An infant's environment provides the infant with the stimulation that helps his brain develop synapses that become the foundation for future social and emotional growth. Any type of stimulation that an infant experiences from his environment, regardless of whether the stimulation is nurturing or traumatic, can affect the infant's brain development.
Creating Synapses
Neurons in the brain establish connections with other neurons in the brain for the first three years of a person's life, according to the University of Missouri Extension. Connections occur when neurons receive impulses from other neurons as a result of sensory stimulation in the infant's environment. Synapses evolve as an infant develops in a way similar to a tree that sprouts more branches.
Positive Environment
Synapses that receive the most stimulation become a stronger part of the brain while synapses that receive less stimulation weaken and fail. Exposing a child to an environment of positive, nurturing experiences strengthens synapses associated with these experiences. Infants learn about their world and themselves by interacting with others. Interactions that are supportive, nurturing and predictable can help provide an infant with the feeling of love and security that she will need to continue learning and interacting with others throughout life. Stimulation should help build an infant's feeling of self-confidence, curiosity and creativity in order to develop synapses for social, emotional and intellectual growth.
Responding to Caregivers
An infant's brain responds to how others respond to him. Emotional expressions and body language are an infant's means of communication before he develops the ability for spoken language skills. An infant's observations of his caregivers helps develop his understanding of emotions and affects development of the brain. A positive emotion such as smiling from caregiver to infant can help foster a feeling of security and confidence that stimulates the brain in a positive way.
Stress and Trauma
Stressful situations or events can create synapses in the brain that can be detrimental to an infant's brain development. An ongoing environment of stress, neglect or abuse can condition the infant to a habit of danger, which can overstimulate and oversensitize parts of the brain such as the limbic system that respond to stress, according to Quolkids.
Communication
An infant's strong emotions indicate a desire to communicate and should be met quickly and sympathetically by a caregiver. Communicate with an infant in a nurturing manner to encourage the development of speech and language skills. Use the infant's name and keep your face close to hers when speaking. Even repeating an infant's attempts at speech in a nurturing way helps her understand how conversation works, according to Baby Development News.
