Adaptation and Resilience in Early Life: Implications of the New Developmental Neurobiology for Clinical Practice

Growing research interest in the connections between early experience and
developmental outcome-in combination with technological innovations that have made possible measurement
of mental process in a way never before possible-have wiped out the last vestiges of dichotomous (mind-body)
thinking, and have opened the way to new understandings about how we become the people we become. This
paper summarizes some aspects of the new research in developmental neurobiology, and suggests
implications for understanding the behavior of both children and adults. In particular, it is suggested that most
behavior-including behavior that typically warrants a diagnosis-often turns out to be strikingly adaptive, often
evidences resilience, and is, therefore worthy of respect. KEY WORDS: adaptation, resilience,
neurodevelopment, neurobiology, memory