Though it’s not often talked about often, sleepwalking is quite common in children. In fact, 1 in 10 school aged children experience sleepwalking episodes. Parents generally notice more noises/sounds from the rooms of their young children rather than their older ones, so it’s more common for younger children to be caught sleepwalking by their parents. It’s important to note that the earlier sleepwalking is treated, the better the outcome for the child will be. 

In this study, the researchers have discovered that sleepwalking is associated with night terrors, restless sleep, and sleep talking. Aside from nighttime activities, it’s also associated with emotional/behavioral issues, usually caused by the sleep problems that affect the children. A stable sleep routine is important for children to minimize any problems that may occur without proper sleep. If they don’t get adequate sleep, they’re more likely to experience daytime problems.  

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Today, social media is everywhere, used by millions or even billions of people worldwide. Many apps like Instagram, Tiktok, etc., are especially popular among children and adolescents. However, companies are exploiting their vulnerability as minors by ignoring their privacy rights via digital interactions. 

Activist Baroness Beeban Kidron states that “technology is not all to blame, but the technology that should make her day better is actually making it worse.” She created an initiative, “5rights,” that’s designed to ensure children’s rights are delivered in the digital realm. These are: the right to remove, the right to know, the right to safety and support, the right to informed and conscious use, and the right to digital literacy. 

Now, technology is not all bad. It can provide support and entertainment for its users as well! Kidron’s work is not to challenge the app companies, but to make sure that privacy rights are established in the digital world. She doesn’t want “children to be kept offline but support their presence online.” 

To watch the full Ted Talk, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

In childhood, cartoons are one of the most watched types of media among children. But, how does this impact their development? Genetic and environmental factors, as we know, play a role in shaping child development. Cartoons are a type of environmental factor, and depending on what is shown in the cartoon, it can impact the mentality and behavior of young school children. 

There are cartoons that depict violence, which can increase aggressive behaviors in preschoolers. Prosocial behavior can decrease, and the development of such behaviors can be stunted. In addition, cartoons can take up time of childhood, leaving little room for other activities like parent-child interactions. 

Though, this is not to say all cartoons are bad or must not be watched! In fact, there are many benefits to watching cartoons. They can be a baseline to a good mental state in children. Cartoons also act as an alternative to teaching life experience that are not taught from parents and schools! 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Changes of the Self happens during adolescence, and it is one of the most prominent changes! Erik Erikson, a children psychoanalyst, came up with eight distinct stages of development. Identity formation happens in adolescence, usually during one’s teenage years, due to the expansion of cognitive abilities. It’s the time when they seek independence, self-discovery, and essentially find meaning in life 

Personality traits (i.e., the Big Five) are embedded in identity formation. It’s not unchangeable; in fact, they are affected by environmental factors (not just genetics) that occur during adolescent development. As one grows older, their personality and identity start to morph into adult-like attributes. 

In summary, personality traits and identity formation can affect one another. It’s important to note that personality traits are not the same as personality types, which this itself requires more research on. To even shape or reshape one’s own identity, it all starts with reconsideration with how they view themselves in the now, and how they want to envision themselves in the future. 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

As most of us know, children love playing with toys. Not only are they fun and enjoyable, but they can contribute to child development by improving their cognitive, physical, and other skills. It can also benefit child-parent relationships by having the parent actively play with their children! However, many parents wonder what type of toys are appropriate for their children, especially considering that we now live in a time where digital media is everywhere. 

A toy can be defined as “an object (whether made, purchased, or found in nature) intended for children’s play.” (Healy & Mendelsohn, 2019) Physical toys have been around for a long time, whereas virtual/digital toys have been increasingly popular nowadays. For aid in choosing what toy is best for their child, parents can talk to their children’s pediatric healthcare provider! 

Children all develop in different stages and timelines, cognitively. Generally, children would most benefit from toys that match their current development skills and strengthen new ones. For improving engagement with caregivers, toys used in imaginative play are crucial for strengthening relationships as well as social development and language! 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

In recent years, there have been advances in clinical assessment for adolescents. Many types of evidence-based assessment (EBA) have many common themes: depression, anxiety, and other clinical dysfunctional disorders in children. However, he highlights another preferrable method of assessment: patient oriented research, monitoring patients from beginning to end to note progress and find the right treatments. 

The author emphasizes the importance of psychotherapy to improve psychosocial functioning. He also mentions that the scores of tests and measures to diagnose disorders is only used to operationalize the data. He raises a good point: what if a patient was only a few points away from a diagnosis. How would this impact the quality of their life? 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

According to the CDC, 50% of children have experienced childhood trauma. The speaker, Lisa Godwin, tells her personal story, and reveals that her teacher was the one who helped her, along with the school guidance counselor, to find her voice and speak the truth about her trauma. 

She emphasizes the importance of recognizing student’s behaviors and learning to be aware, ask questions, and pay attention to students regardless of how they’re behaving. Godwin is now a kindergarten teacher who loves her students and is actively listening to what they say or choose to omit to make sure that they’re okay. 

Developing relationships with students is one of the best ways to get to know them. It’s not just young children, adolescents of all ages can have something going on, and it’s up to the adults around them to let them know they have someone in their corner. 

To watch the full Ted Talk, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is defined as “temperament characterized in early childhood by distress to novelty and avoidance of unfamiliar people” (2021, Fox et al.). Social anxiety is a mental health disorder where an individual fears social situations due to a host of reasons, like being judged or talked about.  

Both sound similar right? Well, behavioral inhibition is actually a well-known risk factor for social anxiety! Interestingly enough, 60% of children with BI are not diagnosed with social anxiety. The study examines how three categories of processing situations (detection, automatic control, and playful control) can affect whether or not children will develop social anxiety. 

They discover that parenting styles and socialization from their environment can impact if a child develops automatic control (increases risk for social anxiety) or playful control (decreases risk for social anxiety). 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Not all families send their children to preschools. For some kids, they may have started their formal education in kindergarten whereas others may have had a head start in early childhood educational programs. There are a few states that require children to attend preschool, but most of the USA leave it as an option for families to participate or not. 

Evidence has shown that teaching education and social skills to children before the age of five years old can have many benefits to children’s learning. Positive effects include improvement in language, math, literacy, and socioemotional outcomes. 

Investing in preschool programs to further improve the quality can also positively impact children’s education and life skills. With the evidence that preschools themselves can provide benefits to young kids, the better the quality of preschools, the more we can observe improvements in children’s development! 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder where one experiences reoccurring thoughts and/or repetitive compulsions. Compared to the quality of life in adults with OCD, the quality of life in children with OCD has not been researched as much. The prevalence of OCD in children is 0.5-3%, and they can experience other psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, etc. 

In this study, they measured the quality of life in children/adolescents after cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in comparison to those without OCD. The results yielded that the quality of life was worse before CBT treatment and improved after the CBT treatment as self-reported by the children and their parents. 

Quality of life is not used as a measure of treatment in aiding children and adolescents with OCD, but this study provides implications for incorporating quality of life as a measure! 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant