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A mother picks up her baby and shows her a stuffed giraffe toy. She tells her baby that giraffes have long necks and spots. The child feels her mother’s arms around her, hears her voice, and looks at the giraffe. The mother has provided tactile, auditory, and visual input, otherwise known as sensory signals. A new study has shown that when infants or young children experience unpredictable sensory signals from their parents, their brains, in particular their executive functioning, doesn’t develop properly and can contribute to mental health problems as they grow. [More]

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]

Bipolar disorder is a neuroprogressive illness and early detection is vital. One of the most potent triggers for a bipolar episode is childbirth. Unfortunately, research on postpartum bipolar disorder (PPBD) is scarce, however, a new study published in Psychiatry Research found that nearly 50 per cent of postpartum women had hypomanic symptoms. [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]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children is 1 in 59 and boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. Research has shown that early intervention can help improve communication skills and the most well known autism therapy is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). A new study looked at a type of ABA which is showing great promise in helping children with autism. [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]

Bullying is something parents worry about throughout the school year. You don't want your cyild to be bullied or have your child do any kind of bullying. Now, a new study, titled, Understanding the relationship between youths’ belonging and bullying behavior: An SEM Model, recently published in the journal of Educational and Child Psychology, showed that school belonging and family belonging have a significant direct and indirect relationship with student bullying behavior. [More]