Changing Brains at University of Oregon's Brain Development Lab

I always get very excited when I watch the news at night and I hear things like 'brain plasticity' and listening to parents who talk about how they consider the considerable growth their young children's brains go through and how they can help shape it positively.

The segment focused on the brain research being done at the University of Oregon in Eugene and a DVD that they recently released for parents talking about how the environment in which children are raised directly affects brain development. Helen Neville, Director of the Brain Development Lab, says "A major goal of brain research is to find out how to establish a healthy brain architecture that will give children a strong foundation for future growth and development." She goes on to explain what brain plasticity is, what a sensitive period is and how we can support each of these ideas. "Different parts of the brain are most plastic, or changeable by experience at different times. These time periods are called sensitive periods. And it is during these sensitive periods that noral, positive experiences can lead to a strong brain architecture. "

On their website ChangingBrains.org you can find videos from their DVD or purchase the entire DVD which gives you the information from their research and the facts about brain plasticity, sensitive periods and how we can help build a strong foundation with the children we interact with. At the end of the DVD they provide a listing of their references as well as an extensive list of resources for more information on each subject. The videos are full of great information, given in a eloquent and accessible way, making it easy for anyone to become inspired.

I get especially excited when I hear about the scientific community supporting the work that we do with scientific evidence, especially when it is directly related to the child's, growing brain. By adding this new knowledge to what we already know from the work of Maria Montessori over 100 years ago to the work of Emmi Pikler at the Loczy Institute more recently, and all of the other well known pioneers in early childhood philosophies, we are able to support our new view of who the child is in an even more holistic and authentic way.

I enjoy finding inspirations like Changing Brains, because it challenges me to enhance my own knowledge of who the child is, and how I can directly support brain development.