Parental determinism has strongly influenced the way ‘the early years’ have come to be thought about. An uncontentious view that babies and young children need care and attention from families has given way to a conviction that what happens ‘the first three years’ or ‘1001 Days’ determines later development; a view usually justified on the grounds that ‘science says’ this is the case. In turn the argument that the most effective way to tackle social problems is through ‘early intervention’ in the lives of babies and young children, and crucially in the ‘parenting’ done by their parents, has become ubiquitous in policy making in the UK and elsewhere. Poverty, educational inequality, mental health and crime are all said to be best addressed by intervening early. As we have noted in our discussion of pregnancy this imperative has expanded ever backwards and strongly influences messages to parents-to-be and programmes and policies directed to them.
Our research is known for its questioning of this version of parental determinism and particularly for our exposure of the scientism (misuse of science) on which it rests. This was the focus for our project Biologising Parenting: Neuroscience discourse and English social and public health policy which led to a range of publications and the book Neuroparenting: The Expert Invasion of Family Life by Jan Macvarish. We discussed this recourse to scientised claims-making at Monitoring Parents: Science, evidence, experts and the new parenting culture and more recently Gabriel Scheidecker has discussed his work on ‘Poor brain development’ in the Global South: Challenging the science of early childhood interventions as part of our Forums programme. Our other work in this area has taken up the term, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). We have questioned the way that ordinary parts of growing up have come to be pathologised, and written about how parents, and especially mothers, are often assumed inadequate and demeaned within ACEs discourse and programmes.
Read on:
Constructions of Parents in Adverse Childhood Experiences Discourse
Growing better brains? Pregnancy and neuroscience discourses in English social and welfare policies
The ‘First Three Years’ Movement and the Infant Brain: A Review of Critiques
The Uses and Abuses of Biology: Neuroscience, Parenting and Family Policy in Britain (Key Findings)