28 Oct
A new study finds children exposed to cannabis in the womb have more problems with thinking, paying attention and impulse control.
Fostering good relationships with teachers in the early grades may have long-lasting benefits, new research suggests.
"These early connections significantly influence not only academic achievement, but also social and emotional development and executive functioning skill...
Most kids with attention issues won't go on to develop serious psychiatric conditions like psychosis or schizophrenia.
However, a new study finds poor attention spans in childhood, plus certain genes, could play a role in raising the risk for these conditions.
Of...
Smoking marijuana during pregnancy may quell your morning sickness, but it could also harm your child’s development, a new study warns.
Cannabis exposure in the womb is associated in early childhood with poorer thinking skills, researchers reported Oct. 28 in the j...
In a move that further toughens safety standards for lead paint dust, the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced the finalization of a rule that declares any detectable amount of the toxin in a home or child care center to be hazardous.
“Too often ou...
Friendships forged during a person’s turbulent teenage years lay the essential foundation for their happiness later in life, a new study suggests.
...WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2024 (HealthDay news) -- About 3% of U.S. high school students identify as transgender, according to the first federal attempt to gather national data on trans teens.
Another 2% question their gender identity, results from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior ...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday finalized a rule that will require the removal of all lead pipes from the country's water systems.
“We’ve known for decades that lead exposure has serious long-term impacts for children’s health. And y...
Sharing a book with your baby will build her vocabulary fast, but time with screens likely won't, Norwegian researchers report.
Their new study on shared reading and vocabulary size dovetails with a new policy statement from the
Even air pollution levels considered safe by U.S. standards appear to cause differences in the brains of growing children, a new review suggests.
"We're seeing differences in brain outcomes between children with higher levels of pollution exposure versus lower levels of ...
Read to your little ones.
That's the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) prescription for fostering loving, nurturing relationships during early infancy and early childhood -- a time of critical brain development.
Meddling moms who try to prohibit their kids’ friendships with troublemakers will only make things worse, a new study says.
Limiting contact with a friend who appears to be a bad influence tends to exacerbate the behavior problems parents were hoping to head off, r...
Classroom cellphone bans should help improve learning environments in schools, a child development expert says.
Keeping the devices out of classrooms would help focus attention, improve problem-solving and -- by allowing kids to occasionally lapse into boredom -- spur cr...
When you have a young child, you can wind up spending most of your time changing diapers and feeding them, but one expert suggests that socialization is also important for your child's future well-being.
From an early age, socialization can help hone their communication ...
High levels of fluoride in drinking water may dim the intelligence of children, a new U.S. government report shows.
Based on an analysis of published research, the potentially controversial
A child at the dinner table talks about trouble at school or an argument with a friend, but parents aren't listening: They're checking their smartphones instead.
It's a scenario that plays out millions of times per day across America, and it could be harming the mental h...
Parents are worried that social media and technology will get in the way of schoolkids building meaningful connections with classmates and teachers during the upcoming school year, a new poll finds.
Half of parents (50%) say too much time spent with technology will be th...
Not all babies born prematurely will suffer long-term developmental problems, a new study finds.
Preemies tend to fall into three risk categories, with about one in five (20%) scoring above average on standard cognitive tests, researchers reported Aug. 13 in the journal ...
A girl's genetics can indirectly influence the age when she has her first period, by accelerating her weight gain in childhood, a new study finds.
A number of other genes also can directly affect the age of puberty, some with profound effects, researchers added.
Mo...
When your preschooler pitches a fit, handing them a smartphone or tablet is probably the fastest -- and the worst -- way to stop it, a new study suggests.
"If parents regularly offer a digital device to their child to calm them or to stop a tantrum, the child won't learn...
Mothers tend to speak less to infants when they're on their smartphones, a new study finds.
Moms talked 16% less to their babies when they were fiddling with their phone, researchers found.
Shorter 1- to 2-minute intervals of phone use interfered with mom-baby inte...
If your child is among the youngest in their school grade, it's more likely they'll be mistakenly identified by teachers as having ADHD or autism, a new study confirms.
"Adults...
Severe forms of autism could be linked to overgrowth of the brain's outer layer that starts while a baby is in the womb, a new study finds.
Toddlers with autism have cerebral cortexes -- often referred to as "gray matter"-- that are roughly 40% larger than those of child...
Newer epilepsy drugs taken while pregnant won't affect the creative thinking of children, an effect that had been observed in older medications, a new study reports...
About 1 in 9 American children have ever received an ADHD diagnosis, slightly more than the number of kids currently being treated for the disorder, a new study shows.
About 7.1 million ...
Parents striving to be "perfect"will never attain that goal, and the aim isn't even healthy for their families, a new study says.
The risks of striving for perfection are such that researchers have now created a scale to help parents track their burnout and, if necessary...
No one knows what caused the liver and kidney disease that led to Ludwig van Beethoven's untimely death.
But one popular theory"that high lead levels killed the great composer"should be ruled out, researchers argue in the journal
Kids are very likely to make the acquaintance of a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at some point, whether they know it or not.
An estimated 95% of children with disabilities enroll in regular schools, experts say.
"Given the rates of autism diagn...
Nearly 100,000 U.S. children lost a parent in 2020 to gun violence or drug overdose, a three-fold rise since 1999, according to a new study.
Overall, these two causes made up nearly a quarter (23%) of parental losses in 2020, almost double the level cited in 1999, accord...
Prescription opioids taken during pregnancy are not associated with a substantial increase in risk of developmental disorders like ADHD in children, a new study has found.
"A slightly inc...
The pandemic caused only "modest"delays in developmental milestones for infants and toddlers, a new study has found.
Previous research has reported that pandemic-related lockdowns disrupted the lives of many people, including families with young children.
Day-to-da...
More than two-thirds of Chicago kids younger than 6 live in homes with tap water tainted by lead, a new analysis says.
There are detectable levels of lead in the drinking w...
Certain drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis appear to be safe for babies if taken by breastfeeding moms, a new study finds.
Breastfed babies whose moms received monoclonal antibody treatments for MS did not develop any more developmental delays than babies not exposed...
Using TVs and tablets as "e-babysitters" really cuts down on the time toddlers spend interacting with parents or other caregivers, new research shows.
The Australian team of investigators are calling the phenomenon "technoference" -- a scenario where "young children's ex...
Children exposed to anesthesia in the womb when their pregnant mom has surgery are more likely to suffer from behavioral issues later, a new study finds.
Exposure to general anesthesia before birth was associated with a 31% increased risk of diagnosis with a behavioral d...
The eyes may have it when it comes to the early diagnosis of autism in children, a new study finds.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have pinpointed a gene that affects how kids' eyes react when they turn their heads.
Typically, pe...
According to the advocacy group Autism Speaks, one in every 36 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Early diagnosis is crucial to helping to treat the condition, but how is a diagnosis done?...
Toddlers who are really into their food might have a higher risk of developing an eating disorder once they enter adolescence, a new study shows.
Kids ages 4 and 5 with a strong urge to eat when teased with tasty food appear more likely to report a range of eating disord...
Talking about the "good old days"might elicit eye rolls from teenagers, but it could be the key to boosting a preschooler's language skills, a new study finds.
Reminiscing about past events with preschoolers presents young kids with high-quality speech as good as or bett...
Television has been wryly referred to as the "electronic babysitter,"but a new study argues TV or other media could stunt a child's language development.
Children plopped in front of videos for hours on end tend to use phrases and sentences with fewer words, researchers ...
THURSDAY, Feb. 15, 2024 (Health Day News) -- Schools that want little girls to get plenty of exercise might want to rethink their dress code.
A University of Cambridge study of more than 1 million kids in 135 countries found that in countries where most students wear sch...
School districts could be severely underestimating how many kids are homeless in their communities, allowing those children to fall through the cracks, a new study warns.
Schools around the United States report that more than 1.2 million students are homeless every year....
Babies born even slightly early have a higher long-term risk of developmental difficulties that could affect their behavior and learning ability, a new study finds.
Infants born moderately (32-33 weeks) or late preterm (34-36 weeks) are more likely to have epilepsy or pr...
Kindergarten might seem like child's play, but embracing the adventure can play a key role in a kid's future educational success, a new study finds.
A successful early transition to kindergarten -- what the researchers called the "big little leap"-- can put a child firml...
Expecting moms who often turn to acetaminophen for their aches and pains are more likely to wind up with kids who have behavioral issues, a new study warns.
Children between the ages of 2 and 4 were more likely to have attention and behavioral problems if their mothers f...
Exposing babies and toddlers to TV and other digital media could be linked to a heightened risk for dysfunction in what's known as "sensory processing," a new study warns.
Kids with "atypical sensory processing" are often hypersensitive to the touch, sound, taste or look...
Ear infections are common for kids, but they can lead to long-term developmental problems, a new study finds.
Temporary hearing loss caused by recurring ear infections can lead to delays in language development and sound processing years later, researchers reported recen...
Paxlovid might help shorten and diminish a COVID infection, but the antiviral doesn't reduce the risk of developing long COVID, a new study shows.
About 16% of COVID patients treated with Paxlovid wound up with long COVID symptoms, compared to 14% of those not given the ...
Acetaminophen, best known as Tylenol in the United States, is a go-to pain med for millions.
However, a new study is raising doubts about its safe use by women who are pregnant.
The researchers found kids born to women who used acetaminophen while pregnant had dela...
The fluid-filled spaces around the brain's blood vessels need proper waste "clearance" every few hours. When that fails to happen, a baby's risk for autism appears to rise, new research shows.
It's too early to say that trouble within these "perivascular" spaces causes a...
Doctors report they are seeing what they think is a new syndrome in babies who are exposed to fentanyl while in the womb.
All of the infants have cleft palates and unusually small heads, and all were born to mothers who said they'd used fentanyl and other drugs while pre...