Related topics or keywords - critical periods

Find out more about how humans come equipped with predispositions to learn.

Learn more about how adolescence is a critical period of brain development.

Humans are a learning species designed to learn, Each of us is born with everything we need to ‘grow our own brains’ – but only if we get the right kind of interaction with the world around us, especially during critical periods of brain growth.

Human brains come with a genetic timetable for growth. Certain periods like the early years and adolescence are key to optimal development.

What happens in the early years is critical to a person’s lifelong development. It is not nature or nurture, but both. What happens (or does not happen) in a child’s life before the age of six literally shapes – to a remarkable extent – who they will become, how they learn, their abilities and their emotional capacities. Optimal development during this critical period relies on competent and loving parenting, active community support, effective early childhood education and an understanding of the importance of play.

Adolescence is a critical period of development when crucial skills are either developed or abandoned. It may also be an important evolutionary adaptation that has helped the progression of our species. Are we getting learning right for teens?