Learning Disorders News

September 9, 2016

Learning Foreign Languages Sharpens Our Minds

Unhealthy Diet in Pregnancy Linked to ADHD?

Early Brain Connections Key to Reading

Autism, ADHD, OCD: Common Brain Changes in Kids

Latest Headlines

updated 1:06am EDT

Early-Life Language Stimulation, Skills May Prevent Childhood Depression

Sep. 7, 2016 — Children who experience low levels of language learning stimulation beginning at three years of age are more likely to experience language delays by first grade and are three times more likely to ... read more

Heredity a Major Factor in ADHD, Binge Eating and Alcohol Dependence

Sep. 5, 2016 — It is mostly hereditary factors that lie behind adults with ADHD often developing alcohol dependence and binge eating, concludes new research. Since heredity plays such a large role, it is important ... read more

Sign Language May Be Helpful for Children With Rare Speech Disorder

Sep. 1, 2016 — Using sign language with intensive speech therapy may be an effective treatment for children with a rare speech disorder called apraxia of speech, according ... read more

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Could Be Key for Children With Autism Getting Enough Sleep

Aug. 30, 2016 — Experts believe that a family-based cognitive behavioral therapy may be the key for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have problems ... read more

Bipolar Adolescents Continue to Have Elevated Substance Use Disorder Risk as Young Adults

Aug. 30, 2016 — A follow up to a previous study finding an association between adolescent bipolar disorder and the incidence of cigarette smoking and substance use ... read more

Sertraline, Brand Named Zoloft, Improves Functioning in Young Children With Fragile X

Aug. 26, 2016 — Treatment with sertraline may provide nominal but important improvements in cognition and social participation in very young children with fragile X ... read more

Evidence of Changes to Children's Brain Rhythms Following 'Brain Training'

Aug. 23, 2016 — New research questions the strong claims that have been made about the benefits of 'brain training' -- enhanced mental skills, a boost to education, improved clinical outcomes and sharper everyday ... read more

Study Suggests Early Learning in Native Language Can Help English Skills

Aug. 17, 2016 — Spanish-speaking preschoolers experience significant improvements in their English skills when they have a good grasp of Spanish letters and numbers, research indicates. In another study, the ... read more

'Cultural Learners' in the Cradle

Aug. 10, 2016 — Well before starting to speak, children from a very young age pay higher attention to the information received from native speakers of their language compared to the information received from ... read more

Creativity, Intermedial Languages as Bridge to Communicate With Autistic Children

July 28, 2016 — This pioneering research using drama with autistic children started with an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project 'Imagining Autism: ... read more

Avatar Robot Staves Off Sick Children's Isolation

Researchers Use Google Glass for Autistic Kids

Signs Of ADHD Might Not Appear Until Adulthood

This Commonly Prescribed Drug Could Help Treat Autism

Four-Year-Olds Are Not Physically Ready to Start School

Sep. 2, 2016 — New research from Loughborough University has revealed many four-year-olds are not physically ready to start school. ... read more

ADHD Medication Reduces Risky Behavior in Children, Teens, Research Finds

July 27, 2016 — New research provides some of the first evidence that medications taken by millions of American children to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder offer long-term ... read more

Neural Circuits Involved in Making Risky Decisions Identified

July 26, 2016 — New research sheds light on what's going on inside our heads as we decide whether to take a risk or play it safe. Scientists located a region of the brain involved in decisions made under ... read more

Hearing Test May Identify Autism Risk

July 25, 2016 — Researchers have identified an inner ear deficiency in children with autism that may impact their ability to recognize speech. The findings could ultimately be used as a way to identify children at ... read more

Developmental Differences in Late Preterm Babies May Not Emerge Until After Age Two

July 25, 2016 — Developmental differences in babies born four to six weeks early may not show up until after they turn two, a new study suggests. At age two, late preterm babies were developmentally on track with ... read more

Body-Mind Meditation Can Boost Attention and Health, Lower Stress

July 18, 2016 — Meditation has long been promoted as a way to feel more at peace. But research shows it can significantly improve attention, working memory, creativity, immune function, emotional regulation, ... read more

Human Intelligence Measured in the Brain

July 18, 2016 — Human intelligence is being defined and measured for the first time ever. It turns out that the more variable a brain is, and the more its different parts frequently connect with each other, the ... read more

Genomic Region Associated With Autism Plays Role in Specific Cognitive Functions

July 18, 2016 — A new study reports that variations in 16p11.2, a region of the genome associated with risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have distinct effects on cognition. The findings highlight the diversity ... read more

New Study of Toddlers Sheds Light on Value of Facetime Video Chat as Meaningful Interaction

July 15, 2016 — Working parents and grandparents who FaceTime with their toddlers can take heart from a new study that sheds new light that on young children and how they engage in—and learn from—screen-time ... read more

Machine Learning Puts New Lens on Autism Screening and Diagnostics

July 12, 2016 — Researchers are now exploring whether machine learning might play an important role in helping screen for autism and guide caregiver and practitioner ... read more

Helping Kids With Brain Tumors Recover Beyond the Disease

July 11, 2016 — Social strains and lack of social competence are common in children recovering from malignant brain tumors. A behavioral scientist and colleagues from across the U.S. and Canada, examined a ... read more

Attention Problems in Early Childhood Can Have Lasting Impact

July 6, 2016 — Children with attention problems in early childhood were 40 percent less likely to graduate from high school, says a new study that examines how early childhood characteristics affect academic ... read more

Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen May Increase Autism Spectrum and Hyperactivity Symptoms in Children

July 1, 2016 — A new study has found that paracetamol (acetaminophen), which is used extensively during pregnancy, has a strong association with autism spectrum symptoms in boys and for both genders in relation to ... read more

Watching the Brain During Language Learning

June 29, 2016 — For the first time, researchers have captured images of the brain during the initial hours and days of learning a new language. They use an artificial language with real structures to show how new ... read more

Helping Children With Autism Transfer New Communication Skills from Home to School

June 22, 2016 — A new study is testing whether an intervention with parents and teachers can help children with autism transfer newly acquired social communication skills from home into ... read more

Drug Treatment of Hyperactivity in Kids May Have Levelled Off in UK

June 14, 2016 — The tendency to treat childhood hyperactivity (ADHD) with drugs may have reached a plateau in the UK, following a steep rise in the number of prescriptions for these medicines over the past 20 years, ... read more

In the Brain, One Area Sees Familiar Words as Pictures, Another Sounds out Words

June 9, 2016 — Skilled readers can quickly recognize words when they read because the word has been placed in a visual dictionary of sorts which functions separately from an area that processes the sounds of ... read more

Study Highlights Multiple Factors of ADHD Medication Use

June 8, 2016 — Youth who take Ritalin, Adderall or other stimulant medications for ADHD over an extended period of time early in life are no more at risk for substance abuse in later adolescence than teens without ... read more

Preschool Academic Skills Improve Only When Instruction Is Good to Excellent

June 7, 2016 — As the overall quality of instruction in preschool classrooms increases, children experience better outcomes across a range of skills, but the needle only moves on language and reading skills when ... read more

Children With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder Show Unique Handwriting Patterns

June 1, 2016 — The new study found that children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder integrated in regular schools find it difficult to perform writing tasks. This can impair their academic achievements, ... read more

Friday, September 2, 2016