The Neuroscience of the Developing Child: Self-Regulation for Wellbeing and a Sustainable Future

297 Pages·2022·12.025 MB·English

by  Mine Conkbayir

The Neuroscience of
the Developing Child
The Neuroscience of the Developing Child informs Early Years (EY) students, practitioners
and parents about the fundamental importance of self-regulation (SR) as a critical skill
for young children to develop if they are to go on to lead happy and fulflled lives. Packed
with accessible information concerning the neuroscience of early brain development
alongside real-life case studies, this book clearly demonstrates how to put SR theory
into action across educational and home settings.
Dr Conkbayir draws upon a wide range of resources to show readers how they
can nurture SR through their daily interactions with children and the environment
and experiences they ofer them. Comprehensive and engaging chapters cover topics
such as:
■ Examining what exactly SR is (and what it is not)
■ Co-regulation’s critical role in enabling SR to occur
■ Exploring the developing brain
■ The importance of sensory integration as part of SR
■ Using relational approaches to nurture behaviour in the classroom and at home
■ The wider global role of SR in creating a sustainable future.
With real-life case studies and refective questions in every chapter, this book is essential
reading for students and practitioners within the EY sector, as well as anyone beyond the
sector wanting to develop their understanding of SR and how to apply it for themselves
and others.
Dr Mine Conkbayir is an award-winning author, trainer and researcher passionate
about bridging the knowledge gap between neuroscience and the EY sector. A key
contributor to the Birth to Five Matters non-statutory guidance for the Early Years
Foundation Stage and designer of the frst-ever neuroscience-informed qualifcations
for the EY sector, her latest award-winning book, Early Childhood and Neuroscience:
Theory, Research and Implications for Practice, is now in its second edition.

The Neuroscience
of the Developing
Child
Self-Regulation for Wellbeing
and a Sustainable Future
Dr Mine Conkbayir
Cover image: © Getty Images
First edition published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Dr Mine Conkbayir
The right of Dr Mine Conkbayir to be identifed as author of this work has been asserted in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and
are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-032-35577-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-35576-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-32747-9 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003327479
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
List of Figures vi
List of Tables viii
Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgements x
Introduction xi-xiv
Foreword by Dr Susan Hopkins xv-xvi
Interview With Dr Stuart Shanker, Founder and Visionary of the MEHRIT
Centre and Self-Reg Global xvii-xx
1 Self-Regulation – What It Is and What It’s Not 1
2 Co-Regulation – It Takes Two, Baby! 39
3 The Developing Brain: A Whistle-Stop Tour 93
4 Sensory Integration – Too Much or Not Enough: How to
Get Your Provision Just Right 143
5 Time Out for Behaviour Management: Why We Must Move
Towards Relational Approaches to Support Behaviour 182
6 Concluding Thoughts – Building a Sustainable Future
Through Self-Regulation 219
References 248
Index 267
Figures
1.1 Sequential Brain Development 19
1.2 Bruce Perry’s Three Rs – Reaching the Learning Brain 20
1.3 The HPA Axis 26
1.4 Infant Attachment Cycle 28
1.5 Infant Trauma Cycle 29
1.6 The Building Blocks of SR 31
1.7 Two Children Practicing Breathing Exercises at Nursery 33
2.1 The Three Main Perspectives of Co-Regulation Theory 43
2.2 The Three-Way, Inter-Dependent Relationship Between the Child,
Adult and Environment 49
2.3 The Three Approaches to Achieving Co-Regulation 55
2.4 The CO-REG Acronym 56
2.5 Key Brain Regions Associated With Language 59
2.6 The Stream of Self-Regulation 69
3.1 The Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems 95
3.2 The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems 96
3.3 Foetal Brain Development 99
3.4 The Interneuron 103
3.5 A Synapse Connecting Two Neurons 104
3.6 Synaptic Density Development, From Birth to Adulthood 106
3.7 White and Grey Matter in the Brain 108
3.8 The Brain by Numbers 112
3.9 The Corpus Callosum 114
3.10 The Four Lobes of the Brain 115
3.11 Building a Brain 116
3.12 The Limbic System 118
3.13 Microscopic Brain Structure 123
3.14 A Side View of the Brain’s Left Hemisphere, Including the
Cerebrum and Cerebellum 124
Figures vii
3.15 The 500,000-Core SpiNNaker Human Brain Project Platform 129
3.16 The First Electric Programmable Computer 130
3.17 The Brain Hemisphere Hat 133
3.18 The “Upstairs” and “Downstairs” Brain 134
3.19 An Individual Neuron Made From Pipe Cleaners 134
3.20 Children’s Pictures of the “Downstairs” and “Upstairs” Brain 139
3.21 Self-Regulation Area 140
4.1 Route Map of the Senses 146
4.2 X-Ray of a Four-Year-Old’s Hand Compared to a Seven-Year-
Old’s Hand 147
4.3 Child W-Sitting 151
4.4 Signs of Hyper- and Hypo-Sensitivity 157
4.5 The Reward Network 176
4.6 Reduced Activation of the Prefrontal Cortex 177
5.1 Child Wearing Dunce Cap 188
5.2 Child Being Hit With a Ruler 189
5.3 Time Out Chair 194
5.4 Isolation Booths 196
5.5 The Iceberg of Behaviour 202
5.6 The Stress Response 203
5.7 The Impact of Childhood Trauma 205
5.8 The Four Rs of Trauma-Informed Care 206
6.1 How to Be Planet Positive – The 17 Sustainable Development Goals 222
6.2 Making the Macro Micro – Achieving Sustainability Through
Self-Regulation 238
Tables
1.1 The Five Domains of SR 7
2.1 Emotion Coaching Scenarios 74
3.1 Brain Growth and Development During Pregnancy 101
3.2 Left and Right Hemispheric Brain Functions 113
4.1 The Eight Senses 145
4.2 Activities to Up-Regulate (Stimulate) or Down-Regulate (Calm)
a Child 179
5.1 Behaviourist Theories 185
5.2 Zones of Regulation 215
Abbreviations
ACEs adverse childhood experiences
ADHD attention defcit hyperactivity disorder
CR co-regulation
EC Emotion Coaching
ECEs early childhood educators
ELGs Early Learning Goals
EY Early Years
EYFS Early Years Foundation Stage
PNS parasympathetic nervous system
SEND special educational needs or disabilities
SI sensory integration
SIPT Sensory Integration and Praxis Test
SNS sympathetic nervous system
SPD sensory processing disorder
SR self-regulation