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Are Babies Born Smart? Can Early Intervention Help?
Parents always hope
for the best future for their children. They try to
get into the best schools, invest their money in numerous
musical and art lessons and start reading to their infants
before birth. Can any of this help your child become
a successful adult?
How the Brain Works
Scientists now recognize that brain
connections - called synapses - are the building blocks
for functions such as handling incoming information,
expressing emotions and learning language. Connections
are built both by genetics and environmental stimuli.
These paths lay down an internal 'wiring'
system that will affect your child's future abilities
for learning and interacting.
'Nation' magazine reports that brain
connections are being wired at an extraordinarily rapid
rate in the early years. How can this possibly affect
your children?
Children Need Stimulation
The broader range of activities and
experiences a child has will increase the connections
made. Clearly, the fact that the greatest growth in
connections is made when young indicates that providing
this stimulation early on will affect your child's abilities
later on.
Does this mean that parents with little
money are not capable of raising intelligent, well-balanced
children? Does it mean that all children with access
to specialized education will do better?
Children Learn From Play
Educators believe that unstructured
play is crucial to brain development. When parent's
guide every activity or bombard their children with
planned activities and lessons while leaving out free
play, they do not allow the creativity necessary for
social, mental and emotional skills.
Parents Who Care
Although many would agree that children
are strongly affected by their peer group, it is actually
parents who develop a child to become caring, self-assured
and well-balanced. Parent's should never discount the
benefits they are providing for their children by being
attentive and responsive to their children.
Children's development also requires
emotional connections with parents and others. When
babies are not held, touched and played with they actually
form fewer connections in their brain.
Nature or Nurture
As many experts would acknowledge, brain
development can be influenced for good or bad by the
upbringing of our children. However, genetics also play
a role that cannot be discounted. While saying this,
there are examples of individuals who appeared to be
born with a genetic disadvantage to their peers and
yet surpassed them due to the excellent parenting that
was given to them.
So, what can you do to determine how
your children will turn out? Focusing on parental care
and attention is always the best recommendation, and
the least expensive. You cannot guarantee how your children
will fare, but they will always be more successful with
a supportive and loving family than without.
1howto.com
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