Importance of Early Childhood Experience: Critical Essay

Healthy development is defined that children of a variety of abilities or all abilities are capable to grow up where emotional, educational, and social needs are met (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). It is important to know that children learn holistically. Holistic development is seeing every child as a whole. This is a learning approach that indicates the values of emotional, physical, and psychological development in early childhood (Medlicott, 2019). The purposes of this essay are to explain how a child’s early experiences can have a significant impact on at least two aspects of their development. In addition to this, it will also aim to summarise the different concepts, theories, policies, and values which are associated with social and emotional development and physical development. The first aspect which can have an impact on a child is social and emotional development. This type of development processes how children are beginning to figure out who they are and how they are feeling when starting to interact with others (Help Me Grow, 2020). An early experience that can affect development is attachment. A second aspect that can affect a child’s development in many ways is physical development. Brain development is an early experience that can affect development. In the brain, connections are made, especially between the age of birth and eighteen months. The earlier the experiences are made the more it shapes the brain (Leadsom, 2013). It is important to remember that the first years of a child’s growth and development are crucial. Laying good foundations between these years can have a positive impact on development later in life (Brodie, 2018).

Social and emotional is an aspect of development that can have a significant impact on a child’s development. One of the concepts which can affect social and emotional development is attachment. This not only affects social and emotional development it can also significantly impact other aspects such as physical, language and communication, and learning. Attachment is an emotional bond between a child and its primary caregiver. It is essential that the primary caregiver creates a secure bond with the child in the early years because this is when critical bonds are formed (Mentally Healthy Schools, 2020).

A theory that focuses on attachment was created in 1958 by a man called John Bowlby. This theory is called Attachment Theory. Bowlby was interested in how an early experience of a child might have an impact on their development and adulthood. In this theory, an attachment bond is developed from a baby’s need for safety and protection. He believes that a baby’s instinctive need was not just for food, it was also for security and protection. A baby’s attachment-seeking behavior engages the primary caregiver's attention, for example, if a baby cries, it attracts the caregiver's attention to give the needs of the baby, which could include feeding, changing, or touching. If the caregiver reacts to the baby’s needs positively and regularly it will create a secure bond between the baby and the caregiver. (O’Connor, 2018). One aspect of attachment theory is the concept of a secure base. A secure base creates trust allowing children to explore and learn. Having a secure attachment is also influential in regulating stress in children, resilience, and adaptability (Rees, 2007; Bowlby, 1969).

A concept that links to the Attachment Theory is ‘Serve and return’. Serve and return is a way of building a relationship between the primary caregiver and the child. This type of interaction shapes the brain architecture. When a baby tries to communicate with their caregiver, this could be crying, babbling, or gestures and the caregiver responds with a hug, eye contact, or words, connections are built in the brain to support the development of social skills and communication (Center on the Developing Child, 2020). Building these neural connections in the brain is essential! If serve and return is stopped a process called synaptic pruning will take place. This is where the brain removes connections in the brain which are no longer needed. This can cause a significant impact later on in development. (Gill, 2018)

A policy that links to social and emotional development is the Early Intervention Policy. This is a public policy that supports children and their families to prevent a variety of problems from occurring later on in the child’s life. The problems could include trying to prevent mental health, behavioral issues, physical health issues, etc. An approach to prevent a disruption in development to help families and children can be home visiting to families who are vulnerable, this could include caregivers with maternal depression. Different kinds of activities led by a professional can help children with early intervention and prevent development problems in the future years (UK Parliament, 2019). A factor that may affect attachment is maternal depression. This can have an impact on the family as a whole. However, it can have a significant adverse effect on the primary caregiver and the baby. Maternal depression can disrupt the development of brain architecture and can lead to toxic stress for the baby (New York State, 2015).

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A second policy which associated with social and emotional development is The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This policy sets standards that all caregivers must make sure that children learn and develop efficiently making sure they are kept safe and healthy. A principle within this framework is ‘Positive Relationships. The principle states that children learn to be independent and strong when a primary caregiver creates a secure bond with the child (Department for Education, 2017). This principle can be linked back to the theory of attachment, which was created by Bowlby, he stressed the importance of secure relationships between children and the caregiver (Bowlby, 1969). A statutory specification of the EYFS that is seen in practice is the ‘Key Person’ approach (Department for Education, 2017). It is important in the early years a key person is assigned to environments such as schools or nurseries to make sure their own specialized needs are met (Essex County Council, 2020). The key person approach can also link to another principle which is the ‘Unique Child’.

Physical development is an aspect of development that can have a significant impact on a child’s development. A concept that can have a significant impact on brain development. Brain development is critical in the early years of development and starts functioning soon after conception. A child’s early experience can have a prolonged impact on the architecture and developing brain. Experiences will shape a child’s brain and it will determine whether the child will have weak or strong foundations for all developmental competencies such as health, behavior, and learning. (Centers on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2011). The circuitry of the brain is continually changing in response to experience. This is called brain plasticity. (Kolb, 2003).

A theory associated with brain development is Triune Brain. This theory was created by a neuroscientist called Paul Maclean. Maclean believes the brain consists of three distinct areas which are, the reptilian, limbic, and neocortex brain, each section showing another layer of evolutionary development. Maclean’s model suggests the reptilian brain was formed first which takes charge of instinctive behavior and bodily functions for survival such as breathing, movement, hunger, and temperature regulation. (Komninos, 2020). The limbic brain is responsible for emotions, the main parts of the brain for this are the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus. These parts have a big influence on human behaviors. The neocortex is also known as the thinking brain, this part of the brain is linked to higher-order thinking such as problem-solving, thinking, planning, and decision-making (The Brain from Top to Bottom, 2020).

A concept that links to this theory is the fight-or-flight response. This response is a coping strategy carried out when there is a potential threat or danger. (Steimer, 2002). When there is danger a hormone is released called adrenaline, giving a burst of energy and strength preparing for threat. Defensive actions would represent ‘fight’ and ‘flight’ is escaping danger by running or freezing. Fight-or-flight response is classed as an acute type of stress. (Young Diggers, 2020).

A physical factor that has proved to affect brain development is childhood neglect. Neglect is the continuous failure to meet a child’s basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, and being kept safe. Neglect can have a prolonged impact on a child’s physical and mental development. (NSPCC, 2020) A case study that proves that abuse and neglect affect brain development is The Romanian Orphanage 1990. Children in these orphanages were seriously neglected and starved from human contact. The journalist who discovered this named Bob Graham reported that there was no crying or no noise coming from the children even though they were awake. The staff ignored the children and there were no signs of toys, books, or play. (Jepsen, 2020) Some children got adopted into nurturing families and the early neglect has left significant impacts on their brain structures. The Romanian adopted children had an 8.6 percent smaller brain than average individuals. (Davis, 2020) The children who were in this environment were seriously delayed in their cognitive and social development (Glaser, 2000). This shows that early childhood experiences can have a lasting impact on children’s lives. It shows that earlier intervention the better development of the child.

A policy that links to physical development is The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This policy set standards that all caregivers must make that children learn and develop efficiently making sure they are kept safe and healthy. According to the principle of ‘Enabling Environments’ children learn and develop effectively, which will make the child have a positive experience, and this will gain strong partnership between primary caregivers and practitioners (Department for Education, 2017). Enabling environments can be seen in practice when a practitioner supports a child to take risks and explore. In addition, it can also be seen in practice when practitioners use interesting equipment related to all children's cultures. This is showing equality, diversity, and inclusion.