Saturday, December 30, 2017

What people should know about child neurodevelopment

Human development is a wonderful thing. It surpasses any stretch of the imagination and each step in human growth is characterized by a promise of greater things to come. Perhaps one of the most fascinating stages in a person’s life is childhood, wherein neurodevelopment is at its most important.

Image source: Washington.edu

Despite the fact that everybody is unique, everyone has some growth processes that are almost identical. Take the development of the nervous system. It develops in the same order every time. This means neurodevelopment can be predicted, which only makes the process more important.

Another characteristic of neurodevelopment that people should pay a lot of attention to is that the brain’s organization is hierarchical in nature. The way it functions ranges from the simple to the more complex. The simpler functions need to develop for the complex one to thrive, which is why the old adage of learning to walk before you run is of absolute truth (well, at least in child neurodevelopment).

And for children to maximize their neurodevelopment, they have to use the functions they already have. If they can talk, they need to talk more. If they start walking, they have to keep on walking. This is how their brains develop more and more functions. This part of neurodevelopment is what makes childhood so fascinating. In doing, children learn more and grow quicker.

Image source: Pinterest.com

Dr. Curtis Cripe’s work with the NTL Group in neuroengineering targets many ailments, including neurodevelopmental delays in children. Check out this website to learn more about Dr. Cripe and his work.