Description: Malcom Gladwell, in various places writes and speaks about how in many areas of life but particularly in areas relating to health and wellbeing we have or are experiencing a shift in the task of figuring out how to make our lives and those of people around us better (healthier, longer, richer etc.). What… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Physical Development: Birth, Motor Skills, and Growth
Course Selection and Social Jet Lag: Something to think about!
Description: You may have heard about research suggesting that we need to rethink bussing schedules for grade school and junior high school students. Basically, it has been shown that the typical practice of busses taking the older junior high school students to school first (early) and then taking the elementary school students to school next… Read more »
Touch: Developmentally Important?
Description: Can you think of a time when someone put their hand on your shoulder in a reassuring manner? Human touch is a positive experience. What about newborn infants? Or what about preterm (premature) infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU’s)? how might touch relate to development? Think about it and then read the linked… Read more »
Scanning Developing Infant Brains: A HUGE Methodological Challenge
Description: You have probably heard or read about examples of the recent huge jump in research on the functioning of the human brain made possible with the use of fMRI or Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging that allows us to follow the inner neurochemical workings of the human brain while the human who owns it is… Read more »
Supplements? Drugs? Neutraceuticals? Research and/or Regulation Needed?
Description: Whey powder, creatine, phytoberry; what do they have in common? They are all supplements, more specifically nutritional supplements that are sold far and wide as nutrition additives that are touted to improve health and vitality or build muscle, bones or cells. They are largely unregulated and there are hugely varying claims as their scientific… Read more »
Skin to Skin Contact with Premature Their Infant in NICU and Mother’s Stress Levels
Description: Research has consistently shown positive effects of skin to skin contact between parents and premature infants while the infants are being cared for in neonatal intensive care units or NICU’s. The study discussed in this article looked at the possible effects of this practice on mothers rather than infants. What do you think they… Read more »
The Impact of Prematurity on Brain Connections
Description: We know that stimulation provided by postnatal experience and perhaps also through dream state sleep plays an important role in the development of neural connections in the newborn brain. With this in mind what would you predict about the complexity of neural connections in the brains of infants born 10 weeks early and who… Read more »
Maternal Stress and Infant Motor Development
Description: While it might not surprise you to hear that research has consistently demonstrated a relationship between the maternal stress during pregnancy and later cognitive and emotional difficulties among the children born of those pregnancies what might you expect in the way of a possible relationship between maternal stress during pregnancy and the level of… Read more »
Poverty, Parental Education and Brain Development
Description: Does growing up in poverty have implications for developmental outcomes, yes it does. Why might that be? Well one possibility is that growing up in poverty has a negative impact upon the developmental growth of children’s brains. Sources: Huffington Post: Study Reveals Sad Link Between Poverty And Children’s Brain Development Date: March 30, 2015… Read more »
Frances Kelsey: Canadian Who Blocked Thalidomide from Approval for Use in the United States
Source: The Globe and Mail Date: November 24, 2014 Links: Video: http://bcove.me/q1bb3zon Article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-doctor-averted-disaster-by-keeping-thalidomide-out-of-the-us/article21721337/ The drug Thalidomide, which was found to be a powerful teratogen, was approved for use in Canada in the 1960’s largely on the strength of it already having been approved for use in the UK, other commonwealth countries and Germany. It… Read more »
Books for Success!
