Children are not born with the ability to self-regulate – they are born with the potential to do so. If children do not get what they need from their relationships with adults and the conditions in their environments—or (worse) if those influences are negative or sources of stress—their skill development can be seriously delayed or impaired. Adverse environments such as those resulting from neglect, abuse, or violence may disrupt brain architecture and impair the development of executive functions. This video explores how children learn to regulate their attention, feelings, and behaviour, as well as the importance of high quality environments in fostering skill acquisition and children’s self-regulatory development.
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