Early development: chances and
risks
Contents
Introduction lecture...............................................................................................................................3
Lecture Biology: nature vs. nurture...................................................................................................3
Week 1...................................................................................................................................................5
Literature...........................................................................................................................................5
1) Prenatal development origins of behavior and mental health: the influence of maternal stress
in pregnancy..................................................................................................................................5
2) Lessons learned from 25 years of research into long term consequences of prenatal exposure
to the Dutch famine 1944-45.........................................................................................................6
Video: the nine months that made you.............................................................................................9
Lecture 1..........................................................................................................................................10
Week 2 – first lecture..........................................................................................................................14
Literature.........................................................................................................................................14
1) attachment in early life course................................................................................................14
2) disorganized attachment in infancy.........................................................................................15
Video: Bucharest early intervention project....................................................................................16
Lecture 2..........................................................................................................................................18
Week 2 – second lecture.....................................................................................................................23
Literature.........................................................................................................................................23
1) Early care, education and child development..........................................................................23
2) Explicit and implicit caregiving interests in expectant fathers.................................................25
Video 1: The biology of dads............................................................................................................26
Video 2: Fathers...............................................................................................................................26
Lecture 3..........................................................................................................................................28
Week 3 – first lecture..........................................................................................................................32
Literature.........................................................................................................................................32
1) Applications of temperament: A review of caregiver-focused temperament-driven
interventions. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2017.1341805..............................................32
2) Susceptibility to environmental influences is not bimodal. Developmental Psychopathology
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421000821............................................................................33
Video 1: CDE Baby Human to Feel 2 Stimulation (8.5 min)..............................................................34
Video 2: CDE Baby Human to Feel 3 Temperament (9 min).............................................................34
, Video 3: CDE Baby Human to Feel 5 Coping (9 min)........................................................................35
Lecture 4..........................................................................................................................................35
Week 3 – second lecture.....................................................................................................................39
Literature.........................................................................................................................................39
1) Mechanisms underlying the effects of prenatal psychosocial stress on child outcomes.........39
2) Belsky, J. (2019). Early-life adversity accelerates child and adolescent development.............41
Video 1: Your Microbiome and Your Brain – SciShow (10 min) DETAILS ARE NOT EXAM
MATERIAL GET THE GREATER PICTURE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ycHwcV9MvM . 42
Video 2: What we don't know about mother's milk (10 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Bo8YN3oB0Cw.........................................................................................................................43
Lecture 5..........................................................................................................................................43
Week 4 – first lecture..........................................................................................................................48
Literature.........................................................................................................................................48
1) prenatal anxiety and depression: treatment uptake, barriers, facilitators in midwifery care..48
2) Ethical challenges of parenting interventions in low-to middle-income countries..................48
Video 1: Why don’t I love my baby?................................................................................................50
Video 2: Prenatal stress & fathers...................................................................................................51
Lecture 6..........................................................................................................................................51
Week 5.................................................................................................................................................56
Literature.........................................................................................................................................56
1) resilience, strengths, and regulatory capacities: hidden resources in developmental disorders
of infant mental health................................................................................................................56
2) the incredible years.................................................................................................................57
Video 1: the incredible years intervention.......................................................................................61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNfAyTKP7Zg........................................................................61
Video 2: autism program parent reflections https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIw2p2uwAIE. 61
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................62
https://brightspace.ru.nl/d2l/le/content/299399/viewContent/1672298/View
,Introduction lecture
Lecture Biology: nature vs. nurture
Focus of this course: socio-emotional development of children within the first 1000 days (conception
to second birthday)
Development proceeds very quickly
How we view the role of nature vs. nurture during developmental period changed over the years
- Watson: nurture only. Regardless of DNA, I can make any child a specialist (behaviorism)
- Example bees: with same DNA but different nutrition you can get different genetics
Environment influences expressions of biology
- Example: range of reaction: biology gives range of developmental possibilities
Biology shapes environment
- Example: child with down syndrome or difficult temperament
Programming: how the expression of our biology is shaped by our environment
- By programming the child early in life, the child will do better in that type of environment
Environment will have more or less of an influence depending on developmental period
- Critical period: environment only has an impact during a particular window; effects are
irreversible.
o Example: first thing they will see, they will follow. Not undoable
o The length of the critical period differs across animals
- Sensitive period: environment shapes a given trait or behavior to a larger extent than in
other periods or stages
Developmental plasticity: capacity to adapt to different environments
- Adapting to the environment makes infants both versatile and vulnerable
Decreases with age
First 1000 days of life therefore contains
- Risk with lifelong consequences for health and wellbeing
- Changes to ‘get things right’ and to boost children’s development
Development origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis
- Exposure to certain environmental influences during critical or sensitive periods of
development may have significant consequences on an individual’s short and long-term
health.
Development is most important time to intervene to prevent disease
- Impact of adult intervention is smaller than in child interventions
- Better to intervene earlier, more cost-effective and more beneficial in terms of what you
gain with the intervention
Study gene-environment contributions to individual differences
- Adoption studies: compare characteristics of adopted children with those of both their
adoptive and biological parents
, - Twin studies: compare similarities between identical and fraternal twins reared together or
apart
True or false: identical twins have identical genes. So, if reared apart, any similarities they have must
be due to genes.
FALSE
Identical twins already share the prenatal environment (womb)
So even if identical twins are reared apart, they already have shared an environment
How much of prenatal environment is shared depends on chorionic arrangements of the
identical twins
Dichorionic twins
- 1/3
- Separate placentas and separate fetal circulations (so get different nutrition)
Monochorionic twins
- 2/3
- One placenta and one fetal circulation. Can only be identical twins
Monochorionic/dichorionic
- Identical twins can be monochorionic (MC) or dichorionic (DC)
- Greater concordance for MC identical twins than for DC identical twins on:
o IQ scores
o Personality scores
o Schizophrenia
o Psychological measures
risks
Contents
Introduction lecture...............................................................................................................................3
Lecture Biology: nature vs. nurture...................................................................................................3
Week 1...................................................................................................................................................5
Literature...........................................................................................................................................5
1) Prenatal development origins of behavior and mental health: the influence of maternal stress
in pregnancy..................................................................................................................................5
2) Lessons learned from 25 years of research into long term consequences of prenatal exposure
to the Dutch famine 1944-45.........................................................................................................6
Video: the nine months that made you.............................................................................................9
Lecture 1..........................................................................................................................................10
Week 2 – first lecture..........................................................................................................................14
Literature.........................................................................................................................................14
1) attachment in early life course................................................................................................14
2) disorganized attachment in infancy.........................................................................................15
Video: Bucharest early intervention project....................................................................................16
Lecture 2..........................................................................................................................................18
Week 2 – second lecture.....................................................................................................................23
Literature.........................................................................................................................................23
1) Early care, education and child development..........................................................................23
2) Explicit and implicit caregiving interests in expectant fathers.................................................25
Video 1: The biology of dads............................................................................................................26
Video 2: Fathers...............................................................................................................................26
Lecture 3..........................................................................................................................................28
Week 3 – first lecture..........................................................................................................................32
Literature.........................................................................................................................................32
1) Applications of temperament: A review of caregiver-focused temperament-driven
interventions. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2017.1341805..............................................32
2) Susceptibility to environmental influences is not bimodal. Developmental Psychopathology
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421000821............................................................................33
Video 1: CDE Baby Human to Feel 2 Stimulation (8.5 min)..............................................................34
Video 2: CDE Baby Human to Feel 3 Temperament (9 min).............................................................34
, Video 3: CDE Baby Human to Feel 5 Coping (9 min)........................................................................35
Lecture 4..........................................................................................................................................35
Week 3 – second lecture.....................................................................................................................39
Literature.........................................................................................................................................39
1) Mechanisms underlying the effects of prenatal psychosocial stress on child outcomes.........39
2) Belsky, J. (2019). Early-life adversity accelerates child and adolescent development.............41
Video 1: Your Microbiome and Your Brain – SciShow (10 min) DETAILS ARE NOT EXAM
MATERIAL GET THE GREATER PICTURE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ycHwcV9MvM . 42
Video 2: What we don't know about mother's milk (10 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Bo8YN3oB0Cw.........................................................................................................................43
Lecture 5..........................................................................................................................................43
Week 4 – first lecture..........................................................................................................................48
Literature.........................................................................................................................................48
1) prenatal anxiety and depression: treatment uptake, barriers, facilitators in midwifery care..48
2) Ethical challenges of parenting interventions in low-to middle-income countries..................48
Video 1: Why don’t I love my baby?................................................................................................50
Video 2: Prenatal stress & fathers...................................................................................................51
Lecture 6..........................................................................................................................................51
Week 5.................................................................................................................................................56
Literature.........................................................................................................................................56
1) resilience, strengths, and regulatory capacities: hidden resources in developmental disorders
of infant mental health................................................................................................................56
2) the incredible years.................................................................................................................57
Video 1: the incredible years intervention.......................................................................................61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNfAyTKP7Zg........................................................................61
Video 2: autism program parent reflections https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIw2p2uwAIE. 61
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................62
https://brightspace.ru.nl/d2l/le/content/299399/viewContent/1672298/View
,Introduction lecture
Lecture Biology: nature vs. nurture
Focus of this course: socio-emotional development of children within the first 1000 days (conception
to second birthday)
Development proceeds very quickly
How we view the role of nature vs. nurture during developmental period changed over the years
- Watson: nurture only. Regardless of DNA, I can make any child a specialist (behaviorism)
- Example bees: with same DNA but different nutrition you can get different genetics
Environment influences expressions of biology
- Example: range of reaction: biology gives range of developmental possibilities
Biology shapes environment
- Example: child with down syndrome or difficult temperament
Programming: how the expression of our biology is shaped by our environment
- By programming the child early in life, the child will do better in that type of environment
Environment will have more or less of an influence depending on developmental period
- Critical period: environment only has an impact during a particular window; effects are
irreversible.
o Example: first thing they will see, they will follow. Not undoable
o The length of the critical period differs across animals
- Sensitive period: environment shapes a given trait or behavior to a larger extent than in
other periods or stages
Developmental plasticity: capacity to adapt to different environments
- Adapting to the environment makes infants both versatile and vulnerable
Decreases with age
First 1000 days of life therefore contains
- Risk with lifelong consequences for health and wellbeing
- Changes to ‘get things right’ and to boost children’s development
Development origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis
- Exposure to certain environmental influences during critical or sensitive periods of
development may have significant consequences on an individual’s short and long-term
health.
Development is most important time to intervene to prevent disease
- Impact of adult intervention is smaller than in child interventions
- Better to intervene earlier, more cost-effective and more beneficial in terms of what you
gain with the intervention
Study gene-environment contributions to individual differences
- Adoption studies: compare characteristics of adopted children with those of both their
adoptive and biological parents
, - Twin studies: compare similarities between identical and fraternal twins reared together or
apart
True or false: identical twins have identical genes. So, if reared apart, any similarities they have must
be due to genes.
FALSE
Identical twins already share the prenatal environment (womb)
So even if identical twins are reared apart, they already have shared an environment
How much of prenatal environment is shared depends on chorionic arrangements of the
identical twins
Dichorionic twins
- 1/3
- Separate placentas and separate fetal circulations (so get different nutrition)
Monochorionic twins
- 2/3
- One placenta and one fetal circulation. Can only be identical twins
Monochorionic/dichorionic
- Identical twins can be monochorionic (MC) or dichorionic (DC)
- Greater concordance for MC identical twins than for DC identical twins on:
o IQ scores
o Personality scores
o Schizophrenia
o Psychological measures
