Intro and Infancy

 Extremely important medical research area  Research continues to show that a baby’s brain capacity is even greater than we ever imagined  Our brains are stimulated through our senses  Brain function is due to the brain’s capabilities as well as outside experiences

COGNITIVE/BRAIN DEVELOPMENT  At birth, the brain has billions of nerve cells called neurons (born with all that you will have –are developed throughout life)  Dramatic changes to neurons can happen  Babies’ brains begin to develop links between the neurons called neural pathways  These pathways are how the brain is “wired” to control different functions and thinking processes

 One of the first skills a baby learns is to track moving objects  What experiences help a baby to learn this skill?

SENSES AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION  How the brain develops in the first year has profound effects on the rest of a baby’s life  Babies experience sensory overload when they first enter the world – sight, sound, smell, touch, sound  Use their senses to learn about the world  Responses of newborns are reflexes – not learned responses

 Cerebrum: Receives information from the senses and directs motor activities. Controls functions like speech, memory, and problem solving  Thalamus – Connects the spinal cord and cerebrum. Controls the expression of emotions.  Cerebellum – Controls muscular coordination, balance, and posture

 Pituitary Gland: Secrets hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and sexual development  Brain Stem – Controls involuntary activities such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure  Spinal Cord – Transmits information from the body to the brain and from the brain to the body. Coordinates activities between the right and left sides of the body.

Cortex –One of the most important part of the brain –Part of the cerebrum –Far better developed after one year then at birth As babies experience more, their brain begins to build on the experiences

From birth, babies have many capabilities including hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, and touching These senses become the building blocks of learning Perception is a learned skill as the brain develops and organizes

4 Main abilities develop: –Remembering experiences –Making associations –Understanding cause and effect –Paying attention – attention span grows over time. Generally bright babies have a short attention span (in the infancy stage only)

Great influence on what is known about how children learn Died in 1980 Identified four periods of development – same order for all children, though exact ages can vary

Sensorimotor Period –Learned based on their senses and actions –Coincides with the time period that that neurons are establishing pathways in the brain –Learn object permanence – that objects still exist even when the baby can not see them –Sensory period can be broken down into 6 stages, with the first 4 taking place during the 1 st year

STAGEAPPROXIMATE AGESCHARACTERISTICS Stage 1Birth to 1 monthPractices inborn reflexes Does not understand self as separate person Stage 21 to 4 monthsCombines two or more reflexes Develops hand-mouth coordination Stage 34 to 8 monthsActs intentionally to produce results Improves hand-eye coordination Stage 48 to 12 monthsBegins to solve problems Finds partially hidden objects Imitates others Stage 512 to 18 monthsFinds hidden objects Explores and experiments Understands that objects exist independently Stage 618 to 24 monthsSolves problems by thinking through sequences Can think using symbols Begins imaginative thinking

 Imaginative play – aka pretending – becomes possible during stage 6  Also a time of symbolic thinking – use of words and numbers begins, as well as the fundamentals for reading

 Senses can easily be stimulated  Young babies prefer focusing on people rather then things  They focus on and follow moving objects – which helps stimulate sight  Sensitive to sound  Respond to voices and noises they are familiar with  Become aware of their own voices  Begin to mimic sounds and tones they hear  Talking, reading, and singing are ways to stimulate hearing

 Touch is an important way to communicate with an infant  Builds a sense of security and trust  Cuddling, rocking and patting are ways to reassure a baby  Touch helps a baby gain sense of their own body  Crucial to developing motor skills  Also to develop sense of space

 As they continue to learn, they begin to organize information  Start to form concepts – general categories of objects and information  Learn words and concepts by 3 principles:  Labels are for wholes, not parts  Believe that labels apply to general groups rather than individual objects  An object can only have one label

 Babies learn about the world from their caregivers and those that they spend time with  It is important for caregivers to learn about and recognize how children develop  Give plenty of time and attention to children  Provide positive feedback  Express Love  Talk, talk, talk

 Make sure to provide a safe environment by childproofing and monitor children's activities  Recognize the importance of play  Play is the work/job of a child  Playtime is essential to intellectual development  Play helps social, cognitive, emotional and physical development

 Make sure toys and activities are age appropriate Age RangeToys/Activities Birth – 3 Months Items to look at and listen to Bright colors, moving objects, interesting sounds 4 to 6 months Touch is important during this phase - handle, bang, suck, shake and chew Make certain toys are small enough to handle but big enough that they are not a choking hazard Teething rings, rattles, stuffed animals, cups, blocks. Etc. 7 to 9 months Still like to handle, pound, throw, bang and shake Anything that makes noises fascinates babies Blocks, balls, toys that move Household items can also become toys to entertain 10 to 12 months Items to crawl/chase after, push or pull Cups, baskets, boxes, blocks

 When choosing playthings, look for toys that encourage participation and use  Toys specifically labeled as educational can be expensive  Most toys can prove to be educational, as does the experience of playing with them and who they play with

 Major task of an infant is to communicate with others  All developmental areas apply  Begin communicating long before talking starts  Crying is first automatic form of communication  By the end of year 1, babies can effectively communicate without words  Newborn is physically unable to speak because of muscle development (or lack of)  Average first words come between 8 and 14 months

 Begin using movements and gestures as communication tools  Sounds become a form of communication including giggling and cooing  Learns meaning of words before beginning to speak them  Listening to words help to build the speech centers of a child’s brain  Begins to mimic sounds they hear  Begin with simple sounds/words  Newborn is physically unable to speak because of muscle development (or lack of)  Average first words come between 8 and 14 months