Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Children's Health, Infant and Preschool Learning
Published Why reading nursery rhymes and singing to babies may help them to learn language



Phonetic information -- the smallest sound elements of speech -- may not be the basis of language learning in babies as previously thought. Babies don't begin to process phonetic information reliably until seven months old -- which researchers say is too late to form the foundation of language. Instead, babies learn from rhythmic information -- the changing emphasis of syllables in speech -- which unlike phonetic information, can be heard in the womb.
Published How does neonatal listeriosis impact children's health?



Maternal-fetal listeriosis is a severe disease that can lead to miscarriage, premature birth or serious neonatal infection. But what are the long-term consequences of neonatal listeriosis on the health of surviving infants? A team of scientists and physicians monitored the development of children infected with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes up to the age of 5, and compared their development with that of uninfected gestational age-matched children. The study showed that the long-term outcomes of neonatal listeriosis were mainly due to prematurity.
Published How pre- and postnatal B-12 vitamins improve breast milk vitamin B-12 levels, which supports infant brain development



According to a new study B-12 vitamins increase the presence of the micronutrient in mothers' breast milk, which is especially helpful in countries where it can be difficult to eat what is needed for the body to produce B-12 naturally.
Published Despite pressures facing young families, parents take precious moments to play with their babies



Four in five primary caregivers of nine-month-old babies reported cuddling, talking and playing with their little one several times a day, in the first national long-term study of babies in over two decades.
Published Children who play baseball risk elbow injury



Youth baseball players are prone to elbow pain and injuries, including repetitive overuse changes and fractures, based on the maturity of their bones, according to a new study.
Published Early body contact develops premature babies' social skills



Skin-to-skin contact between parent and infant during the first hours after a very premature birth helps develop the child's social skills. The study also shows that fathers may play a more important role than previous research has shown.
Published AI may aid in diagnosing adolescents with ADHD



Using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze specialized brain MRI scans of adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), researchers found significant differences in nine brain white matter tracts in individuals with ADHD.
Published Kids who feel their parents are less reliable take fewer risks vital to learning and growth



The researchers studied decisions that more than 150 children ages 10 to 13 made while playing games that offered opportunities to risk a little and explore for potential gains.
Published Discrimination during pregnancy can affect infant's brain circuitry



Experiences of discrimination and acculturation are known to have a detrimental effect on a person's health. For pregnant women, these painful experiences can also affect the brain circuitry of their children, a new study finds. These effects, the researchers say, are separate from those caused by general stress and depression. The study was published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
Published Child care centers aren't a likely source of COVID-19 spread, study says



Parents who send their children to child care can breathe a little easier. New research shows that children in daycare were not significant spreaders of COVID-19.
Published Genes influence whether infants prefer to look at faces or non-social objects



Whether infants at five months of age look mostly at faces or non-social objects such as cars or mobile phones is largely determined by genes. The findings suggest that there is a biological basis for how infants create their unique visual experiences and which things they learn most about.
Published New study on experience of adopted people as they become parents



A new piece of research looks at the challenges faced by adopted people when they become parents. The study investigated the lived experiences of adopted people in the UK as they become parents. Until now research in this area has been very limited and hasn't tended to included the experiences of adopted men as fathers.
Published Pediatric oncology: Scientists discover new Achilles heel of leukemia cells



Leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children. Treatment involves intensive chemotherapy, which has severe side effects due to its non-specific mode of action. A team has now discovered a site in the DNA of cancer cells that is essential for leukemia cells to survive. Cancer cells in which the gene encoded at this site was modified experimentally died off. The gene locus thus constitutes a promising target for an alternative therapy in the future.
Published Big-data study explores social factors affecting child health



Researchers have used an AI-based approach to uncover underlying patterns among the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, termed social determinants of health (SDoH), and then linked each pattern to children's health outcomes. Compared with traditional approaches, the strategy, in principle, provides a more objective and comprehensive picture of potential social factors that affect child health, which in turn, can enable better targeted interventions.
Published 1060 million people with 'other' musculoskeletal disorders by 2050



A category of musculoskeletal disorders of our joints, muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons and spine are on the rise and a new forecast is as many as 1060 million people -- up from 464 million -- will be living with related disabilities by 2050, placing even greater pressure on stretched healthcare systems.
Published Benefits of adolescent fitness to future cardiovascular health possibly overestimated



There is a well-known relationship between good physical fitness at a young age and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, when researchers adjusted for familial factors by means of sibling analysis, they found a weaker association, although the link between high body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease remained strong.
Published High levels of maternal stress during pregnancy linked to children's behavior problems



Children whose mothers are highly stressed, anxious or depressed during pregnancy may be at higher risk for mental health and behavior issues during their childhood and teen years, according to new research.
Published Exposure to air pollution in utero may affect reproductive system development



From invisible wafts of diesel exhaust to sun-choking plumes of orange smoke, air pollution is known to damage respiratory well-being. Now, research suggests another reason to hold our breath: Polluted air also may hurt reproductive health. In a study of air pollution data in relation to markers of reproductive development in infancy, Rutgers researchers found certain pollutants may negatively alter anogenital distance, a measure of prenatal exposure to hormones.
Published How teachers would handle student violence against educators



For the first time, teachers in a nationwide study have told researchers what strategies they think work best to deal with student violence against educators. Teachers rated suspending or expelling students as the least effective way of addressing violence, despite the popularity of 'zero tolerance' policies in many school districts.
Published Hormonal contraceptives in teens may alter risk assessment, rat study suggests



Hormonal contraceptives taken by adolescents may influence development of the brain in a way that alters the recognition of risks, a new study in rats suggests.