This knowledge can aid our efforts to help children who are at risk and to undo, where possible, the effects of early adversity.
For instance, it may help us learn exactly how experiences affect children. So why should we need an understanding of brain development to show us how important children’s earliest experiences are for their well-being? Isn’t neuroscience just telling us what we already know?Īctually, there are several reasons why we should pay attention to the evidence provided by neuroscience. 1īut the long-term effects of early stress, poverty, neglect and maltreatment were well documented and virtually uncontested years before we could “see” them with brain scanning tools. Neuroscientists can now identify patterns in brain activity that appear to be associated with some types of negative early experiences.
Thanks to recent advances in technology, we have a clearer understanding of how these effects are related to early brain development.
