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Nature Reviews. Endocrinology Mar 2017Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) might increase the risk of childhood diseases by disrupting hormone-mediated processes that are critical for growth and development... (Review)
Review
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) might increase the risk of childhood diseases by disrupting hormone-mediated processes that are critical for growth and development during gestation, infancy and childhood. The fetus, infant and child might have enhanced sensitivity to environmental stressors such as EDCs due to their rapid development and increased exposure to some EDCs as a consequence of development-specific behaviour, anatomy and physiology. In this Review, I discuss epidemiological studies examining the relationship between early-life exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, triclosan and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with childhood neurobehavioural disorders and obesity. The available epidemiological evidence suggest that prenatal exposure to several of these ubiquitous EDCs is associated with adverse neurobehaviour (BPA and phthalates) and excess adiposity or increased risk of obesity and/or overweight (PFAS). Quantifying the effects of EDC mixtures, improving EDC exposure assessment, reducing bias from confounding, identifying periods of heightened vulnerability and elucidating the presence and nature of sexually dimorphic EDC effects would enable stronger inferences to be made from epidemiological studies than currently possible. Ultimately, improved estimates of the causal effects of EDC exposures on child health could help identify susceptible subpopulations and lead to public health interventions to reduce these exposures.
Topics: Age Factors; Child; Child Development; Endocrine Disruptors; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Humans; Infant; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Pediatric Obesity
PubMed: 27857130
DOI: 10.1038/nrendo.2016.186 -
Developmental Medicine and Child... Dec 2017The developing brain is especially sensitive to a wide range of experiences, showing a remarkable capacity for plastic changes that influence behavioural outcomes... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
The developing brain is especially sensitive to a wide range of experiences, showing a remarkable capacity for plastic changes that influence behavioural outcomes throughout the lifetime. We review the principles that regulate this plasticity in development and consider the factors that modulate the developing brain. These include early sensory, motor, and language experience, early stress, caregiver interactions, peer interactions, psychoactive drugs, diet, microbiome, and the immune system. Emphasis is given to changes in behaviour, epigenetics, and neuronal morphology.
WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
A discussion of the surprising range of factors influencing brain development Life experiences interact resulting in a phenomenon called metaplasticity.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Child; Child Development; Humans; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 28901550
DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.13546 -
Sleep Medicine Reviews Aug 2018This paper presents a conceptual model and reviews the empirical evidence to support a nightly bedtime routine as a key factor in the promotion of not only healthy... (Review)
Review
This paper presents a conceptual model and reviews the empirical evidence to support a nightly bedtime routine as a key factor in the promotion of not only healthy sleep, but also of broad development and wellbeing in early childhood. A bedtime routine embodies the characteristics of nurturing care and early child stimulation, which are deemed to be essential for positive outcomes, especially for at-risk children. Furthermore, common, adaptive components of a bedtime routine can contribute to an array of positive developmental outcomes beyond improved sleep, inclusive of language development, literacy, child emotional and behavioral regulation, parent-child attachment, and family functioning, among other outcomes. These bedtime routine components include activities in the broad domains of nutrition (e.g., feeding, healthy snack), hygiene (e.g., bathing, oral care), communication (e.g., reading, singing/lullabies) and physical contact (e.g., massage, cuddling/rocking). A bedtime routine can provide multiple benefits to child and family functioning at a time of day that many parents are present with their children. Although additional research on hypothesized routine-related child outcomes and mechanisms of action are needed, promoting a bedtime routine may be a feasible and cost-effective method to promote positive early childhood development worldwide, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged and other at-risk young children.
Topics: Child Development; Child Welfare; Child, Preschool; Habits; Humans; Parent-Child Relations; Sleep Hygiene; Time Factors
PubMed: 29195725
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2017.10.007 -
Neural Plasticity 2019Predicting language performances after preterm birth is challenging. It is described in the literature that early exposure to the extrauterine environment can be either... (Review)
Review
Predicting language performances after preterm birth is challenging. It is described in the literature that early exposure to the extrauterine environment can be either detrimental or advantageous for neurodevelopment. However, the emphasis mostly lies on the fact that preterm birth may have an unfavorable effect on numerous aspects of development such as cognition, language, and behavior. Various studies reported atypical language development in preterm born children in the preschool years but also in school-aged children and adolescents. This review gives an overview of the course of language development and examines how prematurity can lead to atypical linguistic performances. In this paper, we mainly focus on environmental and neurophysiological factors influencing preterm infant neuroplasticity with potential short- and long-term effects on language development. Further research, however, should focus on examining the possible benefits that early exposure might entail.
Topics: Child Development; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Language; Language Development; Male; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 30930944
DOI: 10.1155/2019/6873270 -
Jornal de Pediatria 2017Premature newborns are considered at risk for motor development deficits, leading to the need for monitoring in early life. The aim of this study was to systematically... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Premature newborns are considered at risk for motor development deficits, leading to the need for monitoring in early life. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature about gross motor development of preterm infants, assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to identify the main outcomes in development.
DATA SOURCE
Systematic review of studies published from 2006 to 2015, indexed in Pubmed, Scielo, Lilacs, and Medline databases in English and Portuguese. The search strategy included the keywords: Alberta Infant Motor Scale, prematurity, preterm, motor development, postural control, and follow-up.
DATA SUMMARY
A total of 101 articles were identified and 23 were selected, according to the inclusion criteria. The ages of the children assessed in the studies varied, including the first 6 months up to 15 or 18 months of corrected age. The percentage variation in motor delay was identified in the motor outcome descriptions of ten studies, ranging from 4% to 53%, depending on the age when the infant was assessed. The studies show significant differences in the motor development of preterm and full-term infants, with a description of lower gross scores in the AIMS results of preterm infants.
CONCLUSIONS
It is essential that the follow-up services of at-risk infants have assessment strategies and monitoring of gross motor development of preterm infants; AIMS is an assessment tool indicated to identify atypical motor development in this population.
Topics: Child Development; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Motor Skills; Motor Skills Disorders
PubMed: 28506665
DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2017.03.003 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2021
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Biological Evolution; Child; Child Development; Fetal Development; Humans
PubMed: 33815300
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.672452 -
Annual Review of Psychology Jan 2018Perception involves making sense of a dynamic, multimodal environment. In the absence of mechanisms capable of exploiting the statistical patterns in the natural world,... (Review)
Review
Perception involves making sense of a dynamic, multimodal environment. In the absence of mechanisms capable of exploiting the statistical patterns in the natural world, infants would face an insurmountable computational problem. Infant statistical learning mechanisms facilitate the detection of structure. These abilities allow the infant to compute across elements in their environmental input, extracting patterns for further processing and subsequent learning. In this selective review, we summarize findings that show that statistical learning is both a broad and flexible mechanism (supporting learning from different modalities across many different content areas) and input specific (shifting computations depending on the type of input and goal of learning). We suggest that statistical learning not only provides a framework for studying language development and object knowledge in constrained laboratory settings, but also allows researchers to tackle real-world problems, such as multilingualism, the role of ever-changing learning environments, and differential developmental trajectories.
Topics: Child Development; Humans; Infant; Language; Language Development; Probability Learning; Speech Perception
PubMed: 28793812
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-122216-011805 -
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Aug 2019Developmental cognitive neuroscience is flourishing but there are new challenges and new questions to be asked. I argue that we need a bigger picture and an evolutionary... (Review)
Review
Developmental cognitive neuroscience is flourishing but there are new challenges and new questions to be asked. I argue that we need a bigger picture and an evolutionary framework. This brings some challenges, such as the need to rewrite the old story of nature and nurture, and the need to systematically investigate innate predispositions. While brain imaging has provided some splendid insights and new puzzles to solve, its limitations must not be ignored. Can they help us to find out more about the extent to which the infant brain already configures the adult brain? Can we find out why neurodevelopmental disorders often have severe consequences on cognition and behaviour, despite the mitigating force of brain plasticity? I wish to encourage researchers of the future to take risks by letting their imagination inspire theories to pursue hard questions. I end with a wish list of topics, from start-up kits to abstract reasoning, that I hope can be tackled afresh. However, collecting physiological and behavioural data is not enough. We need a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of cognitive development.
Topics: Brain; Child Development; Cognition; Humans; Imagination; Infant; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 31176283
DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100669 -
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews.... Jan 2017Healthy brain development takes place within the context of individual experience. Here, we describe how certain early experiences are necessary for typical brain... (Review)
Review
Healthy brain development takes place within the context of individual experience. Here, we describe how certain early experiences are necessary for typical brain development. We present evidence from multiple studies showing that severe early life neglect leads to alterations in brain development, which compromises emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning. We also show how early intervention can reverse some of the deleterious effects of neglect on brain development. We conclude by emphasizing that early interventions that start at the earliest possible point in human development are most likely to support maximal recovery from early adverse experiences. WIREs Cogn Sci 2017, 8:e1387. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1387 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Brain Mapping; Caregivers; Child; Child Development; Humans; Individuality; Social Support
PubMed: 27906514
DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1387 -
American Family Physician Nov 2008Toilet training is a developmental task that impacts families with small children. All healthy children are eventually toilet trained, and most complete the task without... (Review)
Review
Toilet training is a developmental task that impacts families with small children. All healthy children are eventually toilet trained, and most complete the task without medical intervention. Most research on toilet training is descriptive, although some is evidence based. In the United States, the average age at which training begins has increased over the past four decades from earlier than 18 months of age to between 21 and 36 months of age. Newer studies suggest no benefit of intensive training before 27 months of age. Mastery of the developmental skills required for toilet training occurs after 24 months of age. Girls usually complete training earlier than boys. Numerous toilet-training methods are available. The Brazelton child-oriented approach uses physiologic maturity, ability to understand and respond to external feedback, and internal motivation to assess readiness. Dr. Spock's toilet-training approach is another popular method used by parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics incorporates components of the child-oriented approach into its guidelines for toilet training. "Toilet training in a day," a method by Azrin and Foxx, emphasizes operant conditioning and teaches specific toileting components. Because each family and child are unique, recommendations about the ideal time or optimal method must be customized. Family physicians should provide guidance about toilet-training methods and identify children who have difficulty reaching developmental milestones.
Topics: Child; Child Development; Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Toilet Training; United States
PubMed: 19007052
DOI: No ID Found