The Growing Brain

Children from institutions are often deprived of sensory motor development, an environment enriched with stimulation and human interaction. More often than not, caregivers are overburdened with tasks and the environment is run down and certainly not optimal for children to learn and stimulate their brains.

We know that AJ was in one of these deprived environments for two years.

However, after adoption, he says, “these children go from the most deprived environments to some of the most enriched ones. In one day, these children become part of well-educated, affluent, stable and loving families.” They now live in what Pollak calls an “optimal environment” for children.

Yet, as the children adjust to their new surroundings, they continue to experience a number of physical and behavioral problems, such as ear and gastrointestinal infections, malnutrition and delayed growth. These problems, says Pollak, generally vanish within a year of the children’s arrival in the United States.

For some children, physical and behavioral problems persist. These include difficulties learning and forming social bonds, says Pollak. As a result, he adds, the children are often diagnosed with intellectual delays, attachment disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The behaviors that relate to attention are actually linked to the pre-frontal cortex and controlled by the cerebellum, as are motor skills. These are the last parts of the brain to develop and can continue to develop for years after birth.

The NY Times recently had an article on this (with fabulous graphics) and it gives me great hope for AJ’s brain development.