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Parents' Genes, Not Parents' Arguing, May Cause
Children's Conduct Problems
(February 7, 2007) — A new
study has revealed that parents' fighting is not likely a
direct cause of children's conduct problems. Rather, the
findings showed that parents' genes influenced how much they
fought with their spouses. The researchers studied 1,045
twins and their 2,051 children and found that parents who
argue frequently may pass along genes for disruptive
behavior to their children, who in turn may have conduct
problems. >
full story
Center-based Care Yields More Behavior Problems; In
Other Types Of Care, Problems Short-lived
(March 26, 2007) — New data
from a federally-funded longitudinal study show that that
children who spent more time in center-based childcare
exhibited more problem behavior through sixth grade. Quality
of parenting was found to be a stronger and more consistent
predictor of social functioning and achievement than early
childcare experiences. Higher quality early childcare was
also associated with better vocabularies through fifth
grade. The study highlights some of the potential enduring
effects of childcare and the implications.
>
full story
[More on Child Development]
Permissive
Parenting May Be Hurting Kids' Sleep
Permissive
parenting that doesn't set limits or consistently enforce rules when a child is
awake is likely to mean the child isn't getting a good night's rest. When
a research team compared 80 children from a sleep disorders clinic with 52
others at a primary care clinic for well children, they found that lax and
permissive parenting was strongly associated with sleep disturbances among the
children in the well group. Lax parenting was described as parents giving in,
allowing rules to go un-enforced, or providing positive consequences for bad
behaviors.
Delinquency
Risk No Greater In Families With Stepparents Crime rates for adolescents from two-parent families are lower
than for teens from single-parent families, even when one parent is a
stepparent, a new University of Florida study finds.
Mothers'
Depression May Induce Earlier Puberty In Daughters A mother's depression may cause her daughter to hit puberty earlier,
suggest the results of a small study. The study expands on previous
research that found a connection between stressful family relationships and
early puberty. Mood disorders like depression can be one cause of stress within
families, resulting in disharmony between wives and husbands and dysfunctional
relationships with children, according to the study.
[More on Parenting]
Too
Many Toddlers Losing Battle Of The Bulge
Many exhausted parents marvel at their preschool children, who run and
jump their way through the day and still beg to do more. But an alarming
number of children under 5 don't fit this pattern: They exercise too
little, eat too much and are seriously overweight, University of Florida
researchers say.
Study
Finds Host Of Sleep-Related Problems Among School-Age Kids
A new study of parents, children and teachers finds that 37 percent of 494
youngsters in kindergarten through the fourth grade suffer from at least
one sleep-related problem. That percentage is higher than expected and is
an indication that pediatricians are not screening school-age patients
adequately for sleep problems. [More on Child Health] |
Do Medications Help Young ADHD Drivers Ignore Real World Distractions?
(May 3, 2007) — When asong on the radio or
the cell phone on the car seat next to a young driver beckon, she may
not resist the temptation to turn up the dial or take a call while
maneuvering in traffic. Such distractions could lead to a car crash,
especially for young drivers with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD).As a group, young ADHD drivers are two to four times
more likely to have a car accident than non-ADHD drivers. Scientists are
aiming at improving those odds. >
full story
  Racing
Neurons Control Whether We Stop Or Go; Research Offers Insight Into
Cause Of ADHD (April 19, 2007)
— In the children's game "red light green light," winners are able to
stop, and take off running again, more quickly than their comrades. New
research reveals that a similar race goes on in our brains, with impulse
control being the big winner. >
full story
Preschoolers With ADHD Improve With Low
Doses Of Medication (October 17,
2006) — The first long-term, large-scale study designed to determine
the safety and effectiveness of treating preschoolers who have attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder with methylphenidate has found that
overall, low doses of this medication are effective and safe. However,
the study found that children this age are more sensitive than older
children to the medication's side effects and therefore should be
closely monitored. >
full story [More on ADHD]
New
Reason To "Sleep On It": Study Shows Importance Of Sleep To
Memory Consolidation And Task Performance
School
kids may be cutting back on sleep to finish ever mounting piles of
homework, but it could be a self-defeating strategy. Harvard Medical
School researchers have found that people who stay up all night after
learning and practicing a new task show little improvement in their
performance. And the study suggests that no amount of sleep on the
following two nights can make up for the toll taken by the initial
all-nighter.
Study
Describes Brain Changes During Learning
A
new study by brain scientists at Brown University provides evidence that
learning engages a brain process called long-term potentiation (LTP),
which in turn strengthens synapses in the cerebral cortex. The study
provides the strongest evidence to date to support the 25-year-old
hypothesis, generally accepted by neuroscientists, that learning uses LTP
to produce changes in the connections (synapses) between brain cells
(neurons) that are necessary to acquire and store new information, said
lead author Mengia-Seraina Rioult-Pedotti. Neuroscientists also
theorize that higher forms of learning occur in the cerebral cortex.
Evidence from the study supports that theory.
[More on Learning]
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Child
Development Research Center
