Social Relationships and their
Impact on Early Brain Development
Bonny J. Forrest, J.D., Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer, Jewish Family Service
Overview
 Basics of Brain
Development
 Infant-Preschool Mental
Health Framework
 Genetics and Environment
 Self-Regulation and
Cognitive Skill
 Development of
Relationships
Early Brain Development
Major Areas of the Brain
Neurons: the Connectors
More than We Need: Experience
Dependent Pruning
Infant
Child
Early Brain Architecture
Infant Mental Health
Infant mental health is:
The healthy social and emotional development of a child from
birth to 3 years; and a growing field of research and practice
devoted to the:
 Promotion of healthy social and emotional development;
 Prevention of mental health problems; and
 Treatment of the mental health problems of very young
children in the context of their families.
Zero To Three; Selma Fraiberg
Parent-Child Interaction with Infant or
Toddler
Parent who supports
optimal development:
 Is sensitive to child’s
cues
 Responds to child’s
distress
 Takes advantage of
simple, everyday
activities to stimulate
learning
The child can influence
interaction through:
 Clarity of his or her cues
 Responsiveness to
parent
 Activity level
Ecosystemic/Continuum Model of Prevention,
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Intervention
TERTIARY
Child protection and
out-of-home care
parent
SECONDARY
Home visiting services
Therapeutic services
Infant-sensitive adult education and
support services for parents
child
PRIMARY
Community awareness regarding infant needs
Pre-and postnatal mental health services
Early childcare and education
Access to child care, parental leave, family-friendly work
environments
environment
Genetics and Development
 Stress and environmental
factors during pregnancy affect
genetic expression
 Genetic expression plays an
important role in determining
attachment patterns: genetic
predisposition
 Genetics interact with the
environment to shape
behaviors
Early Experiences Shape Brain Development:
Interaction and Regulation
 Infant’s ability to regulate
biological and behavioral rhythms
and emotions, using environmental
cues
 Parents support the child’s
developing regulation system
through caregiving actions
 Early parent-child interactions lay
basis of self-regulation skills that
become internalized by the child:
 Directing attention
 Identifying goals
 Monitoring Child’s actions
 Correcting Child’s actions
 Modeling strategies
Cognitive Skill
 Through relationships, exploration of
the environment, and play infants
gradually begin to feel effective and
competent
 Important cognitive processes
contribute: causality, object
permanence, imitation
 Development of Self-Regulation
enhances Cognitive Skill
 Tools of the Mind-Preschool Curriculum
Basic Infant
Emotions
 Need a response
from caregiver to
learn to ultimately
verbalize
 Task is for caregiver
to help them learn to
express
Social Milestones: Building Blocks of
Attachment
 Newborn: scans parent’s face;
increasing eye contact
 6 weeks: begins to smile and
coo responsively
 4 months: learns about others/
begins to be aware of
strangers
 Bond that develops
between a child and
important caregivers
 Develops through repeated
interactions between child
and caregiver
 7 months: stranger anxiety
 Strong influence on many
areas of development
 9 months: separation anxiety;
turns to caregiver for comfort
when distressed
 Influenced by temperament,
neurobiology, and
environment
Example: Depressed Caregiver
Response to Infant and Impacts
Caregiver:
Child:
 Express less positive and
more negative affects
 Less attentive and more
disengaged
 When engaged are more
intrusive and controlling
 Fail to respond adaptively
to infant emotional
signals
 Shorter attention spans
 Less motivation to master
new tasks
 Elevated heart rates
 Elevated cortisol
 Reduce EEG activity right
frontal cortex
Example: Lack of Social Experience
and Impact on Brain Development
Example: Experience Shapes
Connectivity
Nature and Nurture
 Socio-emotional
competence develops
within and because of
relationships
 Socio-emotional
development affects all
other areas of development
 Socio-emotional
development has long
lasting impact
 Early brain development
provides the template for
these phenomena