Brandeis Professor Jack Shonkoff on the Science of Early Childhood Development

On November 30, 2005, Brandeis Professor Jack P. Shonkoff, the Gingold Professor of Human Development and Social Policy and chair of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, spoke at HGSE. His talk, "The Science of Early Childhood Development: Closing the Gap between What We Know and What We Do," argued that the promotion of healthy child development is both a moral responsibility and an essential social investment to secure sustainable economic productivity and a viable democratic society.

Shonkoff began by explaining how the dynamic interaction between genetics and experience during the first few years of a child's life shapes the emerging brain architecture that serves as a foundation for all subsequent learning and behavior. Through this process, higher level neural circuits build on more basic circuits and stabilize over time, which makes them less plastic and therefore more difficult to change as the brain matures. Extensive research shows that nurturing, stable, and protective relationships are essential for building sturdy brain architecture, whereas "toxic stress" can disrupt the development of normal neural circuitry. These basic principles of neurobiology, said Shonkoff, lead to a call for a two-tiered approach to early childhood policy, combining the broad-based availability of preschool (especially for children in low income families) and targeted interventions beginning as early as right after birth for infants experiencing toxic stress. He also emphasized the importance of integrating developmental science into policy discussions about welfare reform, housing, family and medical leave, adult mental health, and environmental protection.

In speaking to opportunities facing the academy, Shonkoff underscored the need to blend the investigative tools and insights of molecular biology, neuroscience, genetics, and the behavioral and social sciences to increase our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that explain differential outcomes in learning, behavior, and physical and mental health. In conclusion, he underlined the need for new knowledge creation and fresh leadership in both the public and the private sectors to maximize returns on investments in the health and well-being of young children.

• Archived webcast of Professor Shonkoff's lecture