A study was conducted to see if a school-based sexual health education program called High School FLASH could reduce homophobia and transphobia while also preventing unintended pregnancy and STIs. The study assessed the program’s impact on 20 schools in the Midwest and South of the United States. LGBTQ students are frequently subjected to discrimination and victimization at school, which has a negative impact on their academic and mental health outcomes. By providing inclusive curricula that affirm all identities and orientations, schools can help to create safe and inclusive environments for all students. Even curricula that claim to be inclusive may not accurately represent LGBTQ people.

 

FLASH employs a systematic approach to instill inclusivity throughout the curriculum by providing visibility, normalizing a diverse range of identities, portraying LGBTQ individuals in positive situations, and employing nuanced language. It was discovered that the program reduced homophobic and transphobic beliefs in both straight cisgender and LGBTQ students. The decrease in prejudice among straight cisgender students reflects an improvement in how they perceive LGBTQ peers, potentially leading to a better school climate. FLASH is the first evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program to address prejudice against LGBTQ people.

 

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Hsin-Yu Huang

Fairness, or what is seen as just treatment and what’s not, is a culturally-bound word, as the concept and perception of fairness differ by what culture you’re examining. The idea of fairness can be split into two separate categories: disadvantageous inequity aversion ( and advantageous inequity aversion. Disadvantageous inequity aversion occurs when one avoids receiving less than a peer, and advantageous inequity aversion occurs when one avoids receiving more than a peer. Studies on the two have been mostly done in Western societies, and have found that disadvantageous inequity aversion emerges when a child is 4-years-old, and advantageous inequity when a child is 8. In their study, Blake et al. examine the development of both inequity aversions in 866 children aged 4-15 years old from different countries to examine if there any cross-cultural differences exist.

Children in this study played an inequality game with another child in which they were randomly assigned to the disadvantageous or advantageous inequity conditions. Children in the game were randomly assigned to play against a child whose age was similar to theirs and played the game for 16 trials.

Overall, it was found that disadvantageous inequity aversion emerged early in childhood in all 7 countries studied, suggesting that this is a general feature of human behavior. Advantageous inequity aversion was present in only the Western societies and Uganda (Ugandan children frequently interact with Western teachers and researchers) and emerged by late childhood, suggesting that it may be a culturally-bound behavior. Further, the different ages of onset between disadvantageous and advantageous inequity aversion suggests that both may be supported by different psychological processes. Overall, the idea of fairness has cross-cultural differences and similarities as evidenced by Blake et al.

Kylie Robinshaw

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

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Joel Baraka grew up in the Kyangwali refugee camp in Uganda. He became the founder of a nonprofit with the mission of making education accessible to refugee children in Uganda after he left the camp. In this ted talk, he spoke about how fun educational board games can be effective to help improve a child’s access to learning in a refugee camp.

 

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Hsin-Yu Huang

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Parents are constantly looking for ways to help their children thrive. Many parents are familiar with the idea that children learn through play; however, play is especially important for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. Children with ADHD sometimes need additional help settling down and focusing their attention. Play can be a helpful solution to calming children with ADHD down.

It’s important to understand the importance of play. Neuroscientist and psychobiologist Jaak Panksepp discovered that play stimulates brain development during early childhood. He argued that intensive social play interventions can alleviate ADHD symptoms in children. Play ultimately aids in frontal lobe maturation. Frontal lobe maturation increases children’s capacity for self-reflection, imagination, and empathy. On top of this, play can improve social skills, fine and gross motor skills, creativity, teamwork, patience, attention skills, and so much more.

Many children, especially those with ADHD, need time to be active and explore their imagination. Taking time to play with children can significantly help their development. It’s important to encourage children to play as often as possible as it can improve their behavior and attention span.

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Emma Dineen

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

 

Preschoolers were asked whether they would rather learn from a competent robot or an incompetent human. The study found that five-year-olds preferred learning from a competent robot over a human, while three-year-olds had no preference. To see if the morphology of the robot affected the children’s trust strategies, the researchers used two different robots, one with humanoid characteristics and one with a truck shape. The results were similar, indicating that the appearance of the robot has no effect on children’s selective trust. The research expands on prior findings that children attribute certain human-like characteristics to robots.

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Hsin-Yu Huang

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

A new study conducted by the Florida Atlantic University has suggested that a rise in mental health disorders in children and adolescents can be owed to the decline in the opportunities for independent play through recent years such as roaming around and playing around without adult supervision. In 2021, the rate of anxiety and depression in teens was at an all-time high and was declared a national emergency. Children and teens need more opportunities to be able to contribute to family conversations and community life in order to feel trusted, responsible, and capable of being able to effectively manage the real world. Contrary to popular belief, allowing children to engage in risky play helps them prevent future phobias and reduces anxiety for unknown and “scary” situations which as a result, promotes self-confidence. Over the recent years, many factors have resulted in this reduction in play, including longer school hours and the pandemic. The fear of academic failure and insufficient achievement has been a large source of distress for teens and prevents time for individual play. The pandemic has led to parents wanting to take extra measures to protect their children, increasing schooling both in and out of school, and restricting independent play from fear. Even though parental guidance is needed in younger years, it needs to be recognized that adolescents need their freedom to be able to grow both physically and mentally.

Read the full article here!: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230309101330.htm

Tulsi Patel

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Research focusing on parent-guided use of spontaneous focus on number (the frequency at which children focus their attention on the number of objects in a set) has shown that enhancing a child’s SFON may lead to increased math performance later in life.

In the study, Children’s Spontaneous Focus on Number Before and After Guided Parent-Child Interactions in a Children’s Museum, researchers examined the extend to which parents can foster the development of SFON in children while interacting with a play grocery-store exhibit in a children’s museum. Parents were given one of two prompts to guide their child’s play: a numerical prompt (budgeting) and a nonnumerical prompt (healthy eating), and were directed to play with their children for five minutes. Children were given SFON assessments before and after the parent-guided play to assess any changes in SFON. In these pre- and posttests researchers asked children to replicate a series of actions, and evaluated whether children accurately replicated the number of actions that were completed.

Overall, it was found that children whose parents were assigned to the numerical prompt scored higher on SFON in their posttest. Parents’ use of number talk is relatively simple and can aid children in focusing more on numbers and mathematical concepts in their play in a relatively short amount of time.

Kylie Robinshaw

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

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Aside from being incredibly cute, babies learning to dance is an essential developmental milestone. Dancing requires coordination, strength, and a basic understanding of one’s environment. In fact, caregivers who engage in activities involving dancing with their infants aid their children’s social development. 

There are several reasons why babies might dance without understanding its long-term benefits. A key reason for this is that music and dance are universal. Oftentimes, babies in many cultures are exposed to music before they’re even born. Subsequently, most babies are familiar with music from the day they are born and are likely to respond to it. 

Babies’ dancing becomes more intricate and on-beat as they age. They learn to listen to the beat and imitate others around them. It’s ultimately important to expose babies to music as early as possible and continue dancing with them throughout childhood to further their development.

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Emma Dineen

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

 

Children from low-income families have better outcomes when both parents view their co-parenting relationship positively, according to a study by Ohio State University. Outcomes were worst when both parents viewed their relationship negatively. However, when co-parenting was seen as moderately good, and mothers and fathers had different views on their co-parenting relationship, children were almost as well-adjusted as those whose parents saw their relationship positively. When fathers had negative views, child outcomes were poorer, indicating psychological distress may affect parenting duties and lead to more conflict and poorer engagement with children. Practitioners working with parents may need to pay special attention when fathers are less positive than mothers about their co-parenting relationship.

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Hsin-Yu Huang

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

 

Childrens’ ability to use emotional labels like “happy” or “sad” for how they’re feeling has been shown to predict their interactions with peers, ability to tamper extreme emotions, and educational success.

A recent study from Princeton University looked at language production and input with toddlers to explore if emotional labels help children learn their meaning, as well as if parents and caregivers are able to support the apprehension of these labels. Their research found that children are more likely to understand an emotional label if related valenced (positive/negative) words are used with it in context, and that parental/caregiver support helps. For example, parents can support their child’s learning of the label “happy,” by pairing “happy” situations or actions, like a birthday party, with their discussion.

Further research conducted on this matter analyzed the development of valenced words in over 5,000 toddlers and found that learning of emotional labels begin at neutral labels and later extends to positive and negative labels. This research also demonstrated that when caregivers consistently link emotional labels to valenced words, it facilitates children’s learning.

Overall, while this topic of study is relatively new and needs to be further researched, evidence has so far shown that children can benefit from learning emotional labels when they are paired with valenced words.

Kylie Robinshaw

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

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