National Child Day approaches and to help mark it the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has produced 15 recommendations on early childhood development, care and education.
The prenatal period and early childhood are the most important developmental phase of life.
Science shows the root cause of many chronic diseases can be found in them.
Adverse childhood experiences such as living in poverty, abuse, neglect, prolonged toxic stress, living with an addicted parent, witnessing spousal abuse and so on, contribute to adult illness such as obesity, diabetes, various cancers, addiction and mental illness. Also, these children are less likely to succeed in life economically and socially.
The emerging evidence on early brain and biological development indicates that these problems can be passed down from generation to generation. That's because brain development is affected by what we are born with (our genes) and what we experience (our environment). Our genes and environments interact, and experiences can switch genes "on" or "off".
This interaction during childhood lays the foundation for brain development and lifelong learning. That structure can be strong, if early experiences are stimulating and positive, or it can be fragile, if they are not.
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