When an infant is born, his/her brain development is not yet complete. The
infant's brain is programmed with millions of neurons that are organized
during the first few years of life to adapt to the environment and needs of
the child. Unused neurons die, which is why early education and stimulus is
so important for the infant and toddler.
The infant's brain adapts to the environment and builds organizational
patterns based on the stimulus and sensory input derived from the
environment. In other words, the infant is learning through the senses of
sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and movement.
To know whether the young infant is adequately using his/her senses, observe
how the child behaves. A child between the ages of 0-6 months should
noticeably respond to sights, smells, touches, sounds, and movement. In
addition, the young infant is beginning to develop an attention span.
Although children differ in the length of attention with the average 0-6
month old attending from a few seconds to a minute or two, the important
thing is that the infant is attending.
Below is a chart that shows a few of the sensory organizational patterns
that are taking place during this time:
|
Task |
Action |
|
attends to visual stimuli |
When shown a colorful object or toy,
the infant looks and my follow the movement of the object with eyes. |
|
attends to auditory (hearing) stimuli |
The infant prefers his or her mother's
voice over other people's voices, will startle at a loud noise, and
may turn his or her head to mother's voice in another room. |
|
attends to tactile (touching) stimuli |
When touched by a person or object, the
child responds with pleasure or displeasure. |
|
attends to olfactory (smelling) stimuli |
The infant prefers certain smells,
particularly that of the mother. S/he may also wrinkle up nose or turn
away from offensive smells. |
|
attends to vestibular (rocking/spinning) stimuli |
The infant responds to being rocked
rhythmically, typically quieting and indicating pleasure at the
experience. |
|
attends to proprioceptive/ kinnesthetic (movements)
stimuli |
The infant enjoys being held and moved
about in a stroller or car seat. The infant responds with arms, legs,
or body is moved into positions. |
Although infants need lots of sensory input in order to learn and develop,
they can also become overstimulated at times (learning is hard work). They
may become overly tired, irritable, colicky, and have difficulty quieting or
attending when this happens. Just like we all need a break after a hard day,
so does the infant, so it is important to provide quiet, non-active times as
well as sensory stimulus.
About
the Author: Dr. Catherine Swanson Cain, PhD, LMFT has over 25 years
experience working with families and professionals working with children
with behavior and mental health disorders. |