http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/child_development/ Read the latest research in child development including how newborns learn to think, how sleep patterns emerge, problems with toddlers and more. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/child_development/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202855.htm Researchers have developed a pupil response test that is 92.5 percent accurate in separating children with autism from those with typical development. In the study, the scientists found that children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202855.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173412.htm Researchers have shown that the brain regions that have long been recognized as a center in which spoken or written words are decoded are also important in interpreting wordless gestures. The findings suggest that these brain regions may play a much broader role in the interpretation of symbols than researchers have thought and, for this reason, could be the evolutionary starting point from which language originated. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109174256.htm Handwriting skills are crucial for success in school, communication, and building children's self-esteem. The first study to examine handwriting quality in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has uncovered a relationship between fine motor control and poor quality of handwriting in children with ASD. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109174256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202847.htm You can improve your second-language listening ability by watching the movie with subtitles -- as long as these subtitles are in the same language as the film. Subtitles in one's native language, the default in some European countries, may actually be counter-productive to learning to understand foreign speech, according to a new study. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121213.htm What do you get when you cross a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing? Ironically, a new strain of mice with "golden ears" -- mice that have outstanding hearing as they age. The new mouse hears much like people with "golden ears" -- people who are able to retain great hearing even as they grow older. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110090903.htm Last year, the United States provided asylum and resettlement assistance for nearly 80,700 people from other countries, an increase from 71,300 individuals in 2007, according to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Health experts say the increase has made issues of immigrant and refugee violence and the need for effective intervention strategies more apparent. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110090903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121334.htm Teachers and parents must be vigilant in observing difficulties with language comprehension, reading and spelling in children and young people with autism, Asperger's syndrome and ADHD. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121220.htm A professor of library and information science says that comic books are just as sophisticated as other forms of literature, and children benefit from reading them at least as much as they do from reading other types of books. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105201441.htm Parents who dress their children in inappropriate clothing could be inadvertently hampering their child's physical activity in childcare settings. The study suggests that inadequate or inappropriate clothing could restrict children's outdoor play. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105201441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121041.htm Recent studies investigating the question of parental control in the west and in east Asian countries suggest that extreme meddling by parents can have negative effects on their children's psychological development in both of those regions, although the effects may not be uniform. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105092607.htm From their very first days, newborns' cries already bear the mark of the language their parents speak, reveals a new study. The findings suggest that infants begin picking up elements of what will be their first language in the womb, and certainly long before their first babble or coo. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105092607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104181155.htm Childhood obesity in the United States is reaching epidemic proportions. With more than one fourth of advertising on daytime and prime time television devoted to foods and beverages and continuing questions about the role television plays in obesity, a new study examines how food advertising aimed at children might be a large contributor to the problem. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104181155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104091724.htm Literary Arabic is expressed in the brain of an Arabic speaker as a second language and not as a mother tongue, according to a new study. The research offers an explanation for the objective and day-to-day difficulties that confront Arabic-speaking students when attempting to learn to read the non-spoken language. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104091724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172441.htm Learning to talk also changes the way speech sounds are heard, according to a new study. The findings could have a major impact on improving speech disorders. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171413.htm Three-year-old children who are exposed to more TV appear to be at an increased risk for exhibiting aggressive behavior, according to a new report. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171557.htm Researchers have identified a part of the brain that responds to both facial and vocal expressions of emotion. They used the MagnetoEncephaloGraphic (MEG) scanner at the York Neuroimaging Centre to test responses in a region of the brain known as the posterior superior temporal sulcus. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121718.htm Adults who had experienced physical abuse as children have 56 percent higher odds of osteoarthritis compared to those who have not been abused, according to a new study. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085834.htm More than 50 international experts in endangered languages are convening to take the first step in cataloging endangered and dying languages in a comprehensive online database. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085834.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152814.htm Try to pronounce the words "caught" and "cot." If you're a New Yorker by birth, the two words will sound as different as their spellings. But if you grew up in California, you probably pronounce them identically Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028134631.htm It has long been suggested that healthy folate levels in expectant mothers goes hand in hand with healthy nervous system development in their children. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028134631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026125359.htm When do you first leave the nest? Early in development infants of many species experience important transitions -- such as learning when to leave the mother's protection to start exploring the world. Neuroscientists have now pinpointed molecular events occurring in the brain during that turning point. The findings, in animals, may help explain the strength of attachments in many species -- including the conundrum of why human children form strong attachments to even abusive caregivers. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026125359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132253.htm Anxiety in pregnant women impacts their babies' size and gestational age. Specifically, women with more severe and chronic anxiety during pregnancy are more likely to have affected babies. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101420.htm Having children improves married peoples' life satisfaction and the more they have, the happier they are. For unmarried individuals, raising children has little or no positive effect on their happiness. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020161952.htm Young animals treated with commonly-prescribed drugs develop behavioral abnormalities in adulthood say researchers. The drugs tested include those used to treat epilepsy, mood disorders and pain. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020161952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021100752.htm Drinking. Drugs. Caving into peer pressure. When parents expect their teenagers to conform to negative stereotypes, those teens are in fact more likely to do so, according to new research. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021100752.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022114319.htm Researchers say they have, for what is believed to be the first time, managed to measure and record the elusive electrical activity of the type II neurons in the snail-shell-like structure called the cochlea. And it turns out the cells do indeed carry signals from the ear to the brain, and the sounds they likely respond to would need to be loud, such as sirens or alarms that might be even be described as painful or traumatic. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022114319.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162919.htm Infants as young as five months old are able to correctly identify humans as the source of speech and monkeys as the source of monkey calls, psychology researchers have found. Their finding provides the first evidence that human infants are able to correctly match different kinds of vocalizations to different species. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203413.htm It may take a village to raise a child, and apparently it takes at least two adult birds to teach a young song sparrow how and what to sing. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021100740.htm There is ample evidence for the genetic influence of alcohol dependence, and ongoing studies are actively looking for specific genes that may confer this increased susceptibility. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021100740.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026105744.htm Young people mainly select their friends according to the image they have of another person, irrespective of whether the person concerned actually satisfies that image. A Dutch researcher has demonstrated that young people consider themselves to be the most important factor in a friendship. Nevertheless friendship can still exert a significant influence: boys become criminal and girls become depressed. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026105744.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101536.htm Midwives often struggle to meet the needs of pregnant women who are lesbians, according to a study of 30-46 year-olds just published. The majority felt that health-care staff focused more on their sexuality than their needs as pregnant women and prospective parents. Researchers are now calling for special training for midwives, more neutral health-care routines and forms and special education groups for pregnant women who are lesbians and their partners. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101536.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021100738.htm A new study suggests that maternal smoking may increase the level of distress of newborns. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021100738.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020192202.htm Using a pacifier for too long may be detrimental to your child's speech. Research suggests that the use of bottles, pacifiers and other sucking behaviors apart from breastfeeding may increase the risk of subsequent speech disorders in young children. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020192202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151443.htm Change in language can be compared with evolution in the world of animals and plants. According to a Dutch researcher, an individual user of language can spark off an evolution of his or her language. His new approach, comparing linguistic change with evolution, offers a number of advantages for the study of linguistic change. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134718.htm Children who have had an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis, a common complication of diabetes, may have persistent memory problems. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015192415.htm Researchers in Spain have observed in this first year of the study that, three months after receiving a cochlear implant all the children showed improvement in their perception and ability to detect sounds around them. Children quickly learn that the implant is a device that allows them to hear and if it is deactivated they protest or make gestures asking that it be switched back on. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015192415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151807.htm For a considerable time already there has been discussion within scientific circles about whether knowing and using multiple languages could possibly have positive effects on the human brain and thinking. There have been a number of international studies on the subject, which indicate that the ability to use more than one language brings an individual a considerable advantage. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151807.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134713.htm Many wheelchair-using children with neurological disorders have much colder hands and feet than other children, and most receive no special help even though they have had these problems for a long time. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015141500.htm Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in explaining gaps in our understanding of human brain function. The study provides a picture of language processing in the brain with unprecedented clarity. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015141500.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014130704.htm A unique study of former guerrillas in Colombia has helped scientists redefine their understanding of the key regions of the brain involved in literacy. The study has enabled the researchers to see how brain structure changed after learning to read. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014130704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014122049.htm Scientific understanding and medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders have advanced significantly over the past several years, but much remains to be done. Experts highlight the expanding knowledge of early brain development, and the importance of early diagnosis of ASDs, accompanied by intensive early treatment. They also recognize the important role of parent involvement in early recognition of ASDs. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014122049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012121333.htm Chinese-speaking children with dyslexia have a disorder that is distinctly different, and perhaps more complicated and severe, than that of English speakers. Those differences can be seen in the brain and in the performance of Chinese children on visual and oral language tasks, reveals a new report. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012121333.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008131852.htm A new article explores vaccination history, vaccine safety monitoring systems in the US, and the two most publicized theoretical vaccine-related exposures associated with autism -- the vaccine preservative thimerosal and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. A review of published research shows that there is not convincing scientific evidence supporting a relationship between vaccines and autism. Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008131852.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008123224.htm The intense exchanges that human mothers share with their newborn infants may have some pretty deep roots, suggests a study of rhesus macaques. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008123224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007223726.htm Current figures underestimate the number of children who may be at risk of harm from parental substance use. Researchers have generated new estimates using five national surveys which include measures of binge, hazardous and dependent drinking, illicit drug use and mental health. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007223726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006115140.htm Many U.S. children face a terrible burden of stressors that can harm the development of their brains and nervous systems. These stressors can lead to health problems and diseases throughout their lives, ultimately causing some to die prematurely, according to the lead author of a new study. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006115140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006093349.htm Expectant mothers who eat excessive quantities of licorice during pregnancy could adversely affect their child's intelligence and behavior, a study has shown. A study of 8-year-old children whose mothers ate large amounts of licorice when pregnant found they did not perform as well as other youngsters in cognitive tests. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006093349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006114637.htm Daughters of women exposed to a common chemical found in some plastics while they were pregnant are more likely to have unusually aggressive and hyperactive behaviors as 2-year-olds, according to a new study. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006114637.htm