Part of a child’s development involves the acquisition of empathy, an important trait to have for engaging with others in job settings, school environments and with family. Empathy, or the ability to “walk in another person’s shoes” is thought to appear in children at around age four or five. Not all children, however, easily obtain this trait. Autistic children struggle to display empathetic characteristics partially due to lower levels of mirror neuron activation of emotion areas in the brain.

Researchers analyzed this situation and considered ways to help autistic children become more empathetic through a video game. The game involves an avatar that displays basic human needs and the settings in which they take place. Children would then have to act as a caregiver to the avatar and be responsible for fulfilling their needs. For example, the child would bring the avatar to the kitchen when hungry for a meal. It was found that participation in the game made children further understand the avatars’ needs and the responses they took to those needs.

 

Read the full article here!

 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

 

This article focuses on the language development of Spanish-learning infants who are part of low socioeconomic status families and the parental influences that play a role in this acquisition. Researchers were trying to understand if earlier experience with language was linked to language efficiency processing in infants. Also, a key question was if this early language experience influences later vocabulary knowledge. 

Researchers observed speech accessible to 19 month old infants through audio recording technology. Audio recordings observed child-directed speech as well as overheard speech from the parents. Results showed that the total amount of adult speech recorded varied significantly, with one of the lowest word counts being fewer than 2,000 and the highest almost 29,000. It was also found that children who experienced more child-directed speech earlier at 19 months had larder vocabularies at 24 months. The article gives helpful insight into what sorts of outcomes we see when adults interact verbally with their children and how they contribute to their child’s language acquisition.

Read the full article here!

 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Picture this: You are a child receiving a cookie from your parents. Your sibling also receives the sweet treat but cut in half. You become frustrated because you believe that they were given two cookies while you were given a single one, when really, that is not the case. This phenomenon is called conservation, established by psychologist Jean Piaget. 

According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the preoperational stage of development in children involves cognition errors. Children between the ages of four and seven are said to make conservation errors, not being able to understand that altering a substance’s appearance (like cutting the cookie in half) does not change its basic properties (it being a single cookie). Instead, children in this stage of development focus on centration; focusing their attention on a single characteristic of a situation (the amount of cookies seen) and disregarding others (the cookie being cut in half).

Importantly, children’s developmental milestones differ greatly, and not every child will go through these developmental stages as is stated. However, Piaget’s discovery of the preoperational stage serves as a basis for common logical mistakes made by children aged four to seven.

Read the full article here!

 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

How do we go from running around in diapers freely as infants to dressing appropriately for work as adults? In this TED Talk, Sara Valencia addresses when in development we become sensitive to others evaluations. To investigate this question, Valencia and her team designed a game called “The Robot Task”, which revealed how children modify their behaviors when others are watching. Two toys were presented to the children; one associated with a positive cue from the experimenter and the other with a negative one. The children were then given the freedom to play with the toy while being watched by the experimenter or while the experimenter was turned around. It was thought that if children are sensitive to others evaluations, both of the factors previously mentioned would influence their play. Researchers found that this ability surprisingly develops very early in development.

Watch the full Ted Talk here!

 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

 

Infants learn new things about their external environment every day; whether it be that hitting the drums makes loud noises or that objects are able to be picked up if you reach for them. But when do babies understand that they are people too? In other words, when do they become self-aware of themselves?

The given article answers these questions, addressing a popular test used to assess self-awareness in infants. The mirror test, also called the ‘rouge test’, is where a mark of red coloring is smudged on the infant’s nose. If the infant sees their reflection in a mirror and wipes the mark off, they are thought to have developed a sense of self. Babies who do not attempt to clean the smudge believe the reflection is another infant and not themselves; suggesting that these younger infants have not yet become self-aware. 

Self-awareness is typically acquired around two years of age, however studies have shown cross-cultural differences for this phase in children’s developmental trajectories.

 

Read the full article here!

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

In this article, a popular topic in the world of child development is addressed surrounding critical periods. The critical period is thought of as a window in time where children must receive input from the world around them to properly develop important skills used later in life. There is a multitude of research that has been done on animals which have found critical windows for the development of the visual system as well as for the auditory system.

Researchers in this article were interested in whether or not this sort of window for auditory input exists for congenitally deaf children. In other words, is there a specific age in development where congenitally deaf children should receive a cochlear implant or engage in other forms of intervention? Is earlier better? 

In all tests of speech perception conducted with children ages 2-13 who received cochlear implants, researchers consistently found that earlier implantation is always better. More specifically, two year olds who received the implant significantly outperformed their older counterparts; showing possible evidence for a critical period of cochlear implantation for congenitally deaf children.

Read the full article here!

 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Hello, hola, bonjour! Knowing more than one language comes with many benefits and opportunities for individuals. In this article, researchers discuss the topic of bilingualism and its impact on child development. Common myths about bilingualism are debunked and scientific facts are addressed. 

 

The article points out how research has shown that exposing children to a second language promotes cognitive development in the same ways early musical training does. The topic of the critical period for language acquisition is also mentioned: A time where children must be exposed to a language in order to develop that language. Researchers agree that earlier exposure is always better considering how significant the first few years of life are for children, and that learning a second language becomes much more difficult as we age. 

 

Overall, the article provides an insightful view of facts and misconceptions for parents to be aware of as they navigate through raising their little ones. Much research remains to be done about the topic of bilingualism and whether or not it provides children with other advantages throughout their course of development.

Read the full article here! 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

The first few years of life are crucial to the development of children. Synapses in the child’s brain are constantly forming, connections with others are being made, and overall growth is taking place at every waking moment. One significant aspect contributing to children’s development is the role of a present caregiver. In article The importance of early bonding on the long-term mental health and resilience of children, we see just how important caregivers are in the future happiness, independence, and resilience of their children. 

 

The article uses findings in animal epigenetic research as evidence for their claim of parental involvement. For instance, one study conducted with mice found that when they were under the care of loving mothers, who would groom them regularly, these baby mice would also grow up to be better mothers as well. 

 

Given the importance for parents to meet the needs of their children during their first two years of life, there have been multiple efforts and community programs established to assist new parents in this process. In these interventions, parents are encouraged to form a bond with their baby as early as possible. This means forming an attachment with the unborn child that can later be continued and reinforced after birth. Talking to your baby, lots of contact, and early breastfeeding are some of the many skills that ensure a loving relationship between caregiver and baby, later leading to their success as adults.

 

Read the full article here!

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

It is commonly known that movement is beneficial for the body. Whether this may be through exercise, yoga, meditation, or dance. In this article, researchers observed the outcomes of a recreational dance program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Long-term participation in The Ballet for All Kids (BFAK) program was reported by parents as psychologically, socially, and physically beneficial for their children with ASD. 

 

Parents involved in BFAK gave interviews describing their child’s experiences in the program. Many parents mentioned that a well-liked aspect of the program had to do with the familiarity and routine it involved. Similar music and exercises were used during every session. Children with ASD typically adhere to these routines, meaning the program gave them the structure they required. Another reported benefit among all parents involved in the study was the increase in self-esteem observed in their children. This is significant as it counters the low self-esteem that children with ASD are at risk for developing. 

 

The BFAK program is simply one of the many pieces of growing research on dance therapies for children with ASD. Long-term benefits of participation in these sorts of programs for overall health seem to be growing among this young population.

 

Read the full article here!

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

If you have ever been around parents, you may have heard them refer to their children as “sponges”, because of how they soak up loads of information from the world around them. This is particularly true during the early years of development. Children learn new things through constant interaction with their environment. One significant way kids learn is through play.

The article, Using Toys to Support Infant-Toddler Learning and Development, emphasizes how children’s cognitive development can be facilitated through carefully curated play toys and activities. For instance, simple house materials, such as cardboard, can be shaped into small blocks for children to stack. This assists children in learning about spatial relationships, shapes, and dimensions. Some of the many basic skills that children acquire through intentionally designed play include object permanence, hand-eye coordination, and perspective-taking. Implications for where this well-thought-out play could be used are in the classroom setting. Both parents and teachers are encouraged to recognize the stage of development children are in, to then be able to identify the appropriate form of play for the child.

It is important to keep in mind the significance that these toys play for children during their developmental years. Exposing kids to different kinds of play can be thought of as giving them the tools for the world that awaits them in the future!

Read the full article here!

 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS