Brain Development And Toxic Chemicals

The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) released the first-ever bio-monitoring report identifying toxic chemical pollution in people from the learning and developmental disability community.  

Mind, Disrupted: How Toxic Chemicals May Affect How We Think and Who We Are examines 61 toxic chemicals present in project participants in the context of rising rates of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other learning and developmental disabilities.

"Given the increasing rates of learning and developmental disabilities -- particularly autism -- we need to recognize that the rising costs associated with long term care of disability, special education and related health care will only continue to grow," explained Jeff Sell, Esq, Vice President for Policy of the Autism Society and father of twin teen sons with autism.

• Children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental exposures because their biological systems are still developing.*1
• During fetal development, exposures to even miniscule amounts of toxins at certain developmental windows can have lifelong health impacts *2

Dr. Larry Silver said, "By protecting children from toxic exposures, we can protect everyone. We need to create healthy environments to ensure all children can reach their full potential and contribute to society."

AND WHILE WE ARE ON THE SUBJECT OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT:

All those colorful toys that you give your children, all those expensive classes, and a number of music compilations may not make your child smarter if you fail to provide the most needed emotional support. With all this different things available promising to make your child smarter, it's hard to sort out the best way to help your child's brain thrive. A newly published policy paper helps parents to put those worries to rest.

This is the essence of the paper: What kids need is an intimate and secure relationship with adults who adore them.

"It's all about playing with your child," said Eric Knudsen, PhD, the Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the Stanford University School of Medicine, succinctly summing up a paper coming out in the June 27 advance online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A child's eventual ability to learn calculus or a second language, he explained, starts with the neurons that are shaped by positive interactions with nurturing adults.

The piece, written by Knudsen and three other members of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child including Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, PhD, doesn't just ease parents' toy-buying decisions - it lays out the scientific basis for why helping all kids have the best early experiences is good economic policy . . . .

SOURCES:

1. * Dr. Larry Silver, M.D. is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown at Georgetown Medical Center, accomplished self-advocate, and author of groundbreaking learning disabilities research.
2. * Dr. Larry Silver, M.D.
3. http://newideas.net/adhd/environmental-toxins-adhd-learning-problems
4. LDDI -- an international partnership fostering collaboration among learning and developmental disability organizations, researchers, health professionals and environmental health groups to address concerns about the impact environmental pollutants may have on neurological health. LDDI currently has over 400 organizational and individual participants engaged in educational and policy efforts.
5. Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative