Childhood weaves a web of complex social-emotional relationships. This is the topic of a talk that Globe Star Director, Dr. Anthony M. McCrovitz (aka Tony), will be giving at an Early Childhood Conference next week: “Childhood’s Web, how the brain develops through social interaction.”
This is the 10th Annual Early Childhood Conference, organized by the School of Education and Counseling at Purdue University Northwest (PNC), scheduled for Saturday, April 30th.
This year’s theme, “Kick Up Your Heels and Play,” focuses on the importance of ‘play’ for children, and misconceptions about academic readiness.
A child’s day is enmeshed in a web of complex social-emotional relationships. Even before birth, we attend to the sensations and emotions of those around us. Primitive brainstem reflexes – such as smiling, grasping, and sucking – jumpstart the bonding process. These reflexes are gradually added to, and later superseded by, networks of the developing limbic and cortical regions of the brain.
Two powerful elements influence the sculpting and evolution of the brain: (1) emotional attunement and (2) the use of language. These two interactive processes stimulate the brain to grow, organize and integrate. The internalized mother, our attachment scheme, and our ability to guide and regulate our thoughts and emotions, are determined by the shaping of the networks of our brains through emotional attunement and the co-construction of narratives.
The power of early relationships to influence the child’s experiences has been long recognized. Early childhood professionals have studied this relationship in great depth. While it remains unclear how much change is possible for brain development and its neural system, increasing our understanding of the underlying processes of the social brain may offer new insights for the practice of early childhood development..” -Dr. Anthony M. McCrovitz
Registration is required for conference attendance ($15/student; $25 non/student). Click here for more info.
If you are interested in having Dr. McCrovitz speak on this topic for your group or event, please contact us.
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