Myth: Genes control brain development .

Genes plus experience determine brain development.

Myth: Brain development is very slow before age 3

Brain development during the first 3 years of life is very rapid. Your baby’s experiences will have a significant effect on her brain development, especially on emotions, memory, and the ability to form attachments to others, but also on math, language, and logic.

Myth: It is hard to measure the effects of early interaction on brain development .

Early interactions create permanent, measurable, physiological changes in the structure of the brain

Myth: A baby’s brain is more passive than the brain of an adolescent or adult.

Baby’s brains are very active. The brain of your 3-year-old is much more active than an adolescent’s; twice as active as an adult’s.

Myth: Brain development is primarily affected by biological factors, rather than behavioral or environmental factors .

Brain development in the fetus and young child can be significantly compromised by:

• Abuse and neglect.
• Maternal depression.
• Substance abuse, including that of alcohol and tobacco.
• Institutionalization of the child.
• Poverty

Myth: More stimulation makes smarter babies.

More is not always better. Effective interactions are:

• Are age appropriate,
• Occur when your child signals his readiness for them, and
• Reinforce his curiosity, self-esteem, and enjoyment of learning.

Myth: The brain develops at a steady pace throughout childhood.

Brain development is not linear but episodic. At certain times your child’s brain will be particularly efficient at certain kinds of learning, and during these times, significant alterations in the brain’s structure appear to occur. These windows of opportunity also close; function may be lost or impaired if not utilized.

Myth: A baby shouldn’t be raised to speak more than one language, or he will have trouble speaking any language correctly.

Your baby’s brain is capable of learning several different languages during her first five years, with little effort or confusion.

Myth: High quality day care isn’t very important; after all, children are flexible.

Your child’s interactions with caregivers can directly affect the physical development of his brain and his capacity to learn. Early care, especially during the first 3 years, has a long-lasting effect on how he will develop, learn, cope with stress, and regulate emotions.

Myth: A child doesn’t really begin learning until kindergarten.

By the time your child enters kindergarten, she will already have learned approximately half of what she will in her entire lifetime.