Entries categorized as Children

Researcher Reveals A Possible Early Glimpse Of The Impact Of Autism On Older Siblings

On March 8, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Autism / No Comments

A new study suggests a trend toward developing hyperactivity among typically developing elementary-school-aged siblings of autistic preschoolers and supports the notion that mothers of young, autistic children experience more depression and stress than mothers with typically developing children. The study was published in the March issue of the journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. (read the full story)

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Researcher Finds That Exercise Counters Negative Effects Of Weight Regain

On March 8, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Obesity / No Comments

With the obesity rate rising for American adults and children, health concerns such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are a frequent reality. Although obesity itself is a major risk factor for disease, most of the threat may be associated with a cluster of risk factors called the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Losing weight can improve health and reduce these risk factors, but many people have difficulty keeping the weight off. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that exercising during weight regain can maintain improvements in metabolic health and disease risk. (read the full story)

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Good Parenting Triumphs Over Prenatal Stress

On March 3, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Parenting / No Comments

A mother’s nurture may provide powerful protection against risks her baby faces in the womb, according to a new article published online today in the journal Biological Psychiatry. The research shows that fetuses exposed to high levels of stress hormone – shown to be a harbinger for babies’ poor cognitive development – can escape this fate if their mothers provide them sensitive care during infancy and toddler-hood. (read the full story)

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Childhood Stress Such As Abuse Or Emotional Neglect Can Result In Structural Brain Changes

On March 1, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Brain Imaging / No Comments

New research using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that childhood stress such as abuse or emotional neglect, in particular when combined with genetic factors, can result in structural brain changes, rendering these people more vulnerable to developing depression. The study led by scientists at Trinity College Dublin has just been published in the international scientific journal, Neuropsychopharmacology. (read the full story)

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Adapting To Clogged Airways Makes Common Pathogen Resist Powerful Antibiotics – Even Without Previous Exposure

On February 26, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Public Health / No Comments

People with cystic fibrosis frequently have lung infections that defy treatment. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that clogs airways with thick mucous. While the life expectancy for children with cystic fibrosis has increased over the past few decades, many lives are still shortened in young adulthood by the ravages of lung infections. (continue reading)

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A Mother’s Sensitivity May Help Language Growth In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

On February 25, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Autism / No Comments

A new study by researchers from the University of Miami shows that maternal sensitivity may influence language development among children who go on to develop autism. Although parenting styles are not considered as a cause for autism, this report examines how early parenting can promote resiliency in this population. The study entitled, “A Pilot Study of Maternal Sensitivity in the Context of Emergent Autism,” is published online this month and will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. (continue reading)

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Mouse Model Reveals A Cause of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

On February 23, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In ADHD, Neuroscience / No Comments

Although it is typically considered an adolescent curse, ADHD actually affects about five percent of adults as well. New research in a mouse model of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggests that the root of the psychiatric disorder might be the over-activity of a protein that regulates dopaminergic pathways. The work suggests a path toward new treatments for symptoms including inattentiveness, over-activity, and impulsivity. (continue reading)

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Moms Can Influence How Children Develop Advanced Cognitive Functions

On February 20, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Cognition / No Comments

Young ChildExecutive functioning is a set of advanced cognitive functions – such as the ability to control impulses, remember things, and show mental flexibility – that help us plan and monitor what we do to reach goals. Although executive functioning develops speedily between ages 1 and 6, children vary widely in their skills in this area. Now a new longitudinal study tells us that moms play a role in how their children develop these abilities. (continue reading)

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UC Davis Study Confirms Link Between Advanced Maternal Age And Autism

On February 17, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Autism / No Comments

Advanced maternal age is linked to a significantly elevated risk of having a child with autism, regardless of the father’s age, according to an exhaustive study of all births in California during the 1990s by UC Davis Health System researchers. Advanced paternal age is associated with elevated autism risk only when the father is older and the mother is under 30, the study found. Published online today in the February issue of the journal Autism Research, the study, “Independent and Dependent Contributions of Advanced Maternal and Paternal Ages to Autism Risk,” is one of the largest population-based studies to quantify how each parent’s age – separately and together – affects the risk of having a child with autism. (continue reading)

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More Evidence That Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Is Related To Alterations In The Brain’s Reward System

On February 16, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In ADHD / No Comments

Last week, we reported on “Deficits In Brain’s Reward System Observed In ADHD Patients.” In different, but similar study, researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital for the first time have discovered anomalies in the brain’s reward system related to the neural circuits of motivation and gratification. In children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the degree of motivation when carrying out an activity is related to the immediacy with which the objectives of the activity are met. This would explain why their attention and hyperactivity levels differ depending on the tasks being carried out. (continue reading)

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Hypnosis Can Relieve Symptoms In Children With Respiratory Diseases

On February 13, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Psychotherapy / No Comments

Hypnosis has potential therapeutic value in children with respiratory disorders for alleviating symptoms such as habit cough or unexplained sensations of difficulty breathing and for lessening a child’s discomfort during medical procedures. Proper utilization of hypnosis as an adjunct to conventional treatment and its ability to use the mind-body connection to bring about physiological changes are explored in a provocative paper in Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Check the end of this article for a link to download the original study. (continue reading)

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The Top Ten Autism Research Findings Of 2009 (Autism Speaks)

On February 12, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Autism / No Comments

Autism Speaks, the world’s largest autism science and advocacy organization has released its annual list of the 10 most significant research achievements to have impacted autism during the previous year. Every year, Autism Speaks documents the progress made toward its mission to discover the causes and treatment for autism spectrum disorders, and compiles a list of the 10 most significant research achievements to have impacted autism during the previous year. continue reading)

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New Clue Why People With Autism Do Not Want Hugs

On February 11, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Autism / No Comments

girl_with_hair_in_faceWhy do people with fragile X syndrome, a genetic defect that is the best-known cause of autism and inherited mental retardation, recoil from hugs and physical touch – even from their parents? New research has found in fragile X syndrome there is delayed development of the sensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to touch, according to a study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. This delay may trigger a domino effect and cause further problems with the correct wiring of the brain. Understanding how and when the function of the brain is affected in fragile X offers a target for a therapy to fix the incorrect development. (continue reading)

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Neural Processing Differences In ADHD In Individuals With And Without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

On February 10, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In ADHD / No Comments

The adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on behavioral, cognitive, and social development can lead to a range of symptoms referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Attention and cognition problems seen in individuals with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure often resemble those linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). An assessment of these disorders has found that while children with FASD may meet the behavioral criteria for ADHD, their attention difficulties differ in subtle but important respects. (continue reading)

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Most Parents Do Not Realize That Their 4 or 5 Year-Olds Are Overweight Or Obese

On February 9, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Obesity / No Comments

Half of the mothers who took part in a study thought that their obese four or five year-old was normal weight, as did 39% of the fathers, according to the February issue of Acta Paediatrica. When it came to overweight children, 75% of mothers and 77% of fathers thought that their child was normal weight. More than 800 parents of 439 children took part in the study, carried out by researchers from the University Medical Centre Groningen in The Netherlands. 5% of the children were overweight, 4% were obese, and the rest were normal weight. Check the end of this review for a link to download this article for free. (continue reading)

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