Environmental and Chemical Factors

1. Environmental and Chemical Factors Patrick Barrett Ashford University EDU 417 May 19, 2014 Dr. MareenLienau

2. Environmental and Chemical Factors When considering how best to promote our children's cognitive and neural development we need to consider what factors are actually influencing these process’s. We will begin by examining some common environmental and chemical factors.

3. Neurotransmitters Dopamine Serotonin Dopamine is responsible for reward mechanisms within the brain. Reward can influence learning. Serotonin is responsible for the regulation of mood and emotion. It is sometimes referred to as the “feel good transmitter”. These aspects can clearly affect academic performance.

4. Neurotransmitters Acetylcholine Norepinephrine Bodily movement is controlled through the release of Acetylcholine Norepinephrine is responsible for bringing the nervous system to a high level of alertness

5. Nutrition Nutrition has a powerful influence on cognitive development. Providing a healthy diet should be seen as fundamental to the child’s learning process as textbooks and pencils. Make it routine for your child to eat breakfast every day. Iron and calcium are very important in regards to cognitive development.

6. Technology Technology can be seen as a great asset to be utilized within any classroom. Educational games can be very effective if they meet the proper criteria. Games that require teamwork can actually help to teach valuable social skills.

7. Movement Physical activity can aid not only a child’s physical development, but contribute greatly to their cognitive and neural development as well.

8. Sleep and the Importance of Rest on the Developing Mind Sleep Sleep routines are something that should not be overlooked when considering your child’s neural development. Elementary school aged five to ten children require about twelve hours of sleep each night. Adolescent children require about nine hours of sleep each night.

9. Considerations for Developing a Healthy Brain All of these factors will have a direct influence on your child's development and ability to learn.

10. References Fischer , K. W., Immordino-Yang, M. H., & , (2008). The jossey-bass reader on the brain and learning. (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Bjorklund, D. F., Periss, V., & Causey, K. (2009). The benefits of youth. European Journal Of Developmental Psychology, 6(1), 120-137. doi:10.1080/17405620802602334 Carlson, N. (2011). Foundations of behavioral neuroscience (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Hidalgo, C., & Núñez, M. T. (2007). Calcium, iron and neuronal function. IUBMB Life, 59(4/5), 280-285. doi:10.1080/15216540701222906 Iron. (n.d.). Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: — Health Professional Fact Sheet. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/#h3 Söderqvist, S., Nutley, S., Peyrard-Janvid, M., Matsson, H., Humphreys, K., Kere, J., & Klingberg, T. (2012). Dopamine, working memory, and training induced plasticity: Implications for developmental research. Developmental Psychology, 48(3), 836-843. doi:10.1037/a0026179 Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice. (2nd ed.). Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.