More scientific research shows the power of a mother’s love.

Cuddling, talking and playing can really do wonders for children, especially for those who grow up to be in the autism spectrum. University of Miami researchers say maternal sensitivity may influence language development among children who go on to develop autism.

Read More »

Another study debunks the autism and vaccination link.

So much media hype has been given to the supposed connection between autism and vaccines. Medical experts have already disputed this, but the belief still persists. Just this month, results of another study are out showing no increased risk of autism for children who received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Read More »

Oxytocin offers hope for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

You’ve probably heard of oxytocin, a hormone released naturally during orgasm, breast feeding and labor. It’s manufactured versions Pitocin or Syntocinon are used to induce contractions for some women to aid in child birth. Well, the “love hormone” may also treat symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Read More »

Banging on that glockenspiel can sharpen your child’s reading skills.

Cost-cutting school districts are making a mistake when they cut music from the kindergarten to 12 curriculum. Learning to play an instrument may actually help hone reading skills, more than kindergarten worksheets. So, if your child is a natural music lover, take advantage. Music is not only fun, it’s good for her brain development too.

Read More »

How much TV is too much?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has had a long-standing guideline on TV viewing for children. The AAP recommends no television for kids under age 2; and for kids 2 to 6 years old, television or computer time should be limited to no more than 2 hours per day.

In our house, we give our kids the two-hours per day media diet. Though admittedly, on weekends they get more screen time — since a movie is often one of our Saturday treats. My husband used to tell me the 2-hour a day rule was too stringent. To which I say, let’s take it from the experts.

Read More »

Say hello — and welcome — to that imaginary friend.

My friend Irene has an invisible younger daughter named Turtle. Before you think my friend is crazy, consider the back story. She’s given birth only once — to a very imaginative 3-year-old real-life daughter named Emma. In Emma’s mind she has a younger sister she named Turtle. Turtle goes with them everywhere and she also likes cornflakes and bananas just like her older sister Emma.

Once upon a time, imaginary friends were considered a cause for concern. These days, research tells us quite the opposite. Children with pretend-friends and who can conjure elaborate make believe worlds have a promising future of learning and social development.

Read More »

Mom can make or break Mr. Future Executive.

If you want your child to have self-control and develop good thinking and decision making skills, pay attention to how you interact with him as a baby. Canadian and U.S. researchers say, mom plays a key role in how her child develops executive functioning.
Researchers at the University of Montreal and University of Minnesota found the way a mother interacts with her child affects how the child develops this set of advanced cognitive functions — including mental flexibility and the abilities to remember things and control impulses — integral to the ability to make goals and reach them.

Read More »

When will he learn to feel what I feel?

A 3-year old swats you with his hand in anger because you won’t let him have anymore candy. You tell him hitting hurts and to say sorry, but he won’t. Maybe you’ve had a discussion about sharing with a 2-year old, it’s virtues have been extolled 20 times and still… no sharing. Toddlers are just really bad at putting themselves in other people’s shoes. But guess what? You’re not raising a sociopath. Empathy takes time to develop.

Read More »

Parent them with some help from science and research.

I was in for a few enlightening shockers, thanks to a book I had recently read. Its central premise is that many of modern society’s strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring – because key twists in the science have been overlooked.

Read More »

Nurturing environments also nurture good readers.

Once upon a time, a controversial claim was made that you can read to your kids all you want but that won’t guarantee they will be good readers. That claim was made in 2005 in the book Freakonomics by authors Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt. The authors said, having wealthy and educated parents is a better gauge for high literacy. Well, there’s a new study out that claims that’s only partly true.

Read More »