Explore the connection between social-emotional development and the developing brain.

Module 3: Emotions and the Developing Brain-Goals & Objectives

Have you ever heard of the question Nature vs. Nurture? In regards to social and emotional development, the answer is….a little of both! Our brains are hardwired to respond in specific ways. This is called our temperament. We will read more about temperament and personality development in later chapters, but for this week we are going to start with the brain. The readings and videos below take us through how social and emotional responses are processed by the brain.

Course Level Objectives:

1. Explore the connection between social-emotional development and the developing brain.

Module Level Objectives:

1. Examine the connection between emotions and the developing brain. 2. Create an action plan for developmentally appropriate interactions with young infants and

toddlers.

1. Children's Emotional Development Is Built Into the Architecture of Their Brains (https://fiu.instructure.com/courses/190046/files/29404262/download?wrap=1) (C1, M1)

2. The Science of Early Childhood Development – Brain (C1) (https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-the-science-of-early-childhood- development/)

3. Center on Developing Child: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return (https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/5-steps-for-brain-building-serve-and-return/)

#3 Goals & Objectives – Module 3

Module Overview

Course Level Objectives

 Readings

 Activities

Experiences Build Brain Architecture (https://www.youtube.com/watch? time_continue=6&v=VNNsN9IJkws) 5 Steps for Brain-building: Serve and Return (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=KNrnZag17Ek&t=162s)

Assignment 4: Serve and Return (M2)

 Assignments

Children’s Emotional Development Is Built into the Architecture of Their Brains

WORKING PAPER 2

2

MEMBERS

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., Chair Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education; Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston; Director, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

Pat Levitt, Ph.D., Science Director Director, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute; Provost Professor of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacy; Chair, Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

W. Thomas Boyce, M.D. Sunny Hill Health Centre/BC Leadership Chair in Child Development; Professor, College for Interdisciplinary Studies and Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Nathan A. Fox, Ph.D. Distinguished University Professor; Director, Child Development Laboratory, University of Maryland College Park

Megan Gunnar, Ph.D. Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota

Linda C. Mayes, M.D. Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale Child Study Center; Special Advisor to the Dean, Yale School of Medicine

Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D. Alfred E. Mirsky Professor; Head, Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University

Charles A. Nelson III, Ph.D. Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric Developmental Medicine Research, Children’s Hospital Boston; Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School

Ross Thompson, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, University of California, Davis

CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS

Susan Nall Bales President, FrameWorks Institute

Judy Cameron, Ph.D. Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh

Greg Duncan, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Department of Education, University of California, Irvine

Philip A. Fisher, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology and Director, Stress Neurobiology and Prevention Research Laboratory, University of Oregon; Senior Scientist, Oregon Social Learning Center

William Greenough, Ph.D. Swanlund Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Cell and Developmental Biology; Director, Center for Advanced Study at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Eric Knudsen, Ph.D. Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine

Deborah Phillips, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology and Associated Faculty, Public Policy Institute; Co-Director, Research Center on Children in the U.S., Georgetown University

Arthur J. Rolnick, Ph.D. Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Human Capital Research Collaborative, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

FORMER MEMBERS

James Heckman, Ph.D. Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics; Director, Economics Research Center, Department of Economics; Director, Center for Social Program Evaluation, University of Chicago

Betsy Lozoff, M.D. Professor of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School; Research Professor, Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan

About the Authors The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, housed at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, is a

multidisciplinary collaboration designed to bring the science of early childhood and early brain development to bear on public

decision-making. Established in 2003, the Council is committed to an evidence-based approach to building broad-based public will that

transcends political partisanship and recognizes the complementary responsibilities of family, community, workplace, and government to

promote the well-being of all young children. For more information, go to www.developingchild.net.

Please note: The content of this paper is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the

funders or partners.

Suggested citation: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2004). Children’s Emotional Development Is Built into the

Architecture of Their Brains: Working Paper No. 2. http://www.developingchild.net

© 2004, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

PARTNERS

FrameWorks Institute

Johnson & Johnson

Pediatric Institute

National Governors

Association Center for Best

Practices

National Conference of

State Legislatures

SPONSORS

Birth to Five Policy Alliance

Buffett Early Childhood

Fund

Susan A. Buffett Foundation

Casey Family Programs

The John D. and Catherine T.

MacArthur Foundation

Palix Foundation

THIRD PRINTING: AUGUST 2011

WWW.DEVELOPINGCHILD.NET Children’s Emotional Development Is Built into the Architecture of Their Brains 1

From birth, children rapidly develop their abilities to experience and express different emotions, as well as their capacity to cope with and manage a variety of feelings.1,2,3 The devel- opment of these capabilities occurs at the same time as a wide range of highly visible skills in mobility (motor control), thinking (cognition), and communication (language).4

Yet, emotional development often receives relatively less recognition as a core emerging capacity in the early childhood years. The foun- dations of social competence that are developed in the first five years are linked to emotional well-being and affect a child’s later ability to functionally adapt in school and to form suc- cessful relationships throughout life.5,6,7,8

As a person develops into adulthood, these same social skills are essential for the formation of lasting friendships and intimate relation- ships, effective parenting, the ability to hold a job and work well with others, and for becom- ing a contributing member of a community.9,10

Disregarding this critical aspect of the

developing child can lead parents and policymak- ers to underestimate its importance and to ignore the foundation that emotions establish for later

growth and development. Thus, it is essential that young children’s feelings get the same level of at- tention as their thinking. Indeed, learning to man- age emotions is more difficult for some children than learning to count or read and may, in some cases, be an early warning sign of future psycho- logical problems. The failure to address difficul- ties in this equally important domain can result in missed opportunities for interventions. Had they been initiated early, these interventions could have yielded tremendous benefits for large numbers of children and for society.

the core features of emotional develop-

ment include the ability to identify and un- derstand one’s own feelings, to accurately read and comprehend emotional states in others, to manage strong emotions and their expression in a constructive manner, to regulate one’s own behavior, to develop empathy for others, and to establish and sustain relationships.2,11,12

Emotional development is actually built into the architecture of young children’s brains in response to their individual personal experi- ences and the influences of the environments in which they live. Indeed, emotion is a biologically based aspect of human functioning that is “wired” into multiple regions of the central

nervous system that have a long history in the evolution of our species.13,14,15,16,17

These growing interconnections among brain circuits support the emergence of increas- ingly mature emotional behavior, particularly in the preschool years. Stated simply, as young children develop, their early emotional experi- ences literally become embedded in the archi- tecture of their brains. Here is what we know: The emotional experiences of newborns and young infants occur most commonly during pe- riods of interaction with a caregiver (such as feeding, comforting, and holding).8,11,18,19 Infants display distress and cry when they are hungry,

The Issue

a growing body of scientific evidence tells us that emotional development begins early

in life, that it is a critical aspect of the development of overall brain architecture, and that it has

enormous consequences over the course of a lifetime. These findings have far-reaching implica-

tions for policymakers and parents, and, therefore, demand our attention.

What Science Tells Us

As young children develop, their early emotional

experiences literally become embedded in the

architecture of their brains.

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NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL ON THE DEVELOPING CHILD

The emotional health of young children is closely

tied to the social and emotional characteristics of

the environments in which they live.

cold, wet, or in other ways uncomfortable, and they experience positive emotions when they are fed, soothed, and held. During this early pe- riod, children are incapable of modulating the expression of overwhelming feelings, and they have limited ability to control their emotions in the service of focusing or sustaining atten- tion.13 Associations between positive emotions and the availability of sensitive and respon- sive caregiving are strengthened during infan- cy in both behavior and brain architecture.20

The emotional states of toddlers and preschool- ers are much more complex.21 They depend on their emerging capacities to interpret their own

personal experiences and understand what others are doing and thinking, as well as to interpret the nuances of how others re- spond to them.2,11,22,23 As they (and their brains) build on foundations that are estab- lished earlier, they mature and acquire a bet- ter understanding of a range of emotions. They also become more capable of manag- ing their feelings, which is one of the most challenging tasks of early childhood.3,24,25,26,27 By the end of the preschool years, children who have acquired a strong emotional foundation have the capacity to anticipate, talk about, and use their awareness of their own and others’ feelings to better manage everyday social in- teractions.2,11 Their emotional repertoires have expanded dramatically and now include such feelings as pride, shame, guilt, and embarrass- ment — all of which influence how individu- als function as contributing members of a so- ciety.21,28 Throughout the early childhood years, children develop increasing capacities to use language to communicate how they feel and to gain help without “melting down,” as well as to inhibit the expression of emotions that are inappropriate for a particular setting.3,29 When feelings are not well managed, thinking can be impaired. Recent scientific advances have

shown how the interrelated development of emotion and cognition relies on the emergence, maturation, and interconnection of complex neural circuits in multiple areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, limbic cortex, basal forebrain, amygdala, hypothalamus, and brainstem.30 The circuits that are involved in the regulation of emotion are highly interactive with those that are associated with “executive functions” (such as planning, judgment, and decision-making), which are intimately in- volved in the development of problem-solving skills during the preschool years.31 In terms of basic brain functioning, emotions support executive functions when they are well regu- lated but interfere with attention and decision- making when they are poorly controlled.19,32,33,34,35 We now know that differences in early childhood temperament — ranging from being extremely outgoing and adventurous to being painfully shy and easily upset by anything new or unusual — are grounded in one’s biological makeup.36,37

These variations lead to alternative behavioral pathways for young children as they develop in- dividual strategies to control their emotions dur- ing the preschool years and beyond. They also present diverse challenges for parents and other adults who must respond differently to different kinds of children.38 When it comes to finding the “best” approach for raising young children, scientists tell us that one size does not fit all.39 Young children are capable of surprisingly deep and intense feelings of sadness (includ- ing depression), grief, anxiety, and anger (which can result in unmanageable aggres- sion), in addition to the heights of joy and hap- piness for which they are better known.40,41,42,43 For some children, the preschool years mark the beginning of enduring emotional dif- ficulties and mental-health problems that may become more severe than earlier genera- tions of parents and clinicians ever suspected. The emotional health of young children — or the absence of it — is closely tied to the social and emotional characteristics of the environ- ments in which they live, which include not only their parents but also the broader context of their families and communities.44,45,46,47,48 Young children who grow up in homes that are troubled by parental mental-health

WWW.DEVELOPINGCHILD.NET Children’s Emotional Development Is Built into the Architecture of Their Brains 3

problems, substance abuse, or family violence face significant threats to their own emotional development. The experience of chronic, ex- treme, and/or uncontrollable maltreatment has been documented as producing mea- surable changes in the immature brain.49,50 Children’s early abilities to deal with their emo- tions are important not only for the foundation

these capacities provide for the future, but also for the children’s current social functioning with their parents, teachers, and peers. Indeed, dif- ferences in how young children understand and regulate their own emotions are closely associated with peer and teacher perceptions of their social competence, as well as with how well-liked they are in a child-care setting or preschool classroom.51,52,53

as the public’s appetite for scientific informa- tion about the development of young children is whetted by exciting new findings, the risk of ex- aggerated or misleading messages grows. Within this context, it is essential that scientific fact be differentiated from popularly accepted fiction. There is no credible scientific evidence that young children who have been exposed to vio- lence will invariably grow up to be violent adults themselves. Although these children clearly are at greater risk for adverse impacts on brain development and later problems with aggression, they are not doomed to poor outcomes, and they can be helped substan- tially if provided with early and appropriate treatment, combined with reliable and nurtur- ing relationships with supportive caregivers.54

Science does not support the claim that infants and toddlers are too young to have serious mental-health problems. Young children who have experienced significant maltreatment

exhibit an early childhood equivalent of post- traumatic stress disorder, which presents a pre- dictable array of clinical symptoms that are ame- nable to successful therapeutic intervention.55

(See Working Paper 6, “Mental Health Problems in Early Childhood Can Impair Learning and Behavior for Life.”)

the fact that young children have feelings is old news. The extent to which infants can ex- perience deep emotional pain as a result of early traumas and losses is less understood. The re- alization that young children can have serious mental-health problems, including anxiety dis- orders and signs of depression accompanied by the same kind of brain changes seen on electro- encephalograms in clinically depressed adults, is startling news to most people.40,44,56,57

The fact that significant and prolonged emo- tional distress can affect the emerging architec- ture of a young child’s brain should be a sobering wake-up call for society as a whole. Despite the availability of rich and extensive knowl- edge on the emotional and social development

of young children, including its underlying neurobiology, current early-childhood policies focus largely on cognition, language, and early literacy. Policies addressing children’s emotional and behavioral needs have been the exception, not the rule. This gap between what we “know” about healthy emotional development and the management of behavioral difficulties, and what we “do” through public policies and pro- grams, is illustrated by the following examples:

Uneven availability of support for parents and providers of early care and education to deal with common, age-appropriate behavioral challenges, such as discipline and limit setting.58

Correcting Popular Misrepresentations of Science

The Science-Policy Gap

Science does not support the claim that

infants and toddlers are too young to have

serious mental-health problems.

WHAT SCIENCE TELLS US

4 Children’s Emotional Development Is Built into the Architecture of Their Brains WWW.DEVELOPINGCHILD.NET

NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL ON THE DEVELOPING CHILD

Limited caregiver and teacher training to evaluate and deal with children who present sig- nificant emotional and/or behavioral problems in early care and education programs. This is particularly alarming in the face of recent evidence of dramatic increases in pre- scriptions for behavior-modifying medications to treat preschoolers.59,60

Minimal expertise in early childhood de- velopment or “infant mental health” within

child-welfare agencies that assess and treat children who have been the victims of serious maltreatment, despite extensive evidence that very young children can experience debilitating anxiety and trauma from parental abuse or ne- glect or from witnessing violence in their fam- ily or neighborhood, as well as data illustrating that early interventions can moderate the effects of these traumas.61

the science of early childhood devel- opment is sufficiently mature at the pres- ent time to support a number of well- documented, evidence-based implications for those who develop and implement policies that affect the health and well-being of young

children. Five compelling messages are par- ticularly worthy of thoughtful consideration: All early childhood programs, including Head Start, must balance their focus on cognition and literacy skills with significant attention to emotional and social development. Children clearly need the social and emotional capa- bilities that enable them to sit still in a class- room, pay attention, and get along with their classmates just as much as they need the cog- nitive skills required to master the reading and math concepts taught in kindergarten.62 The rich and growing science of early emotional and social development must be incorporated into services to support parents who are struggling to manage routine behavioral difficulties in their young children, as well as those who are trying to figure out whether, when, and how to deal with more serious social or emotional problems.63

Providers of early care and education must have sufficient knowledge and skills to help children who present common behavior problems early on, particularly those who ex- hibit significant aggression or difficulties with attention and “hyperactivity.” The achievement of this goal requires a two-pronged approach. First, greater attention must be focused on the social and emotional development of children in both pre-professional training programs and continuing professional education. Second, all early childhood programs must have ac- cess to specialized mental-health services that have professionals available to meet the needs of young children whose problems cannot be addressed adequately by front-line staff.19 Expertise in early identification, assessment, and clinical treatment must be incorporated into existing intervention programs to ad- dress the complex and currently unmet needs of young children with serious mental-health problems such as depression, anxiety, and sig- nificant antisocial behaviors. Central to this challenge is the need to accurately differenti- ate transient emotional difficulties that reflect a “phase” that the child will outgrow from diagnos- able disorders that require clinical treatment.19 All child-welfare agencies that have responsibil- ity for investigating suspected abuse or neglect must include a sophisticated assessment of the child’s developmental status, including cogni- tive, linguistic, emotional, and social compe- tence. This could be accomplished through closer collaboration between child-protective services and early intervention programs

Implications for Policy and Programs

All early childhood programs, including

Head Start, must balance their focus on cognition

and literacy skills with significant attention to

emotional and social development.

WWW.DEVELOPINGCHILD.NET Children’s Emotional Development Is Built into the Architecture of Their Brains 5

for children with developmental delays or disabilities, as mandated by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-36).64

These implications for policy and practice are striking in their simplicity, the extent to

which they reflect common sense, and their solid grounding in the science of early childhood and brain development. Closing the science-policy gap as it affects the future of our children, and therefore our society, should be an important priority for all who are engaged in public life.

1. Saarni, C., Mumme, D.L., & Campos, J.J. (1998). Emotional development: Action, communication, and understanding. In W. Damon (Ed.), & N. Eisenberg, Handbook of Child Psychology, Vol. 3, (5th Ed.), Social, emotional and personality development (pp. 237-309). New York: Wiley.

2. Thompson, R.A., & Lagattuta, K. (2006). Feeling and understanding: Early emotional development. In K. McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds.), The Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development (pp. 317-337). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

3. Thompson, R.A. (1994). Emotion regulation: A theme in search of definition. In N.A. Fox (Ed.), The development of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Biological and behavioral aspects. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59(2-3), 25-52 (Serial no. 240).

4. Thompson, R.A. (2001). Development in the first years of life. The Future of Children, 11(1), 20-33.

5. Collins, W.A., & Laursen, B. (1999). Relationships as de- velopmental contexts. The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology, Vol. 30. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

6. Dunn, J. (1993). Young Children’s Close Relationships: Beyond attachment. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

7. Cassidy, J. & P.R. Shaver (Eds.) (1999). Handbook of Attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 89-111). New York: Guilford.

8. Thompson, R.A. (1998). Early sociopersonality develop- ment. In W. Damon (Ed.), & N. Eisenberg (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of Child Psychology,Vol. 3, (5th

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