Children


Talking to your child about mental health and mental illness: Consider their age group, talk openly, and additional tips

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in every 5 adults in the US suffers from mental illness. And those who don’t suffer personally, likely know someone who does. This means that, inevitably, your kids will at some point encounter a mental illness, be it a personal…

How-to be an authoritative parent: 3 strategies (Video)

Authoritative parents have high expectations but also respond to the emotional needs of their kids. They set clear rules, utilize positive reinforcement, and encourage independence.  According to Developmental Psychologist Dr. Diana Baumrind, authoritative parenting is the “optimal” parenting style, as it enables kids to build self-esteem, perform well at school,…

Learning disabilities appear differently in kids and teens: Here are the signs and symptoms for both age groups

Being a child or teen with a learning disability can be challenging and frustrating, especially if the learning disability goes undetected. Therefore, we must work to understand the symptoms one might experience at different ages and get children and teens the proper assistance they require at school. Symptoms of Learning…

Playing organized sports decreases depression in boys, but not girls (Video)

Playing sports might protect boys from depression. A study from the journal Biological Psychiatry examined how exercise might impact the development of depression in children. It analyzed over 4,000 kids ages 9 to 11 and saw that sports participation was linked to fewer depression symptoms specifically in boys. Researchers found…

Music can help kids better grasp concepts in math and science (Video)

Music can help kids excel in complex subjects like math and physics. Many kids are intimidated by these subjects in school. But music can help them better understand difficult equations and theories, according to researchers from the Athena Research Center’s Institute for Language and Speech Processing. For example, students used…

Machine learning algorithm identifies depression and anxiety in children with 80% accuracy—could be used to create a smartphone app that helps detect mental illness in kids

A machine learning algorithm was used to analyze children’s speech and identify depression and/or anxiety with 80% accuracy. Three features proved to indicate these illnesses: low pitch, repeated speech inflections and subject, and a higher pitch when surprised. Kids came up with a three-minute story on the spot, of which…

80% of kids/teens aren’t as physically active as they should be. (Video)

Most kids and teens aren’t getting enough physical activity. Researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla and LIKES Research Center for Physical Activity and Health analyzed activity levels in different age groups. They discovered that children and adolescents are becoming increasingly less active. The team says that four out of five…

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