It is truly an unfortunate fact that most of the young children who come to an Angels' home are under stress and frequently in distress. They have removed from the only family they have known and oftentimes have been the victims of abuse and neglect.The following is an article excerpted from the University of Georgia's Better Brains for Babies, examining the impact of stress on young children. It also makes suggestions quite applicable for Angels parents as they nurture and care for their Angels child. And it reminds us again of how critical the first years are in the life of a child. 

Stress and Young Children

     Stressful conditions in the environment can have significant negative effects on the developing brain. Stress is a series of physical, mental, and emotional reactions to the environment. People are most likely to feel stress when they do not have the emotional capacity to deal with a situation.

     Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. When we experience stressors, the body responds by releasing hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Cortisol activates the body's survival instincts, and helps us survive immediate threats. The heart beats faster, the attention span shortens, and judgment may be impaired. More primitive parts of the brain take over as the brain focuses on how to remove the threat. This set of physiological responses is known as the stress response.

     For young children, small amounts of stress can be healthy and adaptive. But prolonged stress can have lasting negative effects on brain development. Some conditions that cause prolonged or excessive stress in young children include:  

- extreme neglect

- witnessing or experiencing verbal or physical abuse

- the death of a parent

- experiencing a significant trauma

Effects of Stress on Brain Development

     Prolonged stress in young children can slow - or even stop - both brain development and physical growth. Prolonged exposure to cortisol released during the stress response can cause long-term damage to the developing brain, and can negatively affect the immune system.

     Repeated experiences in the environment create networks of connections within the brain. When children regularly experiences chaos or stress, their brains become wired to react quickly to threatening, stressful experiences. Even after the threat is removed, the brain may continue to respond as if the stress is still present. Children whose brains have been wired by prolonged stress may overreact in some situations. Prolonged stress may lead to learning difficulties, delays in brain development, and later difficulties coping with life's demands.

     The brain stem is responsible for the most basic functions necessary for survival. It is the first part of the brain to develop, and the first part to react to perceived threats. The brain stem sends signals to other parts of the brain. In a fully developed adult brain, the frontal lobe takes action and chooses a rational response to the threatening situation.

     Young children, whose frontal lobes are not fully developed, cannot respond rationally to stress. Children's responses to stress are controlled by the more primitive areas of the brain. In order to handle stress and return to calm, young children needs caregivers to comfort and reassure them that they are safe. If the environment is constantly threatening, or children do not have a reliable caregiver, they will rely on the primitive areas of the brain to handle stress. The brain stem will become over-developed, and areas responsible for emotional control and rational decision-making may not develop fully. Warning signs of an imbalance in brain development due to prolonged stress may include anxiety, impulsiveness, hyperactivity, poor impulse control, lack of empathy, and poor problem-solving skills.

 Dangers of Prolonged Stress

     Short-term stress does not harm brain development. Children who learn how to manage small stressors in a supportive environment develop the brain wiring they need to handle stress. Supportive, nurturing adults help children develop the wiring in their brains to cope during stressful times.

     Prolonged or chronic stress without relief can permanently alter brain development. Synapse formation, myelination and pruning may be delayed. The connections formed in the brain as a result of ongoing stressful conditions will most likely be those that ensure survival. Areas responsible for reasoning and rational decision-making are likely to be under-developed.

      Children who experience extreme neglect or deprivation tend to have less active brains, with fewer connections, than children who actively experience the richness of daily life in a supportive environment. Children who are deprived of sufficient food or regular positive interactions with adults, or who are confined to a crib and not allowed to explore, experience serious delays or impairments in brain development. The more serious and prolonged the neglect is, the more devastating the developmental problems can be.

     Repeated exposure to violence can alter brain development. The intensity and frequency of trauma determine how the brain internalizes a traumatic event. The brain stem and limbic system set up a "fight or flight' response to trauma or the memory of the trauma. The brain may attempt to protect itself through impulsiveness or withdrawal. Children who have experienced trauma or violence tend to react without thinking, to strike out, or to withdraw to protect themselves.

Children who experience prolonged trauma or neglect:

- may not do well in school

- may not be able to learn or process new information

- may exhibit aggressive behavior

- may not be able to develop caring relationships with others

- will reflect the environment in which she has been raised 

Factors that Reduce the Effects Stress

     Children who have experienced the negative effects of stress can still grow and thrive. Consistent, loving support from caring adults can counteract much of the damage caused by stress in early childhood. A strong, stable adult can make a difference to a child who has been exposed to violence, neglect, or other extreme stress.

      The brain is resilient and can bounce back even after stressful experiences. The brain's plasticity enables it to compensate for some damage caused by traumatic experiences by creating new networks of synapses. Although compensating for early trauma requires intensive, long-term intervention, children who experience trauma or chronic stress early in life can overcome the trauma and live healthy, productive lives.

      Many children who successfully overcome early trauma have an internal quality called resiliency that enables them to survive and thrive. As Dr. Bruce D. Perry of the Child Trauma Academy wrote, "When you look at children who come out of terrible environments and do well, you find that someone in their lives somehow instilled in them the attitude that they aren't helpless, that they aren't powerless, that they can do something."

-- Jennifer