Parenting with a Psychological Perspective

By Margaret O'Connor Griffiths Ph.D.

Parenting with a Psychological Perspective is two books in one.  The first section is more conceptual, adding information from theory and research, while the second section describes developmental progress in age-related chapters. The intent of the author is to be both informative and interesting and to increase confidence in making child-rearing choices. This book keeps in mind the ultimate goal: raising an emotionally healthy adult.  Parents and others who are interested in the growth of children, and up to the challenge, will discover significant and substantial information, embedded in a philosophy that is practical and full of common sense. 
 

Dr. Griffiths uses her career-long knowledge in the fields of Child Development and Psychology, her own research, as well as her hands-on experience as a child and family therapist to give a broad perspective. Her role as mother and grandmother adds to the comprehensive nature of the text. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authority Publishing
• Release date: Apr 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886360165

Book preview

Endorsements

Dr. Griffiths presents a manual from your child’s newborn to preteen years, including important chapters on brain development, attachment, emotional needs. Parents are also given information on how to support learning and respond to behavior challenges. She presents personal and professional knowledge, along with comprehensive research supporting guidance recommendations, in a clear and direct format.

Amelia Miller, M.A. Child Development,

Infant Mental Health Certification

Infant Mental Health Specialist at LaRabida Hospital

Chapter One on the biology of the brain is absolutely fascinating. Some people may not have the patience for the details, but I thought it was great.

Elisabeth Trost, M.Ed., M.A., Ed.S.

Educator, District Administrator, Chicago Public Schools

"As a therapist, and as a parent myself, I appreciate how Dr. Griffiths identifies children born with a problematic temperament style and gives helpful tips on how to address the issues of ADHD while positively supporting the child’s self-esteem.

I appreciate learning about morality vs kindness—the difference between them, how to encourage those behaviors and discourage unkind or immoral behaviors.

I was surprised to see discussion of the issue of physical punishment. I understand that some parents choose to use physical punishment and so it does make sense to identify what is appropriate versus what is harmful or abusive."

Deborah Birch Gaytan, M.S.W., LCSW

Therapist, Private Practice

I enjoyed reading about the history of the ‘self-esteem movement’ and recalled how my own children didn’t want sports team ‘participation’ trophies, regardless of where they had placed, because they knew it wasn’t deserved.

Lisa Ferguson, Master of Arts in Teaching/

Early Childhood Education

Erikson Institute, Early Math Collaborative

Dr. Griffiths’ style is very informative in a curiosity-encouraging and sometimes playful manner. The reader is invited to adopt this style in learning evidence-supported parenting tips with good research support. Dr. Griffiths strongly emphasizes the importance of facilitating individualized growth for both child and parent(s)—and the joy that accompanies those efforts.

Bruce Johnson Bonecutter, Ph.D.

Retired Public Health/Clinical Psychologist

Formerly Clinical staff of Stroger Hospital

"My son is seven weeks old as I am writing this, and once I started reading the chapter on Infancy, I finished it the same day. I like what the author said about spoiling at this age—that it’s not possible to spoil him with too much love.

I was particularly interested in the part where she explained how to build a healthy Self; the book explains the way to say no and not to damage the Self."

Marketa Placha Galek, M.B.A.

New Mother

As a former teacher of school age children, I truly appreciated the treatment Dr. Griffiths gave to the topics of ADHD and Learning Disabilities. Parents and teachers will benefit from learning about these difficult-to-understand issues which she covers in a clear and concise format. Her vast and long-term experience allows her to be practical and effective in helping families cope with these problems so very common to childhood.

Ann Beran Jones, B.A.

Retired Educator

Parenting with a Psychological Perspective

How Research and Theory

Can Enrich the Parenting Experience

Margaret O’Connor Griffiths, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2023 by Margaret O’Connor Griffiths, Ph.D.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional when appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, personal, or other damages.

Parenting with a Psychological Perspective:

How Research and Theory Can Enrich the Parenting Experience

by Margaret O’Connor Griffiths, Ph.D.

FAM034000 FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Parenting / General

PSY004000 PSYCHOLOGY / Developmental / Child

FAM039000 FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Life Stages / School Age

ISBN: 979-8-88636-015-8 (paperback)

ISBN: 979-8-88636-016-5 (ebook)

Cover design by LEWIS AGRELL

Printed in the United States of America

Authority Publishing

11230 Gold Express Dr. #310-413

Gold River, CA 95670

800-877-1097

www.AuthorityPublishing.com

Smashwords Edition

Dedication

To my grandkids, Gavin, Payton, and then Connor (who came along just in time to contribute to the Infancy section).

Acknowledgements

How can you acknowledge a great career? That’s what has led to the writing of this book. I have been immersed in the field of Psychology from 1966 (graduate school) to my retirement in 2020. That’s fifty-four years! My long career encompassed being a graduate student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Texas (starting the September after Charlie Whitman shot people from the Texas tower), teaching a short time at the University of Kentucky’s Department of Psychology, working as a Staff Psychologist at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago in the Child Psychiatry Department, and then a twenty-five-year experience at Cook County Hospital (now Stroger Hospital), in Chicago, also in the Child Psychiatry department. And for thirty years, I was the sole practitioner of a private practice of Psychology in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. These experiences, all the colleagues I worked with, and all the patients I treated made up a grand career for which I am grateful.

When I retired, I felt that hanging up my shingle was tantamount to letting all that information blow away in the wind. I didn’t want that to happen. So, I embarked on this book, putting my experience in writing so that parents and other professionals working with children could have the advantage of my learning. While I set out to write about the average child, I did cover some common problems. Mental health professionals reading this book will recognize some useful tips.

I am indebted to many for furthering my career in Psychology—from the counselor at the University of Minnesota who encouraged me as a sophomore to follow a psychology path—that I was capable of getting that Ph.D.. My graduate school professors shepherded me through the long years of learning and training and helped quell my fears that getting a Ph.D. would put me out of the marriage market. (Yes, this was the ‘60s.) Jim Bieri, as my chair, was a big help. And then I discovered in the writing of this book that Norm Prentice was the big researcher in the Santa Claus area! In Chicago, there were many on the staff who helped me into the clinical realm, especially Bernie Suran, who agreed to an instant interview (I was in town for other reasons), hired me, and supervised my work to get me up to snuff. Those children and staff at Children’s Memorial gave me the wherewithal to become a decent clinician.

Cook County Hospital is a public hospital, where patients were from lower income backgrounds and primarily African American. Those parents taught me so much, and my respect for their parenting in the face of difficulties grew. How many grandmothers or aunts became parents for their young children? My experience was chiefly working with families where children were failing in school; that niche led me to become very familiar with the problems of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities. The staff at this hospital continues to be a community, meeting unfortunately sometimes at funerals, and other times for convivial times. We really enjoy each other’s company, and I respect all of them tremendously.

Cook County Hospital is where I met Dr. Deborah Matek, who became the Chair of the Child Psychiatry Department, and who agreed to help me in the writing of this book. She read the initial manuscript carefully, noting typos as well as conceptual problems and agreed to write the Foreword. Her effectiveness as a therapist is exceeded only by her kindness (not only to me; to all).

Others helpful in the writing are friends and colleagues Rickie Cowin, Dr. Tomi Henek, Debbie Block, and Laura Barrett, who read early versions of the manuscript and encouraged me in the beginning stages.

My son Clark, his wife, Kim, and their three children have been inspirations for me as well. What a privilege to be Nana to Gavin, Payton, and Connor. Having grandchildren was the icing on the cake—as I could view them with a developmental eye, intercede when helpful, and certainly write about them as they illustrated points I was making. Kim and Clark are excellent parents, and I have learned from them as well.

My many friends and former colleagues encouraged me to write the book, and I thank them for that. They kept me sane—with cultural adventures, biking treks, and sports as well.

*(I was not the only person in my family with ties to this hospital. My mother whose name at that time was Elsie Mladick, did a nursing rotation there. Also, my two cousins who were surgeons trained there as well—Richard and Edward Mladick.)

Foreword

Dear Reader:

Perhaps you are walking alone on an early spring day and you see the new leaves against the clear blue of the sky and it is just so breathtakingly gorgeous that you wish you could share it with someone. Maybe you are watching the sun set in a blaze of oranges and pinks and it is so striking that the urge to take and send someone a photo comes over you irresistibly.

The urge that led Dr. Margaret O. Griffiths to write Parenting with a Psychological Perspective is a version of that feeling. She knew she had something worth sharing. She had worked directly with children and their parents for decades. She had worked in a variety of settings including the inner city and the urban enclaves and in the field of psychology, she saw the need to create a work that presents modern parenting and the foundation for those parenting ideas in a friendly and warm manner that treats readers as intelligent and eager to do what the evidence shows works best. She worked hard to put this together over many months, returning repeatedly to the research and writing and re-writing.

The resulting book contributes greatly to the literature available currently. Parenting with a Psychological Perspective is an enlightening and important text and furthermore easy to read. In addition, the book is a deep enough resource to turn to when questions arise, as they inevitably do when striving to raise children to the best of your ability. As an experienced Child Psychiatrist, I can enthusiastically recommend this book.

Deborah Matek, MD

Board Certified in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and

long-time colleague and friend of the author

Table of Contents

Introduction

A Letter to Parents, Guardians, Educators, & Psychology Professionals

SECTION I

The Brain: What Starts Development in Your Child

Chapter 1 How the Brain Grows and How You Help

Chapter 2 Intelligence and How to Increase It

Chapter 3 Can You Raise a Smarter Child?

Chapter 4 Emotional and Behavioral Style, Including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

SECTION II

Theorists Attempt to Explain What’s Going On

Chapter 5 Theories of Personality Development: The Why’s of Behavior

Chapter 6 Theories of Intellectual (Cognitive) Development

SECTION III

Five Pillars of Personality Development

Pillar #1

Love: Relationships

Chapter 7 Nurturing the Loving and Emotionally Well-Adjusted Child

Chapter 8 Developing a Secure Attachment and Healthy Emotional Expression

Pillar #2

Responsibility: Giving Your Child The Capacity To Work

Chapter 9 Using Positives to Develop Work Habits

Chapter 10 When Positives Don’t Work—The Principles of Punishment

Pillar #3

Creating a Healthy Self

Chapter 11 Self/Other Balance and Self-Esteem

Chapter 12 Building True Self-Esteem and Healthy Expression of Emotions

Pillar #4

Teaching Your Child To Be A Moral Person

Chapter 13 Morality and Kind Behavior: Inborn or Taught?

Chapter 14 How Morality Develops in Children and When There are Lapses

Chapter 15 Religion and Santa Claus as They Relate to Morality

Pillar #5

Raising An Independent Child

Chapter 16 Concepts of Independence, Separation, and Some Cultural Differences

SECTION IV

Ages and Stages

Infancy Age (0 to 15 Months)

Chapter 17 Early Infancy (0 to 3 Months)

Chapter 18 Middle Infancy (4 to 9 Months)

Chapter 19 Late Infancy (9 to 15 Months)

Toddler Age (15 Months to 3 Years)

Chapter 20 Development in the Toddler Years

Preschool Age (3-6 Years)

Chapter 21 Relationship Building and Teaching Adaptive Behavior

Chapter 22 Continuing Pillars of Adaptive Behavior, Self, Morality, and Independence

School Age (6 to 11 Years)

Chapter 23 Education and Brain Growth, Including Learning Disabilities and ADHD

Chapter 24 Physical Care, Relationships, Communication/Screen Time

Chapter 25 Elements of a Healthy Self & Moral Values

Chapter 26 Moving Toward Independence

SECTION V

Appendix

Appendix A – Discussion of the Issue of Physical Punishment

Appendix B – Examining Morality in Various Cultures

Appendix C – The Issue of Independence in Other Cultures: Family-Centered vs. Individualistic

Introduction

When I took down my shingle and closed out my career as a Clinical Psychologist, I determined that the many ideas, techniques, approaches, and aspects that I had learned over the decades would not go to waste. For parents who would like more, not less, information about the childrearing process, I wrote this book.

Choosing the content and order was a challenge. While I wanted to share the research and theory behind child-rearing strategies, I also wanted to give some hands-on advice. How to accomplish that? The notion of two major sections—one conceptual and the second more practical—was the answer. So, this book is really two books in one. And that’s why it’s so long.

The order of material was the next decision to make. Putting the Brain chapter first was a conundrum, as it is highly technical and has been found by some to be overly challenging. If you started with the first chapter, it could be a turn-off. Simplifying that chapter some was possible, but for those who really wanted that information, I didn’t want to water it down too much.

The first section, The Brain, contains the mechanics of nerve transmission and brain growth, the notion of intelligence, and the inborn personality characteristics called temperament. For those parents whose children struggle with a portion of academic learning, the material on Learning Disabilities will be helpful. And for those parents of overly active children, the last chapter is a helpful guide to the diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The second section, on Theory is a review of personality theorists whom I deem helpful to understanding child development. Freud and neo-Freudians lead the pack. In the area of cognitive theory, Piaget is a giant, but I do mention Lev Vygotsky as an addition. This material might be daunting to the reader, but all parents are theorists of some sort—trying to figure out how their input will affect their child’s personality—and so you might as well see what the professionals have to say!

Personality development is covered in the third section. When I taught medical students at Cook County (now Stroger) Hospital, I used two Pillars to divide the lecture: (1) Building Relationships and (2) Teaching Adaptive Behavior. When he was asked what a psychologically healthy person could do well, he answered,To love and to work. Those are the first two pillars of Section III.

However, there is so much more in the field of Child Development than those two. So I added three more Pillars: the Self, Morality, and Independence. I had the most fun in the Morality section when I learned that a former professor of mine was the expert on the issue of Santa Claus.

When I got to Independence, I got side-tracked on cultural and anthropological issues in how people relate to one another as families. The material was so interesting, and my familiarity with Arab culture was so compelling that the chapter got very, very long. My editor and I eventually formed Appendices to accommodate chapter length. So the issue of Independence is treated in two areas.

Once the conceptual basics were covered, I turned to the Ages and Stages section. Dividing chapters by age, I accomplished two tasks in each. First, I reviewed the most salient aspects of brain development and each pillar for each age group. Then I collected helpful hints on how to handle typical issues that emerge again in each age group. My experience helping families with problems was useful here. Since my career spanned pre-cell phone years, the issue of technology in childhood was especially challenging for me.

Throughout various chapters, when punishment strategies were discussed, I mentioned my take on physical punishment (usually the act of spanking). I tried to be careful to articulate the fact that while physical punishment was not a necessary part of child-rearing, it is so frequently used by parents that a discussion of best practices would be helpful. (My foil here was my friend and colleague, Dr. Deborah Matek, who wrote the foreword for this book. She disagrees with me.) Because it is an important issue, and couldn’t be covered in the book’s chapters, I researched the issue and wrote Appendix A.

Appendix B continues the discussion of cultural aspects of Morality, and Appendix C, as mentioned above, continues material covered in the chapter on Independence. My friends of Palestinian/Arab backgrounds were invaluable in giving me perspective on family relations—which I can now relate to you.

Now that I have finished the writing task, I will learn what the publishing world does to get the word out. New learning is what life is all about. My career in Psychology allowed me to learn every day. And now, as I volunteer in numerous charities, I can continue learning to do things totally outside the world I know. Those that know me well know I am a very curious person. Who knows what I will get up to next?

I wish you a happy journey of learning as you read this book. It is not an easy read, but I truly hope you will find it worth your while.

A Letter to Parents,

Guardians, Educators, &

Psychology Professionals

Dear Parenting Persons, Mental Health Professionals, and Educators:

Becoming a parent is one of the most exciting and sometimes the most fearful experiences in our lives. Having your little one in your arms is one of the most important moments of your life. There are hundreds of questions about how to care for them, nurture them, develop them, teach them, discipline them, and love them. At times, it is frightening to be fully responsible for the life of another human being. However, you can do this—I promise. Billions of us are raising children, working with children in education and in behavioral health capacities, and billions more will take on these roles just like you.

A friend and fellow author, Barb Yokum, introduced me to the following phrase: We’re not raising children; we’re raising adults! Keep this mantra in mind. It is the big picture. And as you view the eventual adult with whom you will want to spend time, it will help you choose your parenting strategies.

Your child, no matter which age they are today, is continuously developing their physical, intellectual, and psychological capacities. In this new phase of your life with your first child or your next child, you are also developing. The absolute best way to learn how to become the best person in this child’s life you can be, is to learn and become informed. Congratulations! You are already doing it by picking up this book!

Throughout this book, you will learn about your child’s inherited characteristics, also known as the givens, which are the characteristics that are given to your child when conceived. Your little one has been gifted with a brain and all its manifestations, including their temperament or emotional style. I’ll also share theories from child psychologists and experts in child development that support, debate, or negate various areas of development so you can better understand the who, what, where, why, and how of child development from conception through school age.

These chapters will give you insight on how and what to recognize in your child as they develop and allow you to begin to consider why each child, even those in the same family, develop with entirely different personalities.

Through my forty-plus years as a child and family psychologist, I’ve researched, practiced, and published in numerous areas of development, and shared everything I know to be helpful to those practicing the art of raising children.

There is no one way to parent, care for, or work with a child. It is my great hope that this book provides the level of knowledge you will find most helpful to understand your child’s inner workings as they grow into human beings. In doing so, you will be better able to properly set expectations, understand their milestones, and nurture your child with more intentionality.

Each of us is unique in our parenting journey, as unique as each child. As you read through this book, you’ll be better able to understand the theories and information I share so you can determine which of the theories, approaches, and styles fits your desired style of parenting.

As they say: When we learn more, we know better. When we know better, we do better. May your parenting journey be informed, enlightening, and enjoyable!

Margaret Griffiths, Ph.D.

SECTION I

The Brain:

What Starts Development in Your Child

Chapter 1 How the Brain Grows, and How You Help

Chapter 2 Intelligence and How to Increase It

Chapter 3 Can You Raise a Smarter Child?

Chapter 4 Emotional and Behavioral Style Including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Chapter 1

How the Brain Grows and How You Help

Our brains are the basis for all life, and parents who appreciate the amazing physiology of the brain may be in a better position to make decisions on how to interact, engage, discipline, and love their children. Did your high school Biology 101 class have a section on neurogenesis— the creation of the nervous system? Whether your answer is yes or no, you are not to worry. To appreciate the physical changes in your child’s brain during pregnancy and their first year, this chapter will cover brain anatomy and nervous system development. Once you better understand the most important physical development of your child’s brain and nervous system, you may see how your child’s development results from brain maturation. This knowledge may give you ideas or offer explanations on how you, as parents, can understand, respond, and act with your child to help their development along in a new way. Once you understand the delicate structure of our brains and nervous system, your task will be to respect your child’s brain and to facilitate its continuous development. At the very least, once we learn and are aware of this insight many are humbled to appreciate the enormous miracle of brain development, which will be the most all-important area of development in your child.

THE NATURE VS. NURTURE DEBATE

If you took a high school or college psychology course, you may remember the concept of Nature vs. Nurture. Since before the sixteenth century, philosophical concepts continue to be discussed and researched regarding brain development. The greatest debate remains whether an infant is born with characteristics, beliefs, behaviors, and/or emotions that are natural to who they are, or if they learn these attributes through their environment as they are nurtured. Hence, the debate, Nature vs. Nurture. Which philosophy do you believe?

Does the brain contain inborn traits and capabilities when a child is born, which they received from nature?

Is the child’s brain a blank slate with nothing written on it except that which the environment (you) put into it as you nurture them?

The Nature issue has been discussed since Plato. René Descartes (1596–1650) wrote, among many other things, that some ideas are inborn. He noted that understanding truth, thought, and what a thing is, appeared to be "inborn or as the term used by psychologists, a given," which means that nobody had to teach it. This idea first appeared in his famous work, Meditations on First Philosophy¹. Somewhat later, the English philosopher, John Locke (1632-1704), defined the philo side of Nurture, which subscribes to the theory that the brain does not come with inborn traits, but is nurtured by parents and the environment to learn, adapt, mature, and develop. Locke put forth the idea that babies come into the world with the capacity to think but have no other predispositions. His notion of a tabula rasa (Latin for blank slate) was that education and experience will give the child all it needs to develop².

In the 1960s, advancing knowledge about the brain proved that Locke was wrong and that indeed babies are not born with a blank slate. The field of behavior genetics emerged in psychology to show which traits have inherited beginnings. Babies come into the world with various mental skills and predispositions, and there is actually a programmed sequence of brain development which continues well into when your child is in their twenties. This is the Nature view of the argument. However, education and experience are absolutely necessary for brain advancement, and that is up to you, as parents and psychology professionals.

SPOILER ALERT!

Both notions of nature and nurture are valid as the environment (which you control as parents) works hand in hand with your child’s physical brain structure to develop to its optimal potential.

So, as parents, during this adventurous journey of brain development, you will be vigilant, watching for steps of brain maturation (motor milestones) in your developing child, such as when they roll, crawl, walk, and run. Then, you will see advancements in thinking, such as learning to read by age six, multiplication at eight, and algebra at thirteen, or so. By virtue of their questionable judgment and sometimes foolish behavior, anyone who knows teenagers knows that their brains do not reach full brain maturation until around age twenty-five, which means you have a fair amount of waiting ahead of you, as far as brains go, until they are fully developed human beings. So, let’s dive into Neurogenesis and the miracle of brain development.

NEUROGENESIS: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

We now return to Biology 101. Our bodies are composed of cells, and among them are nerve cells that conduct electricity and talk to one another through chemical messages across a tiny gap that separates them³.

The nervous system consists of the brain, the spinal cord, and the network of nerve cells (neurons) that transmit and return impulses from a stimulated part of the body to the brain. We’ll look at the neuron first and then at electrical transmission mechanisms.

The Neuron

The basic unit of the nervous system is called a neuron. Ten billion of these cells build the brain. Each neuron is a living cell with a nucleus, dendrites (short fingers that receive impulses), and an axon (a long fiber projecting away from the cell body). Those axons are located in the spinal cord and may vary from very, very small lengths to two or three feet in length. Nerves are actually bundles of neurons, perhaps around 1,000 that allow us to do the mental and physical work of living. Neurons are not directly connected to one another. Rather, an impulse (explained next) travels across a small space called a synapse from one neuron to another by means of molecules interacting with the neuronal membrane.

A SHORT COURSE ON THE BRAIN

We won’t go into great detail on brain structures for the purposes of this book. But it may be helpful to know the basics.

The lower-brain structures are almost completely developed at birth and control physical functions such as breathing, movement, and reflexes.

The cerebrum is our higher brain, known as the cerebral cortex, and is the largest part of our brain. It’s the seat of our conscious experience, intentional behavior, and reasoning.

Both parts progressively contribute to development.

Nerve Impulses

In a manner that defies belief, nerve impulses only move in one direction from dendrite to axon to dendrite of another cell. While you are reading this, your neurons are transmitting seamlessly. It is an amazing feat we take for granted. How does it happen?

All of our behavior is due to electrical activity of one impulse traveling from one neuron to the next over the synaptic gap. The formation of electricity in the human body is electrochemical, and it’s similar to that formed in normal batteries by a difference in the charge of two elements. Perhaps, you made a battery with a potato in elementary school? In the body, electricity travels from two to 180 miles per hour⁴. That’s why it seems to take no time for your eyes to see this WORD and wonder why it is capitalized. The chemical changes take place on a minute scale. The energy involved in firing a neuron is around a billionth of a watt, with ten billion neurons in the human brain. Assuming every neuron in your brain is active at the same time, the whole brain can operate on a power supply of about ten watts⁵.

Those of you who engage in heavy exercise and perspire a lot are told to keep yourselves hydrated and keep the electrolytes up. Have you ever wondered, Why? The electrolytes, potassium and sodium, are important for neuronal transmission. Let’s look at this in more detail so you will know the importance of these elements.

PICTURE THIS…

Picture looking inside your child’s brain.

Look at the nerve cell as a tiny, polarized battery.

Inside the cell is the negative pole.

The outside of the cell is the positive pole.

When the axon is stimulated, the electric potential of the protoplasm inside the axon is LOWERED below its normal negative 70 millivolts.

With a reduction of that potential, the cell membrane CHANGES in that its permeability increases.

With more capacity to accept new material, the membrane allows sodium ions (Na+) to flow into the cell and a smaller number of potassium (K+) ions to flow out.

This interchange results in a voltage difference, and the process is repeated down the nerve.

Each impulse causes the chemical change at the synapse, and travels to the end point.

Amazingly, no energy is lost in the transmission.

The impulse is just as strong when it starts as when it ends.

The resting potential negative of 70 millivolts is restored in the neuron by the outward flow of the K+ ions.

Now you know how important potassium and sodium are for neuronal transmission.

Absence of these electrolytes, also called ions, results in the impairment and eventual shutdown of the nervous system. Heat stroke results when this happens and death can occur. Gatorade and similar sports drinks contain potassium and sodium and therefore correct any deficiency. So, you Gatorade drinkers are actually helping the physiology of your nervous system

An added helper to speed the impulse is the myelin sheath, which develops over time. Myelin is a fatty substance that coats the axon and seals the leaks. The sheath allows the nerve impulse to jump along the fiber from node to node and makes that fast transmission possible, which we all take for granted.

Without myelination, the nervous system transmission is hampered. Ions of potassium and sodium can leak out of the cell membranes, resulting in a loss of efficiency. Unfortunately, children whose brain does not develop the sheath have demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis, which is caused when a patient’s own immune system destroys the myelin and results in severe sensory and motor deficits.

THE BEGINNING OF YOUR CHILD’S BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Now that you are more familiar with the building blocks of the nervous system and the fact that our brains have ten billion neurons, let’s examine how the brain starts with zero nerve cells and increases to ten billion.

Neural Development – Getting the Neurons On Board (Prenatal through 4.5 Months Gestation)

Prenatal neural development begins even before pregnancy can be detected and before the fetus is in the embryonic stage. Let’s have a brief review of the physical development during pregnancy. After initial conception and a bit of cell division, a blastocyst, which has thirty-two cells, develops. Of these thirty-two cells, some