Summary
Highlights
Every community has a vested interest in its children, as they form the next adult population. Responsive interactions with adults are biologically essential for children, with neglect occurring when these expected inputs are not received.
The "serve and return" interaction, where a child initiates interaction and a parent responds, literally shapes the architecture of the brain. When this process is broken, it removes an essential ingredient for healthy brain development.
Experiments show that when a baby is not responded to by a parent, it triggers stress systems, a biological sign of danger. Constant exposure to stress hormones in the brain can prevent key synapses from forming in critical regions.
Neglect not only fails to provide the necessary stimulation for brain development but also, when severe, activates a child's stress biology, creating a "double whammy" effect.
Science identifies four categories of neglect. The first is "occasional inattention," where children experience responsiveness most of the time. This is not harmful and can even be beneficial, allowing a child to learn self-soothing.
The second category, "chronic under-stimulation," involves children regularly receiving less interaction than needed for healthy development. These children can often catch up with enriched learning opportunities and more typical serve and return levels.
The third category is "severe neglect in a family," characterized by prolonged inattention, lack of responsiveness, and often unmet basic needs like food and hygiene. This type of neglect is a significant problem in the US and can lead to substantial, difficult-to-fix deficits.
The fourth category, "severe neglect generally found in institutional settings," occurs in environments with warehoused children, like orphanages, or even in "transitional care" facilities. Constant staff rotation disrupts consistent interaction, altering brain architecture and development.
Interventions, targeting parents, foster parents, childcare, and Head Start settings, can change children's developmental trajectories by attuning people to the serve and return process. Neglecting young children neglects the foundations of a healthy next generation, leading to societal costs in educational achievement, economic productivity, and good citizenship.