Theravive Home

A recent study published in the Journal of Early Intervention looked at the feasibility and effectiveness of Responsive Teaching (RT) with Saudi Arabian mothers and their children diagnosed with autism. RT is a relationship-based early intervention curriculum that was developed by study author, Gerald Mahoney. [More]

A new study, titled, Associations between parenting stress, parent mental health and child sleep problems for children with ADHD and ASD, looked at whether sleep problems experienced by children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were connected to parenting stress. About one in 59 children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with ASD and like ADHD, and it’s more common in boys than girls, about four times more common. One in 37 boys and one in 151 girls were diagnosed with ASD in 2018. [More]

The average age of women giving birth is on the rise. Most countries participating in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) experienced a two to four-year increase in the mean age of women giving birth. At the same time, adolescent fertility rates remain high in low and middle-income countries. A new study published in the Journal of Psychiatry Investigation examined the impact of age at childbirth on the maternal mental health of premenopausal women in Korea. [More]

Not all parenting tasks are fun. Now researchers have found the context in which parents do childcare activities could impact happiness and stress levels. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Child Development looked at whether the age of parents at the time of their children’s birth could result in behavior problems. Couples who have children at later ages are often counselled about risks of increased maternal age (e.g. Down syndrome) but increasingly a risk has been documented for increased paternal age and autism and schizophrenia. [More]

“We believe that these results highlight the importance of maternal mental health care among preterm infants´ mothers,” study author, Juliana Figueiredo told us. “Preterm birth is a global public health issue and we are usually aware of the challenges that this condition brings to the babies, as rates of morbidities and mortality among preterm babies are high. However, there is a growing literature of the impacts of preterm birth for parents and our findings reinforce the need of maternal mental health care among mothers of preterm infants.” [More]

Although sharing updates of a child's life on social media has become the norm in many social circles, researchers say this may be due to a mothers' vulnerability, and could put children at risk. [More]

The U.S. has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world and Mom Congress hopes to change that. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2019, American women are more than twice as likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than they were in 1987. Though the U.S. still does not track maternal suicides, the U.K. reports suicide to be the number one cause of maternal mortality. “This is unacceptable,” 2020 Mom founder, Joy Burkhard, told us, “and change must happen.” [More]

Researchers have found the kind of time fathers spend with their children influences the strength of their relationship in the early years. [More]

Recently there was an item in the news about a young boy who was with his drug-addicted mother and her boyfriend on a bus. They were in Camden, New Jersey. When they reached their stop the boy tried, unsuccessfully, to arouse the two adults. The man was unable to stand. The mother was unresponsive and appeared to snort something off of her wrist. One of the astonished passengers filmed the event and informed the child welfare authorities that this child was at risk. [More]