending tones. For instance, a German baby is more likely to complete a lament on a low note, whereas a French baby is likely to complete a cry at a high note (Kok et al., 2014). When babies are born to the outside world, they begin to face the second phase of life. After birth, the brain goes through a different stage that determines the character of the child. The changes entail five period's namely adolescent stage, preschool, toddlerhood, infancy, and the neonatal in descending order. Every stage is vital for children's brain development, where the neonatal stage is highly regarded. In this context, the neonatal stage is four weeks after the baby is born. Notably, the stage is vital since it sets the tone for the baby's brain development. The neonatal stage is like the begging of a new chapter in human life. For that reason, it sets the tone for the rest of life to come. A child's brain is influenced by early childhood programs, neglect, nurture, and the environment's effect (Gilmore et al., 2018). In that regard, the wealth of a child's family plays a crucial role. Children born in wealthy families are well taken care of and can access diapers, food, and clothes as compared to a child from low-income families.

At the pre-operational stage, a child begins to think symbolically. Such that a child will learn to use pictures and words to represent different objects. During this stage, a child will be egocentric and will find it challenging to comply with other people's perspectives. When children grow, they become better in thinking and language to view things concretely.

Attachment Role in Brain Development

The relationship between a primary caregiver and a child plays a crucial role in a child's brain development. In other words, the association is a developmental psychology' tenet referred to as attachment theory. In this approach, the idea is to investigate how early childhood experiences impact a child's personality development. Attachment theory argues that the difference in which children tackle and react to events reveals the fundamental behavioral differences in infancy, which determines the outcomes for future emotional and social development. In this context, a securely attached child is believed to have a parent who is receptive, available, and sensitive to their needs.

Conversely, an insecure-avoidant child has a primary caregiver who is hurtful, controlling, and intrusive. Although the caregivers may play a significant role in a child's life, they can hardly provide the best response and understand an infant's need. Insecure ambivalent caregivers are unresponsive to infants' needs and are occasionally unavailable. In such a condition, a child may starve from attention and affection. Notably, children would want to amply their needs in pursuit of having a caregiver(Gilmore et al., 2018). The attachment relationship between a caregiver and child is also based on neurobiological evidence apart from psychological evidence. Most of a child's brain structures such as the hippocampus, septal nuclei, amygdala require emotional and social consideration.

Interaction

In the first two years of a child after birth, the brain becomes prepared and flexible to learn. In this early stage, everything seems new to a child as they try to develop brain connections. A child builds relationships through smelling, talking, and touching objects. A child learning by copying and imitating people around. For instance, if a caregiver has low esteem, the child is more likely to mirror the same character. Although parents may not be perfect, they need to be good enough to facilitate a child's development.

A child's brain develops through a form of play. Play is a form of interaction that enables a child to develop. Games are based on experience in which a child can learn many things. A child's brain can be boosted through reading, which is essential for language development. When children read more, they develop a connection with their brains (Gilmore et al., 2018). When a child reread the book, they help the children to make a connection between sounds and how the words look.

Also, there is a stronger relationship between healthy brain development and the amount of sleep a child gets. For that reason, it is incredibly crucial for parents and caregivers to be aware of several factors that may impact an infant' brain development. Infants' cognitive functions develop rapidly fueled by consistent sleep cycles to enhance learning. In essence, sleep plays a significant part in the children's memory consolidation process when they are awake.

Environment

A constructive nurturing environment is crucial in nurturing healthy brain development, especially when the child is distanced from the caregiver. The envi...