System and method for facilitating early childhood brain development

Abstract

The present invention provides caregivers with pragmatic systems and methods for implementing current knowledge of early childhood brain development and for facilitating meaningful interaction with a child in their care. The invention further provides systems and methods that enable caregivers to provide a child with a stimulating environment that includes purposeful activities in a playful, interactive context.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 028,335 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING EARLY CHILDHOOD BRAIN DEVELOPMENT” filed on Dec. 21, 2001 and incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to educational systems and methods for promoting child development and, more particularly, to educational materials that facilitate healthy early childhood brain development. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION [0003] Until recently, neuroscientists generally believed that intelligence was primarily a heritable trait and that intellectual potential is therefore mostly predetermined. In this regard, the brain was thought of as a relatively static entity that utilizes a pre-defined, unalterable set of instructions to foster its own development and engage in the process of learning. While parallels were frequently drawn between the type of environment in which an individual was reared an...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The present invention provides caregivers with pragmatic systems and methods for implementing current knowledge of early childhood brain development and for facilitating meaningful interaction with a child in their care. The invention further provides systems and methods that enable caregivers to provide a child with a stimulating environment that includes purposeful, shared activities in a playful, interactive context. In an exemplary aspect, the system of the invention comprises stage-specific activity cards comprising caregiver directions for facilitating an interactive play session with a child, and at least one item whose use by a caregiver during the interactive play session is designed to stimulate a predetermined aspect of brain development. The predete

Problems solved by technology

While parallels were frequently drawn between the type of environment in which an individual was reared and the personal achievements enjoyed by that individual over the course of a lifetime, medical researchers lacked the ability to chart or tap the inner workings of the brain that were responsible for these observations.

However, this process can also negatively impact a child's learning potential, if the child is raised in a sub-optimal environment.

For example, when a child is raised in a deprived or neglectful environment, neural pruning can impede the formation of what otherwise would be important brain circuits, because synapses that may be useful for later learning are pruned away due to lack of use.

In the latter case, the (mal)adaptive “high alert” circuitry can result in outward behaviors like impulsiveness, aggressiveness, and difficulty in focusing attention, all of which render future learning in a regular classroom setting much more difficult.

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