ABSTRACT
From conception, there is a rapid and random increase in synaptic activity in the brain of the infant, with many more neurons being created than are actually needed. This activity is gradually developed into organized patterns through a process of `pruning' in response to interactions with the environment. The brain of the infant weighs approximately 400g at birth, developing to approximately 1000g at 12 months. This early period is regarded as critical in terms of the pathways that are developed in the brain and the early development of affective functioning. The right hemisphere of the brain is the ®rst to develop and is in a growth spurt for the ®rst one and a half years of life. The emotional experience of the infant develops through the sounds, images and pictures that constitute much of the infant's early learning experience, and are disproportionately stored in the right hemisphere of the brain; furthermore, the right hemisphere is dominant for the ®rst three years of life. The right hemisphere is centrally involved in the vital functions that support survival and enable the organism to cope actively and passively with stress. It is responsible for the production of cortisol, as well as immune, neuroendocrine and cardiovascular functions. These early developments are also key to later selfregulatory coping mechanisms (Schore, 1994; Gerhardt, 2004; Hart, 2008).
