Childhood Development News and Research

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Early childhood development programs can greatly impact children’s ability to earn more in adulthood

In the Friday (May 30) edition of the journal Science, researchers find that early childhood development programs are particularly important for disadvantaged children in Jamaica and can greatly impact an individual's ability to earn more money as an adult.

30 May 2014

Department of Pediatrics at BMC/BUSM honored with APA 2014 Health Care Delivery Award

The Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has been honored with the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) 2014 Health Care Delivery Award.

8 May 2014

Prenatal DHA supplementation does not improve cognitive outcomes in children

Although there are recommendations for pregnant women to increase their intake of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to improve fetal brain development, a randomized trial finds that prenatal DHA supplementation did not result in improved cognitive, problem-solving or language abilities for children at four years of age, according to the study in the May 7 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.

5 May 2014

High-quality early childhood development programs can help prevent onset of adult chronic disease

High-quality early childhood development programs with health care and nutritional components can help prevent or delay the onset of adult chronic disease, according to a new study by Nobel laureate economist James Heckman and researchers at the University of Chicago, University College London and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina.

28 Mar 2014

Toxicologists reveal new methods for estimating infants' exposure to POPs

Toxicologists are revealing new methods and models for estimating infants' exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) today at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 53rd Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in Phoenix, Ariz.

26 Mar 2014

New insights into how human brain responds to chronic pain

University of Adelaide researchers say new insights into how the human brain responds to chronic pain could eventually lead to improved treatments for patients.

13 Mar 2014

Study: Girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career options than boys

In one of the first experiments to explore the influence of fashion dolls, an Oregon State University researcher has found that girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career options for themselves than for boys.

6 Mar 2014

Research highlights need to integrate global strategies to tackle development within first 1000 days of childhood

Safeguarding the healthy development of the next generation is vital for the long term success of the United Nation’s Millennium Development goals. New research in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences highlights the need to integrate global strategies aimed at tackling nutrition and cognitive development within the first thousand days of childhood.

7 Feb 2014

Research highlights global strategies aimed at tackling nutrition, cognitive development within first 1000 days of childhood

Safeguarding the healthy development of the next generation is vital for the long term success of the United Nation's Millennium Development goals. New research in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences highlights the need to integrate global strategies aimed at tackling nutrition and cognitive development within the first thousand days of childhood.

7 Feb 2014

Human visual system can retain plasticity even after extended blindness

Deprivation of vision during critical periods of childhood development has long been thought to result in irreversible vision loss.

28 Jan 2014

Peds21 symposium discusses role of parents, caregivers and early childhood experiences in shaping future health

Recent research has found that a dramatic dance between genes and experience shape the architecture of the developing brain, most profoundly during the first 1,000 days of life.

25 Oct 2013

Some children genetically prone to behavioral problems in child care, preschool settings

A new study suggests that some children may be genetically predisposed to developing behavioral problems in child care and preschool settings.

25 Oct 2013

Representatives from Asia-Pacific countries to discuss children’s development and rights in New Delhi

A high-level inter-governmental meeting of representatives of countries from Asia and the Pacific will begin in New Delhi, India tomorrow. At the meeting, hosted by the Government of India and supported by UNICEF, participants will discuss cooperation for the realization of children’s rights and share knowledge and information about early childhood development, children in urban environments and opportunities and issues concerning adolescents.

23 Oct 2013

Babies born to teen mothers have underdeveloped speaking skills, says study

Babies born to teen mothers have less developed speaking skills at age five than children of older mothers, a new study has found.

17 Oct 2013

Discovery of neural firing-rate set point opens door to possible treatment for devastating disorders

As we learn and develop, our neurons change. They make new pathways and connections as our brain processes new information. In order to do this, individual neurons use an internal gauge to maintain a delicate balance that keeps our brains from becoming too excitable.

17 Oct 2013

Children with irregular bedtimes more likely to have behavioural difficulties

Researchers from UCL have found that children with irregular bedtimes are more likely to have behavioural difficulties.

14 Oct 2013

Short-term hearing loss during childhood may lead to persistent hearing deficits

Short-term hearing loss during childhood may lead to persistent hearing deficits, long after basic auditory sensitivity has returned to normal. The processing of sound in the brain is shaped by early experience.

1 Oct 2013

Parent sleep education improves daytime behavior of children with ASD

Parent sleep education is beneficial in improving sleep and aspects of daytime behavior and family functioning in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), according to a Vanderbilt study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

24 Sep 2013

Neurobiologists reveal new approach to correcting visual disorders in children

By discovering the role of key neurons that mediate an important part of vision development, UC Irvine and UCLA neurobiologists have revealed a new approach to correcting visual disorders in children who suffer from early cataracts or amblyopia, also known as lazy eye.

27 Aug 2013

Research: No association between pre-natal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors

The potential impact of exposure to low levels of mercury on the developing brain - specifically by women consuming fish during pregnancy - has long been the source of concern and some have argued that the chemical may be responsible for behavioral disorders such as autism.

24 Jul 2013