Understanding our roots and the possible difficulties arising from them

Significant developments in understanding brain development now make clear that when a child has adverse experiences such as: loss, threat, neglect and injury that there can be disruptions of neurodevelopment that can lead to compromised functioning throughout life.

 Experience in early childhood literally provides the organizing framework for the development of the brain. “The brain develops in a use-dependent fashion. 

“Deprivation of critical experiences during development may be the most destructive yet the least understood area of child maltreatment.” The earlier and more pervasive the neglect, the more devastating the developmental problems for the child.  Indeed, a chaotic, inattentive and ignorant caregiver can produce pervasive developmental delay in a young child.

Neglect and trauma produce different effects.  Each year in the United States more than 5 million children are exposed to some form of extreme traumatic stressor. These events activate a stress response. “ Following any traumatic event, children will likely experience some persisting emotional, behavioral, cognitive and physiological symptoms.  In general, the longer the activation of the stress-response systems the more likely there will be a ‘use dependent’ change in these neural systems.

In most studies of children who have experienced trauma clinically significant symptoms were observed in essentially all of the children or adolescents although the majority did not reach the criteria for full blown PTSD.

Marion Fallding, M.A.

Dec. 2004          

Last modified: 05/09/06