Pediatric Brain Development and Adverse Childhood Experiences: Associations with Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes

The development of a child’s brain is a complicated, dynamic process that is influenced by both environmental factors and biological processes. Neural structures and functional circuits rapidly grow, prune, and specialize during childhood, providing the groundwork for behavior, emotional control, cognition, and physical health throughout life. Adverse childhood experiences are normally categorized into 3 domains: (a) misuse (emotional, physical, and sexual), (b) neglect (emotional and physical), and (c) household dysfunction (family violence, parental substance abuse, mental illness, incarceration, and separation). These experiences are associated with core neurobiological processes and may contribute to change brain architecture, stress management regulation, and functional connectivity by upsetting basic neurobiological processes. The changes increase the risk for cognitive delays, emotional dysregulation, behavioral difficulties, and long-term health concerns.