1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Welcome to The Brain Architects, a new podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:06,720 Harvard University. 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,520 I'm your host, Sally Fitzer. 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,960 Our center believes that advances in science can provide a powerful source of new ideas 5 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,420 that can improve outcomes for children and families. 6 00:00:16,420 --> 00:00:20,520 We want to help you apply the science of early childhood development to your everyday interactions 7 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,880 with children and take what you're hearing from our experts and panels and apply it to 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,880 your everyday work. 9 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,320 So in today's episode, we're going to dive into the concept of brain architecture and 10 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:33,480 learn a little bit more about the science behind it. 11 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:36,600 We'll learn why the early years are really important for brain development and think 12 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,400 about how connections are built in the brain and what a strong or weak foundation in the 13 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:45,600 brain can mean for a child's future health and development. 14 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,840 Here to help us explain brain architecture is Dr. Jack Schonkoff, professor of child 15 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,480 health and development and director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard 16 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:54,480 University. 17 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:55,480 Welcome, Jack. 18 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:56,480 Hey, Sally. 19 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:57,480 Good to be here. 20 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,080 There's a lot of questions to dive into today, but can you explain where the idea of brain 21 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:02,600 architecture came from? 22 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,800 I've heard you use the metaphor of a house before, which I found to be really helpful 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,880 really thinking about that foundation that's set in the early years. 24 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,840 Almost 20 years ago, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child realized that 25 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:22,160 we needed metaphors to take very complicated science and present it with a phrase that 26 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,460 would capture what it was about and would be remembered. 27 00:01:26,460 --> 00:01:32,440 What came from our early conversations was this very simple fact that brains are built 28 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:33,560 over time. 29 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:38,880 We latched onto this concept of brain architecture and any building begins with a strong foundation. 30 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,360 If the foundation is strong, the building will last a long time. 31 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:47,880 And if the foundation has a crack in it or it's weak, the building may not fall apart, 32 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,160 but you won't be able to kind of build on it very much over time without having to deal 33 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:53,160 with some of the weaknesses. 34 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:58,000 Think of building communities where multiple houses are built that are all exactly the 35 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:03,640 same, but then people move in and they bring their own decoration and their own style to 36 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:09,200 it and every house that's built with the same basic design ends up looking very different. 37 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:16,080 The more we got into the architecture metaphor, the more we realized how powerful it is in 38 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:21,040 terms of understanding this process of brains being built over time. 39 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,240 As I'm listening to you, it's making me think about the nature-nurture argument. 40 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,160 And I know that the current science has a lot to say around that. 41 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,480 Is brain architecture determined solely by our genes? 42 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,120 I love this question. 43 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:37,440 This whole idea of how much is genetic and how much is the result of experience used 44 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,880 to be a very fierce argument among scientists. 45 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:46,560 We now know that there's a very strong genetic and a very strong experience influence. 46 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:52,440 To stick with the architecture metaphor, think of the genetic contribution as the architect's 47 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,720 blueprint before you begin to build a building. 48 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:58,640 That's the way genetics contributes. 49 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:04,320 It's why most children sit up at a certain age and walk at a certain age, but how those 50 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:09,840 skills develop, how they're built, how strong they are, what the design looks like, very 51 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,280 little of that is influenced by genetics. 52 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:17,640 It's influenced by the world in which kids live, the experiences they have, the environment 53 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:24,420 of relationships they live in that shape the development of the blueprint for that individual. 54 00:03:24,420 --> 00:03:27,840 Genes determine when circuits get built. 55 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:32,960 Experience individual differences in people's life experiences determine how those circuits 56 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:33,960 get built. 57 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:38,280 And together, they both explain the development of brain architecture. 58 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:39,760 It's so fascinating. 59 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,360 I know a lot of our listeners are folks who are working directly with kids. 60 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,680 I'm wondering if you could give them some examples of what that building responsive 61 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:51,720 relationships looks like and also how that actually goes into building brain architecture. 62 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:53,200 Another great question. 63 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:59,100 The key feature of what we mean by environment and what we mean by experiences that shape 64 00:03:59,100 --> 00:04:05,160 brain development really come down to the nature of the interaction between very young 65 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,400 children and the adults who care for them. 66 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:12,760 The brain is wired to expect interaction with other people. 67 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:21,160 It's not looking for interaction with tablets or mobile phones, mainly because those stimulus 68 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,480 sources are not interactive. 69 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:29,360 This need for interaction is built into our biology, into our genes. 70 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,160 It comes from eons and eons of evolution. 71 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:37,120 If there wasn't a reason for it, it wouldn't kind of appear over and over again over eons 72 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:38,920 from a developmental point of view. 73 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:44,080 Somebody has to be there engaging and interacting and providing experiences from which you can 74 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,560 learn in order for your brain to build strong circuits. 75 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:52,960 If the brain is getting bad input, the brain struggles to learn how to deal with it. 76 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:57,980 If the brain is getting no input, it's an all signal alert that the world is crashing 77 00:04:57,980 --> 00:05:02,560 down on you, not because it's harming you, but because it's ignoring you. 78 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:08,000 Negative experiences strengthen brain circuits, threatening negative experiences weaken brain 79 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,240 circuits at a time that they're being made. 80 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:11,240 One last question. 81 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:16,280 I can't help but ask, given what you just described about how detrimental some of these 82 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:18,160 things can be to a developing brain. 83 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:23,280 I'm thinking about listeners who have either experienced this themselves or have had children 84 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:27,760 that have experienced this and that sense that they might have of, this is a doomed 85 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:28,760 situation. 86 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:33,440 My foundation is crumbling and completely weak and from there on I'm not able to continue 87 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:34,440 to build my house. 88 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,080 I just wondered if you could address that. 89 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:40,280 I'm really so glad you asked that question, Sally, because there are no perfect brains. 90 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:45,320 The best parents in the world do a dozen things wrong every day. 91 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:51,120 There's a lot of science about brain development, but raising healthy, competent children is 92 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:55,600 much more a bumbling art than it is a precise science. 93 00:05:55,600 --> 00:06:05,880 There's a core concept in biology about adaptation and resilience over time so that it is never 94 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:11,280 too late to strengthen the brain's capacity to do things. 95 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:17,000 Anybody who says, past a certain age, there's nothing you can do, is ignorant of what science 96 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,000 has to say. 97 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,080 On the other hand, it's not true that early doesn't matter. 98 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:22,160 It's a balance. 99 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:28,000 Having problems early on, perhaps having a weaker foundation, is not a doomsday scenario 100 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,000 at all. 101 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,960 It just means that some things are going to have to be worked on a little bit harder. 102 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:36,840 They would have been easier if we had gotten it right the first time, but it's not too 103 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:37,840 late. 104 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:42,920 The take home messages here are early is always better than later. 105 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:48,480 Prevention of difficulties is better than trying to remediate difficulties later, but 106 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:52,840 it is never, ever too late to strengthen capacities. 107 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:55,080 The brain is always trying to get things right. 108 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,160 If it goes off track, it's always trying to get back on track. 109 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,400 That's the beauty of the science. 110 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,280 It's also the beauty of the magic of human development. 111 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:05,280 Thank you so much. 112 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,880 So, leave you with that earlier is better, but it's never too late. 113 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:09,880 Thank you, Sally. 114 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:10,880 Appreciate it. 115 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:21,160 When we come back, we'll welcome a few special guests. 116 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:26,320 Here to discuss the implications of the science of brain architecture, we have Judy Cameron, 117 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:27,320 PhD. 118 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:32,160 Judy is a professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, and the CEO of Working for 119 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,960 Kids, Building Skills, LLC. 120 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,560 Welcome to the podcast, Judy. 121 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:38,560 Thank you. 122 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:40,600 I'm really happy to be here. 123 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,360 We also have Debbie Lekinen joining us. 124 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,720 Debbie's an early childhood consultant and former director of the Elliott Pearson Children's 125 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,240 School at Tufts University. 126 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:50,240 Hi, Debbie. 127 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:51,240 Hi. 128 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,000 It's an honor to be here. 129 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,480 I'm looking forward to the conversation. 130 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,920 Also joining us on the podcast, we have Pia Ribello-Britto, PhD. 131 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:04,280 She's the global chief and senior advisor, early childhood development program division 132 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:05,280 at UNICEF. 133 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:06,280 Welcome, Pia. 134 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,680 It's a pleasure to be on. 135 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:09,680 Thank you for inviting me. 136 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:15,160 So, I'd like to start by asking, why is it critical for parents, teachers, and even policymakers 137 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,840 to understand the importance of brain architecture? 138 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:24,120 It's important that people, all people who interact with children, understand brain architecture 139 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:31,120 and how brain architecture is made, because experiences play a really strong role. 140 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:37,520 The brain is genetically programmed to make connections, but whether those connections 141 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:43,400 stay, become strong, and are permanent and there for the child to use their whole lifeline 142 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:47,360 depends on having experiences that strengthen them. 143 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,700 So you want parents to strengthen children's brain circuits. 144 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:53,840 You want teachers to do that. 145 00:08:53,840 --> 00:09:02,840 And at the policy level, you want policymakers to vote for things that will give all children 146 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:04,600 that opportunity. 147 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:10,760 To complement, Judy, I want to focus a bit on the policymakers in terms of their understanding 148 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:12,320 of brain architecture. 149 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:17,280 Ultimately, as we know, for these positive experiences to occur between children and 150 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:22,040 their caregivers or parents, these adults in the child's life need time. 151 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:23,040 They need resources. 152 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:24,840 They need services. 153 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:29,480 And all of that enables them then to be able to engage with their children in a meaningful 154 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:31,040 manner. 155 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:37,880 Policymakers, employers in the business sector, all of them create the right policies and 156 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:42,920 enabling environments that then give the parents that time, that space, the resources they 157 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:43,920 need. 158 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:48,840 Their understanding of brain architecture and the value it holds and how it occurs is 159 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:54,320 very important then to enable parents to engage in what they love the most, to engage and 160 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,320 interact with their children. 161 00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:57,960 Great. 162 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:02,140 So Debbie, I know you've been in the field for quite some time in a variety of roles. 163 00:10:02,140 --> 00:10:06,800 And I think our listeners would like to know what are some specific things that teachers, 164 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,820 parents and caregivers can do to actually help build a healthy brain. 165 00:10:10,820 --> 00:10:15,740 We know that young children learn through everyday play and exploration in safe and 166 00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:22,160 stimulating environments and with relationships with their families, teachers and caregivers. 167 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:26,680 And young children learn when they're using their whole body and senses, giving opportunity 168 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:33,320 for young children to explore open-ended materials that can be manipulated and combined in different 169 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:34,380 ways. 170 00:10:34,380 --> 00:10:37,920 These provide unlimited play and learning opportunities. 171 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:45,840 We're talking about locks, little figures, animals, toy cars, balls, spoons, buckets, 172 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,760 pans, baskets or recycled materials. 173 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:55,120 Through all that, the early childhood brains are open to new experiences and children are 174 00:10:55,120 --> 00:11:00,240 testing new theories and changing old theories when they learn something new. 175 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:07,560 So this kind of constructive play allows experimentation, problem solving, higher order thinking, and 176 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:10,680 as well as language development and social skills. 177 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:13,480 And they develop new ideas and schema. 178 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:19,280 It helps them with language development, cognitive skills, problem solving and taking on other 179 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:21,720 perspectives and self-regulation. 180 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:26,400 All of these things are a way that teachers, parents and caregivers can help the brain 181 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,760 develop from very young ages. 182 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,840 I think that what Debbie has said is exactly right. 183 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:40,120 And one thing parents are always asking is how can we fit this into our everyday life? 184 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:46,380 So giving them examples of what they can do while they're cooking dinner, what they can 185 00:11:46,380 --> 00:11:52,920 do while they're driving in the car, what they can do when they're just hanging out 186 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:58,160 with their kids so that they can begin to be creative. 187 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:03,880 They have ideas that anytime can be a learning time for a child. 188 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:04,880 Great. 189 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:09,240 Judy, you were part of a team that created a whole game around the concept of brain architecture. 190 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,160 Could you tell us a little bit more about that game? 191 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:12,160 Who plays it? 192 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:14,000 What do you think people actually learn from it? 193 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:18,120 The brain architecture game, people work in small groups. 194 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,260 They have a task of building a brain. 195 00:12:21,260 --> 00:12:28,260 They roll the dice to get their genetic background and that gives you the structure of the base 196 00:12:28,260 --> 00:12:29,700 of the brain. 197 00:12:29,700 --> 00:12:33,180 And then they draw life experience cards. 198 00:12:33,180 --> 00:12:39,920 And the life experience cards might be a good experience, a really bad stress, which we 199 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:47,560 would call a toxic stress or a tolerable stress, a stress that can be good for the growth of 200 00:12:47,560 --> 00:12:50,880 the brain or not, that it could be toxic. 201 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:55,200 And it really depends on how much social support. 202 00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:01,480 A key issue in the game was to get people to understand that social supports are really 203 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:02,480 important. 204 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:08,480 They build their brain out of pipe cleaners with the supports being straws. 205 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:14,280 And they debate with each other, OK, where am I going to use a support? 206 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:15,520 How tall can we get it? 207 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,360 Do we need a little bit more of a sturdy base? 208 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:22,820 Yeah, Judy, I facilitated that game a few times and I'm always struck by how many times 209 00:13:22,820 --> 00:13:28,200 I hear the term, that's not fair when people are watching their brains collapse. 210 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:29,200 That's true. 211 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,800 I've played it with over 12,000 people. 212 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:38,480 I remember playing it at a legislature at one point where the whole legislature decided 213 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:41,960 to take an hour out of their day. 214 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:47,160 And one legislator came in the room and he said, I'm going to build a fantastic brain. 215 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:51,120 I really care about children and I'm a good architect. 216 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:53,040 And I said, excellent. 217 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,040 And then his brain collapsed. 218 00:13:56,040 --> 00:14:01,160 And when I asked him what happened, he said, oh, it wasn't my fault. 219 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:02,560 And I didn't say anything. 220 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:08,960 I just looked right at him and he said, oh, my gosh, that's what you're trying to teach 221 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:09,960 us. 222 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,400 It's not children's fault. 223 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,360 I always think that's such an interesting concept that, of course, that's part of what 224 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:18,560 you're trying to teach throughout these experiences. 225 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:23,800 Pia, I'm wondering from your perspective if you can share why the concept of brain architecture 226 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:26,880 is so important for us to consider internationally. 227 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,720 And do you have some examples of how this concept is being used all around the world? 228 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:36,640 Yeah, this is actually a very seminal concept for us to build on internationally, build 229 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:42,760 on globally, because the situation of children really calls us to take serious action. 230 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:47,720 So I'm not sure if you're familiar with, but a few numbers to help you contextualize how 231 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:49,320 important this is. 232 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:54,920 The first is that over 250 million children around the world, especially low and middle 233 00:14:54,920 --> 00:15:00,600 income countries, are at risk of not achieving that developmental potential. 234 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,880 And when we look further into that number and understand what's going on, we know that 235 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:10,720 in 2018, 29 million babies were born into conflict affected areas. 236 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:16,340 So they're born into these areas where they're exposed to high degrees of toxic stress. 237 00:15:16,340 --> 00:15:22,000 We know that over 300 million children live in areas with toxic air that we know can damage 238 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:23,280 the developing brain. 239 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:26,400 So we know there's a lot of risk factors in the environment. 240 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:28,560 OK, so that's the broad environment. 241 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,320 So what's going on in the daily lives of children? 242 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:38,760 We find across our work that only about 60% of children receive that early stimulation 243 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:43,440 and responsive care from their parents and caregivers on a consistent basis. 244 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:49,880 So really, it's just about over half are receiving that type of care that we know is so integral 245 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:51,200 for brain architecture. 246 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:56,680 So the case for why we need to bring this concept globally is really important. 247 00:15:56,680 --> 00:16:01,400 The whole world community aims to achieve certain goals and targets. 248 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,640 And in 2014, to have a very powerful seminar at UNICEF. 249 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,640 Judy was there, Jack was there, the world's leading neuroscientists were there. 250 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:14,960 And they very clearly laid out a case for what happens when you build this brain architecture 251 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,360 and what happens when it gets derailed. 252 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:22,560 Now for the first time in history, there was a goal that looked at child development. 253 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:28,600 There was an indicator and a target that all countries now are accountable for, that they 254 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:31,600 are supporting children to make this happen. 255 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:33,300 And that's super powerful. 256 00:16:33,300 --> 00:16:36,400 We never had that in a population level before. 257 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:41,040 Another example I can throw out really quickly is most parents around the world do not have 258 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:46,560 access to this information of why their engagement with their child matters, why responding to 259 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:48,880 their baby's cues matters so much. 260 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:50,960 They don't have access to this information. 261 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:53,880 So at UNICEF, we launched early moments matter. 262 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:56,040 It's now the largest global campaign. 263 00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:02,200 The essence of early moments matter is that babies brains are built and they need the 264 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:03,200 active ingredients. 265 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,560 They need eat, play, love. 266 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:07,840 They need care, they need protection. 267 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:12,160 And we were actually through the early moments matter, we were able to reach over 2 billion 268 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:13,920 people with these messages. 269 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:18,380 I loved hearing those examples, Pia, with the UNICEF program and those early moments. 270 00:17:18,380 --> 00:17:21,040 I can give an example locally here in Seattle. 271 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:25,960 I'm involved with a program called PEPPS, Programs for Early Parent Support. 272 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:31,960 And the concept here is that the first thousand days of a baby's life are the most important. 273 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:38,020 And yet many families, many parents feel isolated or have all these other negative experiences. 274 00:17:38,020 --> 00:17:43,440 So this program tries to connect families with other families, creates kind of a small 275 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:47,280 community learning group for parents where they get together, maybe a group of 10 to 276 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:52,320 12 families in different settings, partnering with different agencies to really provide 277 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:54,840 access to all kinds of families. 278 00:17:54,840 --> 00:18:00,360 Another point that I thought was important, one of these toxic stress factors is also 279 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:07,040 about the racism and community violence that families and children experience. 280 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:12,280 And one of the things in my work that we've found is that as adults in children's lives, 281 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:16,900 we have an opportunity to choose materials for children, whether they're books, whether 282 00:18:16,900 --> 00:18:22,540 they're toys that provide both mirrors and windows for children. 283 00:18:22,540 --> 00:18:27,760 This really helps them build their social, positive social identity development, which 284 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,840 happens to begin at birth. 285 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:36,400 And I like this metaphor of mirrors and windows, meaning we want to expose children with materials, 286 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:42,040 with experiences that reflect who they are, that help them feel good about their identity. 287 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:47,920 And at the same time, you want opportunities to provide materials, books that may provide 288 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:52,560 windows for children and families to see people that are different than them. 289 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:57,320 I also had something that might be worth thinking about. 290 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:02,480 We have been collecting data from communities that we work with, and most of these are very 291 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:06,840 impoverished communities, about child development. 292 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:10,700 We're checking development of children over a one-year period. 293 00:19:10,700 --> 00:19:16,800 So measurements of the stress exposure of the parents and the children, poverty level, 294 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:23,680 education level, as well as videotaping them with their parents and scoring parent-child 295 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:24,680 interactions. 296 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:33,960 And a really interesting finding is that parent-child interactions can be very strong no matter 297 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,960 how much family stress is experienced. 298 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:42,600 So you have parents living in really stressed environments, but if they have very good serve 299 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:49,280 and return interactions, if those are strong from the parents, the child will be doing 300 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:53,480 better even in the face of stress. 301 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:58,620 And just building on Judy's point, one such context we haven't discussed too much is families 302 00:19:58,620 --> 00:20:04,520 who are on the move, migration, refugee status, families who are living through protracted 303 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:11,120 crisis conflict, and those who are suffering links of humanitarian or climate change related 304 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:12,120 emergencies. 305 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:16,320 And what we're finding when we are working with families with young children in these 306 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:24,640 areas is that caring for the caregiver is as important as giving messages to the caregiver 307 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,520 about their young child. 308 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:32,680 And in order for parents to feel on top of the game, in order for them to be able to 309 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:37,340 care for children in the manner that's most suitable for their kids, they need caring 310 00:20:37,340 --> 00:20:39,440 as well for their own emotional well-being. 311 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,960 Judy, I'm wondering if you could also weigh in on that question on how to build social 312 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,560 emotional skills in particular and how it relates to regulation. 313 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:49,480 Happy to. 314 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:57,800 So in the communities we're working in, there often is a lot of disruption in the family 315 00:20:57,800 --> 00:20:58,800 setting. 316 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:06,880 We've put a lot of emphasis on getting adults in the community to think more broadly about 317 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:13,760 who can provide kids with the skills that they need and with learning environments. 318 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,760 And we think of this as charging stations. 319 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:21,360 We talk about the fact you need to plug the phone in in order to function. 320 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:26,040 Each of us needs to have a support in order to function. 321 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:33,200 And we start by talking to adults about what is your charging station? 322 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:38,480 What do you do when you really need to feel better? 323 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:44,760 This connects very closely to what Pia said earlier about taking care of the parents and 324 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:51,200 making sure that the adults that are interacting with children are taken care of also. 325 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:59,080 But then we expand it to what are the charging stations in your communities that can work 326 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:01,000 to help children? 327 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:08,980 That gets people to think much more broadly about the fact that it's not just parents, 328 00:22:08,980 --> 00:22:15,800 it's not just child care providers, it's not just teachers that have an impact on children 329 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,480 and children's development. 330 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,040 Everybody in the community can play a role. 331 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:26,800 The matter is getting everybody in the community to realize that they can play an important 332 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:30,080 role in helping children learn skills. 333 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:31,200 Excellent. 334 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:41,920 Up next, our panelists are going to answer some of your social media questions. 335 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:45,680 Since our panelists have answered all of my questions, let's move on to some of yours. 336 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:50,600 So Hailey Ray Pierce from Instagram asks, how do we make sure young children are successful 337 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,720 in the transition to school? 338 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:58,960 Preparation is always important, but I also like to say not too early because typically 339 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:03,480 in the early childhood years, children don't have a good concept of time. 340 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:08,880 So when we talk about preparing children, we're not talking about months in advance, 341 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,020 but maybe a week in advance, what's going to happen. 342 00:23:12,020 --> 00:23:17,700 And you want to do it in a very concrete way, maybe visiting the school, reading stories 343 00:23:17,700 --> 00:23:19,760 about going to school. 344 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:24,560 I also think always bringing something from home to school is also a good strategy that 345 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:25,960 helps with transitions. 346 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:32,720 I think that key idea is preparation, but doing it in a concrete way and kind of figuring 347 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:37,200 out when to start that preparation, not too early and not too late. 348 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:42,760 Just adding to that, the model we use at UNICEF is children ready for school, parents ready 349 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:44,820 for school, but schools ready for children. 350 00:23:44,820 --> 00:23:48,860 So I want to build on what Debbie presented. 351 00:23:48,860 --> 00:23:54,080 Preparation is key and preparation is key on the part of the school as well to be able 352 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:55,800 to receive children in. 353 00:23:55,800 --> 00:24:00,820 And in many of the contexts in which we work, we have a lot of different issues linked to 354 00:24:00,820 --> 00:24:01,820 school readiness. 355 00:24:01,820 --> 00:24:06,280 For example, multiculturalism, multilingualism. 356 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:10,840 So many of our children are for the first time coming into schools where maybe the language 357 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:15,360 spoken at home is not the language that is being spoken in the classroom or part of the 358 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:16,400 curriculum. 359 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:22,020 So a lot of the focus and emphasis is also on preparing these teachers and the school 360 00:24:22,020 --> 00:24:27,620 administration to be able to receive children to sort of smooth and ease that transition. 361 00:24:27,620 --> 00:24:32,260 I can also comment on this from a much broader perspective. 362 00:24:32,260 --> 00:24:40,280 So Debbie and Pia have talked about the literal transition from living at home in your family 363 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,860 to starting to go to school. 364 00:24:42,860 --> 00:24:49,420 But what's really important to remember is how well children do in that transition and 365 00:24:49,420 --> 00:24:56,760 in school is going to be very dependent on brain development earlier in life, so throughout 366 00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:59,120 their time growing up. 367 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:07,200 And so it really behooves parents and those who are interacting with children to try to 368 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:16,160 help them build strong social emotional skills, strong problem solving skills, strong image 369 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:21,160 of themselves so that they are ready to make that transition. 370 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:25,260 I love the variety of perspectives that we had sort of some really concrete specific 371 00:25:25,260 --> 00:25:29,480 examples and then zoomed out to more global and then thinking about how that all relates 372 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:33,200 to brain architecture will be really helpful for our listeners. 373 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:38,640 So Addy Pay 61 from Instagram asks, I'm a teacher of one to two year olds and in your 374 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:44,320 opinion, what is a good time frame to expect children of that age to grasp, understand 375 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,320 and remember a concept? 376 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:50,440 Simple examples, hands are not for hitting, our food goes in your mouth. 377 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,880 Some days things are a little challenging because it feels like this is what we say 378 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:54,880 all day. 379 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,160 I bet some listeners will relate to that. 380 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:01,360 And I'm chuckling here too as I take care of my grandchildren this age. 381 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:06,240 I'm thinking about that first of all, these first two years of life is what we call the 382 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:12,100 sensory motor stage and often infants are busy discovering relationships between their 383 00:26:12,100 --> 00:26:15,240 bodies and the environment and this is actually how they're learning. 384 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:19,120 When we say don't put things in your mouth yet, that's how they learn through sensory 385 00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:25,680 experiences through their seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, et cetera. 386 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:35,000 I think we can also through simple words, repetition, signs, gestures, 12 month old 387 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:41,380 can understand the concept, what we put in our mouth, food goes in our mouth, toys we 388 00:26:41,380 --> 00:26:43,520 put in the bucket or in the basket. 389 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:48,840 But instead of saying no toys in the mouth, we'll often say put the toys here. 390 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:51,640 We'll eat our snack in our mouth, things like that. 391 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:59,320 So being concrete and yet understanding that this is where they are developmentally, what 392 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,460 their brain understands. 393 00:27:01,460 --> 00:27:06,080 So it's not like it's a misbehavior, I always say, but a typical behavior. 394 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:08,840 I would have a different perspective. 395 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:18,200 That is what we really have to remember is the way brain development happens is the genetic 396 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:28,040 program tells neurons, brain cells to make connections and what causes those connections 397 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:35,600 to be strengthened and become a stable brain circuit is experiences that use the connections. 398 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:42,480 I get asked many times, how many times do you have to use a connection to increase the 399 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,320 probability of it being permanent and really strong? 400 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:50,440 And the answer is thousands and thousands of times. 401 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:58,280 And so you have a teacher or a parent who's working with one and two year olds who says, 402 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:02,000 I've told them over and over again about this. 403 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,400 Why do they still not get it? 404 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:11,840 They really have to have used that part of their brain thousands of times. 405 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:20,160 And we need to understand that it really takes a lot of work on the part of the growing brain 406 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:22,760 to form a strong, stable pathway. 407 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,240 Thanks to our panel for offering that great expertise. 408 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,760 And thank you to our social media followers for submitting some great questions. 409 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,960 Up next, Dr. Jack Chonkop is going to be back to debunk an early childhood myth that you 410 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:42,840 may have actually heard. 411 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:44,800 And we're back with Dr. Jack Chonkop. 412 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:48,320 We're going to talk about a myth that exists in the early childhood field. 413 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,080 This is a segment I'm particularly excited about because I think there are a lot of myths 414 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:53,080 out there. 415 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:59,260 I know you are particularly passionate about and it is that 90% of a child's brain is formed 416 00:28:59,260 --> 00:29:00,780 by the age of three. 417 00:29:00,780 --> 00:29:06,080 So could you tell us a little bit about that myth and why it is not a correct fact? 418 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:09,920 Should I start with why this drives neuroscientists insane? 419 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:13,360 Let me just start with something simple, which is why that's wrong. 420 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:20,320 To say that 90% of the brain is completed by age three or age four or age five is to 421 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:25,200 completely misunderstand the very basic concept of a developing brain. 422 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:29,820 Is there anybody out there who could make some sense of the idea that a three-year-old 423 00:29:29,820 --> 00:29:35,160 now has 90% of all of the competence and skills and knowledge that you have for the rest of 424 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:36,160 your life? 425 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,280 From a common sense point of view, that's just ridiculous. 426 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:42,640 If we're talking about brain development, we're not talking about how big your brain 427 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:44,400 is or how much it weighs. 428 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,840 We're talking about its circuitry. 429 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:48,360 You don't have to be a neuroscientist. 430 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:52,160 Ask anybody who knows anything about kids, how much of a difference is there between 431 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:54,980 what a two-month-old can do and what a five-year-old can do? 432 00:29:54,980 --> 00:29:57,280 But here's why it's damaging. 433 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:01,560 If 90% of your brain development is completed by age three or four, what does that tell 434 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:02,560 us? 435 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:06,520 What it tells us is not only to get hysterical about the first three or four years of life 436 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:11,600 and drive yourself crazy, but also tells you, okay, you're four, you're five years old now. 437 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:12,600 You're there. 438 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:13,600 It's done. 439 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,460 It implies it's too late to do anything. 440 00:30:16,460 --> 00:30:21,540 It implies there's not a whole lot you need to do to promote healthy brain development 441 00:30:21,540 --> 00:30:23,360 afterwards because most of it is over. 442 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:27,600 And it also implies that at some point you get to 100%, which contradicts exactly what 443 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,400 you just said earlier, that we're still developing. 444 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:31,400 Exactly. 445 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:38,400 It creates a lot of misperceptions and misunderstandings that could affect the way we think about how 446 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:40,720 much of an impact can adults have on children. 447 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,040 But let me tell you why it's continued. 448 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:48,040 I was speaking at a conference once and I was on a panel with some people, one of whom 449 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,520 who got up there and who made this comment about how 90% of the brain, and I said, you 450 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:54,000 know that's wrong, right? 451 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,840 Do you know what he or she said to me? 452 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:01,840 That person said, I know you've told me that, but do you see the look on the audience's 453 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:03,000 face when I say that? 454 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,320 Do you see how jazz they get? 455 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:10,480 Do you see how much they understand the importance of the early years? 456 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:12,080 I know it's wrong, but it's effective. 457 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:19,960 And perpetuating that myth is terrible, not only because it's wrong, it creates ideas 458 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:25,840 in people's heads that end up being damaging to how we can help children all through their 459 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:27,520 lives to be who they can be. 460 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:32,000 Sally, to your point about it never reaches 100%, this is the other side of the coin. 461 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:36,760 People ask this question about how flexible and adaptive is the brain? 462 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,560 We know that resilience also is something that's built over time. 463 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:45,760 If you have a weak foundation early on because you hadn't had time to develop resilience, 464 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:50,640 you can develop resilience later and you can get better and things can be better. 465 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:54,320 So then the question becomes, is it ever too late? 466 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:56,560 It's hotter the older you get. 467 00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:02,980 But if there's anyone out there listening to this podcast who's 103 years old, who learned 468 00:32:02,980 --> 00:32:08,760 one thing from this podcast, goes to sleep and tomorrow wakes up and remembers it, a 469 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,040 new connection was made in the brain. 470 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:12,400 Thanks, Jack. 471 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:21,520 Up next, how can we take the science of brain architecture and apply it to everyday situations? 472 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,400 We've learned about the science of brain architecture and its implications and we've learned that 473 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:27,280 your brain is never fully developed. 474 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:28,880 We're always learning. 475 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,440 Now we'll leave you with something that you can do today, tomorrow, or even next week 476 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,560 to promote healthy brain architecture. 477 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,200 Do you have to go pick up groceries this week, for example, while your little ones tag along? 478 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,960 Well, when you're searching for ripe apples, ask your child if they can point out all of 479 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:44,240 the green ones. 480 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,260 While you're picking out cereal, maybe ask them if they can find all the cereals that 481 00:32:47,260 --> 00:32:52,280 start with C. Simple games like these require children to understand rules, hold those rules 482 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:54,100 in mind and then follow them. 483 00:32:54,100 --> 00:32:57,600 So while you're shopping for groceries, they're actually building their brain. 484 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:03,040 I'd like to once again thank our guests, Dr. Judy Cameron, Professor Debbie Lekinen, Dr. 485 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:05,840 Pia Britto and Dr. Jack Shankoff. 486 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:10,280 I'm your host, Sally Fitzer, and we'll see you next time. 487 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:14,680 The Brain Architects is a product of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University 488 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:19,680 and you can find us at developingchild.harvard.edu where we'll post any resources that were 489 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:21,560 discussed in this episode. 490 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:26,960 We're also on Twitter at Harvard Center, Facebook at Center Developing Child and Instagram at 491 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:28,720 Developing Child Harvard. 492 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:32,560 Brandi Thomas, Charlie Gibney and Kristen Holmstrand are our producers. 493 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:38,840 Bridget Sear is our audio editor and our music is Brain Power by Mila from freemusicarchive.org. 494 00:33:38,840 --> 00:34:05,880 The podcast is recorded at PRX Podcast Garage in Alston, Massachusetts.