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 […]
California Department of Public Health Releases Maternal and Infant Health Assessment Data
The Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program of the California Department of Public Health is pleased to announce the release of the 2011 MIHA data in easy-to-use tables, maps and charts. MIHA, the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment, is a population-based survey of women with a recent live birth in California that collects information […]
News Roundup March 15
Postpartum Depression Studies A study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health conducted by a researcher at Northwestern University found that a high number of women have depressive symptoms after childbirth. The study screened 10,000 women for depression and found a rate of 14% screened positive for depression. The lead study author, Katherine Wisner […]
Beating Birth Defects Before Pregnancy
Preconception health is critical to women who may become pregnant. It’s during the earliest months of pregnancy, often before a woman realizes she is pregnant, that unhealthy habits may cause birth defects in babies. In a one minute podcast from the HHS HealthBeat, Ira Dreyfuss shares the importance of healthy living for women of childbearing […]
News Roundup January 28
Legislation Focusing on the Zero to Three Population Nebraska State Senator John Harms has introduced a bill to the State Legislature to help fund early childhood education programs for at-risk children from zero to three. If it passes, the bill would appropriate $10 million from the state’s general fund each year for 2013-14 and 2014-15 […]
News Roundup January 14
Last 10 Weeks of Pregnancy Holds Clues to Language Development A recent study showed that the newborn has the capacity to learn and remember elementary sounds of their language from their mother during the last 10 weeks of pregnancy. At 30 weeks of gestational age the sensory and brain mechanisms for hearing are developed and […]
