Usable Knowledge How Can Racism Affect Child Development? Adversity in early life can disrupt the development of the brain and lead to chronic stress Posted April 5, 2022 By Usable Knowledge Cognitive Development Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Early Education Human Development Recently the Center on the Developing Child (CDC) at Harvard University looked at how racism gets “under the skin,” as they explain it, and affects learning, behavior, and lifelong health. As they point out in this infographic, “Advances in science are presenting an increasingly clear picture of how significant adversity in the lives of young children can disrupt the development of the brain and other biological systems.” These early disruptions — while often invisible to those who don’t experience them — can undermine opportunities for young people and lead to chronic stress activation. To learn more about the sources the CDC used to create this infographic: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/racism-and-ecd/ Usable Knowledge Connecting education research to practice — with timely insights for educators, families, and communities Explore All Articles Related Articles Usable Knowledge Tracing the Roots of Language and Literacy A new study emphasizes the importance of the first year of life for long term language and literacy development Ed. Magazine Place Definitely Matters People shape young brains, but so does the environment Usable Knowledge The Effect of Spanking on the Brain Spanking found to impact children's brain response, leading to lasting consequences