As a follow-up to the May 22 McEvoy Lecture on “Are We ‘Immune to Change’?
Coordinating Minnesota Systems of Care to Promote Healthy Development in Young Children
,” I’d like to direct readers to an excellent visual resource, Brain Hero, a 3-minute-long video that shows how brain development can be positively and negatively impacted by outside forces, and that healthy brain development can greatly improve a child’s life outcomes.
brain hero screenshot.png“Brain Hero” is the result of a collaboration between the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University and the Interactive Media Division of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, whose goal was to find new ways to communicate the science of early brain development. Taking concepts from the gaming world, Brain Hero is visually stimulating and easy to follow, and shows how outside influences from family and the community can positively and negatively impact life outcomes.
This tool is a short and interesting way of communicating development science. I think it’s a great resource for policymakers and those working to enhance collaborative efforts between the fields of early childhood and child welfare. Be sure to check it out!