The Positive Factor - Helping Your Child Achieve Greatness, Part II

The first three years of a child's life are very critical years. In their first year, their brain doubles in size and by age three it is twice as active as a mature adult's brain. This is important for parents and caregivers to know because it is during this time frame that brain development is most active which will have a great impact on a child's future.

Relationships play a major role in early childhood education and development which will have lasting affects on the outcome of every child. They will strengthen and build up a child's ability to learn and control their emotions or they will weaken and hinder their ability to learn and control their emotions.

Researchers have discovered that children who have been exposed to neglect, prolong stress and or abusive relationships at an early age have more difficulty coping with life situations. Studies reveal that children raised in this type of environment tend to be antisocial and have behavioral problems. These are the result of deficits in critical areas of brain development. Interesting though, out of the three negative behaviors mentioned above, brief periods of stress during a child's early years, will actually prepare them to understand and deal with stressful situations that they will encounter with the world around them. Although the long term affects of stress, neglect and abuse upon a child under 5 years of age have not been fully realized, studies show in some cases, that intervention programs whose purpose is to reverse problematic behavior have in fact reduced behavioral problems.

The Child Trauma Academy, a non-profit organization devoted to improving the lives of traumatized and maltreated children, released an article entitled, "Altered brain development following global neglect in early childhood" which reveals the negative impact of neglect on the developing brain. Computed Tomography Scan (CT scan) clearly shows a significant difference between a healthy three year old with an average size head and a three year old suffering from severe sensory deprivation neglect. The differences in brain development and size are quite astounding.

Raising a child can be a difficult task at times and parents as well as caregivers will make mistakes, but there is never an excuse for neglect and abuse. Let's face it, a child will scrape a knee, hear their parents or caregivers argue and experience the ups and downs of life, but it is all a process which helps their brain to mature. So be positive, loving and caring, invest all that you can into your children and you will be helping them achieve greatness.

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