One of the hardest things about parenting is being able to step back and look at your child objectively. It’s hard to look at ourselves with perspective. It’s easy to be defensive and have reasons and justifications for everything we do. And when it comes to our children, those feelings only quadruple. The perfect little being we are raising can’t have anything “wrong” with them. No way.
However, since we are all unique, growing and learning in our own way, our brain pathways grow differently - the way our nose is different from our brother's or our hair is curlier than our sister’s. It’s the luck of the draw and it’s actually what makes us, us.
So some children grow into skills slower than others. Some children walk later, or speak later. There is a window of time that these skills develop but some children take a lot longer, and that is when we turn to the experts for their evaluation. But, don’t get nervous. It’s no biggie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with how long these skills take to develop. Children often, like anyone else, need a little help from an expert to reroute or re-awaken certain pathways to grow a little quicker. Next thing you know, you’re chasing them around the playground as they run away from your “It’s time to go” call and you fall on your face in front of the other parents and now who needs help with their motor skills, huh?
This whole process of assistance is called Early Intervention and is extremely important to utilize because all children need all the help they can get. Hey, if help is available - why not? It is not at all an indication of your child’s inferiority or future. When they get the help from someone trained to work with them one-on-one regarding a particular skill, you are giving them the chance to grow to their full potential.
Now for the research:
Decades of rigorous research show that children’s earliest experience plays a critical role in brain development. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University has summarized these findings as follows:
Neural circuits, which create the foundation for learning, behavior and health, are most flexible or “plastic” during the first three years of life. Over time, they become increasingly difficult to change.
Stable relationships with caring and responsive adults, safe and supportive environments and appropriate nutrition are key elements of healthy brain development.
Early social emotional development and physical health provide the foundation upon which cognitive and language skills develop.
The connections in a baby’s brain are most adaptable in the first three years of life. These connections, also called neural circuits, are the foundation for learning, behavior, and health. Over time, these connections become harder to change.
These findings underscore the critical importance of intervention in the earliest years. Positive early experiences are essential prerequisites for later success in school, the workplace and the community.
With anything that worries us, our reaction is often avoidance. Nope, no problem here. If I don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t exist. Yep, my mind is that powerful, totally. Well, as a parent, we both know that tactic doesn’t work. So stop WebMDing your kid, stop scaring yourself or feeling like you've done something wrong. You haven’t. In fact, this is an opportunity to do more right by asking for help.
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