The goal of most parents is to provide the best life for their children that they possibly can so that they are able to thrive and succeed. It has been discovered that the earliest years of life are crucial for promoting early child development. More specifically, parenting interventions in the first three years of a child’s life have remarkable impacts on their development!

Evidence has shown that children participating in these intervention programs showed significant improvements in cognitive, language, and motor skills due to the fact that many programs focus on giving parents strategies that engage their children in stimulating activities, encourage play-based learning, and strengthen communication skills

Not only did these interventions increase development in children, but they also improved parenting knowledge, practices, and the overall quality of parent-child interactions. When parents feel supported, informed, and equipped, they can create a more nurturing and responsive environment. This could result in parents feeling less stressed and more confident, leading to more positive interactions with their children.

To read more, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

A stressful pregnancy can impact a child’s development, specifically affecting their self-control and increasing their vulnerability to mental health challenges. Prenatal stress has been linked to internalizing behaviors (such as anxiety or withdrawal) and difficulties with impulse control.

However, prenatal stress was associated with these factors when maternal sensitivity, emotional support, and cognitive stimulation in the home environment were all low. In other words, mothers who are highly sensitive and responsive to their children’s needs, and provided a nurturing and stimulating home, resulted in children to be less likely to have these effects.

Because a child’s brain development, stress response system, and immune system are all still rapidly developing in early childhood and are influenced by the environment, sensitive parenting and a stimulating home can positively shape this ongoing development, counteracting the negative effects of prenatal stress.

A supportive environment helps children form secure attachments, feel emotionally safe, and learn to regulate their emotions. This emotional security is crucial and can protect against internalizing problems even if a child experienced prenatal stress.

To read more, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This week’s question is: “The ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or environmental stimulation” (American Psychological Association, 2018) is called… 

1. Neuroregeneration
2. Behavioral plasticity
3. Neural Plasticity
4. Reflexive Conditioning

 

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!