Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This weeks question is…True or false:You may inherit traits, such as height/weight, that may affect growth and development?
A. True
B. False

Last weeks question was…”True or false: An intellectual disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder, and Motor Disorders are all Neurodevelopmental disorders classified in the DSM-5.” The answer was true!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This weeks question is… True or false: An intellectual disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder, and Motor Disorders are all Neurodevelopmental disorders classified in the DSM-5.
A. True
B. False

Last weeks question was…”Which developmental disorder is characterized by these two features: persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across a variety of settings, and restrictive repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities.” The answer was Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD)

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

The concept of parenting styles has been well researched and well established. However, the concern of parenting styles within context is a new development. This has led to “domain-specific” models of parenting styles that are flexible and allow for different situational contexts. 

The previous parenting styles established were authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles. This new way of thinking about parenting styles has led to the development of a fourth style, rejecting-neglecting style. 

The new “domain-specific” models of parenting describe parenting as “multifaceted and situationally determined.” This means that parents use different parenting styles depending on the situation. On top of this, the child’s interpretation might have different meanings which can be dependent on the stage of development or the culture. 

If you want to read more, click here!

Kaitlyn Vitucci

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

Resilience generally refers to a positive adaptation or development when experiencing adverse events, and within the context of human development resilience would include overcoming traumatic events all the way to dealing with stress in everyday life. Research within the last few years has shown the importance of understanding and promoting resilience in early childhood. 

This revelation has allowed for potential to implement practices that are specifically designed to promote healthier development, especially when considering those who face adversity and/or are disadvantaged. 

Despite the few challenges faced, systematic research has started on resilience in childhood. This research is aimed at children who are at a higher risk of problems, due to mental illnesses, social disadvantages, and poverty. The ultimate goal of this research is to use the findings to inform policies that are aimed at better development within high risk children. 

The most effective interventions occur during infancy and pre-school years, which helps to support parenting and provide enriched learning environments. This may be due to the fact that early success in school seemed to be important in learning resilience. Another finding of success is systems that focus on building competence and strengths within the family and children, as well as addressing problems early on. 

If you want to hear more about this exciting research, read here! 

Kaitlyn Vitucci
UConn KIDS, Research Assistant

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This week’s question is…Which developmental disorder is characterized by these two features: persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across a variety of settings, and restrictive repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities.

A. Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD)
B. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)
C. Intellectual disability
D. Learning disability 

Last weeks question was…”True or false: A context is a unique combination of personal and environmental circumstances that can result in different paths of change. These can include: gender, race, personality variables, and biological factors.” The answer was true!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

 

If you’ve ever had this question before, you’re not the only one. A group of researchers at Harvard are currently researching how environments affect children’s learning skills and development. 

It has already been well researched and found that small children who grow and learn in formal and high-quality preschools develop better language, math, and literacy skills. As well as stronger emotional and social connections. But what about the other environments that children grow up and develop in?

This research is being led by Nonie Lesaux and Stephanie Jones, two developmental psychologists, who aim to conduct a study of 5,000 children. These children are 3 to 4 years old, and this study can possibly follow them into adult-hood! 

“Lesaux and Jones aim to update the science around child care by examining the links between children’s development and the characteristics of the educational and care settings where they spend their formative years…”

This research is extremely important because not all families have the resources to send their children to private or high-quality schools, and there’s a variety of environments that children grow up in. Some parents send their children to after school programs, relatives’ houses, and many other places. This study is promising and will hopefully produce telling results!

If you want to read more about this study, read here!

Kaitlyn Vitucci, Research Assistant UConn KIDS

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This weeks question is…True or false: A context is a unique combination of personal and environmental circumstances that can result in different paths of change. These can include: gender, race, personality variables, and biological factors.

A. True
B. False

Last weeks question was…”True or false: How much a child eats at any one meal matters less than the total amount eaten over several days and the nutritional value of foods eaten.” The answer was true!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This weeks question is…True or false: How much a child eats at any one meal matters less than the total amount eaten over several days and the nutritional value of foods eaten.
A. True
B. False

Last weeks question was…”True or false: pretend play is an important part of cognitive development” The answer was true!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

Child development is a broad term that entails many milestones. A newborn and an 8 year old are at very different stages in development, and for this reason child development has been broken up into 5 distinct stages: 

Birth to 18 months: children can learn to identify familiar faces and respond to facial expressions. They also have the ability to learn some words, stand, and walk by themselves.

18 months to 3 years: children can start pretend play and play with other children!

3 years to 5 years: children can start to express their likes, learn to count, and identify numbers. They also have the ability to play on their own. 

5 years to 12 years: This is the age where children start grade school. Here they are able to develop their problem solving skills. They also can build close friendships and develop personal interests!

12 years to 18 years: This is the stage where adolescents start to grow their independence. They begin puberty, develop their own opinions and start to become interested in dating. 

There are many milestones children and adolescents reach in the time of child development. These milestones refer to behaviors that mark stages of growth. It’s very important to remember that children develop at their own pace, and two children might not reach a specific milestone at the same time. Some milestones children reach are repeating familiar songs, remembering faces and names, and sorting shapes and colors. 

If you’re concerned that your child is developmentally delayed it’s helpful to get them screened for any potential issues. 

If you want to read more about child developmental stages and potential signs/causes of developmental delays read here!

Kaitlyn Vitucci, Research Assistant UConn KIDS

Childhood can be a time of fun for children, but it’s also a time of learning. It’s always beneficial that those around children try to help facilitate their learning to their best ability, but how do you do that?

Carefully choosing and prompting your words can help to facilitate learning, support rich thinking, and support conversations about deeper topics. You can do this by asking purposeful questions that prompt your child to make connections between an event or experience in the past and current events or experiences in the present. 

Try to start with just one or two questions once a day, overtime these types of questions will feel natural to ask. Intentional teaching practice can significantly improve the quality of learning, now matter how old you are! Here are some prompts you can try out:

• Is this what you expected to happen? How so?
• Would you like to share your ideas?
• How did you figure that out?
• Take a moment to think, and let me know your thoughts 

If you want to keep reading, click here! 

Kaitlyn Vitucci, Research Assistant UConn KIDS