From the 'Obvious' files...

The more alcohol expectant mothers drink, the greater the effects on their children. Research from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found evidence that the amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy affects children in adverse ways.

“Mothers who reported what we would classify as heavy drinking in the first trimester of pregnancy were nearly three times as likely to report that their child suffered with anxiety and/or depression or somatic complaints,” Lead author Colleen O'Leary said.

“Those who drank moderately during that first trimester were twice as likely to report those types of behavioural issues for their child."

So drinking while pregnant is not a good idea. Who would have guessed it?
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Cigarette smoke and air pollution cause people to cough...I know, it sounds silly but they've actually discovered exactly how this occurs on the hopes they can help people with chronic coughs...

In another story, exposure to metals and diesel emissions linked to respitory problems in children...

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving

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Science notes from the Frontline.

Babies language learning starts in the womb.

I love this research as it reminds me that children with ASD need thousands of opportunities to come into contact with language in order to learn. We must babble with them, talk to them, read to them and constantly 'immerse' them in language.

Research suggest that learning to talk makes it easier to understand the speech of others.

This is fascinating news coming out of Haskins Laboratories (and if you are not familair with those guys, definitely check them out: Haskins Laboratories)...

Dr. David Ostry:

"Our study showed that speech motor learning altered the perception of these speech sounds. After motor learning, the participants heard the words differently than those in the control group...One of the striking findings is that the more motor learning we observed, the more their speech perceptual function changed."

I read material like this and think "I know nothing":) So much to learn...

Stay learning...

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British Journal of Psychiatry: Sugar causes violence?

A very interesting study that came out recently. I've cut n pasted a nice article on About.com from Elizabeth Hartney.

"A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry has shown a link between the daily eating of sweets and violence later in life.

Based on a study of 17,500 ten-year-old children in 1970, the research found that of those who went on to commit violent crimes in adulthood, nearly 70% ate candy every day, compared to 42% who did not go on to commit violent crimes.

The study took many different factors into account, including parenting style, and found that the candy-violence relationship remained when these factors were included in the analysis.

The study authors speculated that the cause of this phenomenon may be the use of candy by parents to control children's behavior. This prevents children from developing the ability to delay gratification, which has been found in other studies to be related to delinquency. Candy also contains additives which have been found to promote aggression.

This is scary news for parents. So what should you do if you think your child is addicted to food or a chocoholic? Obviously, limiting sugar will do no harm, and may do a lot of good. Saving sugary treats for special occasions, rather than allowing them to become a daily expectation may be helpful. And avoid the use of candy to control your child's behavior -- it may seem like a "quick fix" at the time, but in the long term, it may lead to greater problems.

Encouraging children to enjoy healthy alternatives, such as fruit, will have numerous short and long term health benefits, as well as psychological benefits. And parents should remember that their most powerful tool is role modelling, so hold off on eating candy in front of your kids, and let them see you munching a banana or apple as a healthy snack. "