The human brain changes and responds to experience throughout the whole lifespan, but early childhood experiences especially affect the development of the brain’s structure. As such, a lot of brain research focuses on the early years of a child’s life. However, the adolescent phase has also been shown to be a period of intense brain development, and so this period in a child’s life can provide other chances for growth.
The Child's Developing Brain
Video
This link explores key concepts.
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/brain-architecture/
‘Brain Hero’ portrays how actions taken by parents, teachers, policymakers, and others can affect life outcomes.
The developing brain and what influences it.
Articles & Books
Early experiences are linked to brain development and this article clearly explains this using evidence from studying children in care in Bucharest. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcs.1387/full
This allows you to see a visual map of the developing brain at different ages using a series of MRI scans. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/15/health/20080915-brain-development.html?_r=0
Some helpful books by Dr Dan Siegel include:
‘The Whole Brain Child’
‘The Yes Brain Child’
‘No Drama Discipline’
‘Brainstorm: The power and purpose of the teenage brain’
Organisations and Websites
The Centre for the Developing Child’s purpose is to drive science-based innovation https://developingchild.harvard.edu/
Dr Dan Siegel writes widely about brain science, mindfulness, attachment and parenting
http://www.drdansiegel.com