Does Lack of Stimulation Affect Cognitive Development in Children?

Importance of an Early Start

• During the most intensive time of brain development -- the first three years of life -- your child needs adequate stimulation to help his brain forge neural pathways that lay the foundation for cognitive and emotional growth. At this time your child's brain is the most sensitive to external environmental factors, according to the WHO. Many of the challenges faced by adults -- anxiety, poor literacy and mental health issues -- have their roots in the early childhood years.

Language Development

• Your young child relies on you to provide her with opportunities for practicing language and to acknowledge and praise her efforts at speaking. Your baby should experience regular face-to-face baby talk with you and hear you repeat sounds consistently to help her brain understand how to form sounds and speak words. Failure to encourage her early babbling and to interact vocally with her can lead to significant language delays, as it weakens the neurological pathways her brain has formed in anticipation of learning language.

Social Development

• A stimulating environment should be caring, supportive and nurturing for your baby. A child who does not attach to a caregiver or does not receive emotional support during the early months may have difficulty dealing with social situations and even family relationships later on. Positive interactions and experiences with you help your child develop the ability to regulate his emotions and respond appropriately to emotional situations. If your child has a positive, secure relationship with you, he will likely develop similar relationships with his peers later in life. An extreme example is children from Romanian or Russian orphanages from the 1990s and 2000s who do not bond with any particular caregiver during their infancy and thus have trouble bonding with their adoptive parents, a problem called Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Ways to Help

• For your child to develop cognitively and socially, provide her with a variety of sensory experiences -- swaddle her, let her explore a range of textures and sing to her. Narrate your day to your little one, so that she has an opportunity to hear new sounds and words, read often to her throughout the day, hold her, hug her, sing to her and praise her.