by BRUNET Flore & LAURENCIN Camille
In this article we will present a summary of a Ted Talk entitled “a strong start = an equal start” that we very appreciate. This conference is given by Deedee Yates, an early childhood expert from South Africa.
Her speech is about the child’s first 1,000 days. Her main arguments are based on scientifically proofs of the brain development and on neuroimaging. The first 1,000 days corresponds from the conception of the baby until the age of 2. This period is fundamental for the health, well-being, future and prosperity of individuals. To illustrate this, Deedee Yates shows an explicit graph (1:58-2:58) which indicates the development of different skills (language, vision, social abilities, emotional control…) from 0 to 7 years old. This graph is the result of a brain study that uses neuroimaging to highlight critical of brain development. For all of these skills, the peak of sensitivity is reached before the age of 5 years and, for many of them (language, audition…) it is even reached during the first year of life.
This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the majority of the synaptic connections are made during the first two years of life. The baby came to the world with 100 billion of neurons which are waiting to be connected thanks to experiences, interactions with adults and a safe environment. Indeed, a stimulating and caring environment will allow the brain to develop properly. The more the brain is stimulated and nourished, the more synapses will be established, allowing the brain to process information and learn. A baby’s care environment can increase or reduce the number of synapses by 25%.
The speaker warns her audience about risk factors such as domestic violence, a stressful environment, alcoholism, poverty, disease (e.g.: HIV…) and malnutrition. The latter is a scourge (24% of children are stunted in South Africa) especially when we know that the brain of a new born consumes 97% of the energy we bring to it, compared to 44% at 5 years old. Ms. Yates therefore deplores the unequal developmental opportunities of children due to stress, malnutrition, lack of stimulation and exposure to violence. Children in this situation are more likely to drop out of school earlier, learn less and be less healthy.
For her, this is not acceptable and if we want an egalitarian society, it is imperative to create effective early childhood programs so that all babies can develop and use their potentials.
Fortunately, a Jamaican study showed that not too much things are needed to overcome these inequalities and that it was possible for a malnourished baby to catch up on a baby’s development without malnutrition problems. This research consisted of an intervention with families with children under 24 Months, whose mothers were considered at risk.
Babies who received home visits (during which professionals were showing to mothers how to take care of their child) and a food package caught up with the normal development of a baby of the same age.
Babies who only received home visits or only the food pack also experienced positive effects compared to the control group. However, the stimulation (home visits) was more effective than the nutrition pack. Thus, experience is one of the most important factor for the proper development of the brain.
What Ms. Yates is trying to make clear is that the protective factors for a good brain development are many and easy to implement: breastfeeding, responding to requests, singing, reading, touching the baby, taking care of him/her… We are even genetically programmed, as adults, to respond to the child’s requests and the children in turn are also genetically programmed to respond to the adult.
Deedee Yates concludes her speech by stressing the importance of investing the parent-child relationship and the importance of supporting it. This engagement with the baby will have an impact throughout his or her life. The later this investment is implemented, the less effective it will be. Actions need to be done, both at national and individual levels. She encourages the government to invest in early childhood programs. Although there are already some, there are inequals across regions and children who need it the most don’t always benefit it. More subsidies are therefore needed for programs dedicated to the nutrition of pregnant women, teen mothers, poor women with their babies, more home visits, focus groups, a larger budget for quality care and health houses.
At the individual level, she invites men to love their wives and their child, women to have a healthy lifestyle and be recognized in their role as mothers, and parents to enjoy and spend time with their children.
In this way, allowing all children to have a solid start in life will allow them to have equal chances of success.
Words we have learned:
- Scourge: un fléau
- Drop out of school earlier: abandoner l’école plus tôt
- Overcome: dépasser/surmonter/pallier
- Malnourished: malnutris
- Implement: mettre en place
- Subsidies: subventions