What’s Going on in My Child’s Brain?!

“Why does my child find school challenging?”

“Why does my child find it difficult to maintain focus?”

“Why does my child have difficulty regulating their emotions?”

If you are like any other caring parent, I’m sure you’ve asked yourself similar questions.

The fact is, every child’s brain develops at its own pace, and it doesn’t always follow a straight or predictable path. Although it can be worrisome when your child behaves differently than other children, it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. These are often just normal variations in development, and your child may just benefit from a little more support. One helpful way to ease your concerns and better support your child is to gain a deeper understanding of what might be going on inside their brain.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through how brain development works, why challenges can arise, and how psychological assessments can offer clarity, guidance, and peace of mind.

Understanding Brain Development

A child’s brain is like a construction site: it’s constantly building, reshaping, and refining its structure. Typically, brain development occurs in a back to front pattern [1]:

• Back of the brain (e.g., sensory and motor areas) matures first. These areas are responsible for more basic functions (e.g., walking, motor coordination, etc.).

• Front of the brain (e.g., prefrontal cortex) develops last. These areas are responsible for more complex functions (e.g., impulse control, planning, emotional regulation, etc.).

What does this mean? This means that skills like movement and basic perception develop early on, while more complex functions required for complex decision making develop later on. Did you know ... the prefrontal cortex is one of the last areas of the brain to fully mature and is thought to still be developing into the late 20s [2]?! So, when a child (or even teenager) has an emotional outburst, forgets instructions, or struggles to stay focused, it’s not necessarily defiance – it's brain development!

Why Challenges Can Arise

Even within typical development, children can vary widely in how and when they acquire skills. Some may excel socially but struggle academically, or vice versa. Others may experience:

• Difficulty focusing or sitting still

• Frequent meltdowns or emotional sensitivity

• Trouble following multi-step instructions

• Poor memory or organizational difficulties

These challenges can stem from natural variations in development. It is normal for children to develop cognitive skills at different rates. However, if these challenges are pervasive and seem to be interfering with your child’s academic, personal and/or social life, it may hint towards an underlying neurodevelopmental condition, like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or a learning disorder.

The presence of these challenges DOES NOT mean your child's brain is unhealthy - it just means they may require a little more support to thrive in a way that works best for them, harnessing their unique strengths and learning style. This is when a psychological assessment may be especially beneficial.

How a Psychological Assessment Can Help

A psychological assessment is like a roadmap – it helps you understand where your child is now, where their strengths and challenges lie, and what kind of support can help move them forward. Through a combination of interviews, observations, standardized tests, and input from caregivers and/or teachers, psychologists can evaluate a range of areas, including cognitive abilities, emotional regulation, attention, memory, and learning style.

The goal isn’t to “label” your child, but to uncover how their brain processes information and interacts with the world. An assessment not only highlights your child’s challenges, but also their strengths, and how those strengths can be utilized to help tailor specific home and school-based strategies. A psychological assessment can be a powerful tool for families to help better understand their child, and how they can best support them moving forward.

Final Thoughts

As parents, it's natural to worry - but it's also powerful to be curious. Understanding what’s going on in your child’s brain is the first step toward helping them succeed, not just academically, but emotionally and socially as well. Every child develops differently, and with the right insight and support, they can thrive in their own unique way.

If you would like to inquire about a psychological assessment, please contact us at (587) 415-0482 or info@onyxassessments.ca for more information!

References

[1] Houston, S. M., Herting, M. M., & Sowell, E. R. (2014). The neurobiology of child

hood structural brain development: conception through adulthood. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, 16, 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2013_265

[2] Kolk, S. M., & Rakic, P. (2022). Development of prefrontal cortex. Neuropsychopharmacology: Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 47(1), 41–57. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-01137-9