Scientists use Sesame Street to study brain development in children

New York researchers are using Sesame Street videos to collect information about activity in the brain.  They are using this information to consider similarities and differences between the brain of a child and that of an adult. This insight to the brain's functioning could add to the understanding of why some children struggle in the classroom - while this is largely based on behavioural assessments at this time.

Global News: Scientists use Sesame Street to study brain development in children

The Importance of Gestures

It can sometimes take an extra reminder to look past the focus on verbal language and remember the important role that gestures play in communication.

The Hanen Centre is a wonderful source with a wealth of information on many topics.  Find out when to expect your child to use gestures, how to help them, and what to do if they are not using gestures.  

The Hanen Centre - The Importance of Gestures

Words and pictures - Can they tell the difference?

Words and pictures are some of the most important ingredients to a great story book.  Did you know that your child's understanding of the difference between text and drawings can provide insight to their future reading abilities?  

Checking in on these emergent literacy skills can reveal some indication about a child's readiness and or possible future challenges when it comes to learning how to read. 

Check out the full story from Global News.  

Stuttering: How to support your child

"Is stuttering a phase or a disorder? Here’s how to tell the difference and whether your child needs speech therapy." (Pooley, 2015)

Find tips, resources for help, and other info at Today'sParent.com

Low-cost nasal balloon procedure can help treat children's hearing loss: study

Ear infections and difficulty hearing can play a role in a child's language development.  

For children with a history of otitis media with effusion - an inflammatory disease affecting the inner ear that can result in difficulty hearing, there may be a new solution.

A study has investigated the use of nasal balloon treatment as an alternative to antibiotics, steroids, and surgery. 

CTV provides insight to the study and the research behind this practical procedure for treatment.

CTV News: Low-cost nasal balloon procedure can help treat children's hearing loss: study

Predicting reading issues - and intervening - early!

"New research suggests it may be possible to predict which preschoolers will struggle to read – and it has to do with how the brain deciphers speech when it’s noisy.Scientists are looking for ways to tell, as young as possible, when children are at risk for later learning difficulties so they can get early interventions." (Neergaard, 2015)

Find out about this new study, and how it hope to change the way infants and toddlers are screened and identified as being at risk for reading difficulties. 

Kids who struggle with reading: Predicting issues - and intervening - early

Baby Talk: From 'goo goo ga ga' to Theory of Mind

Baby Talk: Using Emotion-Based Language With Your Baby Will Help Them Develop Strong Social Skill Later In Life

"Baby talk is a great way to bond with your newborn, but recent research has shown just how important this behavior is in shaping your child’s future social skills as well. According to the study, mothers who used more emotion-based words when speaking to their babies had children who grew up with a better understanding of other people’s feelings." (Dovey, 2015).

Find out more about this research, its findings, and the implications of what it could mean to shift our idea of baby talk from 'goo goo ga ga' to a framework considering emotional language and theory of mind.

Check out the full article, HERE.

Socializing and Second Language Learning

"New findings by researchers at theInstitute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the University of Washington demonstrate for the first time that an early social behavior called gaze shifting is linked to infants’ ability to learn new language sounds." (McElroy, 2015)

University of Washington: Babies' brains show that social skills linked to second language learning

Technology and Your Child's Development

Digital distractions have become the new normal in our everyday lives.  

Technology can make things easier, faster, more convenient -- but at what cost? 

From parents of infants using their technology during time which could be spent interacting with their babies, to children who say their parents check their devices too often -- discover even more about how technology and our ever-increasing use of it is becoming a factor in the development 

of our children.

Chicago Tribune: Is your technology hurting your child's development?

More reasons to read!

There are so many reasons to read.  To learn, to calm, to explore, to escape.  Public Radio International reminds us of one of the many important reasons in one of its Science Friday featured articles.
It's not just about learning how to read the words on a page.  Reading contributes in an even greater way to the development of a child.  When reading books, children are exposed to a greater number of unique words than in everyday conversations.  More rare and complex sentences are features of literature that also tend to present themselves in books more than in day-to-day life.  It is in these ways - among many - that books and other texts can provide what everyday is not.

Public International Radio - A new study gives parents another reason to read to their kids