Is Your Child’s Brain “Wired” Correctly?

Writer: Tim W. McAlavy, (806) 746-6101, email: t-mcalavy@tamu.edu

LUBBOCK – The boundless energy that children possess and display often makes adults wonder if they
can get any more “wired.” While that phrase refers to physical energy, it also has a physiological link to the
brain, according to a Lubbock Independent School District educator and elementary principal.

“We are all born with more than three million brain cells. What we don’t use, the brain discards. By age
three, most childrens’ brains are hard wired...the sensory neural pathways they will use to interpret the
world for the rest of their life are in place,” said Julee M. Becker, principal of Lubbock’s Parkway Primary
Academy. “If one or more of those pathways are not developed, it can lead to learning or behavioral
problems.”

Becker was one of 28 featured speakers addressing participants at the “Building Strong Families: Tools
For Success” Parenting Conference sponsored annually by Texas Cooperative Extension and the Partners
for Parenting Coalition of Lubbock. This year’s conference focused on topics such as discipline, health and
nutrition, school, work, home and family issues.
 
Becker urged parents to teach their children how to exercise, and to limit the time they spend in front of the
television.

“Exercise is how the body and brain coordinate with each other...through the senses. That’s why physical
activity is so important for young children. It teaches them how to interpret the world around them,” Becker
said. “This is a ‘use it or lose it’ proposition. For example, children of poverty or those from a chaotic
home environment often lack appreciable memory. Without a stable routine in the home, their brains do not
develop recall skills.

A stable, secure environment and connections to loving adults are key elements in whether a child becomes
a stable adult in later years, she said.

“There are some basic rules we can follow, as adults, to help establish secure, loving and nurturing
relationships with children during their early years,” Becker said. “These are my ten tips for promoting
healthy brain development.”

     •    Be warm, loving and responsive. This applies to both parents and teachers, she noted.

     •    Respond to your child’s cues and clues. Become a “kid watcher” so you can find and open the door
     of loving communication.

     •    Talk, read and sing to our child. Early exposure to music positively affects a child’s emotional
     growth, while reading encourages development of symbolic intelligence – our ability to associate
     language with people, places and things.

     •    Establish routines and rituals. Healthy eating and hydration (water consumption) habits are
     especially important to a child’s mental and physical health. Routines also make children feel safe
     and secure, and encourage mental structure and stability.

     •    Encourage safe exploration and play. Exploration and play around the home helps “wire” the
     brain’s neural pathways by synchronizing and integrating the senses.

     •    Be selective when watching television. While television can provide temporary mental stimulation,
     exercise teaches sensory integration and develops essential motor skills.

     •    Use discipline as a opportunity to teach. Physical punishment/discipline may not change negative
     behavior, because threats/stress shut down higher level thinking. It is better to teach positive
     behavior by calmly explaining actions and consequences.

     •    Recognize that each child is unique. Children are unique individuals with different methods of
     expression. Knowing how to “connect” with a child makes the adult’s role easier.

     •    Choose quality child care. Be very selective when it comes to child care, and stay involved. Call
     your child’s care-givers or teachers regularly to talk about their progress.

     •    Take care of yourself. How a parent sees themselves directly affects their children.
 “They learn self-perception and self-esteem from us,” Becker said. “Take care of yourself,
 control stress, and get help if you need it. These are important lessons for a child to
 become a healthy adult.”

Adults should also remember that boys and girls develop differently physiologically, and as result, they also
learn differently, Becker said.

“Recognizing that will take you a long way on the road of successful parenting,” she said.

Conference attendance definitely reflects community interest in parenting skills/issues, said Linda Lynch
Evans, Extension family and consumer sciences agent in Lubbock County since 1979. Evans helped found
the Partners for Parenting Coalition of Lubbock in 1989.

This year’s event attracted more than 700 parents, educators, counselors and care-givers. More information
on the annual November conference is available through the Lubbock County Extension
office, at (806) 767-1190.