Feature Channels: Family and Parenting

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Children can be exposed to a toxic medley of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) from carpets, according to a new study by IU researchers.

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The website addresses the need for credible information and a plan to support families with children at home. Health care providers, graduate, and undergraduate students quickly developed a website that serves as a comprehensive single source for high quality COVID-19 customized for families who have a child living with diabetes.

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By: Bill Wellock | Published: April 27, 2020 | 3:44 pm | SHARE: Sometimes, too much time with the same people can make you long for a little social isolation.Families around the world are spending much more time together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of time together in close quarters can leave people without a release valve for energy and stress.

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Lactating mothers who use e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapies may be putting their breastfed babies at risk for skull defects, a new study in animals suggests.

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The coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life. With schools closed, parents working at home, or suddenly unemployed, and many people under “stay at home” directives, the cadence of people’s routines have been disrupted. As the coronavirus spreads, people are understandably anxious; so how should adults caring for children tend to kids’ emotional health during such unprecedented times?

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It can be easy to feel disconnected during the COVID-19 pandemic as people are not able to participate in their community as before. Experts recognize the increased levels of stress and anxiety across almost every family in the nation and the world. That's why Christopher DeCou, clinical psychologist at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and Jennifer Stuber, director of Forefront Suicide Prevention, recorded a webinar for parents to learn how to recognize signs of distress and respond to someone at risk of suicide. "Suicide prevention is something that we all need to know. It’s something like CPR," Stuber said. DeCou and Stuber added it's important to take proactive steps to lock up the means people can use to harm themselves, like firearms or medications.

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For many, love has long been associated with flowers, candy, and counting down the hours until they see their crush or significant other again. During the age of coronavirus? Just like every other part of life, the mechanics of romance have changed. Newly dating partners are longing for one another after weeks apart due to the quarantine; longtime cohabitating and married couples are spending more time together than ever, deepening bonds for many while some could use a breather from seeing their (not so) loved one’s face.

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Home- and center-based child care providers are not required by most states or U.S. territories to inform parents when guns are stored on the premises, according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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With stressed hospital services, and concerns about the spread of COVID-19, experts are reminding carers of children and young people of the importance of adhering to supported chronic condition self-management plans from the safety of their home.

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By: Anna Prentiss | Published: April 20, 2020 | 10:59 am | SHARE: While there is currently no hard data accessible to fully understand the effects COVID-19 has on young children, researchers from the Florida State University Department of Psychology feel that children seem to be coping, on average, quite well during this time.

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New research shows that a visitor’s garden designed and built by Iowa State University students and incarcerated individuals at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women is helping to strengthen connections between the women and their children.

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Master of Social Work student Mariah Martin is an intern with Healthy Grandfamilies, an eight-week training program from the Children’s Home Society for grandparents voluntarily raising their grandchildren.

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Physical fitness and social connection can be difficult to maintain in old age. But new research published in Frontiers in Psychology shows that Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) may promote exercise, improve quality of life and deepen familial ties between grandparents and grandchildren.

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Rutgers researchers are advising childcare policymakers and administrators to enact systemwide changes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Rutgers Pediatric Early Education Working Group’s new recommendations outline specific measures for safer emergency childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic for parents with essential jobs.

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While the current coronavirus pandemic continues to affect all people, families will still give birth and bring new life into the world. During the COVID-19 crisis, breastfeeding and the provision of human milk to infants is recommended by national and international organizations because it is effective against infectious diseases: It strengthens the immune system by directly transferring antibodies from the mother.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is putting flexible work on the table for thousands of fathers as they prove that working from home can be just as viable as working in a traditional office environment.

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Child abuse and neglect hotlines around the country are reporting declines in calls over the past few weeks. While normally this would be welcome news, it does not bode well during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, says an expert on child abuse and neglect at Washington University in St. Louis.“Normally, a decrease in calls about alleged child abuse and neglect or maltreatment would be a welcome start to child abuse prevention month, but the context of current declines is worrisome,” said Melissa Jonson-Reid, the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work Research at the Brown School.

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Despite the time spent with smartphones and social media, young people today are just as socially skilled as those from the previous generation, a new study suggests.

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Anyone can use the map. Kids can use the map as a learning activity by identifying their house; drawing in missing features, like cars, dogs or potholes; or color-coding their neighborhood according to themes such as the number of trees on a block.

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Physical isolation and social distancing have become the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthening psychological coping is as important as staying physically well.

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Lately, almost all aspects of life have become “virtual.” Opportunities for in-person social engagement, education, and outdoor experiences have largely been moved onto screens.

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Planning a constant pipeline of healthy meals and snacks can feel overwhelming. A chef and dietitian shares some tips that can help.

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Personal growth and job skills have taken a backseat to an increased focus on standardized test scores in schools across the nation, according to new University at Buffalo-led research.

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Who should be tested for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19? And what do the different types of tests actually measure? Jeffrey Bender, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, gives the latest update and explains what parents need to know.

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As Australia’s teachers strive to shift education online, parents everywhere are bracing for change, but no more so than parents of children with additional needs such as autism, who fear their kids may be left behind in the race to adjust.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented challenges for children and parents. However, Bridget Boyd, MD, a Loyola Medicine pediatrician, says there are ways that parents can communicate, and actions that they can take, to protect children and help them to better understand, adapt to and recover from this experience. In the new Loyola Medicine video, “COVID-19: What Parents Need to Know about Protecting Their Kids,” Dr. Boyd offers tips for parents and caregivers.

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As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues, it is imperative community networks, including health care systems, modify how they provide services. Nationwide Children’s Hospital has quickly adapted the way care is delivered to its patients and their families.

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A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, reports that an entirely parent-based treatment, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), is as efficacious as individual cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders.

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When Dr. Christopher Johnson, clinical professor of sociology at Texas State University, is asked about the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, he says: “The biggest threat to older people right now is younger people. Younger people can be carriers (of COVID-19) to older people and those with auto immune diseases.”

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As every teacher will assert, self-regulation is the key to optimal learning; it helps kids tune in, stay focussed and be ready to learn. But what if your child isn’t wired this way? For many children, self-regulation is hard to master, but for kids on the autism spectrum, it can seem insurmountable, singling them out and creating barriers to their learning.

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Cornell Tech is creating virtual lessons and daily Twitter challenges to continue promoting computer science education for children in grades K-12, even as the world tackles unprecedented challenges.

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The stress and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus has taken its toll on parents—and children are feeling the psychological and physical brunt of it, say University of Michigan researchers.

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Compared to young children, teenagers and young adults living and learning at home during the COVID-19 crisis may be feeling the loss of social connections and life experiences while struggling to manage their time. Ann Murphy, director of the Northeast & Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) and an associate professor at Rutgers School of Health Professions, addresses how to navigate five key challenges.

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Between raising kids and getting an education, these students manage a tight schedule. Take a peek into the lives they lead to give their all in the classroom and at home.

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The Kids & COVID-19 Site includes important resources for practices, educational information for parents and other important resources for caregivers about issues impacting children.

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UAB expert Samisksha Raut, Ph.D., explains the importance of keeping kids away from playgrounds and from touching various toys and sports equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine.

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School districts nationwide are now providing K-12 education online. Stuck at home all day, students will be using apps even more than they already do, which could cause an increase in cyberbullying among youth. Many cyberbullying targets will hesitate to get help from their parents and will suffer silently because they can’t readily stop by the guidance counselor’s office or chat with a teacher after class. A cyberbullying expert provides important tips and advice for teachers and parents.

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NEXT.cc, an organization that serves teachers and students around the world, is reaching out to children and families to share its variety of free science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) projects through its website, Facebook and Linked In.