Brain development begins prenatally. At that time, the mother’s health and nutrition play a key role in the fetus’s brain development. At birth, the brain has most of the neurons the person will have in life. Very few neurons regenerate, as other cells in the body do.

Subsequent to early brain growth, pruning occurs. The pruning process is related to experience. The experiences of the baby and young child determine which neuronal circuits will be kept and which will be pruned away. Optimal brain development occurs in the context of high quality care including the development of attachment, good nutrition, and the optimal amount of cognitive stimulation.

Optimal brain development prepares the child for educational experiences. The context of this process is crucial to the outcome of the life of the individual. Children who grow up in poverty are at risk of nutritional deficits, as well as lack of care and stimulation. While there are many other factors, cultural and political, that contribute to the likelihood of high quality education, brain development provides a necessary foundation. And, it is not always possible to retrieve or rebuild lost neuronal connections. Nature has programmed the brain to be extremely plastic during the early years, and this time in life is never repeated. It is a critical period that if lost, is not retrievable.

As you prepare for this week’s Application Assignment, keep in mind the importance of the care and education of children to their entire lifespan.

To prepare for this assignment:
•Review Chapter 3, pages 76–78, as well as the assigned pages in Chapter 5 of the course text, Experiencing the Lifespan.
•Review the article, “From Neurons to King County Neighborhoods: Partnering to Promote Policies Based on the Science of Early Childhood Development.”
•Review the article, “All the World’s Children: The Impact of Global Demographic Trends and Economic Disparities.”
•Consider two of the ten countries in the article “All the World’s Children: The Impact of Global Demographic Trends and Economic Disparities,” one high income and one low income.
•Think about children’s brain development, what the country provides, and the likely outcomes for the lifespan of those children.
•Think about the need for nutrition and stimulation in order for neurons to grow and synapses to form.

The assignment: (1– pages)
•Briefly describe the two countries that you selected, providing specifics about the demographic trends of each one.
•Compare the brain development and likely educational and economic outcomes for children of the two countries you have chosen.
•Include the concepts from brain development of cortex, synaptogenesis, and myelination.
•Give at least one example for each country that would represent a potential developmental progression from prenatal to childhood. Keep in mind that this developmental progression provides a foundation for adulthood.
•Explain what you can conclude based on your comparison and developmental progression examples.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course

?Chapter 3, “Infancy: Physical and Cognitive Development” (pp. 76–78 and 89–95 only)
?Chapter 5, “Physical and Cognitive Development” (pp. 140–142

Belsky, J. (2010). Experiencing the lifespan [Package] (2nd ed.). New York: Worth Publishing.

•Book Excerpt: Gielen, U. P., & Chumachenko, O. (2004). All the world’s children: The impact of global demographic trends and economic disparities. In U. P. Gielen & J. L. Rooparnine (Eds.), Childhood and adolescence: Cross-cultural perspectives and applications (pp. 81–109). Westport, CT: Praeger. Copyright 2004 by Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Reproduced with permission of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. in the format electronic usage via Copyright Clearance Center. Click here to download the book excerpt.