Amazing Facts about a Child's Brain - Things that Most Parents Never Knew!

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Baby brain is a special organ that is also highly refined and well-tuned with its exceptional networks of neurons, abilities and skills. However, little is known what happens beneath a baby's brain. With years of research on brain development, especially in young toddlers and growing children, it could be safely assumed that several events occur simultaneously that eventually ends in creating the a super organ in the human body.

It is fascinating to study how baby brain forms and starts working and in what manner, it masters various skills, abilities and functions. However, child brain may maintain its status-quo or remain sedentary nature if proper care is not taken by parents and care givers. In other words, growing children need everyday experiences to shape their brains. The brain would never be complete unless it gets all necessary inputs either in the form of learning experiences or in the shape of parental care.

The brain that is cherished and nurtured by parents is more superior to the one that is neglected and not cared properly. In addition, early intervention by parents is needed to streamline the most basic functions of the brain. To reach maximum potential in life, children also need intensive interactive exchanges of basic ideas, emotional expressions, and that elusive loving touch from their parents. Have a great week ahead. Take care!

Thought for today:
"Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.." - Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Amazing Facts about a Child's Brain - Things that Most Parents Never Knew!
Learning about a baby brain can never be boring and tiresome. There are a number of unique things to a baby brain and parents may wish to learn and understand them in a proper manner to boost brain development in their children.

Q1: My son is 7 years old and took the terra nova this past year (1st grade) i got his test results in the mail and realized he scored perfect in the Math and Science categories. His scores were 99 across the board. He scored above average in the other two categories but his science and math scores really just stood out to me. I have always know he was slightly above average due to him teaching himself to add and subtract at 3 years old. Should I get him tested....

A: I will start with explaining the distinction between achievement tests and intelligence tests. The Terra Nova is an achievement test that measures how well a child has learnt what has been taught. In principle, achievement tests are more directly concerned with what is taught is schools, which is not the case with intelligence or ability tests... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on High Scores on the Terra Nova here.

Q2: Can you tell me the reliability and validity statistics for the InView test? And what the norming population was? Thank you.

A: The InView is a test of critical cognitive abilities that apparently provides highly reliable academic ability scores. It provides information about the thinking process. The CSI scores from InView is said to provide a highly reliable measure of overall academic aptitude, which is valuable information for guidance, activities planning, and special program identification...Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Reliability and Validity of the InView Test here.

Q3: I'm a mother of a 3 years and 7 months old girl. My daughter is called to be smarter than all kids we knew in her age. At her school they set her in a higher grade than her age. She asks a lot of questions, concerned about all things like why comes tomorrow? And day and night and the whole globe? She speaks and uses vocabularies like adults....

A: The fact that she has been accelerated at school and based on your description, your daughter is certainly developing at a faster pace in comparison to her peers. So, simply answering your question, it is advanced for her age. Therefore, at this stage, parents play an important role in helping to nurture her advanced gifts.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Above Average Developmental Milestone here.

Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College
By Sam Wang, Ph.D and Sandra Aamodt, Ph.D

How children think is one of the most enduring mysteries-and difficulties-encountered by parents. In an effort to raise our children smarter, happier, stronger, and better, parents will try almost anything, from vitamins to toys to DVDs. But how can we tell marketing from real science? And what really goes through your kid's growing mind-as an infant, in school, and during adolescence? Neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang (who is also a parent) explain the facets and functions of the developing brain, discussing salient subjects such as sleep problems, language learning, gender differences, and autism.

They dispel common myths about important subjects such as the value of educational videos for babies, the meaning of ADHD in the classroom, and the best predictor of academic success (hint: It's not IQ ). Most of all, this book helps you know when to worry, how to respond, and, most important, when to relax. Welcome to Your Child's Brain upends myths and misinformation with practical advice, surprising revelations, and real, reliable science. It's essential reading for parents of children of any age, from infancy well into their teens.

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
By Daniel J. Siegel, M.D and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D

In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain - and make accessible - the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids throw tantrums, fight, or sulk in silence. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child's brain and foster vital growth.

Complete with age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.

IQ: the eternal debate of nature vs. nurture
GM News Aug 14, 2014

The first thing you need to know is that anyone's ability to do math is based on the strength of his or her IQ, which is simply a measurement of your cognitive skills.These are things like working memory (e.g. holding a number in your brain long enough to use it in the next step), logic and reasoning (e.g.“Obviously the radius can't be a negative number ...”), and visual processing (e.g. deciding which side of the triangle is the longest).

Scientists say child's play helps build a better brain
SCPR Aug 06, 2014

When it comes to brain development, time in the classroom may be less important than time on the playground. "The experience of play changes the connections of the neurons at the front end of your brain," says Sergio Pellis, a researcher at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. " And without play experience, those neurons aren't changed," he says.

Brain scans reveal how children's minds learn math
CT News Aug 18, 2014

Sometime in elementary school, you quit counting your fingers and just know the answer. Now scientists have put youngsters into brain scanners to find out why, and watched how the brain reorganizes itself as kids learn math.

High maternal perchlorate levels may impact child's IQ
Endocrinology Update Aug 11, 2014

Researchers have discovered an association between high maternal perchlorate levels during pregnancy and subsequent adverse IQ in children. The Cardiff University and Boston University School of Medicine-led study looked at the age-three IQ of 487 children born to mothers who had suboptimal thyroid function and iodine deficiency during pregnancy.

Breastfeeding Joys and Benefits
The Guardian Aug 15, 2014

Brain research now shows that breastfeeding helps ensure smarter babies. A study of 17,000 infants (from birth to age two-and-one-half) shows breastfeeding “significantly improves cognitive development.” A study of 4,000 children at age five shows that kids who were breastfed had higher scores on vocabulary tests.

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