Child Development

New York, NY — The United States incarcerates more residents than any other country, however there is limited research that examines how people view such punishment, and whether views about punishment change with development. Previous research on this topic raises two very different possibilities: 1) children are typically more optimistic than adults, making them more […]

Columbia, MO — Researchers at the University of Missouri and the University of Essex in the United Kingdom found boys’ poor reading skills in adolescence, combined with the social attitudes about women attending college, can help explain why fewer men than women enroll in higher education or other types of post-high school education. Their findings […]

Adelaide, Australia — A new eye scan could help identify autism in children years earlier than currently possible. The non-invasive eye scan utilises a hand-held device to find a pattern of subtle electrical signals in the retina that are different in children on the autism spectrum, which are directly linked to differences in their brain […]

Jyväskylä, Finland — In a recent study with 3 to 7-year-old children provided an example of how children’s daily living environment and motor skills are closely related in the Finnish context. The main finding revealed that residential density is related to children’s motor skills, engagement in outdoor play and organised sports. It was found that […]

Washington, DC — High schoolers who take music courses score significantly better on exams in certain other subjects, including math and science, than their non-musical peers, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association. “In public education systems in North America, arts courses, including music courses, are commonly underfunded in comparison with what […]

Seattle, WA — Adversity early in life tends to affect a child’s executive function skills — their ability to focus, for example, or organize tasks. Experiences such as poverty, residential instability, or parental divorce or substance abuse, also can lead to changes in a child’s brain chemistry, muting the effects of stress hormones. These hormones […]

Montreal, QC — Thinking of getting your child to take up a sport that involves a coach or instructor? Good news: a new study finds that children who engage in organized physical activity at a young age are less likely to have emotional difficulties by the time they turn 12. “The elementary school years are […]

Geneva, Switzerland — In Switzerland, as in most industrialized countries, nearly 1% of children are born “very prematurely”, i.e. before the 32nd week of pregnancy, which represents about 800 children yearly. While advances in neonatal medicine now give them a good chance of survival, these children are however at high risk of developing neuropsychological disorders. […]

Bethlehem, PA — What really matters in caring for babies may be different than commonly thought, says Lehigh University researcher Susan S. Woodhouse, an expert on infant attachment. In new research, she finds that caregivers need only “get it right” 50 percent of the time when responding to babies’ need for attachment to have a positive […]

Washington, DC — Allopregnanolone (ALLO), a hormone made by the placenta late in pregnancy, is such a potent neurosteroid that disrupting its steady supply to the developing foetus can leave it vulnerable to brain injuries associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to Children’s research presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2019 Annual Meeting. In […]

Aarhus C, Denmark — Children who grow up with greener surroundings have up to 55% less risk of developing various mental disorders later in life. This is shown by a new study from Aarhus University, Denmark, emphasizing the need for designing green and healthy cities for the future. A larger and larger share of the […]

St. Louis, MO — Children who have more conflict in relationships with their mothers during early years of elementary school may find it more difficult to find a sense of purpose in life as they reach adulthood, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis. “One of the biggest takeaway messages from these findings […]