"The Baby's Brain" Movie Reflection

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Stacey Johnston Jean Toner SWK 374 10/02/2012 “The Baby’s Brain” Movie Reflection While watching the film, “The Baby’s Brain,” I was fascinated by the complexity of the brain development of a baby. One of the very first things that I found very interesting was how critical the first 12 weeks are to a premature infant’s brain development. What I find particularly interesting about it is that it indicates the delicate interplay between nature and nurture. For example, when a baby is born prematurely as the first baby in the film is, the brain is not finished developing biologically. As a result, everything from the environment including lights and sounds can have a direct impact on how the brain develops during the weeks following birth. In the film, the baby was placed into an extremely nurturing environment following her birth. The way she was introduced to her environment was controlled, and she received a high level of attention from her parents as well as medical staff. In the months that followed, the infant’s development caught up with that of other infants who were not born prematurely. Although scientists and doctors noted that there could have been confounding variables (i.e. her internal strength) that had an impact on her excellent development, it is important to recognize her positive outcome following the nurturing she received. Another part of the film that I found very interesting was the case with the infant who had a cataract on her eye at birth. Just as the premature baby’s brain development was could have been negatively impacted by her early birth, the baby with the cataract could have also suffered negative effects to her brain development due to the cataract on her eye. What I found particularly interesting about the cataract was that it had the potential to impair her vision for the rest of her life. Luckily, however, by ensuring that

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