Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child’s “InBrief Series” is one to check out. This series includes short (one page) summaries and video companion pieces on recent scientific presentations and research on the science of early childhood development and early childhood program evaluation. A new video in this series, “The Science of Neglect“, is a 6 […]
The Human Brain’s Need for a "Social Womb" During Infancy
In this article “The Human Brains Need for a Social Womb” J. Ronald Lally tells us why the young brain needs a protected and nurtured experience equivalent to the protection a fetus receives in the womb. Because of the lasting impact of early brain structuring, Lally argues that whether a baby is cared for at […]
News Roundup December 3rd
New Research Study on Depression During Pregnancy Shows Preference for Therapy Over Medication Researchers in a preliminary study from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler Hospital, and Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island interviewed 61 pregnant women, about half of whom were clinically depressed, to assess their experiences and preferences regarding […]
News Roundup November 22nd
Pre-natal Exposure to Music Induces Lasting Neural Effects Pre-natal sound exposure is found to induce long-term neural effects in this recent study out of the University of Helsinki, Finland. The study was composed of a learning group and a control group of pregnant women in their last semester, with the learning group listening intensely to […]
News Roundup November 8th
Earliest Marker for Autism Found in Young Infants Autism isn’t usually diagnosed until after age 2. This study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published this month in the journal Nature. It reveals the earliest sign of developing autism ever observed — a steady […]
New Research Brief: Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education
National legislation on publicly-funded preschool education is the focus of prominent debate for the first time in a generation. A new research brief “Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education,” reviews rigorous evidence on why early skills matter, which children benefit from preschool, the short- and long-term effects of preschool programs on […]