In her Ted Talk on childhood trauma Doctor Nadine Burke Harris discusses the long term affects of childhood trauma on an individuals psyche along with the types of care that can help someone combat the negative affects of adverse childhood experiences. Dr. Harris describes how trauma can trigger a fight or flight response in individuals and if this response is constantly activated, individuals can experience long term negative health affects such as chronic stress, anxiety, depression, heart disease and even death.

However, Dr. Harris also discusses methods to combat these adverse childhood experiences. She emphasizes the importance of more holistic approaches in regards to treating individuals with trauma based disorders and how these approaches can assist in breaking the cycle of trauma that many individuals who are victims of adverse childhood experiences often go through.

 

Jay Schieffelin

Kathleen Gallagher’s Ted Talk, “The Healthy Child: Assembly Required” takes a reflective look at how in order the nurturing of a healthy child does not only involve physical well-being but psychological well-being as well. Gallagher discusses the many benefits of raising a child in a healthy, nurturing environment with these benefits ranging from an expanded vocabulary in preschool to lower rates of heart disease as adults.

Gallagher goes on to explain that issues preventing children from being raised in nurturing environments are often systemic and challenging these issues needs to be tackled with an understanding that these issues are often systemic. Poverty, racial prejudice, and prejudice against LGBTQ+ individuals are examples of systemic problems that hinder healthy child development.

Examples are also provided of healthy non-physical care that parents who promote healthy environments instill in their households. A few of these examples include nurturing strong emotional bonds, promoting language use, and providing access to resources that help children learn both social skills and academic skills.

Overall, Gallaghers Ted Talk discusses how a healthy child is created through a sum of different forms of care provided in their households.

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

The answer to last weeks Trivia Tuesday was… 12-18 months. At around 12 months many babies can begin to produce very simple words such as mama, dog, and ball.  By 18 months many babies can recognize up to 50 words and even begin to understand certain one word commands.

This weeks question: At what age do most children achieve basic reading fluency

A. 3-4 years old

B. 5 years old

C. 6-7 years old

D. 8 year olds

Tune in next week for the answer to be revealed!

Jay Schieffelin – Research Assistant

 

Pets have become a staple piece in countless families throughout the world. While not universal, approximately two thirds of American homes have at least one pet inhabiting them and there are similar rates of pet ownership throughout most first world countries. While most people feel positively towards animals, one may come to question if there are any concrete benefits to owning a pet. A scholarly article published by Purewal et al. examines this question in the realm of how pet ownership can effect child development.

According to the article, pet ownership can lead to quite a few social benefits in young children. One such benefit is a potential increase in prosocial behavior that can lead to an increase in social maturity at a young age. Additional social benefits include an increase in language development and enhanced development in nonverbal communication skills. However, there were some negative traits attributed to pet ownership as well. Examples of negative outcomes attributed to pet ownership include lower educational attainment along with an increase in hyperactivity.

While the effects of pet ownership range from positive to negative outcomes, it is clear that pet ownership effects child development through a variety of factors.

Link to article: https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-024-05049-7

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ted+talk+child+development

Anne Frenald’s Ted Talk “Why Talking To Little Kids Matters” discusses the importance of conversation in language development amongst young children. While it is quite common for parents to engage in “baby talk” with their children, Frenald emphasizes the importance of quality conversation between parents and their young children. Both the amount of words and the quality of conversation between parent and child can have a significant impact on a child’s cognitive development.

The most effective way to combine both a variety of words and a high quality language interactions is through simple and engaging conversations. Rather than exposing children passively to new language through TV or radio, Frenald suggests that direct interactions between parents and their children is the most effective way to help children develop a stronger understanding of language.

Some benefits of these conversations suggested by parents include an improved understanding of their native tongue, increased development in cognitive skills, and improved social skills.

The answer to last weeks Trivia Tuesday was the Concrete Operational Stage. This is the period of development where children begin to form a true sense of empathy. Children achieve this state of being partially through decentration which allows children to consider multiple perspectives regarding a situation.

This weeks Trivia Tuesday question is… At what age does Eriksons psychosocial crisis of autonomy vs care occur

A. 3-5 years

B. 65+ years

C. 5-13 years

D. 1.5-3 years

Investing in additional programs other than traditional schooling is a thought that crosses many parents and caregivers minds. Should I send my child to a childcare facility before preschool to help them socialize with peers? How important is it that I select a quality preschool for my child to attend? These are questions that many parents ask themselves and as a whole, according to Duncan et. al the results are mixed.

While Duncan and his colleagues do determine that early childhood programs do play a role in helping children maximize their potential, the means in which they achieve this end remain unclear. The article concludes that it still remains unknown what methods and programs work for specific children and why those programs work. The author poses that econometric methods could be used in order to answer these key questions. Overall, there is still plenty of work to be done in order to determine which programs work and why, however it can be concluded that as a whole these programs prove quite consequential in the outcomes of childhood development.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1574069222000058

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0151729

Sports have become an absolute staple in many American children’s childhood. Whether it’s playing soccer in preschool, little league baseball over the summer, or high school football on a crisp Friday night, sports are an extremely common activity for children of all ages to engage with. With youth sports being such a fixture in American culture, one may ponder the psychological effects that youth sports have on childhood development. Researchers Christina Felfe, Michael Lechner, and Andreas Steinmayr explore this very question in their article on this phenomenon titled “Sports and Child Development”.

The good news for parents whose children engage in youth sports is that the effects on development are primarily positive. While some obvious positive effects of engaging in youth sports such as in increase in physical health and motor skills may immediately come to mind, the effects of an increase in self esteem and better communication skills are also positive effects of youth sports participation. However, negative drawbacks to exist within the context of youth sports such as the often unnecessary pressure children face in these environments that are often the result of parental overstepping.

Fortunately, as a whole youth sports assists in children meeting developmental milestones and for the most part have a positive effect on children’s psychological development. 

 

Jay Schieffelin is a research assistant for UConn KIDS. He is a senior Psychological Sciences major with a minor in Crime and Justice. After graduation he plans on attending graduate school to eventually pursue a doctorate in psychology and work with criminals.

In his free time Jay enjoys watching football, exploring nature, working out, and spending time with his friends and lovely girlfriend

The answer to last weeks Trivia Tuesday was… Neural Plasticity! This term refers to the brains ability to change its structure and function. Individuals typically experience their highest levels of Neural Plasticity during early childhood.

When people are reading a list of words, they are more likely to remember the first few words when compared to words found in the middle or end of the list. What effect describes this phenomenon?

A. The Recency Effect

B. The Primacy Effect

C. The “First in Order” Effect

D. The Original Effect

Comeback next week for the correct answer!