I think it is not possible to innovate without failure. If innovation is the process of taking significant steps forward, steps past where you can't see for sure what the conclusion will be, you can't possibly not fail the bulk of the time.
There are many sayings that our society has for this, such as “If you're not falling down at least occasionally, you are not skiing fast enough.” Now the question is not whether you need to fail. You do need to fail a decent amount of the time, or you can't possibly be an innovator.
The question is: Does our culture as a society, and does your culture at your particular company reward you for taking good risks? Stupid risks, you should be punished for. It is whether you took a good risk, not whether you succeeded or failed, that matters. Because you can't know the outcome ahead of time. If you are going to be punished for failing, then you're just not going to try new methods and test hypotheticals.
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/failure-okay
29.2.12
How does your brain process language?
Discovery Channel
Processing language requires two different sections of your brain. Wernicke's area, located in the rear of the parietal lobe, controls your ability to process sounds associated with language. If this area is damaged, you cannot understand language, even though you can still make sounds; this is called sensory aphasia. Broca's area, on the left side of your frontal lobe, manages your ability to make sounds. If this area of your brain is damaged, you can understand language but can't produce coherent sounds yourself; this condition is called motor aphasia.
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/how-brain-process-language
Processing language requires two different sections of your brain. Wernicke's area, located in the rear of the parietal lobe, controls your ability to process sounds associated with language. If this area is damaged, you cannot understand language, even though you can still make sounds; this is called sensory aphasia. Broca's area, on the left side of your frontal lobe, manages your ability to make sounds. If this area of your brain is damaged, you can understand language but can't produce coherent sounds yourself; this condition is called motor aphasia.
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/how-brain-process-language
27.2.12
Alaska going full steam on early learning
More than 160 premiere events are set to raise the curtain on Best Beginnings’ Babies on Track, a 14-minute DVD for parents. More than 80 villages, towns, and cities across Alaska took up the call to roll out the red carpet from February 25 through March 4.
http://bestbeginningsalaska.org/index.php
http://bestbeginningsalaska.org/index.php
24.2.12
Connections inside the brain
“Common sense tells us that the more you’re exposed to a language at an earlier age, the better for language acquisition,” said AIS Headmaster Kevin Glass. “What was a common sense idea 26 years ago has been backed up by research that shows the more language-rich an environment we raise our kids in, the more connections go on inside their brains.
http://www.reporternewspapers.net/2012/02/23/international-school-expands-its-early-learning-programs
http://www.reporternewspapers.net/2012/02/23/international-school-expands-its-early-learning-programs
Early childhood development
“Experiences shape the process that determines whether a child’s brain will provide a strong or weak foundation for future learning behaviour and health,” said Dr. Bruce McEwen, who delivered the keynote speech at a conference on early childhood development hosted by Peel Public Health in Brampton today.
http://www.bramptonguardian.com/community/health/article/1302945--early-child-development-conference-underway
http://www.bramptonguardian.com/community/health/article/1302945--early-child-development-conference-underway
Early Steps program
Faran Fagen
South Florida Parenting
12:14 p.m. EST, February 23, 2012
Since the beginning of the year, floods of Florida families have emailed Sen. Nan Rich with their personal stories of their child’s achievement thanks to the state’s Early Steps program.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/south-florida-parenting/sfe-spf-save-early-steps,0,4512072.story
South Florida Parenting
12:14 p.m. EST, February 23, 2012
Since the beginning of the year, floods of Florida families have emailed Sen. Nan Rich with their personal stories of their child’s achievement thanks to the state’s Early Steps program.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/south-florida-parenting/sfe-spf-save-early-steps,0,4512072.story
22.2.12
Mother’s Depression Can Alter Infant’s Language Development
February 20, 2012
A new study suggests environmental influences including maternal depression or a bilingual upbringing can affect language development in early childhood.
The work by University of British Columbia researchers is among the first to explore the impacts of maternal mental health and antidepressant exposure on the mechanics of early language acquisition.
Experts say the preliminary findings provide important new insights into early childhood development and mother’s mental health and will inform new approaches to infant language acquisition.
Prior research revealed that during the first months of life, babies rapidly attune to the language sounds they hear and the sights they see (movements in the face that accompany talking) of their native languages.
After this foundational period of language recognition, babies begin focusing on acquiring their native tongues and effectively ignore other languages.
However, in findings from two studies, researcher Janet Werker reports that this key developmental period — which typically ends between the ages of eight and nine months — can change.
In one study, Werker finds the period lasts longer for babies in bilingual households than in monolingual babies, particularly for the face recognition aspects of speech.
In another study, Werker and collaborators discovered that maternal depression and its treatment with common antidepressant medication — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — can also affect the timing of speech perception development in babies.
The team’s preliminary findings suggest that SRI treatment in mothers may accelerate babies’ ability to attune to the sounds and sights of the native language, while maternal depression untreated by SRIs may prolong the period of tuning.
“At this point, we do not know if accelerating or delaying the achievement of these milestones of early infancy has any consequences on later language acquisition,” said Werker.
“However, these preliminary findings highlight the importance of environmental factors on infant development and put us in a better position to support not only optimal language development in children but also maternal well-being.”
This study followed three groups of mothers – one being treated for depression with SRIs, one with depression not taking antidepressants and one with no symptoms of depression. By measuring changes in heart rate and eye movement to sounds and video images of native and non-native languages, the researchers calculated the language development of babies at three intervals, including six and 10 months of age.
Researchers also studied how the heart rates of unborn babies responded to languages at the age of 36 weeks in the uterus.
Source: University of British Columbia
http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/20/mothers-depression-can-alter-infants-language-development/35045.html
A new study suggests environmental influences including maternal depression or a bilingual upbringing can affect language development in early childhood.
The work by University of British Columbia researchers is among the first to explore the impacts of maternal mental health and antidepressant exposure on the mechanics of early language acquisition.
Experts say the preliminary findings provide important new insights into early childhood development and mother’s mental health and will inform new approaches to infant language acquisition.
Prior research revealed that during the first months of life, babies rapidly attune to the language sounds they hear and the sights they see (movements in the face that accompany talking) of their native languages.
After this foundational period of language recognition, babies begin focusing on acquiring their native tongues and effectively ignore other languages.
However, in findings from two studies, researcher Janet Werker reports that this key developmental period — which typically ends between the ages of eight and nine months — can change.
In one study, Werker finds the period lasts longer for babies in bilingual households than in monolingual babies, particularly for the face recognition aspects of speech.
In another study, Werker and collaborators discovered that maternal depression and its treatment with common antidepressant medication — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — can also affect the timing of speech perception development in babies.
The team’s preliminary findings suggest that SRI treatment in mothers may accelerate babies’ ability to attune to the sounds and sights of the native language, while maternal depression untreated by SRIs may prolong the period of tuning.
“At this point, we do not know if accelerating or delaying the achievement of these milestones of early infancy has any consequences on later language acquisition,” said Werker.
“However, these preliminary findings highlight the importance of environmental factors on infant development and put us in a better position to support not only optimal language development in children but also maternal well-being.”
This study followed three groups of mothers – one being treated for depression with SRIs, one with depression not taking antidepressants and one with no symptoms of depression. By measuring changes in heart rate and eye movement to sounds and video images of native and non-native languages, the researchers calculated the language development of babies at three intervals, including six and 10 months of age.
Researchers also studied how the heart rates of unborn babies responded to languages at the age of 36 weeks in the uterus.
Source: University of British Columbia
http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/20/mothers-depression-can-alter-infants-language-development/35045.html
Brain Differences at 6 Months in Infants Who Develop Autism
This study from the Infant Brain Imaging network, a nationally funded research network with four primary sites, including the Center for Autism Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, suggests that autism does not appear suddenly in young children, but instead develops over time during infancy.
The study was published February 17th in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Its results are the latest from the ongoing Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS), which is led at CHOP by Dr. Paterson and Robert Schultz, PhD, who are co-authors on this study.
Participants in the study were 92 infants considered to be at high risk for ASD, because they all have older siblings with autism. Each infant had diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) – a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – at 6 months and behavioral assessments at 24 months. Most of the children also had additional brain imaging scans at either or both 12 and 24 months.
At 24 months, 28 infants (30 percent) met criteria for ASDs while 64 infants (70 percent) did not. The two groups differed in white matter fiber tract development – pathways that connect brain regions – as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA). FA measures white matter organization and development, based on the movement of water molecules through brain tissue.
The findings come on the heels of a recent study from London published in Current Biology, which found that infants at high risk for autism who were later diagnosed with the condition showed different brain responses from low-risk babies, or from high-risk babies that did not develop autism when shown images of faces looking at or away from the baby. Paterson said that the two findings strengthen one another and are encouraging evidence that scientists are on the right track towards finding markers for identifying autism much earlier than is currently possible.
In addition to the Center for Autism Research at CHOP, other institutions that took part in the study include The University of North Carolina, University of Utah, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Washington, McGill University, and the University of Alberta.
http://pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=826524&categoryid=21
The study was published February 17th in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Its results are the latest from the ongoing Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS), which is led at CHOP by Dr. Paterson and Robert Schultz, PhD, who are co-authors on this study.
Participants in the study were 92 infants considered to be at high risk for ASD, because they all have older siblings with autism. Each infant had diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) – a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – at 6 months and behavioral assessments at 24 months. Most of the children also had additional brain imaging scans at either or both 12 and 24 months.
At 24 months, 28 infants (30 percent) met criteria for ASDs while 64 infants (70 percent) did not. The two groups differed in white matter fiber tract development – pathways that connect brain regions – as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA). FA measures white matter organization and development, based on the movement of water molecules through brain tissue.
The findings come on the heels of a recent study from London published in Current Biology, which found that infants at high risk for autism who were later diagnosed with the condition showed different brain responses from low-risk babies, or from high-risk babies that did not develop autism when shown images of faces looking at or away from the baby. Paterson said that the two findings strengthen one another and are encouraging evidence that scientists are on the right track towards finding markers for identifying autism much earlier than is currently possible.
In addition to the Center for Autism Research at CHOP, other institutions that took part in the study include The University of North Carolina, University of Utah, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Washington, McGill University, and the University of Alberta.
http://pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=826524&categoryid=21
20.2.12
東山嬰幼，至尊會籍
滿月開始接受培訓，三歲能說五國外語，五歲智商130！
如果這是自已的孩子，如此成就，值多少錢？
東山嬰幼，3年至尊會籍，會費25萬元
可分5年付款，首期30%，月供3,000元
研究創值，把握生理時鐘，滿月至三歲，是腦部發育的高峰期，善用時機！
星期一至星期五，全球5國之旅，提供智能、性格、語言、數學基礎訓練。
2至14個月：每天1小時，15個月至三歲：每天兩小時。
少有百倍回報的投資，投資幼兒智力及語言發展！
學前基礎好，學業永超前！強者愈強，弱者愈弱！
2000年諾具爾經濟獎得主Prof. James Heckman：
『投資嬰幼培訓，啟動良性循環，畢生回報最大。』
答家長問
1. 3年至尊會籍，和按月交費，有什麼分別？
全期學費，有接近85折優惠。東山5年未調整學費，不必擔心加學費。
對幼兒的好處最大。一筆過交了學費，可以盡早開始。
每週五天，參加五國之旅，接觸全世界最重要的五種語言。
首14個月，由於體能有限，每天一小時。
到第十五個月，語言發展進入另一重要階段，每天增至兩小時。
每種語言每週有兩次應用機會，效率大增。
至尊會籍，根據發育期，提供最適當訓練，確保最佳效果。
避免最常犯的錯誤：或三心兩意、或一曝十寒、或磋跎歲月，錯失時機。
腦細胞發育期過後，未使用的神經末稍，大幅枯萎。機會一過，永不回頭。
2. 學前基礎好，學業長領前；強者愈強，弱者愈弱。可有事實根據？
英國教育部視察909間中學，小六不及格的學生，中學畢業時沒有一個合格。
小六成績好的學生，在中學畢業時，95%能取得良好成績。
3. 東山嬰幼，由誰創立？什麼時候創立？為什麼創立？
東山嬰幼，由周東山於2004年創立。他在1990至2004年任勞工處助理處長，1992至1998年創立僱員再培訓局，於1994年被『國際經濟發展及合作組織』譽為全球最具成效再培訓計劃。2004年提前退休，創立『東山語言中心』，研究嬰幼腦部發育及語言發展。8年來翻閱過萬份關於嬰幼成長的研究報告、文章和書刊，目睹數千幼兒，在不同起步點、不同配搭、和父母不同的選擇下成長。東山嬰幼的創立，希望對嬰幼腦部發育、智能和語言發展，有更深入的認識，可以更有效發掘嬰幼潛能。東山在嬰幼方面的研究和突破，受本港多間大學重視，在全球居領先地位。
4. 東山嬰幼，為什麼要聘請顧問？聘請了誰做顧問？提供了哪些意見？
香港主流學校，在英語教學方面，乏善可陳。每年中學會考，每三個人便有一個人不及格，人數超過三萬人。東山因此往英國邀請Nigel Reeves教授，OBE，作顧問。他是國際語言權威，英國教育部專家顧問，曾為查理士王子撰稿，獲英女王授勳。他反對課堂式枯燥教學方法，反對填鴨式死記硬背，強調興趣和語言環境的重要，建議從遊戲及活動中接觸英語、運用英語、操練英語。根據不同處境，活學活用。
5. 東山嬰幼，如何通過語言訓練，提升智商？
東山嬰幼，經歷了漫長的探索過程，用數年時間和大量研究，才把握了個中的竅門。生理時鐘，影響腦部發育。早起步和遲開始，雖然只是幾個月的差異，分別很大。行萬里路勝讀萬卷書。幼兒從遊戲中建立龐大資料庫，每週一次和5次分別很大。 [歡迎家長提問：enq@beaumont.hk]
如果這是自已的孩子，如此成就，值多少錢？
東山嬰幼，3年至尊會籍，會費25萬元
可分5年付款，首期30%，月供3,000元
研究創值，把握生理時鐘，滿月至三歲，是腦部發育的高峰期，善用時機！
星期一至星期五，全球5國之旅，提供智能、性格、語言、數學基礎訓練。
2至14個月：每天1小時，15個月至三歲：每天兩小時。
少有百倍回報的投資，投資幼兒智力及語言發展！
學前基礎好，學業永超前！強者愈強，弱者愈弱！
2000年諾具爾經濟獎得主Prof. James Heckman：
『投資嬰幼培訓，啟動良性循環，畢生回報最大。』
答家長問
1. 3年至尊會籍，和按月交費，有什麼分別？
全期學費，有接近85折優惠。東山5年未調整學費，不必擔心加學費。
對幼兒的好處最大。一筆過交了學費，可以盡早開始。
每週五天，參加五國之旅，接觸全世界最重要的五種語言。
首14個月，由於體能有限，每天一小時。
到第十五個月，語言發展進入另一重要階段，每天增至兩小時。
每種語言每週有兩次應用機會，效率大增。
至尊會籍，根據發育期，提供最適當訓練，確保最佳效果。
避免最常犯的錯誤：或三心兩意、或一曝十寒、或磋跎歲月，錯失時機。
腦細胞發育期過後，未使用的神經末稍，大幅枯萎。機會一過，永不回頭。
2. 學前基礎好，學業長領前；強者愈強，弱者愈弱。可有事實根據？
英國教育部視察909間中學，小六不及格的學生，中學畢業時沒有一個合格。
小六成績好的學生，在中學畢業時，95%能取得良好成績。
3. 東山嬰幼，由誰創立？什麼時候創立？為什麼創立？
東山嬰幼，由周東山於2004年創立。他在1990至2004年任勞工處助理處長，1992至1998年創立僱員再培訓局，於1994年被『國際經濟發展及合作組織』譽為全球最具成效再培訓計劃。2004年提前退休，創立『東山語言中心』，研究嬰幼腦部發育及語言發展。8年來翻閱過萬份關於嬰幼成長的研究報告、文章和書刊，目睹數千幼兒，在不同起步點、不同配搭、和父母不同的選擇下成長。東山嬰幼的創立，希望對嬰幼腦部發育、智能和語言發展，有更深入的認識，可以更有效發掘嬰幼潛能。東山在嬰幼方面的研究和突破，受本港多間大學重視，在全球居領先地位。
4. 東山嬰幼，為什麼要聘請顧問？聘請了誰做顧問？提供了哪些意見？
香港主流學校，在英語教學方面，乏善可陳。每年中學會考，每三個人便有一個人不及格，人數超過三萬人。東山因此往英國邀請Nigel Reeves教授，OBE，作顧問。他是國際語言權威，英國教育部專家顧問，曾為查理士王子撰稿，獲英女王授勳。他反對課堂式枯燥教學方法，反對填鴨式死記硬背，強調興趣和語言環境的重要，建議從遊戲及活動中接觸英語、運用英語、操練英語。根據不同處境，活學活用。
5. 東山嬰幼，如何通過語言訓練，提升智商？
東山嬰幼，經歷了漫長的探索過程，用數年時間和大量研究，才把握了個中的竅門。生理時鐘，影響腦部發育。早起步和遲開始，雖然只是幾個月的差異，分別很大。行萬里路勝讀萬卷書。幼兒從遊戲中建立龐大資料庫，每週一次和5次分別很大。 [歡迎家長提問：enq@beaumont.hk]
18.2.12
Maternal depression and bilingual households can impact infant language development
Feb. 17, 2012
Previous research by UBC Psychology Prof. Janet Werker has found that during the first months of life, babies rapidly attune to the language sounds they hear and the sights they see (movements in the face that accompany talking) of their native languages. After this foundational period of language recognition, babies begin focusing on acquiring their native tongues and effectively ignore other languages.
However, in findings from two studies, Werker reports that this key developmental period – which typically ends between the ages of eight and nine months – can change. In one study, Werker finds the period lasts longer for babies in bilingual households than in monolingual babies, particularly for the face recognition aspects of speech.
In another study, Werker and collaborators at the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) at BC Children’s Hospital and Harvard University find that maternal depression and its treatment with common antidepressant medication – serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SRIs – can also affect the timing of speech perception development in babies. The team’s preliminary findings suggest that SRI treatment may accelerate babies’ ability to attune to the sounds and sights of the native language, while maternal depression untreated by SRIs may prolong the period of tuning.
“At this point, we do not know if accelerating or delaying the achievement of these milestones of early infancy has any consequences on later language acquisition,” says Werker, noting that she aims to address such questions in future studies. “However, these preliminary findings highlight the importance of environmental factors on infant development and put us in a better position to support not only optimal language development in children but also maternal well-being.”
http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/02/17/maternal-depression-and-bilingual-households-can-impact-infant-language-development/
Previous research by UBC Psychology Prof. Janet Werker has found that during the first months of life, babies rapidly attune to the language sounds they hear and the sights they see (movements in the face that accompany talking) of their native languages. After this foundational period of language recognition, babies begin focusing on acquiring their native tongues and effectively ignore other languages.
However, in findings from two studies, Werker reports that this key developmental period – which typically ends between the ages of eight and nine months – can change. In one study, Werker finds the period lasts longer for babies in bilingual households than in monolingual babies, particularly for the face recognition aspects of speech.
In another study, Werker and collaborators at the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) at BC Children’s Hospital and Harvard University find that maternal depression and its treatment with common antidepressant medication – serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SRIs – can also affect the timing of speech perception development in babies. The team’s preliminary findings suggest that SRI treatment may accelerate babies’ ability to attune to the sounds and sights of the native language, while maternal depression untreated by SRIs may prolong the period of tuning.
“At this point, we do not know if accelerating or delaying the achievement of these milestones of early infancy has any consequences on later language acquisition,” says Werker, noting that she aims to address such questions in future studies. “However, these preliminary findings highlight the importance of environmental factors on infant development and put us in a better position to support not only optimal language development in children but also maternal well-being.”
http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/02/17/maternal-depression-and-bilingual-households-can-impact-infant-language-development/
17.2.12
Traditional Education Limits Intellectual Development
Several studies carried out by educational experts, and of recent, by Sir Ken Robinson have revealed that children are born with a lot of creativity and ability to engage in divergent thinking.
This innate ability consistently deteriorates as children get older and get more years of traditional education which indoctrinates them with the sense that there is only one right answer to a question and that answer is the one provided by the teacher.
Research consistently shows that by the time children begin their traditional education, most of their critical years of brain development are already over, and also that traditional education stifles creativity and divergent thinking in children.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201202161110.html
This innate ability consistently deteriorates as children get older and get more years of traditional education which indoctrinates them with the sense that there is only one right answer to a question and that answer is the one provided by the teacher.
Research consistently shows that by the time children begin their traditional education, most of their critical years of brain development are already over, and also that traditional education stifles creativity and divergent thinking in children.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201202161110.html
Nurtured children have greater brain development
February 16, 2012
A recent study at the Early Emotional Development Program of the Washington University School of Medicine has shown that early emotional support and nurturing helps increase the rate of brain development in young children.
The study, approved last month and then published in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” was a longitudinal study that looked at how children interacted with their parents after a stress, and how that affected their brain development.
The study included 92 children between the ages of 3 and 6 from preschools in the St. Louis metropolitan area, of whom 51 were healthy and 41 had early-onset depression. The children were observed interacting with their mothers and called back several years later to have an MRI that measured the size of each child’s hippocampus region.
Each child was observed interacting with his or her mother in a situation that simulated an occurrence in everyday parenting. The situation was meant to be somewhat stressful, forcing an interaction between the mother and child where the mother needed to be supportive.
One of the scenarios was having an attractive gift placed in front of the child. The child was not allowed to open it for a period of seven minutes, and the mother was to help the child deal with the frustration of not being able to open it. The researchers then observed the mothers’ actions and their effect on the child.
Those children whose parents were observed to do a better job of nurturing them were found to have larger hippocampus regions at age 7-10.
The hippocampus is a part of the brain that plays an important part in the formation of memory from experienced events. The increase in hippocampal volume was seen mainly in children who did not suffer from early-onset depression, and were more receptive to their mothers’ care.
http://www.studlife.com/news/medical-news/2012/02/16/wu-study-finds-nurtured-children-have-greater-brain-development/
A recent study at the Early Emotional Development Program of the Washington University School of Medicine has shown that early emotional support and nurturing helps increase the rate of brain development in young children.
The study, approved last month and then published in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” was a longitudinal study that looked at how children interacted with their parents after a stress, and how that affected their brain development.
The study included 92 children between the ages of 3 and 6 from preschools in the St. Louis metropolitan area, of whom 51 were healthy and 41 had early-onset depression. The children were observed interacting with their mothers and called back several years later to have an MRI that measured the size of each child’s hippocampus region.
Each child was observed interacting with his or her mother in a situation that simulated an occurrence in everyday parenting. The situation was meant to be somewhat stressful, forcing an interaction between the mother and child where the mother needed to be supportive.
One of the scenarios was having an attractive gift placed in front of the child. The child was not allowed to open it for a period of seven minutes, and the mother was to help the child deal with the frustration of not being able to open it. The researchers then observed the mothers’ actions and their effect on the child.
Those children whose parents were observed to do a better job of nurturing them were found to have larger hippocampus regions at age 7-10.
The hippocampus is a part of the brain that plays an important part in the formation of memory from experienced events. The increase in hippocampal volume was seen mainly in children who did not suffer from early-onset depression, and were more receptive to their mothers’ care.
http://www.studlife.com/news/medical-news/2012/02/16/wu-study-finds-nurtured-children-have-greater-brain-development/
16.2.12
語言學習開始早
【明報專訊】幼兒一般在1歲左右開始牙牙學語，不過最新研究發現，6至9個月大的幼兒已開始能夠理解不少名詞的意思，如家長多跟幼兒說話，可助幼兒提升語言能力。
研究由美國賓夕法尼亞大學的心理學家進行，於《美國國家科學學院期刊》發表。研究員分別邀請33名6至9個月大的幼兒測試。研究員先在屏幕上展示多幅圖像，並由幼兒的母親向幼兒提問，例如「蘋果在哪裏？」，同時追蹤幼兒的眼球運動。結果發現，當中26名（約79%）6至9個月的幼兒會望向正確的圖像。其後在另一項測試中，同一批幼兒要在房間中，找出指定物件，例如在放滿不同食物的餐桌上找出香蕉，結果發現6至9個月大的幼兒能夠辨認數種物件，證明能夠了解名詞的意義。
研究員斯溫格利（Daniel Swingley）博士稱，研究顯示6至9個月大幼兒雖然無法說話回應，但確實能將外界的事物和語言連繫，了解部分說話的意思，建議家長和幼兒多說話，增加他們的認知內容，打好語言發展基礎。
Sam:在懷孕七個月開始，胎兒已能辨認母親的語音和節奏。語言學習，在出生那天開始。首六個月，是語言發展的黃金半歲。辨音系統的建立，於九個月告一段落。首九個月接觸語言種類愈多，辨音系統愈發達，語言天份愈高。首九個月如嚴重缺乏語言刺激，可導致語言障礙。
研究由美國賓夕法尼亞大學的心理學家進行，於《美國國家科學學院期刊》發表。研究員分別邀請33名6至9個月大的幼兒測試。研究員先在屏幕上展示多幅圖像，並由幼兒的母親向幼兒提問，例如「蘋果在哪裏？」，同時追蹤幼兒的眼球運動。結果發現，當中26名（約79%）6至9個月的幼兒會望向正確的圖像。其後在另一項測試中，同一批幼兒要在房間中，找出指定物件，例如在放滿不同食物的餐桌上找出香蕉，結果發現6至9個月大的幼兒能夠辨認數種物件，證明能夠了解名詞的意義。
研究員斯溫格利（Daniel Swingley）博士稱，研究顯示6至9個月大幼兒雖然無法說話回應，但確實能將外界的事物和語言連繫，了解部分說話的意思，建議家長和幼兒多說話，增加他們的認知內容，打好語言發展基礎。
Sam:在懷孕七個月開始，胎兒已能辨認母親的語音和節奏。語言學習，在出生那天開始。首六個月，是語言發展的黃金半歲。辨音系統的建立，於九個月告一段落。首九個月接觸語言種類愈多，辨音系統愈發達，語言天份愈高。首九個月如嚴重缺乏語言刺激，可導致語言障礙。
15.2.12
Early childhood education
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
"The scientific literature around early-childhood brain development and the definition of quality in the early childhood education setting are crystal-clear," he said. "Children served by quality early education centers arrive at school more prepared and ready to learn. If they are significantly behind, they never catch up."
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2012/02/scientific-literature-around-early.html
"The scientific literature around early-childhood brain development and the definition of quality in the early childhood education setting are crystal-clear," he said. "Children served by quality early education centers arrive at school more prepared and ready to learn. If they are significantly behind, they never catch up."
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2012/02/scientific-literature-around-early.html
13.2.12
Stress has lasting effect on child's development
There is a growing consensus among experts that a key mechanism linking childhood adversity to later health and well-being is the stress caused by early negative experiences. These early negative experiences manifest in neglect, emotional and physical abuse, and excessively harsh parenting.
For children, whose bodies and minds are still growing, a well-tuned stress response system is especially important. High levels of early stress have been linked to impaired behavioral and emotional development as well as numerous health consequences later in life, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Such consequences cost our society in many ways.
Positive stress is a normal part of learning and development. As children learn to cope with frustration, overcome obstacles and confront challenges, they will experience a certain amount of stress. This level of stress is usually safe and manageable, especially if a child has the support of a healthy home environment.
In contrast to tolerable stress, toxic stress refers to persistent, unhealthy amounts of stress caused by chronically stressful conditions without the protective benefits of healthy caregiving. These stresses can eventually cause permanent damage.
The brain is the primary stress organ: It is responsible for activating, monitoring and shutting down the body's reactions to stress. Infants' developing brains are particularly vulnerable; babies are affected by stress even in the protective environment of the womb. Since maternal cortisol levels affect the developing fetus, a mother's level of stress is directly related to the well-being of her baby.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/12/guest-column-stress-has-lasting-effect-on-childs/
For children, whose bodies and minds are still growing, a well-tuned stress response system is especially important. High levels of early stress have been linked to impaired behavioral and emotional development as well as numerous health consequences later in life, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Such consequences cost our society in many ways.
Positive stress is a normal part of learning and development. As children learn to cope with frustration, overcome obstacles and confront challenges, they will experience a certain amount of stress. This level of stress is usually safe and manageable, especially if a child has the support of a healthy home environment.
In contrast to tolerable stress, toxic stress refers to persistent, unhealthy amounts of stress caused by chronically stressful conditions without the protective benefits of healthy caregiving. These stresses can eventually cause permanent damage.
The brain is the primary stress organ: It is responsible for activating, monitoring and shutting down the body's reactions to stress. Infants' developing brains are particularly vulnerable; babies are affected by stress even in the protective environment of the womb. Since maternal cortisol levels affect the developing fetus, a mother's level of stress is directly related to the well-being of her baby.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/12/guest-column-stress-has-lasting-effect-on-childs/
12.2.12
Cancer drug may treat Alzheimer's
February 10, 2012
MyHealthNewsDaily
A cancer drug has succeeded in reversing Alzheimer's disease in its early stages in mice, according to a new study. The drug, bexarotene, is designed to reduce levels of amyloid beta, the protein whose presence in the brain has been most closely tied to the development of Alzheimer's.
In a new study, mice treated with bexarotene saw their amyloid beta levels drop 25 percent within six hours and, importantly, they showed a corresponding improvement in their cognitive function.
"The data we provide here really suggest that Alzheimer's could be, in the early stages, a reversible disease," said study author Paige Cramer, a doctoral student in neuroscience at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
The researchers used mice that had a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. After the researchers administered varying doses of bexarotene, they measured levels of amyloid beta in the brain and tested the mice for their abilities in maze running, nest building, smell, and fear conditioning, which is a type of learning.
"They did a lot of different tests of learning and memory and they saw an effect on every single one of them," said Michael Sasner, a research scientist and associate director at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Bexarotene is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a type of skin cancer, and so it may be able to proceed through clinical trials more quickly than drugs not already known to be safe to administer to people.The study appears in the Feb.10 issue of the journal Science.
Bexarotene is not the first attempted Alzheimer's treatment to target amyloid beta. But past research has aimed at removing the plaques that amyloid beta can form in the brain, which has not shown any effect on the disease itself.
The difference now, researchers say, is in a better understanding of amyloid beta and the various forms it can exist in. Rather than focusing on the plaques, researchers now think it is the active, soluble form of the protein that is at work in Alzheimer's.
While there are various views on the causes of Alzheimer's, "the predominant view right now is that it's the soluble forms of amyloid beta that are causing the impaired brain function," Cramer said. "Plaques are just sinks, just tombstones that gather amyloid beta."
Bexarotene works by promoting the production of another protein, called Apolipoprotein E, which binds to and clears amyloid beta from the brain.
"This paper lends a lot to the mechanism of how ApoE may be involved in Alzheimer's," Cramer said.
Hurdles remain
It remains to be seen whether the benefits of bexarotene in mice would translate to humans."Because we're using an FDA-approved drug, this allows us to translate these basic science findings to the clinic; that's our next goal," Cramer said.
Figuring out the correct dosing presents another challenge. Researchers found that in one case, giving bexarotene over several doses appeared to be less effective than giving it once. Cramer said the reason may be that the drug degrades itself within the body.
Cramer said she and Gary Landreth, the senior investigator on the study, hope to begin a preliminary trial this year, in which they will look for the same changes in beta amyloid levels in humans. If successful, the testing would move to clinical trials.
Bexarotene is currently sold as Targretin; patents on that drug will expire in April."There's a long way to go to prove this treatment in humans, but it seems like an exciting thing to follow up on," Sasner said.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/10/cancer-drug-may-treat-alzheimers/
MyHealthNewsDaily
A cancer drug has succeeded in reversing Alzheimer's disease in its early stages in mice, according to a new study. The drug, bexarotene, is designed to reduce levels of amyloid beta, the protein whose presence in the brain has been most closely tied to the development of Alzheimer's.
In a new study, mice treated with bexarotene saw their amyloid beta levels drop 25 percent within six hours and, importantly, they showed a corresponding improvement in their cognitive function.
"The data we provide here really suggest that Alzheimer's could be, in the early stages, a reversible disease," said study author Paige Cramer, a doctoral student in neuroscience at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
The researchers used mice that had a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. After the researchers administered varying doses of bexarotene, they measured levels of amyloid beta in the brain and tested the mice for their abilities in maze running, nest building, smell, and fear conditioning, which is a type of learning.
"They did a lot of different tests of learning and memory and they saw an effect on every single one of them," said Michael Sasner, a research scientist and associate director at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Bexarotene is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a type of skin cancer, and so it may be able to proceed through clinical trials more quickly than drugs not already known to be safe to administer to people.The study appears in the Feb.10 issue of the journal Science.
Bexarotene is not the first attempted Alzheimer's treatment to target amyloid beta. But past research has aimed at removing the plaques that amyloid beta can form in the brain, which has not shown any effect on the disease itself.
The difference now, researchers say, is in a better understanding of amyloid beta and the various forms it can exist in. Rather than focusing on the plaques, researchers now think it is the active, soluble form of the protein that is at work in Alzheimer's.
While there are various views on the causes of Alzheimer's, "the predominant view right now is that it's the soluble forms of amyloid beta that are causing the impaired brain function," Cramer said. "Plaques are just sinks, just tombstones that gather amyloid beta."
Bexarotene works by promoting the production of another protein, called Apolipoprotein E, which binds to and clears amyloid beta from the brain.
"This paper lends a lot to the mechanism of how ApoE may be involved in Alzheimer's," Cramer said.
Hurdles remain
It remains to be seen whether the benefits of bexarotene in mice would translate to humans."Because we're using an FDA-approved drug, this allows us to translate these basic science findings to the clinic; that's our next goal," Cramer said.
Figuring out the correct dosing presents another challenge. Researchers found that in one case, giving bexarotene over several doses appeared to be less effective than giving it once. Cramer said the reason may be that the drug degrades itself within the body.
Cramer said she and Gary Landreth, the senior investigator on the study, hope to begin a preliminary trial this year, in which they will look for the same changes in beta amyloid levels in humans. If successful, the testing would move to clinical trials.
Bexarotene is currently sold as Targretin; patents on that drug will expire in April."There's a long way to go to prove this treatment in humans, but it seems like an exciting thing to follow up on," Sasner said.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/10/cancer-drug-may-treat-alzheimers/
Early nurturing fosters healthy brain development
Feb 9, 2012
By: Contemporary Pediatrics Staff
A new study provides another reason why parents’ nurturing skills are crucial for children’s social and emotional development. Child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University found that children who are nurtured and shown love and affection from the earliest days of their lives have brains with a larger hippocampus, the key part of the brain involved with memory, stress response, and learning.
In a previous study of preschool depression, researchers had observed children aged 3 to 6 years interacting with a parent, almost always a mother, in a mildly stressful situation designed to approximate the stresses of daily parenting. Ninety-two children from that study aged 7 to 13 years who were classified as depressed or mentally healthy then underwent brain imaging.
Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed that the children who had not shown symptoms of depression and had been nurtured earlier in life possessed a hippocampus nearly 10% larger than children whose mothers had not acted as nurturing in the first study. This effect remained robust even after controlling for other factors known to affect hippocampal volume.
The researchers say their study, the first to show an anatomical change in the brain, is consistent with other studies and validates what seems to be intuitive—the importance of nurturing parents in creating adaptive human beings. They say that the findings apply to any primary caregiver and that efforts should be made to foster caregivers’ nurturing skills.
http://contemporarypediatrics.modernmedicine.com/contpeds/ModernMedicine+Now/Early-nurturing-fosters-healthy-brain-development/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/758395?ref=25
By: Contemporary Pediatrics Staff
A new study provides another reason why parents’ nurturing skills are crucial for children’s social and emotional development. Child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University found that children who are nurtured and shown love and affection from the earliest days of their lives have brains with a larger hippocampus, the key part of the brain involved with memory, stress response, and learning.
In a previous study of preschool depression, researchers had observed children aged 3 to 6 years interacting with a parent, almost always a mother, in a mildly stressful situation designed to approximate the stresses of daily parenting. Ninety-two children from that study aged 7 to 13 years who were classified as depressed or mentally healthy then underwent brain imaging.
Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed that the children who had not shown symptoms of depression and had been nurtured earlier in life possessed a hippocampus nearly 10% larger than children whose mothers had not acted as nurturing in the first study. This effect remained robust even after controlling for other factors known to affect hippocampal volume.
The researchers say their study, the first to show an anatomical change in the brain, is consistent with other studies and validates what seems to be intuitive—the importance of nurturing parents in creating adaptive human beings. They say that the findings apply to any primary caregiver and that efforts should be made to foster caregivers’ nurturing skills.
http://contemporarypediatrics.modernmedicine.com/contpeds/ModernMedicine+Now/Early-nurturing-fosters-healthy-brain-development/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/758395?ref=25
The Wonder Years exhibit earns the Distinguished Service Award
The Wonder Years exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota, created in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children (MnAEYC). Wonder Years is an 1,800 square foot exhibit that opened a year ago and contains the latest advances in early brain development research, including work by the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), the Institute of Child Development (ICD), and Extension Children, Youth and Family Consortium (CYFC).
Thousands of museum visitors, researchers, policymakers, and caregivers of young children have benefited from the exhibit's displays, which provide an understanding of the importance of early childhood development.
"The goal of Wonder Years is to ensure that children ultimately benefit from the growing body of knowledge about the importance of early brain development," said Dr. Eric J. Jolly, president of the science museum.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cehd/news/2012/02/the-wonder-years-exhibit-earns-the-distinguished-service-award.html
Thousands of museum visitors, researchers, policymakers, and caregivers of young children have benefited from the exhibit's displays, which provide an understanding of the importance of early childhood development.
"The goal of Wonder Years is to ensure that children ultimately benefit from the growing body of knowledge about the importance of early brain development," said Dr. Eric J. Jolly, president of the science museum.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cehd/news/2012/02/the-wonder-years-exhibit-earns-the-distinguished-service-award.html
Genes and proteins
10-Feb-2012
Complex wiring of the nervous system may rely on a just a handful of genes and proteins. Discovery provides clues to development of neurological diseases and cancer
Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a startling feature of early brain development that helps to explain how complex neuron wiring patterns are programmed using just a handful of critical genes. The findings, published February 3 in Cell, may help scientists develop new therapies for neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and provide insight into certain cancers.
The brain contains millions of times the number of neuron connections than the number of genes found in the DNA of brain cells. This is one of the first studies to try and understand how a growing neuron integrates many different pieces of information in order to navigate to its eventual target and make a functional connection.
The researchers say the study also offers insights into cancer development, because a protein the researchers found to be crucial to the "push and pull" signaling system - Ret- is also linked to cancer. Mutations that activate Ret are linked to a number of different kinds of tumors.
The other protein receptors described in the study, known as Ephs, have also been implicated in cancer, Pfaff says.
About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies:
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is one of the world's preeminent basic research institutions, where internationally renowned faculty probe fundamental life science questions in a unique, collaborative, and creative environment. Focused both on discovery and on mentoring future generations of researchers, Salk scientists make groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of cancer, aging, Alzheimer's, diabetes and infectious diseases by studying neuroscience, genetics, cell and plant biology, and related disciplines.
Faculty achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including Nobel Prizes and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1960 by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, M.D., the Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/si-cwo021012.php
Complex wiring of the nervous system may rely on a just a handful of genes and proteins. Discovery provides clues to development of neurological diseases and cancer
Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a startling feature of early brain development that helps to explain how complex neuron wiring patterns are programmed using just a handful of critical genes. The findings, published February 3 in Cell, may help scientists develop new therapies for neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and provide insight into certain cancers.
The brain contains millions of times the number of neuron connections than the number of genes found in the DNA of brain cells. This is one of the first studies to try and understand how a growing neuron integrates many different pieces of information in order to navigate to its eventual target and make a functional connection.
The researchers say the study also offers insights into cancer development, because a protein the researchers found to be crucial to the "push and pull" signaling system - Ret- is also linked to cancer. Mutations that activate Ret are linked to a number of different kinds of tumors.
The other protein receptors described in the study, known as Ephs, have also been implicated in cancer, Pfaff says.
About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies:
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is one of the world's preeminent basic research institutions, where internationally renowned faculty probe fundamental life science questions in a unique, collaborative, and creative environment. Focused both on discovery and on mentoring future generations of researchers, Salk scientists make groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of cancer, aging, Alzheimer's, diabetes and infectious diseases by studying neuroscience, genetics, cell and plant biology, and related disciplines.
Faculty achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including Nobel Prizes and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1960 by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, M.D., the Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/si-cwo021012.php
Help Me Grow
Feb. 11, 2012
A.J. Mullins, 4, was born with a genetic disorder. His father, Mike, said the family endured "countless phone calls and misfires" finding what A.J. needed. A new service called Help Me Grow is a central place where similar families could easily connect to resources on health and developmental needs of children from birth through age 8. www.helpmegrownational.org.; www.dhss.delaware.gov.; www.im40.org.
Fortunately, Delaware recognized that need and Thursday, state officials announced the launch of a new early-childhood development initiative called Help Me Grow. A program born in Connecticut in the 1990s -- the "decade of the brain," according to national Help Me Grow director Dr. Paul Dworkin -- it has spread throughout the U.S., and Delaware joins 12 other states in adopting it.
Dworkin, also professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, cited decades of study stemming from the "decade of the brain" and later, during which there was an "extraordinary explosion in our knowledge of the brain and early child development."
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120211/NEWS/202110331/Medical-facts-fast?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
A.J. Mullins, 4, was born with a genetic disorder. His father, Mike, said the family endured "countless phone calls and misfires" finding what A.J. needed. A new service called Help Me Grow is a central place where similar families could easily connect to resources on health and developmental needs of children from birth through age 8. www.helpmegrownational.org.; www.dhss.delaware.gov.; www.im40.org.
Fortunately, Delaware recognized that need and Thursday, state officials announced the launch of a new early-childhood development initiative called Help Me Grow. A program born in Connecticut in the 1990s -- the "decade of the brain," according to national Help Me Grow director Dr. Paul Dworkin -- it has spread throughout the U.S., and Delaware joins 12 other states in adopting it.
Dworkin, also professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, cited decades of study stemming from the "decade of the brain" and later, during which there was an "extraordinary explosion in our knowledge of the brain and early child development."
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120211/NEWS/202110331/Medical-facts-fast?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
10.2.12
Skin cancer drug 'clears Alzheimer's protein from the brain'
DAILY MAIL REPORTER
10th February 2012
People with Alzheimer's see a build up of amyloid plaques between the nerve cells in the brain. These were cleared in mice thanks to a skin cancer drug
A skin cancer drug could prove to be a precious weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
In tests, bexarotene rapidly improved brain health, memory and behaviour of mice genetically engineered to develop the disease.
Researchers described the effect as unprecedented and ‘tremendously exciting’.
But others cautioned against raising hopes, pointing out that what works in laboratory mice doesn’t always work in humans.
The researchers, from Cape Western Reserve University in the U.S., used bexarotene to break down amyloid, the toxic protein that clogs the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.
Within just six hours of giving the drug to the mice, levels of one type of amyloid fell by a quarter, according to the study detailed in the journal Science.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2098893/Skin-cancer-drug-clears-Alzheimers-protein-brain.html#ixzz1lwTfQGBg
10th February 2012
People with Alzheimer's see a build up of amyloid plaques between the nerve cells in the brain. These were cleared in mice thanks to a skin cancer drug
A skin cancer drug could prove to be a precious weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
In tests, bexarotene rapidly improved brain health, memory and behaviour of mice genetically engineered to develop the disease.
Researchers described the effect as unprecedented and ‘tremendously exciting’.
But others cautioned against raising hopes, pointing out that what works in laboratory mice doesn’t always work in humans.
The researchers, from Cape Western Reserve University in the U.S., used bexarotene to break down amyloid, the toxic protein that clogs the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.
Within just six hours of giving the drug to the mice, levels of one type of amyloid fell by a quarter, according to the study detailed in the journal Science.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2098893/Skin-cancer-drug-clears-Alzheimers-protein-brain.html#ixzz1lwTfQGBg
Focus on early childhood
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
KATHMANDU: What do Nepalis know — especially the villagers about the importance of early childhood development when they are tied up in struggling for a hand-to-mouthe xistence? Child experts point out that about 90 per cent of children’s brain development takes place early in childhood.
ECD Resource Centre, a research and experiment based outfit has conducted research studies on early childhood development.The studies reveal that children who received early childhood development have more than 95 per cent enrollment rate in schools. Their cognitive and scholastic development is much higher than the rest.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Focus+on+early++childhood&NewsID=319824
KATHMANDU: What do Nepalis know — especially the villagers about the importance of early childhood development when they are tied up in struggling for a hand-to-mouthe xistence? Child experts point out that about 90 per cent of children’s brain development takes place early in childhood.
ECD Resource Centre, a research and experiment based outfit has conducted research studies on early childhood development.The studies reveal that children who received early childhood development have more than 95 per cent enrollment rate in schools. Their cognitive and scholastic development is much higher than the rest.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Focus+on+early++childhood&NewsID=319824
9.2.12
Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Talaris Institute™ and Teaching Strategies, Inc. Announce Teaching Strategies' Acquisition of Parenting Counts Product Line
By Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Published: Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 - 1:47 pm
SEATTLE and BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 7, 2012 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Talaris Institute™ and Teaching Strategies, Inc. are pleased to announce Teaching Strategies' acquisition of the Parenting Counts product line, developed by the Talaris Institute, a non-profit organization founded by Bruce and Jolene McCaw. Parenting Counts is a research-based family of products designed to support parents and caregivers in raising socially and emotionally healthy children.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/07/4246404/talaris-institute-and-teaching.html
By Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Published: Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 - 1:47 pm
SEATTLE and BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 7, 2012 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Talaris Institute™ and Teaching Strategies, Inc. are pleased to announce Teaching Strategies' acquisition of the Parenting Counts product line, developed by the Talaris Institute, a non-profit organization founded by Bruce and Jolene McCaw. Parenting Counts is a research-based family of products designed to support parents and caregivers in raising socially and emotionally healthy children.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/07/4246404/talaris-institute-and-teaching.html
Language learning influenced by genes
February 11, 2011
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found a gene - called ROBO1 - linked to the mechanism in the brain that helps infants develop speech.
They say identifying the gene could help us explain how some aspects of language learning in infants are influenced by genetic traits rather than educational factors.
The scientists conducted a five - year study, assessing the language learning techniques of 538 families with upto five offspring.
They found that one version of the ROBO1 gene greatly enhanced a core component of language learning.The gene directs chemicals in brain cells that help infants store and translate speech sounds they hear into meaningful language.
The researchers found a significant link between the way this gene functions and the brains ability to store speech sounds for a brief period of time.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-language-genes_1.html
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found a gene - called ROBO1 - linked to the mechanism in the brain that helps infants develop speech.
They say identifying the gene could help us explain how some aspects of language learning in infants are influenced by genetic traits rather than educational factors.
The scientists conducted a five - year study, assessing the language learning techniques of 538 families with upto five offspring.
They found that one version of the ROBO1 gene greatly enhanced a core component of language learning.The gene directs chemicals in brain cells that help infants store and translate speech sounds they hear into meaningful language.
The researchers found a significant link between the way this gene functions and the brains ability to store speech sounds for a brief period of time.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-language-genes_1.html
7.2.12
Business leaders back early education as economic development
FEBRUARY 6, 2012
Jim Clair says four years ago he was probably the least likely person to become involved in early childhood education.
That moment was spurred by a report indicating 90% of core brain development occurs by the time a child is 3 years old.Children who are nurtured and educated during those formative pre-kindergarten years are more likely to succeed in school and the workplace.
"A wise investment is to deploy resources when they're going to be used at their most efficient and effective," says Clair, noting the concentration of cognitive development in preschool children.
Laurie Lachance, MDF executive director, believes an entry-level kindergarten assessment is needed, so struggling children can get help sooner. She also believes a "global budget" for education, covering birth through college, is needed.
While state legislators struggle to close budget deficits, Clair says the key is seeking a market-driven solution. That begins by creating a demand for better early learning experiences for children.
"In many ways, I consider this a very forward-thinking initiative," he says. "We're really trying to think about where we want to be 15, 20, 25 years from now as a group."
http://www.mainebiz.biz/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120206/CURRENTEDITION/120209987/1088
Jim Clair says four years ago he was probably the least likely person to become involved in early childhood education.
That moment was spurred by a report indicating 90% of core brain development occurs by the time a child is 3 years old.Children who are nurtured and educated during those formative pre-kindergarten years are more likely to succeed in school and the workplace.
"A wise investment is to deploy resources when they're going to be used at their most efficient and effective," says Clair, noting the concentration of cognitive development in preschool children.
Laurie Lachance, MDF executive director, believes an entry-level kindergarten assessment is needed, so struggling children can get help sooner. She also believes a "global budget" for education, covering birth through college, is needed.
While state legislators struggle to close budget deficits, Clair says the key is seeking a market-driven solution. That begins by creating a demand for better early learning experiences for children.
"In many ways, I consider this a very forward-thinking initiative," he says. "We're really trying to think about where we want to be 15, 20, 25 years from now as a group."
http://www.mainebiz.biz/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120206/CURRENTEDITION/120209987/1088
5.2.12
Maternal support in early childhood predicts larger hippocampal volumes at school age
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
Approved January 4, 2012
Abstract
Early maternal support has been shown to promote specific gene expression, neurogenesis, adaptive stress responses, and larger hippocampal volumes in developing animals.
In humans, a relationship between psychosocial factors in early childhood and later amygdala volumes based on prospective data has been demonstrated, providing a key link between early experience and brain development.
Although much retrospective data suggests a link between early psychosocial factors and hippocampal volumes in humans, to date there has been no prospective data to inform this potentially important public health issue.
In a longitudinal study of depressed and healthy preschool children who underwent neuroimaging at school age, we investigated whether early maternal support predicted later hippocampal volumes.
Maternal support observed in early childhood was strongly predictive of hippocampal volume measured at school age. The positive effect of maternal support on hippocampal volumes was greater in nondepressed children.
These findings provide prospective evidence in humans of the positive effect of early supportive parenting on healthy hippocampal development, a brain region key to memory and stress modulation.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/01/24/1118003109.abstract
Approved January 4, 2012
Abstract
Early maternal support has been shown to promote specific gene expression, neurogenesis, adaptive stress responses, and larger hippocampal volumes in developing animals.
In humans, a relationship between psychosocial factors in early childhood and later amygdala volumes based on prospective data has been demonstrated, providing a key link between early experience and brain development.
Although much retrospective data suggests a link between early psychosocial factors and hippocampal volumes in humans, to date there has been no prospective data to inform this potentially important public health issue.
In a longitudinal study of depressed and healthy preschool children who underwent neuroimaging at school age, we investigated whether early maternal support predicted later hippocampal volumes.
Maternal support observed in early childhood was strongly predictive of hippocampal volume measured at school age. The positive effect of maternal support on hippocampal volumes was greater in nondepressed children.
These findings provide prospective evidence in humans of the positive effect of early supportive parenting on healthy hippocampal development, a brain region key to memory and stress modulation.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/01/24/1118003109.abstract
Campaign for early childhood educational system
Feb 04, 2012
It's a campaign two years in the making, and Friday morning it was launched inside the state capitol.
Called "Learning Can't Wait," advocates and organizations promoting early childhood education teamed up for the campaign to send a lesson plan to lawmakers.
"We just want to make sure that we maximize the dollars that we are currently spending so that we serve our children," said Williams-Bishop.
Educators say 90 percent of a child's brain is developed by age five which makes early education a crucial element.
"We have been playing catch up for way too many years. We need our children to come to us prepared," said McComb School District Superintendent Therese Palmertree.
"Human development is economic development. We've got to develop our children early so we can reduce costs in the end," said Williams-Bishop.
http://www.wlbt.com/story/16672024/campaign-for-early-childhood-educational-system
It's a campaign two years in the making, and Friday morning it was launched inside the state capitol.
Called "Learning Can't Wait," advocates and organizations promoting early childhood education teamed up for the campaign to send a lesson plan to lawmakers.
"We just want to make sure that we maximize the dollars that we are currently spending so that we serve our children," said Williams-Bishop.
Educators say 90 percent of a child's brain is developed by age five which makes early education a crucial element.
"We have been playing catch up for way too many years. We need our children to come to us prepared," said McComb School District Superintendent Therese Palmertree.
"Human development is economic development. We've got to develop our children early so we can reduce costs in the end," said Williams-Bishop.
http://www.wlbt.com/story/16672024/campaign-for-early-childhood-educational-system
4.2.12
Television Kids Develop Attention Problems, Study Claims
Young children who have early exposure to television are more likely to develop an increased risk of behavioural and learning problems, according to a recent study.
The research, led by Dr Dimitri Christakis, paediatrician and director of the Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, has found that too much time spent viewing rapid screen images and sounds can make real-time activities seem boring, causing attention problems when children enter the classroom.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/292760/20120203/health-children-media-television-attention-problems-study.htm
The research, led by Dr Dimitri Christakis, paediatrician and director of the Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, has found that too much time spent viewing rapid screen images and sounds can make real-time activities seem boring, causing attention problems when children enter the classroom.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/292760/20120203/health-children-media-television-attention-problems-study.htm
2.2.12
Nurturing Moms May Help Their Child's Brain Develop
MONDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Preschool children whose moms are loving and nurturing have a larger hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in learning, memory and stress response, when they reach school age, a new study finds.
"It is to our knowledge the first study that links early maternal nurturance to the structural development of a key brain region," said study author Dr. Joan Luby, a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "It provides very powerful evidence of the importance of early nurturing for healthy brain development and has tremendous public health implications."
Mothers who offered reassurance and support that helped their child regulate their emotions and control their impulses were rated as being nurturing. Mothers who either ignored the child or harshly scolded the child were rated otherwise.
http://www.philly.com/philly/health/topics/138359599.html
"It is to our knowledge the first study that links early maternal nurturance to the structural development of a key brain region," said study author Dr. Joan Luby, a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "It provides very powerful evidence of the importance of early nurturing for healthy brain development and has tremendous public health implications."
Mothers who offered reassurance and support that helped their child regulate their emotions and control their impulses were rated as being nurturing. Mothers who either ignored the child or harshly scolded the child were rated otherwise.
http://www.philly.com/philly/health/topics/138359599.html
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)