Healthcare | Sunday 17 May, 2015 12:52 am |

A balanced diet during a child’s early years is proven to greatly influence learning and development, as well as manage hyperactivity and allergies, according to world-renowned educational psychologist, Dr Madeleine Portwood.

She confirmed that recent studies have uncovered a direct relationship between diet, learning and behaviour, with the communications skills of children monitored over half a year soaring by up to 14 months above the ‘norm’.

Dr Portwood, an acclaimed author and consultant psychologist at Dubai-based special training consultancy Ebdaah, said a marked improvement in sleep patterns, mood and concentration has been linked directly to diet.

“A child’s potential is not fixed: early learning experiences ultimately determine how well the brain will operate in future. Not only are correct experiences needed to shape the development of a child’s potential, the brain must have the right nutrition, and this is where diet has such a huge impact on children’s learning and behaviour.”

The findings are part of Dr Portwood’s Child Development Programme (CDP) which allows pre-school teachers and parents to fast track the movement, thinking, language, communications and social skills of children from two to six years old.

She explained that until the mid-1980s, it was thought that left to its own devices, as the brain of a young child matures, the child is able to engage in more complex thought processes.

“As the child plans and executes a series of more complex physical skills, connections between neurons in the brain are reinforced and the scaffolding for future learning is put in place. The child must first develop large, gross motor skills, such as running, jumping and climbing, and then fine skills such as manipulating small objects, threading and twisting. So activity, firstly physical then intellectual, stimulates the cells of the brain, while a balanced diet ensures the right nutrients are present.”

Dr Portwood pinpointed essential fatty acids as needing to be high up on a child’s early years’ diet.

“These are the building blocks of cell membranes, known as structural fatty acids, and are vital for effective transmission of messages between nerve cells, or functional fatty acids,” she said.

Dr Portwood, also the spokesperson for the British Psychological Society on Child Development, explained that omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids are converted by the body into specific fatty acids with specific roles.

“Problems with omega-6 and -3 specifically - either there not being enough in the diet, or problems converting them - may lead to increasing levels of hyperactivity in young children and in the numbers of children with allergies and eczema.

“Indeed, insufficient omega-3s in the brain often translates into a child who is unable to concentrate, sleeps badly, has poor memory skills and is unable to sequence information and respond to instructions. He or she may also be restless and overactive.”

As well as essential fats, which account for 20 per cent of the brain’s weight, Dr Portwood advised other essential foods are proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

“Several portions of fresh fruit and vegetables are as important for children as for adults, and correct hydration for the brain is vital.

“Complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain, take longer to digest than refined carbohydrates like white bread and sugar, and so release the required energy more slowly, keeping mood and concentration levels constant.

“In contrast fizzy drinks and sugary snacks produce a quick response leading to an excitable child with mood swings and a dramatic effect upon concentration and behaviour. Certain food additives may also have a serious negative impact upon behaviour.”

Dr Portwood cites studies from the UK’s Southampton University which showed particular problems for children who consumed a combination of sunset yellow, tartrazine and sodium benzoate, found together in some fizzy drinks.

“Ideally you would hope to provide all the essential nutrients to a child via the food they eat. Sometimes, particularly when a child is a fussy eater, that’s not always possible, but a good diet is vital for optimum brain function. So it’s important to establish positive eating habits as early as possible, allowing children to explore a range of foods, helping you to prepare meals and handle ingredients.”

She also said that both nutrition and early stimulation programmes work better when practiced simultaneously, as in the case of the proprietary CDP.

In the UAE, the CDP, which is validated as evidence-based by the UK’s Department of Education, will come under the spotlight at the one-day event at the Dubai Knowledge Village Conference Center on June 13, when Dr Portwood will share with pre-school teachers and healthcare specialists how to measure and track children’s skills to their full potential.

The conference is part of Ebdaah’s Education Series and is dubbed ‘Help Children Reach Their Potential: Accelerating Child Development In The Early Years’. It comes in the wake of UK evidence which shows that some pre-school children are lagging behind in the development stakes often because of a lack of specialised opportunity and activities.

The full-day conference awards specialists with four Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits.