RE:
What’s Going On In There
How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life
Lise Eliot, Ph.D.



In her book, Lise Eliot explores, in detail, how the brain is formed and how it develops from conception through the first five years. She begins her book by referring to studies done in the 1940’s by psychiatrist Rene Spitz. Spitz showed that early nurturing and stimulation are essential to child development. Eliot agrees with a lot of the conclusions of Spitz, but does not agree with the idea that babies are born with a “blank slate” in regards to their brain. “They come into the world with all kinds of mental skills and predisposition, abilities uniquely suited to the critical needs of early life.” (p. 6) She points out that “by birth, the spinal cord and the brain stem, lower-brain structures that control all of our vital bodily functions, are almost fully developed and are largely responsible for meeting a newborn’s essential needs: to survive, grow, and bond with caregivers.” (p.6-7)