What Exactly IS Developmental Stimulation?
By the fact that we have spent more pages on developmental stimulation and language than anything else, you might guess that we believe these areas are very important. You would be right. Everyone knows what language is, but what exactly is developmental stimulation?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives several definitions of "develop". These include:
"to make active or promote the growth of,"
"to go through a process of natural growth"
"to cause to unfold gradually" and, my favorite,
"to work out the possibilities"
So, what exactly is it that is growing or unfolding in early childhood? Here are just a few examples...
Large and small muscle skills. Hand control, such as used in pouring juice or using a fork. Large muscle movements involved in crawling, walking, running and jumping.
The understanding of relationships, that some things are bigger or smaller, softer or harder. That qualities can be understood as an absolute idea, "soft" but also in relation to something else, e.g., that feathers are softer than blankets.
The ability to experiment and learn about cause and effect -- when you push your bowl to the edge of the table, it falls off. When you stack bigger blocks on top of smaller blocks, they fall over, when you put a toy car on a slanted surface, it rolls. When you pull your sister's hair, she screams.
Symbols - one object can represent another. A toy horse represents a real horse. A cereal bowl can be used as a hat.
Planning - using different colors of playdough, a child can make the head of an animal, then the body, then the legs and, finally, stick these all together to make the animal. This involves four steps, which the child has to have planned out ahead of time.
Vocabulary - the number of words a child knows grows dramatically during early childhood.
"Stimulate" is defined in the same dictionary as :
"to excite to greater growth or activity"
So, how do you stimulate development? Through all of the examples reviewed in the past several pages and many more. Use your creativity. Assessment of your child can give you information on what your child can do and what he should be learning next. Trust your own observations. If you see that your child is confused about the names of colors, if, when you say, "Hand me that red bowl," he hands you a green one, then you know one of the areas where you need to stimulate development. Of course, there is a great deal more to learn about developmental stimulation and we applaud you for taking the effort to help your child . The next page provides a few links to help you continue the effort.
What causes a child to be a “slow learner” – one who just doesn’t learn like other children in the classroom?
DR. DOBSON: There are many hereditary, environmental, and physical factors that contribute to one’s intellect, and it is difficult to isolate the particular influences. For many children who have difficulty in school, we will never know precisely why their ability to learn is limited. Let me tell you what is now known about intellectual development that may explain some – but not all – cases of learning deficits.
Accumulating evidence seems to indicate that some children who are slow learners and even those who have borderline retardation may not have received proper intellectual stimulation in their very early years. There appears to be a critical period during the first three to four years when the potential for intellectual growth must be seized. There are enzyme systems in the brain that must be activated during this brief window. If the opportunity is missed, the child may never reach his capacity.
Children who grow up in deprived circumstances are more likely to be slow learners. They may not have heard adult language regularly. They may not have been provided with interesting books and puzzles to stimulate their sensory apparatus. They may not have been taken to the zoo, the airport, or other exciting places. They may not have received daily training and guidance from adults. This lack of stimulation may inhibit the brain from developing properly.
The effect of early stimulation on living brains has been studied in several fascinating animal experiments. In one study, researchers divided littermate rats into two identical groups. The first was given maximum stimulation during the first few months of life. These rats were kept in well-lighted cages, surrounded by interesting paddle wheels and other toys. They were handled regularly and allowed to explore outside their cages. They were subjected to learning experiences and then rewarded for remembering.
The second group lived the opposite kind of existence. These rats crouched in dimly lit, drab, uninteresting cages. They were not handled or stimulated in any way, and were not permitted outside their cages. Both groups were fed identically.
At 105 days of age, the rats? were sacrificed to permit examination of their neurological apparatus. The researchers were surprised to find that the high-stimulation rats had brains that differed in several important ways: (1) the cortex (the thinking part of the brain) was thicker and wider; (2) the blood supply was much more abundant; (3) the enzymes necessary for learning were more sophisticated. The researchers concluded that the stimulation experienced during the first group’s early lives had resulted in more advanced and complex brains.
It is always risky to apply conclusions from animal research directly to humans, but the same kinds of changes probably occur in the brains of highly stimulated children.
By James Dobson
Comment: Definitely I am agree with the Dr. Dobson said, because is true that we can not compare humans with animals but in big part our brain and our body work in the same way, so, in this observation to mouses group they could see many diferences between them. I wanted to show this article because is very important to know in that is based the theory of benefits in early stimulation, in this case Dr. Dobson emphasizes three essential elements: the cortez or thinking part of brain, blood supply and enzymas (necessary for learning).
FUENTE:http://estimulaciontemprananinos.blogspot.pe/
