Nutrition and Child Brain Development

Remember, this is not a diagnostic tool but a tool that helps you understand more about your child.

A miniassessment of child brain responsiveness & efficiency. It contains 18 questions, each with 4 answer options. Choose the answer that best defines your child capabilities in the past 3 months, calculate the score to have an understanding of your child situation:

A score of 18 – 20 = High Responsiveness.

A score of 21 – 43  = Medium Responsiveness.

A score of 44+ = Low Responsiveness.

Highlight all questions with score 3 or 4 as these are areas for improvement you can work on with your child teachers and instructors

An assessment to evaluate the dietary intake of foods rich in omega fatty acids. It contains 16 questions, each with 5 answer options. Choose the answer that best describes your child and the food eaten, and calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 0 – 8 = Low Deficiency Risk.

A score of 9 – 20 = Moderate Deficiency Risk.

A score of 21+ = High Deficiency Risk.

Start adjusting your child diet to include more food that is high in omega-3 for improving your child overall health and cognitive functions.

An assessment to evaluate the dietary intake of foods rich in proteins. It contains 14 questions, each with 5 answer options. Choose the answer that best describes your child and the food eaten, and calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 0 – 14 = Low Deficiency Risk.

A score of 15 – 21 = Moderate Deficiency Risk.

A score of 22+ = High Deficiency Risk.

Start adjusting your child diet to include more food that is high in protein for improving your child overall health and cognitive functions.

An assessment to evaluate whether the blood sugar of your child is balanced or not. It contains 10 questions, each with 5 answer options. Choose the answer that best describes your child and calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 10 – 14 = Low Sugar Imbalance Risk.

A score of 15 – 30 = Moderate Sugar Imbalance Risk.

A score of 31+ = High Sugar Imbalance Risk.

Start adjusting your child diet to decrease the intake of simple and added sugars to improve your child overall health, mood, behavior and cognitive functions.

An assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of parents/caregivers in getting a child to try new foods. It contains 25 questions, each with 5 answer options. Choose the answer that best explains your strategies and calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 25 – 50 = High Effectiveness.

A score of 51 – 99 = Moderate Effectiveness.

A score of 100+ = Low Effectiveness.

Highlight all questions where you scored 3, 4 or 5 as these are areas for improvement. Improve 1 behavior at a time starting with the easiest for you to be encourged and go on with new strategies.

An assessment to evaluate the habits used by parents/ caregivers to help children understand about the different food options available and the rational behind it. It contains 9 questions, each with 5 answer options. Choose the answer that best explains your behaviors, calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 9 – 18 = High Encouragement.

You are doing great! Always use daily opportunities to teach your child how to select healthy foods, why doing so is important, and essential food-preparation skills. Praising a good behavior, encourages repetition. Your next steps are to always allow children to prepare meal and give them more responsibility in the kitchen and in grocery store.

A score of 19 – 32 = Moderate Encouragement.

Eating a healthy diet requires knowledge, so help your child understand. Use all opportunities to tell your child how to eat healthily, and why you’re making certain foods at the grocery store or for a recipe. In the grocery store, have your child select fresh produce, look for the expiration date, and hunt for healthy items on your list. In the kitchen, give them safe tasks and let them help. Praise your child for eating healthy foods or for limiting unhealthy treats.

A score of 33+ = Low Encouragement.

Take your child shopping with you once a week. Older children can be responsible of part of the shopping list. Younger children can help find and pick healthier options with you. Buy only 1 treat. In the kitchen, have them wash fruits or find ingredients in the cupboard for you. At mealtimes allow them to serve themselves from dishes on the table. Praise any little steps!

An assessment to evaluate the impulsiveness & inattentiveness of your child. It contains 20 questions, each with 3 answer options. Choose the answer that best describes your child activity level and calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 20 – 24 = Low Hyperactivity.

A score of 25 – 35 = Moderate Hyperactivity.

A score of 36+ = High Hyperactivity.

With high scores you can check with a specialist to diagnose your child condition whether he/she need help or not.

An assessment for children above 4 years of age to assess any learning difficulties for school-aged children. It contains 19 questions, each with 3 answer options. Choose the answer that best defines your child learning capabilities and calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 0 – 8 = High Language Processing.

A score of 9 – 20 = Moderate Language Processing.

A score of 21+ = Low Language Processing.

For low and Medium results check for learning difficulties with school teachers or recommended specialist. You may also check for Vision & Hearing problems.

Stress may impact your parenting style so it is important to evaluate your perceived stress level. This assessment contains 10 questions, each with 5 answer options. Choose the answer that best describes yourself in the past month (do not think a lot, pick the answer you feel comfortable with) and calculate your score to understand where you stand:

A score of 10 – 23 = Low Perceived Stress.

A score of 24 – 35 = Moderate Perceived Stress.

A score of 36+ = High Perceived Stress.

For moderate and high stress scores, start searching for techniques to help you calm down on your own or with the help of a specialist.

Child brain cells multiply at a very rapid rate in the first 1000 days of life including pregnancy. The brain continues to grow during infancy as motor functions such as balance and coordination develop. During the toddler years (ages 1 to 3), the brain increases cognitive ability — how quickly a child can interpret and relay information to perform complex tasks.