ECE Expert Helps Parents Understand Their Newborn

Berry Brazelton. Except for Dr. Spock, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton is probably the closest thing to a household name in infant care.

He is probably best known for his Neonatal Behavioral Infant Scale,  which measures behaviors and capabilities of infants up to 2 months old, including how an infant responds to light and touch and human voices. The information is provided to parents to give them a picture of their unique newborn across different developmental areas—of each child’s preferences, vulnerabilities, and areas in which they may need support.

I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Brazelton speak recently at the National Institute for Early Childhood Development of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) where he gave the opening keynote address.

In his address, Dr. Brazelton highlighted the many stressors currently experienced by parents and families, including such factors as the changes in family structure (often with a lack of support from extended family), a significantly broken educational system, poverty, parent depression, and the reduction in family time and rituals. He also spoke of the opportunities for caregivers to enter into a more collaborative model with families, respecting their role as the foremost expert on their child.

Dr. Brazelton’s Touchpoint Institute has been built around this philosophy and is the focal point for his lifelong mission to partner with parents by helping them better understand their growing infants, their needs, and how best to support their growth. It is  an interesting resource for both early childhood educators as they work together to build a partnership around the language of the newborn.