Science shows that your child goes through many developmental changes from infancy to early childhood, which can determine the course of their life.
Healthy early childhood development provides the building blocks for a child’s lifelong health, educational achievements, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation.
Let’s talk about the science of early childhood development and where you can go for comprehensive pediatric care in Tampa, FL.
What is Early Childhood Development
Early childhood development is a term that refers to how well your child grows and develops physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially during their first eight years. Early childhood development is also the development of cognitive skills and communication.
Experiences and relationships are critical to how a child develops during early childhood. In addition, several other factors also affect a child’s development, including nutrition, genetics, level of physical activity, community, and overall health.
Early Childhood Development: What Is Its Science and How Pediatricians Can Help
A child’s brain begins to construct before birth and continues into adulthood. Early childhood experiences affect the quality of the brain’s architecture.
In the first few years of your child’s life, over a million new neural connections form every second, which are then reduced through pruning so that the brain becomes more efficient.
At first, sensory pathways are developed, followed by language skills and cognitive functions.For example, during the early years (specifically the first year), the part of the brain that differentiates sounds becomes specialized to the language the child is exposed to. Meanwhile, the brain also starts to losethe ability to recognize other language sounds.
During this time, toxic stress from adults can weaken the architecture of the developing brain,which results in long-term consequences for physical and mental health as well as behavior and learning.
Studies have also found that toxic stress can cause the underdevelopment of the neural connection in the areas of the brain that are important for successful learning and behavior in school and the workplace.
Moreover, during the early years, it’s easy to influence the child’s brain, but as they grow older, the brain architecture is difficult to alter. So, as a parent, you must create a positive environment for your child and talk to their pediatricians about how you can help with your child’s proper development.
A pediatrician understands the science of early childhood development, so they can also provide specialized early intervention that can target the cause of stress (that interferes with the child’s development) and protect the child from its consequences.
Early Childhood Development in Tampa, FL
Your child needs regular pediatric care as they grow and develop. At Children’s Medical Center, we have a team of highly experienced pediatricians committed to providing you with the highest quality early childhood care, including sick visits, well-care visits, nutrition, and vaccination and immunization.
If you would like to make an appointment with us, call today at (727) 787-6335. We have offices in Trinity,Palm Harbor, Westchase, and Lutz, FL.
