It’s hard to think of a place in everyday life where you aren’t exposed to technology.  Whether it be your smartphone in your pocket, the television in the waiting room, or the computer on your desk, the fact is that technology is integrating its way more and more into our lives.  While the newest devices seem to make tasks easier and more convenient, it may be impacting your child’s cognitive abilities.

 

There have been numerous studies that focus on the effect of technology on maintaining focus and the ability to self-regulate, but new research has begun to shed light on the impact of screen-media on children’s fine-motor skill development, and as a result various cognitive functions.  Fine-motor skills refer to one’s ability to control and coordinate the movement of the hands and fingers, which is seen in tasks like grasping, touching, and placing objects.  Fine-motor skills are crucial in completing learning and cognitive tasks and thus can be a good indicator of one’s learning abilities.  

 

A study evaluating preschool children found that higher screen-media usage (such as television and smartphones) has a negative impact on fine-motor skill development.  Specifically, researchers found that children had a difficult time drawing figures when asked.  Researchers believe screen-media type technology has a negative effect on fine motor skills because the tasks required to use these devices are repetitive, e.g. swiping and tapping, so various aspects of motor development are not stimulated.  

 

More research is needed in this area of development but current research recommends varying tasks to improve skill level.  Suggested tasks include sand play, dough-molding, bead threading, and block building.

 

Read the full article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S088520062200031X

 

Marissa Robarge

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

In today’s world, the prevalence of developmental disabilities among children is high but the amount and adequacy of services and interventions available to help these children are low. Updated estimates can help increase awareness and understanding of the requirements and needs of the population. In a study done in 2018, using the National Health Interview Survey, researchers were able to see the change over time in the demographics of developmental disabilities over a 9-year period. They found out that there was an overall significant increase in the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and other developmental disabilities. There was, however, a substantial decrease for any other developmental delay. This leads to an overall trend of about 1 in every 6 children between the age of 3 to 17 in the United States being reported as having a developmental disability. There was a higher prevalence among the male gender, older children, children with a birth weight <2500 g, non-Hispanic white children, children with public insurance, children with parents with a high school education or less, and children below the poverty line. This growth in percentage leads to the importance of conducting more research on the characteristics of the diseases and what we can do in children-related environments to help their developmental processes. Studies like these can also help us discover more services and interventions for this population. 

Tulsi Patel

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Link: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/144/4/e20190811/76974/Prevalence-and-Trends-of-Developmental?autologincheck=redirected?nfToken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

Children are impacted by their environments around them, with new research findings surrounding how physical environments of chaos can impact a child’s mental health.

Research regarding how children’s physical environments impact them originated from Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory on classic ecological systems, which centers on how people interact with and are affected by their environments. Bronfenbrenner’s theory inspired developmental and environmental psychologist, Gary W. Evans, to study how household chaos affects children. Evans has defined chaos as “noise, crowding, disorder, and instability.” Studies on chaos date back to the 1970s, with many focusing on themes of auditory and visual chaos.

Auditory chaos can have impacts on children’s ability to think, learn and focus. A study from 1975 found that children whose classrooms were near a train track had lower standardized test scores than their peers whose classrooms weren’t near the track. Other studies regarding the effect of auditory noise on children have found that children who live near airports have cognitive deficits and higher levels of stress. One study that studied noise in schools found that children’s background noise in urban high schools are two to three times more than the recommended limit.

The visual conditions of children’s environments, in and out of school, also impact a child’s development. Studies have found that children who grow up in houses that are in poor condition (e.g., houses that need repairs) experience emotional and behavioral problems as well as difficulty with math and reading. Further, children whose classrooms are decorative, but visually distracting had a tougher time focusing and being able to concentrate on their work in comparison to children in classrooms with less posters and artwork.

Studies have also focused on aspects of environments that benefit a child’s development, with some centering on the advantages of living near a green space. Children who have more access to green spaces, like parks and fields, had lower levels of behavioral and attention issues. It has also been found that children who live near green spaces displayed less aggressive behaviors and had higher IQ scores.

Overall, psychology has built a strong foundation for demonstrating the impact that physical environments have on children. Developmental and environmental psychology studies have shown that a child’s environment can impact their behavior and overall learning experience. Parents and educators alike can take these studies into consideration when producing and evaluating child environments.

Kylie Robinshaw

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Article Link: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/growing-places

 

Today’s Friday Feature is Marissa Robarge!

Marissa Robarge is a research assistant at UConn KIDS.  She is an undergraduate Biological Sciences student at UConn’s Storrs Campus.

This is Marissa’s first semester working as a research assistant and she is very excited about this opportunity!  She hopes to gain more background in the research process and looks forward to working with so many new people.

Marissa enjoys studying Biology, especially when she can be hands on with the organisms (see the image below!). Her true passion is working with kids, especially building connections and assisting children with special needs.  She plans on pursuing a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy in hopes of working as a pediatric occupational therapist.

In her free time, Marissa sails with UConn’s Club Sailing Team, goes on hikes, and enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Our culture’s youth has adapted an extreme perfectionist habit, with many children sacrificing sleep and over-stressing in order to receive an A in school. School environments have become places of comparison, with students nowadays evaluating themselves based on their peers’ accomplishments. This consistent comparison between students can lead to students becoming maladaptive perfectionists, stressing themselves out to the point of exhaustion in order to receive the best grade in their class. Today, 3 out of 10 children can be considered a “maladaptive perfectionist” because their drives for extreme perfectionism are harming their mental health. Research has found that youth who are high in perfectionism evaluate themselves negatively, but deem it a necessary component to their academic performance. This harmful self-appraisal is reinforced when people praise them for their academic success, and results in children downplaying their own accomplishments instead of celebrating them. 

Lately, students have been feeling more obligated to achieve outstanding academic performance due to the rate at which college admissions have been growing more selective. This has led some parents, out of concern for their children’s academic future, to increase the pressure they put on their children in school. However, it has been found that high parental expectations can be just as harmful as criticism, as this pressure may push children towards high levels of perfectionism. Students who become maladaptive perfectionists may experience exhaustion, anxiety, and a loss of motivation as a result of their own and their parents’ high expectations for themselves. 

At the end of the day, it is never a bad thing for children to hold themselves to a healthy and reasonable academic standard. Children who engage more in school have been found to have more positive interactions with others. To combat maladaptive perfectionism, the author discourages students from using a perfectionist view, and instead suggests that they should focus on building resilience. This can be done through the help of parents, schools and communities, as they can encourage children to practice self-care and resilience all the while setting reasonable standards for themselves. 

Kylie Robinshaw

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Article Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brave-voices/202209/is-our-culture-overachievement-exhausting-our-youth

Many parents wonder whether their child’s difficulties are considered “normal”. In our society, there is a long history of stigma against mental illness and going to therapy. Fortunately, these ideas are starting to change and people are starting to accept that these symptoms exist and require treatment. It is important to recognize mental health as a part of our physical health – we regularly take children to get check-ups at the pediatrician’s office, but we don’t often do the same thing to check on their mental health. Just like pediatricians can help us prevent certain issues by helping us with healthy eating behaviors, mental health clinicians can help children learn skills that will help them manage challenges as they grow. Mental health clinicians can also be beneficial in that they can help parents understand normal developmental milestones from those challenges that may require more support. 

Even if your child is only going through expected changes throughout development, many children can still benefit from therapy which will help with strategies for managing the difficulties that come with these types of changes. Mental health problems have also increased in our youth since before the pandemic, so therapy may be helpful for more and more children. 

Generally, research suggests that therapy helps in improving patients’ quality of life. It is important that children get the type or types of therapy that is used for their specific challenges. Therapy can help young children build skills that will help them deal with challenges that adult life may bring. Going to therapy can also be a helpful lesson to children that asking for help is a good thing and this can be a helpful life skill – learning to ask for help when you need it. A therapist is also another person to add to your “village” when raising a child and helping them grow. It is also vital to recognize that if you or your child do not like therapy, you can switch to a different therapist, stop therapy completely, or try a different treatment. 

When finding a therapist for a child, it is important to figure out what challenges your child is going through, and if you would like the therapist to specialize in a specific area or age group. There are many other qualifications that you may consider, like how many years of experience a therapist has, whether they do family therapy or parent training, and what kind of insurance can cover their services. Pediatricians, as well as friends, and asking around your community, can also help you find what you are needing. 

It is important to find a therapist that your child is comfortable with and can trust – as different personalities are compatible with different people. It is important to find a therapist that your child likes. 

To conclude, if you aren’t sure whether your child needs a therapist, it can be helpful to ask their pediatrician or find a mental clinician that could evaluate your child. This clinician could help determine whether your child could benefit from therapy or if there are other tools that may be a better fit.

Ethel Dvoskin

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Article link:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/afraid-the-doctor/202204/does-my-child-need-therapy

Many children who would have started preschool earlier and would have started learning numbers and letters there missed out on this chance because of the pandemic. Despite missing this traditional classroom setting, many of them are still learning letters and numbers on their own – like the author’s 3-year-old son. Many people describe children as sponges in that they are great at learning new information. 

Neuroscience research has shown that infants are born with a large number of synapses – connections between neurons. This causes them to be adaptable to situations and change depending on the world around them, which is called plasticity. This plasticity allows infants to learn in a way that adults are not able to. One instance of this is that infants can tell the difference between the sounds of all languages. Infants can also tell the difference between all kinds of faces – no matter the species. For example, in one study, 6-month-old infants were better able to tell the faces of pairs of chimpanzees apart compared to adults. The ability to tell the difference between a variety of sounds and faces and then get more specific in our distinguishing skills as we get older is a phenomenon called perceptual narrowing. As we live and gain more experience with the sounds of our native language and the types of faces that we see most often, we become better at distinguishing the sounds of that specific language and the faces that are most common in our environment. We also lose the ability to tell the differences between the sounds of the languages that we rarely encounter and the faces that we rarely see. In the brain, as babies gain more experiences, the number of synapses they have ends up decreasing, which results in this “use it or lose it” situation.  

When it comes to learning languages, many scientists believe that there is a critical period of time in which a child’s brain is more receptive to learning a language. In a study analyzing the English language skills of those who had immigrated to the United States between the ages of 3 and 39, the performance on language tests was more related to the age at which they immigrated rather than how long they had been in the United States. In general, the younger that these immigrants were when they came to the United States, the better their English fluency. 

Learning all about how great infants’ brains are at learning makes it seem as if adult brains are at a disadvantage. However, our brains as adults are still adaptable, especially when we go through changes in our environment. One example is the change in the structure of a mother’s brain that happens during pregnancy – scientists think that these changes help mothers to be more attentive to the needs of their newborns. 

To conclude, children’s brains can still be sponges even through a global pandemic, and they can still learn a lot.

Ethel Dvoskin

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Article Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-baby-scientist/202205/why-children-are-so-good-learning

We hear a lot about how our children are spending too much time inside and watching screens. Family time outside is vital – and promotes motor and brain development as well as family bonding. A quick walk in nature can be incredibly helpful for improving attention and wellness for families – a new study found. 

Our current problem is that we are pulled in by screens and technology in a relatively new way. This “pulling in” is even stronger for children who were born into the internet age – compared to those born in the 70s and 80s. Many children and teens – those born after the 1990s, don’t even know that they are stressed, as this is “the new normal.” Research shows that nature may be the key here. 

One way to accomplish this is to find toys and activities that are more engaging than our screens – which may be challenging to do. One activity specifically mentioned in this article is the flying maze toy. This is described as a combination of a frisbee and a maze combined into one. Another idea is to make a TikTok video of your family together and outside. This way, children could improve their motor skills, as well as video editing abilities!

Ethel Dvoskin

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Article link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smart-baby/202204/how-and-why-get-kids-nature

Today’s Friday Feature is CJ Williams!

CJ Williams is a Project Coordinator and Research Assistant in the BrainLENS Lab.

CJ is currently responsible for a project called “Intergenerational neuroimaging of language and reading networks” (H17-317UCSF).  This project is also called The Family Study or the UConn Family Brain Program.  For the study, families with children (5-12 years old) are invited to participate in a study of how genes and environment contribute to the organization of the brain for language, reading, and cognition. Families complete some questionnaires and visit their lab at the Brain Imaging Research Center for several hours. During the visit, families complete language, reading, and cognition assessments and have an MRI of the brain. They also collect saliva from your family. At the end of participation, they provide reports of the results and brain pictures for everyone in the family.

CJ obtained a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in the Russian language from Kenyon College in 2013. As a Graduate Assistant for the Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams, he graduated with a M.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Social Sciences from Wesleyan University in 2021. 

CJ was raised in Richmond, Virginia, and spent most of his life dedicated to the sport of tennis. He played collegiately at Virginia Commonwealth University and at Kenyon College, where he developed a passion for psychology and mental health. After his playing career, he decided to coach high-performance junior tennis at various junior programs in Richmond, VA, and Boston, MA. CJ also coached collegiate tennis at various universities. During his time as a coach, CJ volunteered with organizations designed to provide support groups for young people from marginalized communities, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. Through these experiences, his passion for psychology transformed into a passion for helping young people develop. Studying and maintaining yoga and meditative practices, he incorporated mindfulness and compassion into his coaching and saw its potential to affect the lives of his players and even his own. As the mental health crisis touches all groups of people, his time as a coach exposed him to a variety of struggles that young people experience. With his passion for helping people and intellectual desire to learn more about the clinical mental health field, he decided to fully transition into the field of psychology. Using his M.A. at Wesleyan and his experience with the awesome researchers at the BrainLENS lab, CJ plans to apply to Clinical Psychology programs so that he can become involved in the holistic development of young people at the formative stages of their development.

CJ’s favorite at-home activity is doing a full-body scan meditation where you lie down on a mat, close your eyes, focus on breathing, and mentally scan and breathe into each part of your body. While this is a relaxing and refreshing activity itself, it’s made all the better and more sensational when his cat sniffs around him with her cold, wet nose, and plops down next to him with her soft fur. CJ is also a huge consumer of film, television, and literature (comic books, too!), and music across all genres. CJ will listen to, read, or watch anything! The weirder the better. CJ still plays tennis recreationally and continues to develop his practices within the school of Ashtanga Yoga.

Although picky eating can be common, and there aren’t any terrible consequences for this behavior, it can be frustrating for parents and caregivers. Additionally, picky eaters consume fewer vitamins and minerals than other kids – as they usually eat fewer fruits and vegetables. Studies have found that toddlers in the United States do not eat the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables. 

It is important to keep trying and making new foods for your kids, even if they take one look and decide that they don’t want to try them. This is because many children prefer what is familiar when it comes to food – one study illustrated that children ages 2-5 need to try a new food 8-10 times before they can even make a decision about liking it. This study also showed that when given a choice, children were more likely to eat a food the more often they were exposed to it. 

Repetition is vital in the process of supporting children in trying new foods. Research has shown that after exposing babies to different vegetables over multiple days – they were more likely to accept new ones – even spinach and green beans. Researchers reason that repetition is helpful because, over time, children learn to associate certain food with the feeling of fullness, causing them to like it more as time goes on. Also, teaching children to associate a new food with one they already enjoy will make them more likely to eat the new food. This was illustrated in a study that found that those babies exposed to green beans after peaches enjoyed the green beans more than those children who were exposed to only green beans. The main idea here is that parents and caregivers should not get frustrated when children don’t want to try a new food because they may need to try it multiple times to like it, and this may increase their likelihood of trying other foods that are similar. 

It is important to expose children to a variety of foods as soon as possible – as these early events shape their ideas and taste preferences as they get older. As soon as month 7 of pregnancy, a fetus starts to develop preferences for tastes that are most common as they can taste and smell the flavors of their mother’s food in the amniotic fluid. Further, although 2-5-year-olds may need many exposures as previously described, fetuses and nursing babies may only need to taste a food a single time to accept something new. 

Children are more likely to try the foods that they see their family members eat, and children who watch the picky eating habits of their parents are more likely to develop these same habits. This illustrates the importance of modeling good eating habits and understanding that as children get older, meals become more of a social experience. Having healthy foods easily available is also important, as the types of foods that are available at home are usually the types of foods that children enjoy. 

It is also important not to stress out and force children to eat – as being controlling with eating habits can cause issues with overeating and can lead children not to understand their own bodies and hunger signals. It is necessary to remember that meals should be a relaxed time for loved ones to enjoy each other’s company – and not to focus too much on how much a child is eating. Many young children and especially toddlers do not eat too much at once, as they have small stomachs. One trick mentioned in the article is asking kids to take one “adventure bite” – and if they don’t like it – they do not have to eat it anymore. 

Ethel Dvoskin

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Article Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-baby-scientist/202111/mealtime-wars-how-parents-can-manage-picky-eaters