The brain stem is located at the base of the brain and connects the brain and the spinal cord. While development of the brainstem starts during pregnancy, after birth, the most active growth for the brainstem is between zero and nine months (Perry, 2006). The brain stem is responsible for basic survival, controlling our breathing, heart rate, swallowing and body temperature (Perry, 2006)
It plays an essential role in attention, our level of arousal and consciousness. Arousal refers to how awake we feel, with lower levels indicating tiredness, boredom, or sadness, and higher levels indicating excitement, aggression, or anxiety. The brainstem is also a motor and sensory information pathway and is also associated with our survival modes: fight, flight, freeze or collapse.
To develop in the best way possible, the baby must trust that an attentive caregiver will consistently meet their physical and safety needs. A baby instinctively uses strategies to engage a caregiver by cooing and waving their arms, reacting to the caregivers’ interactions, smiling and being cute. Looking at this quite cynically, these actions are all designed to suck the carer in – to ensure that they will meet their needs and protect them. When we respond to their cries and do our best to figure out what they want, the baby learns that the world is a safe place with people who will love and protect them, and respond to their physical, emotional, social and growth needs.
Meeting the baby’s physical and safety needs and providing connected and attentive care are essential to healthy brain stem development (Perry, 2006). It is on this solid foundation, that all other development occurs. As we can see in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - all levels up to love and belonging are important at this stage of development. I would argue that esteem is also important as how we talk to our little ones provides a template of who they believe they are. For example if the baby or toddler hears repeatedly that they are precious, strong, clever, loved - this will help them have a positive view of themselves, where if they hear they are bad, unwanted, a nuisance, stupid - this will also impact.
The baby may experience toxic stress if their need physical or emotional needs are repeatedly unmet. Some babies may persist in crying to get a caregiver to meet their needs; others may initially cry but eventually give up and become quiet and withdrawn as they learn this strategy does not work. These adaptations they have learnt to aid their survival may replay as they get older at home and in the classroom, even though they may no longer be necessary to get their needs met.
There are many possibilities as to why a child’s needs were not met, and it is essential not to be judgemental of the parents. The child may have had chronically neglected needs because their carer suffered from depression or another mental illness, or because the child was so ill that medical intervention to ensure their survival was prioritised over emotional needs. The infant’s carer may have had a physical illness or chronic disability that limited their ability to respond. They may have been overwhelmed with life, utterly exhausted and unable to meet the baby’s needs.
The parents may have had an alcohol or drug problem, and the nature of these addictions means they prioritised these needs over all else. Blame does not help the child and the family move forward and do the hard work necessary to heal this damage. The parents may have also had a tough childhood, compromising their ability to respond to the infant. Dr Bruce Perry (2021) tells us that we must consider ‘whathappened to you’ when looking at child or adult behaviour.
‘We have talked a lot about how the actions of caregivers influence the child, but it’s important to remember that those caregivers were also children influenced by their caregivers. The effects of trauma stretch far and wideacross generations and across communities, and it’s important to always come back to our central question with compassion: What happened to you?’ (Perry & Winfrey, 2021).
On the positive side, there are many everyday things that support the healthy development of a baby's brainstem. The list below is in no way exhaustive - but are gives some ideas of activities that regulate and develop the brainstem. As you can see they are things that many people do naturally with their babies, but this knowledge is not universal for many reasons.
A parting thought: One of the most important ways we can support the development of a baby's brainstem is having someone to support Mum. It's infinitely hard to rock and cuddle a baby when you are falling apart yourself.
Next we will look at the development of the Cerebellum and Diencephalon.
References
Perry, B. (2006). The neurosequential model of therapeutics: Applying principles of neuroscience to clinical work withtraumatized and maltreated children. In N.B. Webb (ed), Working with Traumatized Children in Child Welfare (pp27-52). NewYork: Guilford Press.
Perry. B. & Winfrey O. (2021). What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. Pan McMillan.
Taney, A.M. (2023). Emotional Storms: Preventing Emotional Deregulation in the Classroom. Diamond Creek: Ultimate World Publishing
Commenti