Insecurity of neglect and abuse affects the developing brain

     In some ways, neglect and violent abuse can be very similar as far as an infant’s brain is concerned. Neglect isn’t just a matter of boredom or insufficient input for proper learning. Neglect is stressful for an infant. Animal studies have shown that separating a newborn from its mother instantly raises its stress hormone levels. Human infants need the attention of a loving caregiver, too. In nine-month-old babies, levels of stress hormones, measured in a simple saliva test, rise in response to a cold and distant caregiver, but not a friendly and playful one.

     The importance of paying attention to an infant goes beyond momentary discomfort. Being paid attention to equals a sense of security in a helpless infant’s mind. In fact, a wise teacher of child psychology once advised first-time parents that they can commit all the other mistakes of child rearing as long as they make the child sure of three things: That they love each other, that they want to pay attention to the child, ant that food is always available. For an infant and young child, those three constants signal security.