Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/rebooting-the-brain/5020165/
100 billion. That is the average number of brain cells we have when we are born, and it is all we ever get. Starting with the time of our in-utero development, our environment shapes our brains, creating critical synaptic pathways, which form the foundation for our minds. Sadly, for abused and neglected children, that environment is not one of nurturance, love, and positive stimulation. Abused and neglected children live in a world that usually includes some sort of violence, chaos, and tremendous physical and mental stress. This toxic environment wreaks havoc on a child’s developing brain.Jayme and Bryce were born into such an environment in Arkansas, United States. Child protective services took the children away from their biological parents due to life-threatening neglect and placed them in foster care. Custody was eventually awarded to the grandparents. Unfortunately, the grandparents were so afraid that Jayme and Bryce would get hurt and be removed from their custody that they kept the children continuously strapped into their baby carriers, high chairs, or baby beds. The children were so young when this was happening that their skull plates had not fully fused together and as a result, the back of their heads were as ...