What we know is that there are many, many factors that come into play in this miracle of the first years of life. We know that development does happen naturally, and that many conditions impact how that development proceeds. We have come to recognize the importance of the environment in which that child is born and into which it grows. Human development is shaped by a dynamic and continually changing dynamic between the child and the environment. We know that the child needs to be safe, preferably stable in a family context, fed properly, and also given just the right amount of stimulation through important relationships to begin to develop. In fact, the early experiences that a child has actually shape the architecture of the brain. Brain development is the result of the interaction of genes and experiences. Parents or caregivers are alert to opportunities to stimulate their children's brains through their senses. Touch, sounds, sights, smells and tastes are the first ways children encounter the world and learn.
To some extent small children are learning all the time! The brain is built hierarchically, which means that the more basic connections are made first, and then later connections are built on top of those earlier connections. These neural connections become increasingly set over time, as the child continues to practice what he or she has learned earlier. When a child shows that they are having trouble continuing to learn, when they are not developing in a natural pattern, this is where Early Intervention can help.
Early Intervention is the system we have been discussing that helps parents or caregivers to continue to strengthen and support those early neural connections that are so important for babies. In Massachusetts, the Early Intervention system stretches across the state, and here in the Pioneer Valley REACH Early Intervention Program provides these services to families with children for whom development is not proceeding naturally. Early Intervention services are provided in the family home, or other natural environments of the child, such as day care centers, child care programs, or even in a local park, so that the environment supports the success of the Early Intervention work.
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to provide children with just the right amount of stimulation to encourage them to learn and grow and explore, so that children can continue to build on a strong foundation for the future.
