Annette Karmiloff-Smith facts for kids

Annette Karmiloff-Smith (1938–2016) was a very important professor. She studied how children's brains develop. She worked at Birkbeck, University of London. Before that, she led a special unit at Institute of Child Health, University College London.

Professor Karmiloff-Smith was an expert in developmental disorders. These are conditions that affect how a child grows and learns. She was especially interested in Williams syndrome.

Understanding How Brains Develop

Professor Karmiloff-Smith had different ideas about how brains develop. She disagreed with some older ideas. These older ideas suggested that different parts of the brain work completely on their own. For example, some thought autism happened because a "theory of mind" part of the brain didn't work. This "theory of mind" helps us understand what others are thinking.

Brains Are Connected

She also disagreed with the idea that children with specific language impairment (trouble with language) just lacked a "language module." This module was thought to be set by genes.

Karmiloff-Smith said these ideas were like thinking the brain develops like a "mosaic." A mosaic is a picture made of many separate pieces. This view suggested brain systems grew separately. It also suggested they were only based on information from our genes.

Interactive Specialization

She argued that brain development is much more complex. She called her idea "Interactive Specialization." It means that genes, the brain, our actions, and the environment all work together. They constantly influence each other as we grow.

She believed that specialized parts of the brain, like those for language, develop later. They don't just appear fully formed at birth. Since developmental disorders happen during development, problems can spread. They might affect many different skills, not just one specific area.

Research on Williams Syndrome

Professor Karmiloff-Smith used her research on Williams syndrome to support her ideas. Williams syndrome is a rare genetic condition. At first, people thought it caused a lower IQ. But they also thought people with it were good at understanding social cues.

New Discoveries

Through her studies, Karmiloff-Smith and her team found something new. They discovered that problems in Williams syndrome were much wider. They affected many more areas than people first thought.

Her theories were also supported by research in other areas. For example, children with autism were found to have many difficulties. These included problems with seeing movement and finding things visually. They also had trouble doing many tasks at once. Older theories that focused on just one brain area had trouble explaining these findings.

Books and Legacy

Annette Karmiloff-Smith wrote many books and articles. Her most famous book was Beyond Modularity in 1992. She also wrote Rethinking Innateness in 1996 with other scientists. These books changed how people thought about brain development.

She passed away on December 19, 2016, at the age of 78. Her work continues to help us understand how children's brains grow.