From the very first days of life, small moments can make a huge difference in a baby’s development. One simple activity that supports growth is tummy time. Tummy time should begin when a baby is a newborn and be practiced often while they are awake and supervised. Giving babies time on their stomach helps them build strong neck, shoulder, and arm muscles. These muscles are important for motor development and help babies learn skills like rolling, sitting, and crawling earlier. Starting tummy time early and practicing it every day helps babies grow stronger and supports their overall health and development. Pathways created an informational video to educate everyone on the importance of tummy time and ways to do it.

Click here to view the video and learn more!

Grace Hoey

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

For long, we have wondered what goes on in a baby’s mind before they are old enough to communicate through speech or intentional movements. Research by scientists in Trinity College Dublin is shedding light on how infants process and make sense of the world, doing things more advanced than we had previously thought possible for 2-month old babies.

The researchers used a combination of brain scans and artificial intelligence (AI) models to record brain activity while showing babies images from 12 familiar visual categories, things like cats, trees and rubber ducks for 15-20 minutes. The scans and following analysis showed that these young babies were able to categorize different images into different categories. Thinking of different categories would light up activity in different parts of the brain. These scans were done on 130 awake babies making this the largest longitudinal study with fMRI (a type of brain scan) done on awake babies.

This study not only shows us that infants are taking in their surroundings and making sense of the world much earlier than we expected, but it also provides a foundation for further studies to take place that combine brain imaging and AI models. The use of both tools enabled the scientists to discover that babies can group together visual items in their mind, furthering our understanding of how the brain develops in infants. This is one great example of the intersection between AI and science and how we can use it in addition to current  tools and techniques to further scientific research!

If you would like to learn more, check out this news article or the published scientific paper here!

Afrah Rafi

UConn KIDS

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday with UConn KIDS!

Last week’s question: At what age range do children learn to imitate and play pretend?

Last week’s answer: B) 2-7 years

 

This week’s question is…

What age do children begin organizing information in their memories?

a) around 3 years old

b) around 6 years old

c) around 5 years old

d) around 7 years old

Tune in next week to find out the answer!

Distraction is one of the big ways that kids regulate their emotions. It can be either behavioral distraction, doing an activity as a distraction, or cognitive distraction, where kids thinks about something distracting. Contrary to what it might sound like, distraction isn’t the same as avoiding a problem or feeling, rather kids are simply distracting themselves in the moment to adjust their feelings. Adults do this all the time, and we are able to do it consciously, but young children may need to be prompted as they don’t develop the ability to seek out and plan their distracting ability until later in childhood.

This article looks at the difference between drawing as a distraction and drawing as a means of expression. Kids are naturally inclined towards drawing and creating art, and so it is a good technique for emotional regulation. Although creating art is a great method of expression and kid should be encouraged to express themselves, in terms of mood regulation, drawing as a distraction seems to be more effective. Drawing as a distraction is especially effective when kids are given the choice of what to draw, or draw a positive memory.

The article looks at different studies done on the effects of drawing as a distraction on children of different age ranges. It was found that there was more of a positive effect on younger children, whereas older children still benefited from drawing as a distraction, but to a less extent. This could be due to the fact that younger children generally perceive their art as “better” whereas older kids may be more critical of their art which can lessen the positive effect of drawing. Regardless, drawing as a distraction was seen to be much more effective than drawing to express in improving a kid’s mood. Overall, drawing to distract seems to be a great tool for kids to regulate their emotions and easily improve their mood!

To learn more and read the full article, click here!

Afrah Rafi

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

In the Ted Talk, “What Lack of Sleep Does to the Teenage Brain” sleep scientist Wendy Troxel explains how chronic sleep deprivation is harmful to teenagers and how a large part of this problem is caused by the early start times for middle and high schools. The vast majority of teenagers are not getting the 8-10 hours of sleep a night that is recommended for teenagers. Troxel explains that because teenagers go through a shift in when their body gets naturally sleepy, teenagers get tired around 2 hours later than children and adults, and so waking up for school at 6am is even harder for a teenager than it is for an adult.

Sleep is so important for brain growth and development, especially for teenagers who are learning so much every day. Sleep is the time when they should be able to rest and relax and let their brain develop, but a chronic lack of sleep hinders a teenager’s ability to do so. Not only this, but sleep deprivation adds to and worsens many behavioral and mental health issues in teenagers, many of which are currently on a rise, such as depression, anxiety, and reckless driving.

Troxel argues that although it will be difficult to make the switch the later school start times, it is a necessary switch for the health and well-being of teenagers. More sleep will allow them to do better at school, have improved mental and physical health, and be the best version of themselves!

To learn more, watch the full video here!

Afrah Rafi

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

With the increasing use of technology among children, it is more important than ever for them to spend time outside. Studies suggest outdoor play offers more benefits to children’s development than many may realize. Outdoor play offers various physical, mental, and social benefits for children, establishing a healthy foundation for them to build on. Examining these benefits highlights the advantages of spending time outside by providing a clear understanding of its role in child development.

Spending time outside encourages kids to be active through activities like running, climbing, and exploring. This helps them build and maintain strength and coordination by integrating active habits that they can carry into adulthood. Playing outside offers also many long-term health benefits for children by promoting the production of vitamin D through frequent exposure to sunlight. While vitamin D can also be obtained through diet, playing outside ensures sufficient levels of the vitamin, which is necessary for building strong bones. Increased levels of vitamin D also boosts immune systems, improves moods, and decreases health risks to obesity, in turn, lowering chances of health issues linked to it, including asthma, sleep apnea, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease..

In addition to physical health benefits, playing outdoors supports emotional growth and assists the development of interpersonal skills. Exposure to greenery supports kids’ curiosity, increases sensory engagement, and improves focus, creativity, and problem-solving skills in many ways that indoor activities cannot. It also provides opportunities for children to interact with others, helping them practice communication, cooperation, and sharing as they build relationships and navigate group activities.

Making time for outdoor play helps ensure they develop the physical strength, cognitive abilities, emotional resilience, and social skills needed to thrive. As the weather continues to get warmer, children have even more opportunities to spend time outside and engage in these activities, so support your child’s development by encouraging them to take advantage of the sunlight!

To read more about the advantages of outdoor play, click here!

Chelsey Ko 

UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday with UConn KIDS!

Last week’s question: What is the recommended amount of daily exercise for elementary age children?

Last week’s answer: B) 60 minutes

 

This week’s question is…

At what age range do children learn to imitate and play pretend?

a) 0-2 years

b) 2-7 years

c) 7-11 years

d) 12 years and older

Talking in baby talk might feel silly, but babies are paying close attention. Language learning starts much earlier than you would expect, and baby talk is part of how babies learn. 

This article explains that even though babies actually understand a lot more language than people think. Linguistics professor Jeffrey Lidz has spent years studying how young children learn language. His research shows that babies start to understand important parts of language like sentence structure, much earlier than expected. 

In a recent study, Lidz and his colleague found that by around 18 months, children already have a strong understanding of syntax (how words are arranged in sentences). Toddlers still understand things like the difference between nouns and verbs and how words in a sentence connect to each other, even if they struggle to speak clearly.  

Using baby talk with simplified speech and exaggerated tone helps babies pay better attention to sounds and patterns, making it easier for them to learn language. 

Click here to learn more!

Grace Hoey

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

In “A surprising way to boost your child’s confidence”, Pediatric Psychologist Dr. Kathryn Hecht encourages parents to embrace their children’s anxiety and discomfort to build their internal confidence. With a 30% increase of youth diagnoses of anxiety from 2016 to 2019 alone, she addresses negative misconceptions about anxiety by reassessing its role in children’s development. Rather than interpreting anxiety as a roadblock, she reimagines it as a stepping stone to one’s foundational courage.

As a mother herself, Hecht understands the reassurance in “parenting for comfort”. She too is a victim to it. but her empathy for the issue doesn’t change its consequences. “Parenting for comfort” is a form of parenting that provides guardians relief by accommodating to their children’s fears in order to maximize their happiness. This method stigmatizes anxiety in kids, which can negatively affect how they address problems in the future. Not only does it affect their children’s development, it creates significant burden on parents themselves. To tackle this issue, she offers valuable insight: happiness does not equate health. Accommodation does not provide long-term confidence. It only offers temporary consolation and promotes inhibitory learning.

Instead, she advises parents to let their children struggle in place of suffering by leading by example. She calls this “parenting for confidence”. “Parenting for confidence” reimagines anxiety as an essential ingredient to building children’s courage. When parents live by example, they send the message to that they too can conjure the strength to attack hard things. Then, eventually, they’ll be able to ask, “What else am I capable of?”

In this surge of anxiety in youth, it is more important than ever for parents to be cognizant of how their mentality affects their children’s development. By utilizing discomfort, parents can help their children build resilience that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

To learn more, watch this video!

Chelsey Ko 

UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

One article that really stood out to me is Oral Language Acquisition in Preschool Children Who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing by Werfel, Reynolds, and Fitton (2022). As a UConn student studying psychology and working in a lab focused on language development in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, this topic immediately felt relevant to both my academic interests and real-world impact. The study focuses on how DHH children develop language during the preschool years, which is such an important window for both communication and overall cognitive growth.

What makes this article especially interesting is that it follows the same children over time, rather than just taking a single snapshot. The researchers looked at vocabulary and grammar development in DHH children between the ages of four and six and compared them to their hearing peers. One of the most encouraging findings is that DHH children do make steady and meaningful progress in their language skills over time. This is huge! It reinforces the idea that these children are very capable of strong language development when given the right opportunities and support.

At the same time, the study found that the gap between DHH children and hearing children does not fully close by the time they reach school age. Differences in vocabulary and grammar are still present, which highlights how early these gaps can emerge. What really stood out to me is that these differences are already noticeable during the preschool years. For parents, this underscores how important early language exposure and intervention can be in shaping long-term outcomes. Additionally, this highlights the need for a bridge, from early intervention to the implementation of individualized education plans, so that DHH children continue to close that gap when they get to school, rather than the gap becoming larger!

From my perspective, this article sends an important and hopeful message. It shows that development is not fixed, but it also emphasizes how critical early access to language is. Whether that access comes through spoken language, sign language, or a combination of both, what matters most is that children are given consistent and meaningful opportunities to communicate from an early age. Overall, this study offers valuable insight into how children learn language and why early support can make such a lasting difference.

To read more, click here

Cooper Armogida

UConn KIDS Research Assistant