Brain research has strengthened our understanding of the first five years of a child's life as a critical period. Quality early care is important to the healthy development of young children, and their later success in school. Concurrently, many families depend on childcare outside the home. Programs that have knowledgeable and skilled staff,…

This chapter is an introduction to how the learning process changes the brain, with special attention to the facilitative role of the adult educator/mentor.

In this paper, different means of assessing cognitive development in children with severe impairments in "both" their expressive language and their motor skills are reviewed. A range of techniques are considered, including traditional cognitive tests and behavioral and physiological measures, but these techniques are generally impractical and…

The stress response systems of the human child are highly sensitive to social challenges. Because stress hormones can have negative developmental and health consequences, this presents an evolutionary paradox: Why would natural selection have favored mechanisms that elevate stress hormone levels in response to psychosocial stimuli? Two…

We explore the neurobiological bases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from the viewpoint of the neurochemistry and psychopharmacology of the catecholamine-based behavioural systems. The contributions of dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) neurotransmission to the motor and cognitive symptoms of ADHD (e.g. hyperactivity, variable…

Premorbid intellectual function estimation is a crucial part of patient evaluation following a traumatic brain injury (TBI), especially in individuals with ADHD who are at higher risk for TBI compared to their non-ADHD peers. This study investigates the value of using regression-based estimates of intelligence for concurrently predicting measured…

The crisis of education is one of the most pressing problems in the world today. Russia's crisis in this sphere has taken on the character of an emergency owing to the unprecedented wholesale cutbacks in budget funding. In this article, the authors discuss the commercialization of Russia's higher education, leading to its degradation and threat to…

Recent advances in neuroimaging and genetics technologies have enhanced our understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders in adults. The authors in this volume not only discuss such advances as they apply to adults with learning disorders, but also address their translation into clinical practice. One cluster of chapters addresses developmental…

The 4MAT system of instructional change is described. The 4MAT system is an eight-step cycle of instruction that capitalizes on individual learning styles and brain-dominance processing preference. Four major learning styles are recognized: (1) imaginative; (2) analytic; (3) common sense; and (4) dynamic. Because in each style there are people…

In discussing science/mathematics teacher shortage it is important to consider that: teacher demand will increase as school boards increase high school graduation requirements in science/mathematics, there must be an increase of teachers and also efforts to make teaching more attractive to those leaving the profession for better paying jobs in…

Schools tend to have a built-in bias toward left brain activities (tasks that are linear and sequential in nature), so the introduction of right brain activities (functions related to music, rhythm, images, color, imagination, daydreaming, dimensions) brings a balance into the classroom and helps those students who may be right brain oriented. To…

Characteristic reform measures that perfect the status quo and maintain educational order have become outdated and irrelevant to our times. Educators are calling for leaders with the ability to sense organizational needs from a holistic approach and with the insight or intuitive feel for what the organization can become. Such activity depends upon…

Lateral brain research can be used to develop an understanding and appreciation of the vocational and occupational significance of black expressive behavior manifested in some blacks. Historically, employers have placed primary emphasis on cognitive abilities--functions of the left side of the brain. Research has shown, however, that the right…

Early identification of Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD) is now easier, partly as a result of a series of 3 studies made in rural Vermont over a period of 15 years. MBD victims exhibit different behaviors at different ages. "Fidgetiness", a "nuisance" factor, and poor learning are all strong predictors of MBD for children at the…

THIS MONOGRAPH RELATES RESULTS OF A STUDY WHICH WAS UNDERTAKEN TO ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THREE QUESTIONS--TO WHAT EXTENT DO EIGHT TECHNIQUES COMMONLY USED TO DIAGNOSE BRAIN DAMAGE CO-VARY, TO WHAT EXTENT DO THE VARIOUS BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS THAT OCCUR WITH BRAIN DAMAGE CO-VARY, AND TO WHAT EXTENT DO THE DIAGNOSTIC MEASURES, SINGLY OR IN GROUPS, PREDICT…