The gold standard, for those seeking to make real improvement in children’s lives, is to provide the right intervention at the right time in the right place for the right child. But how do you achieve this when children differ so much? There is immense variability not only in their vulnerabilities but also in their susceptibility to support that might be available. The answer is to understand what lies at the root of those vulnerabilities and susceptibilities.
Our research has identified a key, early environmental factor which produces enduring biological changes in brain development and changes in behaviour that are crucial to lifetime outcomes. We have found that the biological process is potentially reversible, holding out considerable hope that children’s lives can be dramatically improved through well-targeted supports. Our findings suggest that social policy could soon be on a par with general medicine in being able to structure help that is appropriate to the needs, biology and responsiveness of each child.
[For more of this story, written by Michael Meaney, go to http://childandfamilyblog.com/...advantaged-children/]
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