New book on how our brains develop from embryo to adolescent written by West Sussex authors

Why do we remember our teenage years so vividly? Why is it that some children struggle to read and write? How do difficult childhood experiences affect the brains of children and the adults they become? Why is it nonsense to talk about being ’left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’?

The answers to these questions and many more can be found in Child Development and the Brain a new book in its second edition by local authors Rob Abbott and Professor Esther Burkitt.

Rob is an associate lecturer with the Open University, Clinical Director of the Arun Counselling Centre in Littlehampton and Counselling Consultant with Chichester Counselling Service. He has worked extensively with children and adults both as a counsellor and a teacher. He says of the book:

“I wrote this book because I want us to understand that how we interact with our children on a day-to-day basis has a profound impact on the development of their brain as well as their later development. Children are incredibly resilient but in order to grow fully they need a good diet, large dollops of unconditional love and a home that encourages curiosity and learning.”

Child Development and the Brain explores how our knowledge of the way brains grow is changing the way we see child development. The book will be of interest to everyone who has a child, works with children, or was once a child themselves. It is written in an accessible style that explains the difficult language used by neuroscientists.

The book looks at childhood as a whole, from embryo to teenager. It considers controversial and current issues such as how social media affects the brains of teenagers or why the teenage years are often accompanied by an increase in risk-taking.

Esther is a Professor in Developmental Psychology at the University of Chichester. She said: “I contributed to this book in order to aid further understanding of the ways we investigate how development progresses from infancy into adolescence and consider how classic and current findings can inform ways we can support healthy and happy development.”

The book begins by exploring the different regions of the brain and what they do. It explains why the coloured brain scans that we see in popular science articles about the brain are not quite what they seem.

Rob explains: “When we see a coloured picture of a brain scan, we assume it is like a photograph. In fact, it has been manipulated, coloured, and standardized to make it easier to understand, but it’s also quite different to the brain inside our head.”

Other chapters focus on a particular aspect of development. One chapter explores the links between the health of our children and the growth of their brains. For example, how does not having enough food or, alternatively, eating the wrong food, affect our children’s brains? What is the effect on the embryo in the womb when pregnant mums smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or take drugs? How does smoking marijuana affect the brains of teenagers?

The book includes discussion question, quizzes to support earning and is supplemented by a companion website.

Child Development and the Brain is available from Amazon and all good online and high street bookshops.