In this article “The Human Brains Need for a Social WombFINALApril2014” 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 […]
Paid Family Leave In California: Need for Outreach
Most American workers have very few options when it comes to taking time off to bond with a new born, adopted or foster child. National legislation, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), only ensures 12 weeks of unpaid leave to those who are covered by the law. Due to restrictions in who is covered, 40% of […]
New Findings: Early Childhood Investments Substantially Boost Adult Health!
Economist James Heckman and colleagues conducted a new analysis of the Abecedarian Project, one of the oldest and most cited U.S. early childhood (infancy through age 5) intervention programs. Their research report, published on March 27th, 2014 in Science, shows positive effects on adult heath. The researchers collected recent data to find that children who […]
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 […]
CDC’s 2013 Breastfeeding Report Card
Improving the health of mothers and their babies is a primary goal of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. It makes sense that protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding are some of their key strategies to meet this goal. Breastfeeding has many proven health benefits to both […]
News Roundup September 11th
Screen Time Increases Odds of Low Communication Scores A recent study looked at the connection between screen media use, media content, and language development among 119 Hispanic infants and toddlers recruited through an urban, Early Head Start program. Length of time and content of screen media exposure was measured along with language development, which was […]