Breakthrough brain research at Yale and other research institutions has shown that the first three years of a child's life are more important for emotional and intellectual growth than had been thought. In light of the new research, the University has announced its support of the "I Am Your Child" campaign, a public awareness effort dedicated to making early childhood development a top national priority.
"Yale University is committed to making a difference not only in New Haven but throughout the nation by working to strengthen programs and policies that enhance early childhood development," says Dr. Joseph B. Warshaw, chair of pediatrics at the School of Medicine. "That is why we are so pleased to join the broad-based coalition of health and child-care organizations, corporations, foundations, elected officials and entertainment leaders across the country as part of this important national campaign."
Experiences during infants' and toddlers' first days, months and years have a decisive impact on the formation of neural connections in developing brains and, in turn, upon every aspect of children's subsequent lives, said Yale child-development experts at an April 14 news briefing. Research has illustrated that parents and caregivers can help a child's brain develop to its full potential if the child is loved and receives attention through talking, reading and playing. However, if a child is abused or neglected, problems may ensue that can persist a lifetime.
Representatives from Yale participated in the White House Conference on Early Childhood Development and Learning convened on April 17 by President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. The conference, held as part of the "I Am Your Child" campaign, focused on the implications of brain research on newborn and young-child development. Among the participants was Dr. Donald J. Cohen, director of the Yale Child Study Center, who discussed how children's behavior reflects their cognitive, emotional and social development. Also attending the conference, to discuss how community police officers use child development principles in their work, was New Haven Police Chief Melvin Wearing.
At the April 14 briefing, speakers included Dr. Cohen, U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut; Drs. Bennett and Sally Shaywitz, both physicians at the School of Medicine, who discussed their latest brain research findings; Professor Edward Zigler, director of Yale's Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy and cofounder of the national Head Start program; United States Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Gerald Tirozzi; and Dr. Linda C. Mayes of the Yale Child Study Center. See related story.
Local Head Start and elementary school curriculum supervisors joined the briefing with a roundtable discussion concerning the best ways to teach children to read in light of recent research. Professor Zigler said, "Children with richer, more stimulating early childhood experiences -- and, thus, more highly developed brains -- will be better prepared to learn in school. And we all have a stake in education: Children who do well in school are more likely to become productive members of society."
The "I Am Your Child" campaign was launched April 16 by campaign chair Rob Reiner at a national press conference in Washington, D.C. Through the campaign's toll-free number 1-888- 447-3400 , parents can receive "The First Years Last Forever," a booklet with tips on how families and communities can promote young children's healthy development. The publication is also available in Spanish. Individuals can also visit the campaign's web site at www.iamyourchild.org.
An ABC-TV hour-long, prime-time special, produced by Mr. Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner and hosted by Tom Hanks, will air on Friday, April 28. The special profiles a community in Virginia that has formed a private-public partnership to strengthen families and their children by making the healthy development of children its top priority.
Yale studies helping to improve understanding of childhood development
The development of children is ignored "all too often," declared Dr. Joseph B. Warshaw, professor and chair of the department of pediatrics at the School of Medicine, during an April 14 press briefing on breakthrough studies being conducted at Yale. See related story.
"I think in this country we're making a very, very sad mistake," added Gerald Tirozzi, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education, "by not -- and I emphasize not -- getting more substantially involved in the pre-school years."
However, Mr. Tirozzi, Dr. Warshaw and others present at the briefing expressed their hope that the level of involvement in childhood development will be improved as a result of Yale's ongoing research in various areas of the field.
One of those areas is learning disabilities, noted Dr. Sally E. Shaywitz. She and her husband, Dr. Bennett A. Shaywitz, both professors in the pediatrics and neurology departments and at the Yale Child Study Center, have been researching the environmental and neurological bases of learning disabilities.
"Learning disabilities -- in particular reading disabilities -- have consequences beyond school and beyond childhood," said Dr. Sally Shaywitz. "Reading disability represents a chronic, consistent problem. It doesn't go away. This means we have to learn how to intervene as early as possible."
With the help of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which enables scientists to actually see how the brain works, the Shaywitzes and other Yale researchers have discovered that the process of reading is neurologically based as opposed to being rooted in other factors, for example the visual recognition of words . That is, a sequence of neural processes taking place in different areas of the brain allow a child to decipher or "decode" words. If these processes have not been sufficiently developed, the child will have difficulty reading.
"We saw for the first time the reading process. We've made the brain visible," said Dr. Bennett Shaywitz. "What we learned was that there was a real neurobasis for reading. "And," added Dr. Sally Shaywitz, "if you understand what causes a reading problem, it tells you indirectly what to do about that problem."
One way to decrease the likelihood of developmental problems is stimulation from and interaction with caregivers from birth, the researchers said.
"The more the brain is used, the more it is shaped," noted Dr. Donald J. Cohen, the Irving B. Harris professor of child psychiatry, pediatrics and psychology and director of the Child Study Center. "Those neuronal systems that aren't used atrophy. They won't come back."
In addition to the study of reading disorders, other child development efforts being undertaken at the School of Medicine include:
Direct results of child development studies include the advocating of early Head Start programs, and a recognition of the importance of parental involvement in the teaching process, noted Edward Zigler, director of the Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy.
"The research that is being done here every day is truly amazing," said U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. "What's important with the research is that we translate it into public policy."