title: Critical periods in childhood learning.
abstract: The human body is born with 'hard wiring' that leads the baby to pay attention to certain things in the environment, especially the communications of caregivers. These inborn predispositions are gradually shaped by the environment of the family, a 'curriculum for babies' which is rich on communication and making sense of the world. Day care and nursery education can complement and enhance the child's learning, especially if they are of high quality. Research has shown again and again that early learning has lasting effects on development although they are rarely irreversible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Development and Primary Education, Institute of Education, London, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sylva
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007360:Intelligence; D007858:Learning; D008954:Models, Biological; D010290:Parents; D013850:Thinking