Disclaimer: All information provided in these links is general in nature. Please remember that information alone cannot take the place of professional services or evaluation. While these web sites do contain plenty of useful, valid material, Dr. Bertin cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of every page. As with any use of the Internet, always remember to check the source of what you read.
General Medical Information…
General Child Development
Media and children
Information About ADHD …
For information about Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorders…
For information about reading instruction and learning disabilities…
New York State Parent Guide for the Special Education process
New York State List of Approved Special Education schools
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research …
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Here’s an Huffington Post article about a new study looking at school-based programs which emphasize social-emotional skill building. The study suggested benefits in many areas, including academics. This further supports the need for a focus on social emotional and self-regulatory skills in young children, especially through pre-school and early elementary school.
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Here’s a new study linking diets high in processed foods at an early age with cognitive development. Processed foods are ones that are typical pushed through targeting marking and product tie-ins (like who is on the cereal box), making it even more challenging for parents.
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This is the abstract to a study this month in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics:
Program Ratings Do Not Predict Negative Content in Commercials on Children’s Channels
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the presence of negative content in commercials airing on 3 children’s channels (Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network).
Method: The 1681 commercials were coded with a reliable coding system and content comparisons were made.
Results: Although the majority of the commercials were coded as neutral, negative content was present in 13.5% of commercials. This rate was significantly more than the predicted value of zero and more similar to the rates cited in previous research examining content during sporting events. The rate of negative content was less than, but not significantly different from, the rate of positive content. Thus, our findings did not support our hypothesis that there would be more commercials with positive content than with negative content. Logistic regression analysis indicated that channel, and not rating, was a better predictor of the presence of overall negative content and the presence of violent behaviors. Commercials airing on the Cartoon Network had significantly more negative content, and those airing on Disney Channel had significantly less negative content than the other channels. Within the individual channels, program ratings did not relate to the presence of negative content.
Conclusion: Parents cannot assume the content of commercials will be consistent with the program rating or label. Pediatricians and psychologists should educate parents about the potential for negative content in commercials and advocate for a commercials rating system to ensure that there is greater parity between children’s programs and the corresponding commercials.
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This article touches on just some of the research highlighting the importance of unstructured, child-lead play in child development.
click here for the article
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