The following are excerpts from a recent article run in the Financial Times (Feb 16, 2008) documenting new research on the effects of low socio-economic status on very young children's development. This research is important in that it demonstrates substantial detrimental impact to children of low SES households due to increased stress levels, effects which are over and above those of nutritional deficiencies and exposure to environmental toxins. The article uses some strong language, which, if heard, should create an increased sense of urgency to find solutions to the multi-faceted tragedy of poverty.
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"Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain, the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston heard on Friday. Neuroscientists said many children growing up in very poor families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones, which impair their neural development. That effect is on top of any damage caused by inadequate nutrition and exposure to environmental toxins. "
"Studies by several US universities have revealed the pervasive harm done to the brain, particularly between the ages of six months and three years, from low socio-economic status. Martha Farah, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s centre for cognitive neuroscience, said: 'The biggest effects are on language and memory. The finding about memory impairment – the ability to encounter a pattern and remember it – really surprised us.'”
"Stress hormone levels tend to be higher in young children from poor families than in children growing up in middle-class and wealthy families, said Prof Shonkoff. Excessive levels of these hormones disrupt the formation of synaptic connections between cells in the developing brain – and even affect its blood supply. 'They literally disrupt the brain architecture,' he said."
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The following link will take you to the complete article as found in the Financial Times:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/62c45126-dc1f-11dc-bc82-0000779fd2ac.html
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman also wrote a piece on the Financial Times article. You can find his column here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/opinion/18krugman.html?_r=1&st=cse&sq=poverty+is+poison&scp=1&oref=slogin
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"Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain, the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston heard on Friday. Neuroscientists said many children growing up in very poor families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones, which impair their neural development. That effect is on top of any damage caused by inadequate nutrition and exposure to environmental toxins. "
"Studies by several US universities have revealed the pervasive harm done to the brain, particularly between the ages of six months and three years, from low socio-economic status. Martha Farah, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s centre for cognitive neuroscience, said: 'The biggest effects are on language and memory. The finding about memory impairment – the ability to encounter a pattern and remember it – really surprised us.'”
"Stress hormone levels tend to be higher in young children from poor families than in children growing up in middle-class and wealthy families, said Prof Shonkoff. Excessive levels of these hormones disrupt the formation of synaptic connections between cells in the developing brain – and even affect its blood supply. 'They literally disrupt the brain architecture,' he said."
______________________________________________________
The following link will take you to the complete article as found in the Financial Times:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/62c45126-dc1f-11dc-bc82-0000779fd2ac.html
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman also wrote a piece on the Financial Times article. You can find his column here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/opinion/18krugman.html?_r=1&st=cse&sq=poverty+is+poison&scp=1&oref=slogin
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