First year's experience predicts a child's behaviour at 5

But what seemed most remarkable, Versele said, is that the ability to predict a child’s behavior at age 5 could come from data on the behavior of the mother during that first year of the child’s life – regardless of the data on attributes of the child.

The Virginia Tech data contributes, though doesn't yet provide airtight evidence, to support the theory that babies need positive emotional bonds with their caregivers to develop strong connections among the neurons of the brain. Among the sample Versele studied, the children with higher executive functioning were the same children who, at 10 months of age, had higher growth in one of the frontal lobes of the brain. The frontal lobe, most neuroscientists say, is the site of the brain’s administrative activity – where the mind does its planning and reasoning.

In the meantime, the research on executive function adds urgency for policymakers to the development of programs that ensure children get a good start from birth on up through childhood.

http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2011/study_links_5_year_olds_brain_skills_to_mothers_warmth_during_infancy-51773

[Sam: Babies in the first year learns much faster than a child after 3. Give maximum exposure to your child during the first year. Join Le Beaumont's Gifted Babies Program.]