21st Century
Childcare: Lessons
from Brain Science
David Walsh, Ph.D.
dwalsh@DrDaveWalsh.com
www.drdavewalsh.com
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CELL BODY
Dendrites
Myelin sheath
AXON
Schwann cell
Node of Ranvier
Synaptic terminals
Nucleus
Synapses
Neurons: Building Blocks of the
Brain
•100,000,000,000 neurons at birth
•Each has about 10,000 dendrites
(branches)
•1,000,000,000,000,000 possible
configurations
•17% of the neurons are wired at
birth
Twin Drivers
•Genetics---”hard wiring”
•Experience—”The neurons that
fire together wire together.”
•Whatever the brain does a lot of
is what it gets good at.
The Brain’s Growth Spurts
•The neurons that fire together wire
together
•Blossoming - Pruning Sequence
•Window of Opportunity
•Window of Sensitivity
CELL BODY
Dendrites
Myelin sheath
AXON
Schwann cell
Node of Ranvier
Synaptic terminals
Nucleus
Synapses
“Mental Operating System”
•Many forms of memory
- Explicit I remember something and I can recall
when, where, how etc.
- Implicit Memory--I remember something, but I
do not recall how or why I remember it.
Implicit Memory
•We have many more implicit memories than explicit
memories.
•A baby is forming implicit memories for many months
before she can form her first explicit memory.
•Early implicit memories function as the “mental operating
software.”
Brain’s Response to
Threat
Brain’s first pri0rity
is survival
Some brain circuits
act as “interstates”
Response to threat
is a hard wired
“interstate.”
Infant Response
Birth upsets the
apple cart.
We outsource stress
response to
caregivers.
Eventually a mature
cortex allows us to
self regulate.
Stress Response and
Attachment
We humans outsource stress response calming.
We humans are wired to attach.
Attachment
Present
Attentive
Attuned
Responsive
Connection and Learning
Stress, anxiety, and
threat shift brain
activity from the
cortex to lower brain
regions.
This interferes with
thinking, problem
solving.
Cortisol interferes
with memory.
Importance of Connection in
the Classroom
The most important minutes are before class.
“Four at the door”
Name
Eye
Hand
Heart
Importance of Faces
Fusiform gyrus is a brain circuit dedicated to
recognizing and interpreting faces.
Children interpret the world through the facial
expressions of their caregivers.
Amount of Trauma

Traumatic
Event
Time
Trauma and Early Childhood
Brain Development
Adrenaline and cortisol “shower”
Cortisol affects hippocampus (memory
registration center)
Repeated high levels of cortisol do permanent
damage to hippocampus.
Phonemic Awareness:
Building Block for Language
The ability to distinguish different sounds.
Window of opportunity open widest in first
three years of life.
Media interferes; “parentese”
Strong predictor of reading ability in school.
Children not in poverty hear 300% more words
per day than children in poverty.
Talk, talk, talk, read, read, read!
Poverty and Brain
Development
Is There a Gap?
There is a worrisome gap between low and
middle SES children in many areas of
cognitive development.
As measured by Bailey Infant Behavior
Scales.
As measured by IQ and other cogntive
aptitude tests.
As measured by academic achievement
tests.
The Differences Are
Significant
In a measure of intelligence (IQ) of a group of
50 low SES six-year-olds the average score
was 81.
Only 20% scored at 90 or higher.
Neuroscientists Have
Studied...
Prefrontal executive system (impulse,
attention, flexible thinking)
Left perisylvian language system (suntax,
semantics, phonology)
Working memory
Spatial reasoning
Visual cognition (pattern recognition
Biggest Gaps
The biggest gaps between low and middle
SES children was in prefrontal executive
function, language, memory and working
memory. (Martha Farah et al U of Pennsylvania)
Also differences in spatial reasoning.
Chicken or Egg?
Does low SES environment cause cognitive
deficits or do people with cognitive deficits end
up in low SES?
Evidence is clear that low SES is the cause.
Twin studies.
Adoption studies.
Causes--Physical
Nutrition (considered a contributor, not cause)
Iron deficiency
Protein deficiency
Lead Exposure
Drug Abuse (especially prenatal)
Causes--Environment
300% difference between number of words
heard/day between low and middle SES.
Hours of one on one picture book reading prior
to kindergarten
25 hours for low SES
1,700 for middle SES
Causes--Stress
Impact of cortisol on memory
Impact of stress on learning
Stress dysregulation
Remedies
Parent education
Early childhood education
eg Headstart
Community resources
Libraries, museums etc.
Providing brain building resources eg. books,
puzzles, games,
Resources
Martha Farah, University of Pennsylvania
Helen Neville, University of Washington
www.changingbrains.org
Importance of Free Play
Childhood creativity leads to adult creativity.
Free play lets the child develop language, test
and try, make mistakes, adapt, create, problem
solve, role-play, discover, imagine, cooperate,
take turns, be flexible, meet the unpredictable,
feel, risk, negotiate, plan, make-believe, and
resolve conflicts..