Neural and psychophysiological correlates of social communication development: Evidence from sensory processing, motor, cognitive, language and emotional behavioral milestones across infancy

Potential Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Developing Brain

“…Young children need to learn new motor skills, from crawling and walking, to riding a bicycle and playing ball. The motor cortex is highly plastic during the first few years of life [ 3 ], when motor skills are acquired most easily, following a typical developmental trajectory [ 7 , 8 ]. A delay of a few months in learning any particular skill can be caught up.…”

“…Not going to school/kindergarten/nursery, as well as fewer extracurricular activities, typically means fewer opportunities for social interaction. The development of social skills, like all other skills, follows a typical developmental trajectory [ 7 , 8 ], has sensitive periods [ 5 , 6 ], and benefits from both opportunities to observe others and to practice skills. At one year of age, children begin to show interest in other children; between two and three years, they start chasing each other, learn to play cooperatively, and learn to negotiate solutions to conflicts.…”

Cortical auditory evoked potentials in 1‐month‐old infants predict language outcomes at 12 months

“…This compromises their ability to attend to and learn from the environment and, consequently, acquire distinct social and developmental competencies (Lundqvist & Sabel, 2000;Perez-Pereira et al, 2013). Perceiving and attending to auditory stimuli is, therefore, important for the emergence and development of social abilities from an early age (for a review see Cruz et al, 2020).…”

The importance of early developmental neuroscience for research, practice, and policy

“…In addition, early childhood is the most productive period in creating new synapses -for example, reaching 15,000 connections per neuron between 2-3 years of age -twice as many as the amount observed in adults (Huttenlocher, 1979).Brain metabolism also peaks at 200% of the adult pattern at about 4 years of age (Chugani, 1998). These maturational phenomena are the foundation of a child's physical and mental health, determining longevity and the ability to learn from contextual changes and adapt to them (Cruz et al, 2020;Sampaio & Lifter, 2014). In turn, these phenomena are influenced by an array of genetic and environmental factors.…”

“…Brain metabolism also peaks at 200% of the adult pattern at about 4 years of age (Chugani, 1998). These maturational phenomena are the foundation of a child's physical and mental health, determining longevity and the ability to learn from contextual changes and adapt to them (Cruz et al, 2020;Sampaio & Lifter, 2014). In turn, these phenomena are influenced by an array of genetic and environmental factors.…”