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How a Child’s Brain Develops

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Understanding how a child’s brain develops is important for creating effective educational and therapeutic interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as:

The process is complex and begins long before a child says their first words or takes their first steps. Here, we dive into the developmentally appropriate sequence in which a child’s brain matures, how their senses evolve from this process, the research supporting this sequential process, and interventions to address any gaps in brain development. Lastly, we explore strategies to restart and promote healthy brain development. The body serves as a vehicle that allows the brain to garner experiences through our five sensory pathways: taste, smell, hearing, vision, and touch. Our brains grow and develop as we interact with the world through our three expressive pathways: hand function, language, and mobilities. These experiences shape our physical anatomy and neurology, enabling us to sustain healthy social, emotional, and academic lives.

What Is the Developmentally Appropriate Sequence in Which a Child’s Brain Develops?

The Ontogeny of Human Neurological Functions standardizes the sequential development process as an unfolding of functional skills. Through the lens of ontogeny, we can see the correlation between the physical developmental mobilities of crawling (prone), creeping (quadruped), and walking (bipedal) as responsible for spurring the sophistication of our sensory development and neurological integration. Simply put, the floor is the child’s most crucial neurological workshop.

Crawling

Crawling across the floor in the prone position is responsible for a myriad of changes in the physical body. As the child bends her knee, raises her heel for a toe-dig, and thrusts off her leg, she is arching the bottom of her foot and training her ankle to flex with her knee, which will be necessary for a proper heel-toe gait later when she walks, and she is developing a broader chest and lung capacity as she has to breathe against her body weight. From the perspective of her arms and hands, the intense thrust of her legs should be shooting her arm well above her head. As she advances her body forward, she should catch her hand under it, causing it to rotate underneath her. This movement from pronation to supination of her hands is the foundation for all the manual skills she will develop afterward. This movement is enhancing her visual ability to track horizontally as her eyes follow her hands from one side to the other. While all this and more is happening from an anatomical perspective, more importantly, she is developing her pons.

Creeping (Cross-Crawling)

Creeping across the floor on the hands and knees is similarly responsible for many functional changes. Due to earlier developments, when the child crawls, he can now resist gravity and support himself on all fours. This puts appropriate stress on his shoulders and helps him develop strength through his shoulders and arms. The development of his visual tracking skills is furthered in this position while also developing convergence of his eyes, leading to depth perception. The eyes naturally target the movement of the hands, and as the hands move above gravity, the eyes begin working toward binocularity. Tracking and convergence will be crucial for that child to be able to orient himself to the world someday and for reading to come naturally. The palms continue to be in contact with the floor, and the additional stimulation will eventually make the fingers incredibly sensitive and capable of both fantastic feats of discrimination and fine motor skills. The stimulation targets the midbrain and its closely related areas, such as the corpus callosum and cerebellum.

Walking

Walking sometimes happens without adequately developing the earlier crawling and creeping skills. However, it is the result of the natural progression of these skills. Walking will happen naturally after developing all the prerequisite skills from crawling and creeping. For a child to exhibit a healthy and coordinated walking pattern, a child must have developed proper ankle mobility from crawling, healthy hip structure (crawling and creeping), sophisticated awareness of his body in space (crawling and creeping), depth perception (creeping) and integrated primitive reflexes (crawling and creeping). Now that the child has ascended to the point of walking, she will confirm sophisticated cross-lateral movement patterns learned during crawling and creeping. She will add to those experiences improved proprioceptive skills to keep her balanced on two feet and start building the different layers of her cortex with every expanding skill, such as hopping, skipping, jumping, and perhaps even navigating a set of monkey bars. Now that we understand how this process positively impacts a child’s neurological growth and development, we can begin to understand the consequences of what happens when something interrupts or interferes with this process. A child who does not develop full sophistication of each stage before moving on to the latter is at risk for neurodevelopmental challenges such as those listed at the top. The full sophistication of each skill and, thus, brain stage is essential to a child achieving social, emotional, and academic success. Understanding which functions each brain stage is responsible for can help provide context.

The Foundational Stages

The brain’s development follows a precise sequence where each stage lays the groundwork for the next, ensuring proper growth. This sequence begins with the lower brain parts and ascends to higher levels.

Pons Development (Peak Development from Birth to 8 Months)

The pons is the relay station for the sensations of pain, temperature, and touch, as well as body movement between cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and spinal cord. It serves as a bridge between the decision-making part of the brain and the rest of the body. The pons produces serotonin, which plays a significant role in emotions such as pleasure, aggressive behavior, and anxiety. When the pons does not fully develop, a child may struggle with feeling like the world is hostile, not fitting in, sensory integration disorder, attachment and bonding issues, as well as anxiety or depression.

Midbrain Development (Peak Development from 8 Months to 12 Months)

The midbrain is mainly responsible for balance, motor function, and smooth and complete movement of the eyes, and it is the relay station for vision and our auditory senses. It refines eye convergence and enhances manual dexterity. The midbrain is also essential in mood regulation, as it manages the emotional highs and lows while facilitating more complex social interactions. Additionally, it is necessary in properly organizing and storing sensory information for higher brain areas. A child with midbrain dysfunction may exhibit disorganization or overcompensate by becoming overly focused on organization, where everything must be in place. These are kids who can be very smart but have trouble expressing their intelligence because they are unable to retrieve information when under stress, are challenged with written and verbal expression, and may end up with a diagnosis of dyslexia or ADHD, among other labels.

Cerebral Cortex Development (Peak Development Between 12 Months and 8 Years)

The cerebral cortex is the brain’s outermost layer, and its function makes us human. The pons and midbrain control the growth of the cortex, so once these lower stages start functioning correctly, the cortex can come online. The cerebral cortex is responsible for higher-level cognitive functions plus physical and intellectual skills. When the pons or midbrain structures don’t integrate properly, challenges within the cortex amplify all related issues. Often, these challenges within the cortex result from cortical delay due to the impoverishment of healthy information supplied from the lower areas of the brain. Fortunately, optimizing the pons and midbrain functions significantly improves cortical delays by restoring the quality of information supplied. It is essential, therefore, to know the functions of the pons, midbrain (including closely related structures), and cortex, as well as what can interfere with this natural process. Each brain stage becomes integrated during the above-mentioned developmental milestones and plays a vital role in creating a child who can achieve.

Developmental Sequence Emphasis

Skipping foundational stages, such as crawling, can impair the development of subsequent skills. Crawling is imperative for stimulating brain growth, particularly in the pons, promoting coordinated movement and a solid neurological base.

How Do Our Senses Reflect Brain Development?

Our senses are critical in how the brain processes and interacts with the world. Proper sensory integration indicates robust brain development.

Vision and Hearing

  • Coordination and communication: A well-developed midbrain enhances vision convergence and auditory processing, which is crucial for manual dexterity and interactive communication.
  • Information filing: Proper sensory processing ensures the brain can efficiently file and retrieve information, preventing cognitive overload.

Other Senses

Although most people think that there are five senses (vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell), there are several other senses:
  • Vestibular sense: This gives a sense of balance and spatial orientation.
  • Proprioceptive sense: This controls muscle and joint movement and sense of self.
  • Interoceptive sense: This understanding helps a child feel what is happening inside the body.
These senses are helpful and necessary for:
  • Survival basics: These other senses are vital for basic bodily functions like heart regulation, bowel and bladder control, and motor activities.
  • Emotional and social bonding: A healthy sense of touch fosters social belonging and emotional regulation

    Sensory Processing Disorder

    Disorders result from improper development of lower brain areas, particularly the pons. Poor sensory processing impacts a child’s ability to interact with their environment and other people effectively.

    What Can Pause, Impair, or Interrupt Brain Development?

    Various factors can interrupt brain development, affecting a child’s ability to progress through the natural developmental sequence.

    Environmental Toxins

    Exposure to toxins such as aluminum and mercury can impair the brain’s function, as they can accumulate near the pons and midbrain, impairing their functions. Detoxification is often a necessary step to resume normal brain development.

    Physical Trauma and Neurological Disorders

    The first trauma a child experiences is often at birth. Over obstetric manipulation of the neck, forceps or vacuum extraction, cesarean section, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and oxygen deprivation all can interrupt and can disrupt the developmental sequence, leading to delays in acquiring necessary skills as well as an imbalance in sensory processing.

    Environmental Toxins

    Before birth a child is exposed to environmental toxins, but this can be compounded by epidural and Pitocin during the birthing process or exposure to toxins such as aluminum and mercury. The child’s total toxic load can impair the brain’s function, as they can accumulate near the pons and midbrain, impairing their functions. Detoxification is often a necessary step to resume normal brain development.

    Inadequate Developmental Support

    Traditional programs focusing solely on cortical skills without addressing foundational brain areas can result in incomplete development. This oversight hinders the child’s overall growth and learning potential.

    What Are Ways of Restarting Brain Development in a Child Whose Brain Development Was Paused, Impaired or Interrupted?

    Once a child’s brain development is paused, impaired, or interrupted, strategic interventions can help restart and promote healthy progression through developmental stages.

    Choreographed Movement Patterns

    By teaching healthy movement patterns, as accomplished during the process of Neurodevelopmental Movement, one can help ensure proper motor development. Using massage tables initially to teach correct movements before practicing on the floor ensures the child grasps the basics.

    Reflex Integration

    Integration of retained primal reflexes involves gentle body work techniques and simple easy movements to awaken neuro-sensorimotor connections.

    Dietary Changes

    Many kinds of foods and food additives can exacerbate inflammatory conditions within the brain, although in most cases, the specific offending foods are unique to the individual. Removing potentially inflammatory foods, cleaning up the diet, removing artificial ingredients, balancing the gut microbiome and removing potential offenders such as glutamate, histamine and others can remove blockages to healing within the brain.

    Eliminating Environmental Toxins

    A homotoxicologist, naturopath or functional-medicine doctor can help you understand ways to safely eliminate toxins in your child that impede the brain’s development.

    About Sargent Goodchild

    Sargent began his life as a brain-injured child. At four years of age, Sargent was diagnosed with a seizure disorder. None of the professionals who met Sargent were capable of seeing his potential. Instead, they saw a severely epileptic child with a dismal future.

    The doctors advised his parents to put him on anticonvulsant and muscle-relaxing medication. Yet, the seven medications that he was taking were not controlling the seizures, and he was too toxic for his parents to bear.

    Sargent’s parents chose another route due to their deep love and understanding and the glimmers of potential Sargent expressed at home but never in the doctor's office.

    Motivated by parental love, they wanted him to be well and didn't let academic knowledge limit them. They went outside the medical community and found hope for Sargent's future. Their faith, hope, and determination saved the life of their son, a life that would have otherwise been devastated by the prescription medications he was taking.

    Sargent's life experiences speak of the success of this program: He graduated with honors from a respected university and was a highly ranked wrestler, cross-country runner, and professional mountain biker. He has bicycled across the United States and Canada and has done extensive offshore sailing.

    He is happily married, a father, and founder and executive director of Active Healing, Inc. He aims to help every child, especially those with developmental challenges, reach their optimal physical and intellectual potential. You can find out more about him at ActiveHealing.org

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