About this book

The first chapter of this book sets the scene by outlining research related to the brain and neurodevelopment. It offers an overview of some of the most significant findings since the 1990s that have changed our view of the brain. These findings are also changing our views on how to best raise and educate children.

The next four chapters of this book look at neurodevelopment and overall development beginning at conception and continuing to age six. The focus of this work is on early learning, leading to entry into formal education. Age six is used as the developmental end-point for this book, given that much of the wiring and moulding of the brain has already taken place by that time. On or about a child’s seventh birthday, neurodevelopment slows down or even plateaus until pubescence takes over. During adolescence there is a second
major restructuring of the brain, but this is not the focus of this book. Those interested can read about that in the companion to this volume entitled The Livewired Teen.

Chapter 6 focuses on the brain being wired for learning. Its aim is to give readers a better look at the biology of learning and those things that impact upon learning. The chapter also looks at the interplay between gender and learning, society and learning and the monumental importance of play and self-directed learning.

Being wired to communicate is the foundation of Chapter 7, while Chapter 8 explores how our emotional and social lives begin to unfold. Again, the perspective taken comes primarily from neuro-scientific research, but other disciplinary theorists are also used to give a broad look at how we can impact on these developmental capacities in a positive fashion.

Chapter 9 then moves into our understanding of what I refer to as ‘smart wiring’ – cognitive development and intelligence. The emphasis is on identifying the growth of cognitive capacities and how we understand the word ‘intelligence’. Theories of cognitive development are mixed with the newest research to provide the reader with a detailed look at how our rational brain evolves and how the very things that we as adults take for granted in relation to higher-order thinking processes are nowhere near completion
in children.

Finally, the last chapter looks at the broad topic of raising and educating healthy and happy children. It focuses on drawing together the previous chapters in an effort to give the reader some guiding principles for enhancing all that they do as parents, educators and role models. While perhaps acting as a summary, it reiterates that the life chances we have as adults are set in place very early in life, or as already identified, the things we do early are now known to be more crucial than we ever understood. We know this because we
know so much more about the livewired child.

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