Caring for Children’s Brain Health

The period before the age of 3 is extremely critical for the neuropsychological development of children and is decisive for their whole life. Severe brain injury can lead to cerebral palsy, mental retardation and other disabilities, while mild brain injury is not easy to be detected, but can cause future behavioral problems such as backward language development, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning difficulties, sensory integration disorder and so on. Therefore, systematic neurological examination and developmental level measurement can detect brain function abnormality at an early stage, guide parents to carry out early intervention on their babies in time, maximize the potential of the brain, and develop intelligence, which is twice as effective as half the effort in preventing disabilities such as mental retardation. Cao Aihua, Department of Child Health, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, suggests that children should be examined once a month before 6 months for neuromotor examination and developmental level test, once every 2 months from 6 to 12 months, and once every 3 to 6 months after 1 year of age. Premature and high-risk babies should be examined more frequently.