Brain Development Essay

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The human brain is perhaps the most complex living structure known in the universe. Compared to a mammal it is almost triple the size. Whether it is brain cells or connections in the brain, the structure and functions are invariably maturing. When children are born, it is evident how smart they are but how important it is for them to continue to expand their knowledge right from the beginning. Nonetheless, the teenage years are the most important. This is when the brain finalizes the development of the brain and when children mature into adults. Although people continue to grow older, brain development slows down and eventually comes to a complete stop. From birth through the final stages of life, the brain is constantly changing and developing. …show more content…

This is much underestimated by most as they have the capability to comprehend and respond to their emotions and their environment extremely well. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway (2009), brain development also known as learning is the process of creating, strengthening and discarding connections among the neurons of the brain. These connections are regarded as a process called synapses. These connections organize the brain by arranging pathways that connect different parts of the brain. Synapses also govern everything that we do from sleeping and eating to thinking and feeling. It is found that babies are born with synapses’ that govern our bodily functions such as heart rate and breathing, this is essential and an essence of brain development. The development of synapses occurs at an astounding rate during children’s early years. “In a healthy toddler, they create an average of two million synapses per second.” (ZERO TO THREE, 2009) At the age of three, a children’s brain has reached almost ninety percent of its adult size. The growth of the brain largely depends on receiving stimulation and that stimulation provides the foundation for learning. (Shonkoff and Phillips, 2000) Many of the things that we learn at a young age are the foundation to help us learn when we are older. For example, learning how to interact socially at a young age can help us to learn job skills later in life. The more connections that are in the brain, the more successful children will be at developing many skills over time. Brain development continues throughout the lifespan, allowing us to learn, remember and adapt to new environments and

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