Prof. Sean Deoni

Professor Deoni's lab work focuses on developing and applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to study early brain development. His current studies involve following the process of myelination in healthy infants and toddlers in relationship to behavioral development and exploring the environmental and genetic influences that shape these relationships. He has published ground-breaking data in the area of nutrition and early brain development associated with learning.

What are you most excited by when it comes to child development?
That children have such amazing and innate talents and abilities, and are a virtual sponge for new knowledge and experiences. They approach everything without a fear of failure and a quest to explore. Our role as parents is to nurture that exploration and encourage that failure, while our role as researchers is to help parents be ok with that.

What is the single-most helpful thing parents of young children can do to aid their child’s cognitive development?
Read, play and have fun with your children.

Why is it important for parents not to feel too much pressure to see immediate ‘results’?
The old adage “Rome wasn’t built in a day” applies equally well to child development. It takes time and repeated practice to build brain systems, just like it takes time to play a new piece of music, run a marathon or paint a beautiful picture. Consistency, and not speed, is the measure of success.

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