Neurodevelopmental Conditions & Support for Children

The developing brain grows at an amazing rate and also develops in sequence; from back to front, bottom to top, inside to outside, and right to left. Brain development starts about 2 weeks after conception and continues into young adulthood. From birth until about 3 years of age, there is a huge number of connections formed between the brain cells. At the same time, our brain starts to “prune” back any extra cells. This “pruning”process depends on the brain receiving various critical sensory and motor experiences, as its “use it or lose it” guidance system. This concept is known as Neuroplasticity. The Neural Pathways must be stimulated (or exercised) or they will weaken or be lost. And the pathways/connections between brain regions must be well developed or it’s too jumbly and we cannot process our world efficiently.

As our brain starts to process sensory input - which is information that comes from both our external and internal environments. Our sensory experiences cause changes in our brain’s structure and function, and create our thoughts and feelings. Then we start moving, and motor development starts to happen. All the things we are learning cause changes in our brain structure and function, and changes in our brain structure influence the things we learn. This is the sensory-motor feedback loop. These changes occur from childhood to adolescence, and is what we call Neurodevelopment. How we express our neurology and our neuro-expression is reflected in our behavior.