Neuroplasticity in Children

Children’s brains are constantly growing, developing, and changing. Each new experience prompts a change in brain structure, function, or both.

At birth, each neuron in an infant’s brain has about 7,500 connections with other neurons; by the age of 2, the brain’s neurons have more than double the number of connections in an average adult brain (Mundkur, 2005). These connections are slowly pruned away as the child grows up and starts forming their own unique patterns and connections.

There are four main types of neuroplasticity observed in children:

Adaptive: changes that occur when children practice a special skill and allow the brain to adapt to functional or structural changes in the brain (like injuries);

Impaired: changes occur due to genetic or acquired disorders;

Excessive: the reorganization of new, maladaptive pathways that can cause disability or disorders;

Plasticity that makes the brain vulnerable to injury: harmful neuronal pathways are formed that make injury more likely or more impactful (Mundkur, 2005).

These processes are stronger and more pronounced in young children, allowing them to recover from injury far more effectively than most adults. In children, profound cases of neuroplastic growth, recovery, and adaptation can be seen.