First 1000 days crucial to child development: report

September 27, 2017October 1, 2021

SBS News 25 September 2017
Family First Comment: “The first thousand days is a period of maximum developmental plasticity, that means it’s the period during which as an organism we are most susceptible to change by environmental experiences, and those changes can have lifelong consequences… Researchers examined all available research on development during the first 1000 days of life from conception to the end of age two.”
Ironic that this includes the 9-month period before birth. Yes it is a child!
#notabloboftissue
Disadvantage can be passed down through the generations at a cellular level and the importance of the first 1000 days of life for children’s health and wellbeing can not be overstated, authors of a new report say.
A research review by experts at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, funded by the Bupa Health Foundation, shows how a child’s development is significantly affected by the biological and physical environments they occupy during this vital period.
There is a growing body of evidence which shows that experiences during this period can have long-term consequences for a person’s health and wellbeing.
Dr Tim Moore, a senior research fellow at MCRI, says the newer evidence they looked at is both “astonishing and scary”.
“The first thousand days is a period of maximum developmental plasticity, that means it’s the period during which as an organism we are most susceptible to change by environmental experiences, and those changes can have lifelong consequences,” Dr Moore told AAP.
It is hoped the report’s release on Monday will raise greater awareness about the importance of this period.
READ MORE: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/09/25/first-1000-days-crucial-child-development-report