Humans communicate nonverbally all the time, through body language and facial expression. Individuals with autism, however, often have difficulty understanding this type of communication. Researchers want to find out why…click here to read more about what they discovered.

Studies of children from a single language, bilingual, or adopted at an early age with a change in language showed that brain response to words differed, with the adoptees showing more brain activity in the memory and attention areas. This suggests that early language sounds may have a significant influence in the brain, which can be helpful in understanding the development of bilingual speakers. Read more here.

Researchers investigated how eating breakfast (* a healthy breakfast *) impacted educational outcomes, and their findings indicate an important link. Read more here.

Researchers at UConn were able to test whether infants would learn from the surrounding environment even during sleep. The conclusion? Yes, it does appear that babies minds are actively processing and learning during sleep! Find out more here about how they discovered this amazing result.

UConn KIDS is very happy to be collaborating with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and helping to support their research efforts.

Welcome to the UConn KIDS team Rudd Center members!

UConn KIDS members can find out more about the work that the Rudd Center does by clicking here.

 

Individuals with auditory processing or neurodevelopmental disorders, like ASD, may have trouble processing different pitches or tones important to language/communication. Researchers at UConn are trying to understand how the brain processes these elements to help devise therapies or tools that can help. Read more here.

 

Knowledge (knowing what to do) and performance (acting on what you know needs to be done) can be very different, and the brain may approach these factors separately with effects from ADHD. Read more here.

Autism rates have been increasing, but just how much? Washington Post reports: click here.

Language is a critical component in interaction, and researchers found that toddlers with poor language skills were disadvantaged when it came to playtime. Read more here. These findings support the need for early identification and intervention of speech delays.

Is your toddler learning to talk?

Don’t forget to teach your toddler words about emotions too.

Researchers found that early discussion about emotion may help reduce behavior problems, by giving toddlers the words needed to express themselves. In their article here they provide useful tips on how to make these words meaningful for young minds such as:

“mothers not only labeling the emotion (e.g., sad) but also putting it into context (e.g., She’s sad because she lost her bird) and tying it back to the child’s life (e.g., Remember when you lost your bear and you were sad?).”