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 Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 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/2012/02/120215143001.htm Last year, a report claiming to support the idea that the origin of language can be traced to West Africa appeared in Science. The article caused quite a stir. Now a linguist has challenged its conclusions, in a commentary just published in Science. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215143001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214171121.htm We like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, absorbing information, weighing it carefully, and making thoughtful decisions. But, as it turns out, we're kidding ourselves. Over the past few decades, scientists have shown there are many different internal and external factors influencing how we think, feel, communicate, and make decisions at any given moment. One particularly powerful influence may be our own bodies, according to new research. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214171121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214121726.htm Researchers uses eye-tracking technology to chart oral-to-silent reading transition. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:17:17 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214121726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213154057.htm At an age when "ba-ba" and "da-da" may be their only utterances, infants nevertheless comprehend words for many common objects, according to a new study. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213154057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133439.htm Older maternal and paternal age are jointly associated with having a child with autism, according to a recent study. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210111258.htm A recent study examining whether speaking French influenced how children assigned gender to objects yielded some interesting observations. Researchers found some differences between the monolingual English children and the bilingual French-English children they surveyed. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210111258.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210110510.htm New research finds that 16- to 18-year-olds perform better academically when they shave about two hours off what current guidelines prescribe. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210110510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210105901.htm Authoritarian parents whose child-rearing style can be summed up as “it’s my way or the highway” are more likely to raise disrespectful, delinquent children who do not see them as legitimate authority figures than authoritative parents who listen to their children and gain their respect and trust, according to new research. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210105901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209172605.htm Valentine’s Day can be pretty painful for kids who don’t get their share of heart-shaped cards. An expert offers tips for parents when their kids come home empty-handed. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209172605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208152250.htm When low-income cohabiting couples with children decide to no longer live together, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of their romantic relationship, a new study suggests. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208152250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207095535.htm There’s a dark side to puppy love. Teen dating: it’s a subject that causes many parents to shudder and shy away, but parents can use Valentine’s Day to start important conversations with their teens or pre-teens. There are ways to make dating and relationships safer for them – not just now but throughout their lives. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207095535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206092626.htm In one year alone, over 4,500 children in the United States were hospitalized due to child abuse, and 300 of them died of their injuries, researchers report in a new study. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206092626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206092555.htm Programs that support parents during their child’s early years hold promise for obesity prevention, according to a new study. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206092555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203182623.htm New brain imaging research reveals that a region of the brain important for sensing texture through touch, the parietal operculum, is also activated when someone listens to a sentence with a textural metaphor. The same region is not activated when a similar sentence expressing the meaning of the metaphor is heard. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203182623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203141505.htm Refugee children have scant access to medical care and are particularly vulnerable to disease. New research from Denmark show that just a few hours of schooling a week may have a pronounced positive impact on their health not only in childhood but later in life when they achieve adulthood. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203141505.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203101153.htm Understanding the human mind is the key to social robotics, and researchers describe what we can expect from this field in the future. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203101153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151139.htm Scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain's executive hub. Genes implicated in schizophrenia and autism are among those in which regulatory activity peaks during an environmentally-sensitive critical period in development. The mechanism, called DNA methylation, abruptly switches from off to on within the human brain's prefrontal cortex during this pivotal transition from fetal to postnatal life. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202092259.htm Researchers have found that multiple exposures to anesthesia at a young age are associated with higher rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202092259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094317.htm Common infections in children pose a high risk of ischemic stroke, according to new research. In a review of 2.5 million children, the researchers identified 126 childhood ischemic stroke cases and then randomly selected 378 age-matched controls from the remaining children without stroke. They discovered that 29 percent of those who suffered a stroke had a medical encounter for infection in the two days preceding the stroke versus one percent of controls during the same dates. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131175158.htm Neuroscientists and surgeons have recorded electrical activity in the temporal lobe -- the seat of the auditory system -- to discover how the brain encodes sound. Their model allows them to predict what a person heard based solely on temporal lobe activity. If, as studies suggest, internal "imagined" conversations activate similar areas of the temporal lobe, it may be possible to hear the internal verbalizations of people who cannot talk because of paralysis or stroke. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131175158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171905.htm Scientists have long believed that human speech is processed towards the back of the brain's cerebral cortex, behind auditory cortex where all sounds are received -- a place famously known as Wernicke's area. But, now, research that analyzed more than 100 imaging studies concludes that Wernicke's area is in the wrong location. The site newly identified is miles away in terms of brain architecture and function. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130170147.htm School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress. The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130170147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232827.htm Attentiveness in kindergarten accurately predicts the development of "work-oriented" skills in school children, according to a new study. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127162800.htm The eyes are the window into the soul -- or at least the mind, according to a new article. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127162800.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127162411.htm When parents of middle school students participate in school-based, family interventions, it can reduce problem behavior, according to new research. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127162411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126133959.htm Could depression in adulthood be tied to a parent's level of education? A new study by a medical sociologist suggests this is the case. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126133959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123703.htm Measuring brain activity in infants as young as six months may help to predict the future development of autism symptoms. In their first year of life, babies who will go on to develop autism already show different brain responses when someone looks at or away from them. The findings suggest that direct brain measures might help to predict the future development of autism symptoms in infants as young as six months. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126101451.htm For years it was thought that a difficult birth and other perinatal factors were the leading causes of cerebral palsy (CP), a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing and thinking. Now, researchers suggest that the majority of cerebral palsy causes may in fact be caused by genetic abnormalities. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126101451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125195530.htm New research by Australian scientists reveals that males who are exposed to high levels of testosterone before birth are twice as likely to experience delays in language development compared to females. The research, published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, focused on umbilical cord blood to explore the presence of testosterone when the language-related regions of a fetus' brain are undergoing a critical period of growth. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125195530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125143115.htm Children with autism spectrum disorders tend to be fascinated by screen-based technology. A new study found that adolescents with autism (64.2 percent) spend most of their free time using solitary, or non-social, screen-based media (television and video games) while only 13.2 percent spend time on socially interactive media (e-mail, Internet chatting). Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125143115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142210.htm Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) tend to be preoccupied with screen-based media. A new study looks at how children with ASDs spend their “screen time.” Researchers found a very high rate of use of solitary screen-based media such as video games and television with a markedly lower rate of use of social interactive media, including email. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124200103.htm Teaching children with autism to "talk things through in their head" may help them to solve complex day-to-day tasks, which could increase the chances of independent, flexible living later in life, according to new research. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124200103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124151207.htm A new report examines the possible association between school-based childhood obesity prevention programs and an increase in eating disorders among young children and adolescents. In a new poll, 30% of parents report at least one worrisome behavior in their children that could be associated with the development of eating disorders. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124151207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124140311.htm Researchers have found a genetic variation predisposing children to six-times greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome when taking second-generation anti-psychotic medications. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The study showed a close association with two conditions in particular: high blood pressure and elevated fasting blood sugar levels, which is a precursor to diabetes. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124140311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124134425.htm Every year between 3 and 10 percent of school-age children in this country are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Increasingly, families are using natural or complementary therapies to improve their child’s attention or behavior, and often seek advice from an integrative pediatrician, according to a new study. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124134425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124113051.htm While it may appear that infants are helpless creatures that only blink, eat, cry and sleep, one researcher says that studies indicate infant brains come equipped with knowledge of "intuitive physics." Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124113051.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124112925.htm Scientists looked at blood levels of lipids and fatty acids in two groups of South Korean children – one group of typically developing boys and another group of boys with an autism diagnosis. Even though there were no major differences in what these children ate, those with autism had a lower omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio and lower levels of high density lipoprotein, more commonly known as HDL. For both levels, it’s often believed, the higher the better. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124112925.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124093144.htm Working mothers may be busy, but they like it that way. A recent study of employed moms finds that most would work even if they didn't have to, but they're also looking for new ways to negotiate the demands of mothering and the pressures to be an "ideal" employee. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124093144.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152510.htm Children at risk for dyslexia show differences in brain activity on MRI scans even before they begin learning to read, finds a new study. Since developmental dyslexia responds to early intervention, diagnosing children at risk before or during kindergarten could head off difficulties and frustration in school, the researchers say. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123123917.htm Nurturing mothers have garnered accolades for rescuing skinned knees on the playground and coaxing their children to sleep with lullabies. Now they're gaining merit for their offspring's physical health in middle age. While children raised in families with low socioeconomic status frequently go on to have high rates of chronic illness in adulthood, a sizable minority remain healthy across the life course, new research shows. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123123917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120183040.htm The solvent tetrachloroethylene (PCE) widely used in industry and to dry clean clothes is a neurotoxin known to cause mood changes, anxiety, and depression in people who work with it. To date the long-term effect of this chemical on children exposed to PCE has been less clear, although there is some evidence that children of people who work in the dry cleaning industry have an increased risk of schizophrenia. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120183040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120182922.htm For the first time research is being carried out on the degree to which dual-earner families in Norway share paid and unpaid work. It is a key aim of Norwegian policy to promote an equal distribution of paid and unpaid work among dual-earner couples with children. The researchers conclude that roughly 40 per cent of the couples have a gender-equal relationship in that the mother and the father share both unpaid and paid work equally. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120182922.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143334.htm A study of discordant twins -- twins in which one has autism spectrum disorder and one doesn't -- finds the lower birth weight twins are more than three times as likely to have ASD than heavier twins. Though genetic effects are of major importance, say researchers, the study suggests a non-genetic influence associated with birth weight may contribute to development of ASD. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119133755.htm Cognitive scientists develop a new take on an old problem: Why human language has so many words with multiple meanings. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119133755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119133745.htm Adults who participated in a high quality early childhood education program in the 1970s are still benefiting from their early experiences in a variety of ways, according to a new study. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119133745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117145459.htm Researchers have come a step closer to unlocking a mystery that causes epileptic seizures in babies. Benign familial infantile epilepsy has been recognized for some time as infantile seizures, without fever, that run in families but the cause has so far eluded researchers. However, clinical researchers have now discovered a gene. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117145459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117143357.htm While the percentage of obese children in the United States tripled between the early 1970s and the late 2000s, a new study suggests that -- at least for middle school students -- weight gain has nothing to do with the candy, soda, chips, and other junk food they can purchase at school. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117143357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120116200559.htm Serious injuries to pedestrians listening to headphones have more than tripled in six years, according to new research. In many cases, the cars or trains are sounding horns that the pedestrians cannot hear, leading to fatalities in nearly three-quarters of cases. Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120116200559.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193220.htm A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112142243.htm Deaf people who use sign language are quicker at recognizing and interpreting body language than hearing non-signers, according to new research. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112142243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112112637.htm Research shows that English is strongly biased toward being positive. This new study complements another study showing that average global happiness, based on Twitter data, has been dropping for the past two years. Combined, the two studies show that short-term average happiness has dropped -- against the backdrop of the long-term fundamental positivity of the English language. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112112637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192725.htm Three-fourths of preschool-age children in the United States attend child care, and many are not getting enough outdoor physical activity, which may be due in part to parental and societal values about injury prevention and kindergarten readiness. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114525.htm A new study is refuting the "tiger mother" approach to parenting that pushes children to excel at all costs. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110093742.htm A new study describes how workshops to teach Google’s 3D modeling software to kids with autism have benefited the intergenerational relationships within the participants’ families. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110093742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211825.htm The underlying reason autism is often associated with gastrointestinal problems is an unknown, but new results reveal that the guts of autistic children differ from other children in at least one important way: many children with autism harbor a type of bacteria in their guts that non-autistic children do not. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109155948.htm Researchers have discovered that children under the age of two control speech using a different strategy than previously thought. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109155948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109102905.htm A new study has found that when parents get tested for breast cancer genes, many of them share their results with their children, even with those who are very young. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109102905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105161746.htm A professor discovers the key to helping students understand complex linguistic principles is through the funny bone. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:17:17 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105161746.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105112237.htm Recent research has found striking links between psychotic disorders and certain types of international immigration. Now for the first time, a major study has found that immigrating in early childhood appears to carry the highest risk and that the younger the age at migration, the higher the risk of psychotic disorders. The study -- the first to include data on age at migration -- suggests that there may be an early window of vulnerability. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105112237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105112235.htm An important ongoing debate in the field of psychiatry is whether inflammation in the body is a consequence of or contributor to major depression. A new study has attempted to resolve the issue. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105112235.htm