Typical Brain Development

In this section you will learn about:

• Building blocks of the brain
• Brain development from infancy to adult
• How experience affects brain development

No one would not want to live in a world where everyone is the same. People come in all shapes and sizes, and their behaviors and personalities do too. Born with a certain genetic makeup and certain talents, we are influenced, learn from, and are shaped by our environment, our culture, how we interact with others, and how others react to us.

So what, then, is neurotypical? When a scientist compares a group of subjects identified with a neurodevelopmental disorder, he/she needs to compare them with controls. Neurotypical refers to a patient who does not have the given disorder or any other psychological or learning disorder. The patient either self-reports or is reported by parents. Alternatively, the patient’s responses lie within the normal range of a particular psychiatric test or battery of tests for that particular disorder.  A neurotypical brain is the brain of a neurotypical patient.

This section provides an overview of the building blocks of brains in neurotypical patients, how brains develop, and how brain and behavior changes with experience.