Children who were spanked or smacked as toddlers were twice as likely as similar others who weren’t smacked to have emotional and behavioral problems in their preschool years, a Scottish study found. While the research stops short of proving that smacking harms kids, it points to smacking as a major symptom of a damaging home environment.
April 2014
23 April 2014
While the adverse effects on children of growing up amid chronic poverty are well documented, the impact of the local cost of living on their development has not been paid much attention. Yet this can be significant – calling into question why governments expect “one size” flat-rate welfare provision to “fit all”.
16 April 2014
Every year sees more evidence-based interventions enter the children’s services market. Many are promoted on online clearinghouses such as Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. But isn’t it time that more untried practices were properly tested – and those that really do not work consigned to the trash bin?
10 April 2014
When it comes to school-based programs, too much flexibility puts a burden on teachers that they may not be willing or able to carry. Too little flexibility means the program may clash with local needs. How much flexibility is just right?
07 April 2014
Imagine learning to talk and read, learning to thread beads, and learning to pay attention. These three skills – examples of language skills, motor skills, and executive function – seem like three distinct developmental areas. So why do problems in one area often forecast problems in another? Researchers are working to understand their shared roots.
03 April 2014
Children with a rare disorder called selective mutism find it impossible to speak in certain situations. Long considered hard to treat, children with the condition improved during a three-month program that gradually encouraged them to talk in front of adults.
