Childhood Brain Development Research

Brain Development (Ages 2-6) Scientist and psychologist agree, that the first three years of life are critical in a child’s brain development, however it is now known that the first six years of a child’s life has a major impact of their mental health, and behaviors for the rest of their lives. Why is this you important might ask? From birth to six years of age, a child’s brain is rapidly developing and increasing in size and weight. By two years of age a child’s brain weighs seventy-five percent of what it will weigh as an adult, and by six years of age their brain has increased in size to ninety percent of its adult weight (Berger, 2014). In other words, this means that by age six most of a child’s adult brain is formed and functioning at a high rate.
Some of the brain growth can be attributed to what’s called proliferation of the communication pathways in the brain. The majority of the increased brain weight it attributed to a process called Myelination, which is the formation of White Matter that coats the axons in the brain and speeds up signals to the neurons (Berger, 2014). White matter is formed rapidly during childhood, primarily from birth through six years of age, however it continues forming throughout one’s life. It is an …show more content…
The left half of the brain controls the right side of the body and components of the brain that oversee logical reasoning, detailed analysis, and language. The brains right half controls the left side of the body and components of the brain that oversee emotional and creative impulses. Thus, the left side notices details and the right side grasps the big picture (Berger, 2014). Myelination allows for both sides of the brain to communicate faster and allows the child to equally and precisely control motor functions on both sides of their body (Berger,