March 15 – 21, 2014
News Clips:
Who’s afraid of math?
Study finds some genetic factors
Summary: Study
explores the potential for genetic risk factors to exacerbate math related
anxiety. In addition to poor performance, a predisposition to anxiety may
account for some people’s math anxiety.
There should be no
mystery about how our children are learning
Summary: Article
discusses the widening education and achievement gaps worldwide and proposes
that a globally applicable and transparent approach to mass measurement is
essential. The commentator proposes that the transparent provision of big data
can more accurately depict how schools are performing and how children are
learning.
Simple changes to
homework improved student learning
Summary: The study
explores how changes to standard homework practice can better facilitate
student learning without any required changes to curriculum.
Strategies for
teaching common core to teens with autism show promise
Summary: The Frank
Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) recently published report
provides recommendations and guidelines for teaching children with autism under
the high school Common Core State Standards. High academic performance can
potentially lead to better post secondary outcomes for students with autism.
Neuroscience 'used
and abused' in child rearing policy
Summary: Article
discusses the potentially negative impact of telling parents, mothers
especially that their level of stress or postnatal depression can negatively
influence their child’s brain development. The authors point out that the
discussion about the importance of affection given to babies raises the
question of how much is enough?
Impaired new learning
found in persons with Parkinson's disease
Summary: Study
examines memory and learning in patients with Parkinson Disease. Results
suggest significantly impaired ability to learn new information in patients as
compared to healthy controls.
Preterm children at
increased risk of having math problems
Summary: Study
explores the relationship between preterm birth and dyscalculia along with
other math problems. The results suggest that preterm birth alone does not
increase the risk for dyscalculia, but preterm birth combined with
small-for-gestational-age birth increases a child’s risk.
Lack Of Sleep Kills
Brain Cells, New Study Shows
Summary: Study
discovered that disrupted circadian rhythms and lack of sleep led to damage of
locus ceruleus (LC) neurons in mice. The results suggest that a similar effect
may occur in humans who experience lack of sleep.
Youth Gang Membership
Affects Mental Health Later in Life
Summary: Study
explores the adult outcomes for gang involved youth compared to a cohort of
youth not gang involved. The results indicate poorer physical and mental health
outcomes as well as increased crime related activities.
The Toxins That
Threaten Our Brains
Summary: Article
identifies recently discovered links between 12 neurotoxins in everyday
products and brain damage. Research results suggest that these toxins are
related to decreased IQ in addition to cognitive and behavioral problems such
as ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.
Creative Minds: Making
Sense of Stress and the Brain
Summary: Article
discusses recent study of the relationship between stress and the brain. The
study examines how impaired regulation of stress responses contributes to some
common neurological disorders such as ADHD, Schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s
disease.
Forget brain
workouts—chanting mantras takes half the time and is more effective
Summary: Author
proposes that instead of utilizing common brain training software and games,
meditation is more effective and less time consuming in efforts to increase
memory.
Social feedback loop
aids language development
Summary: Study
examines the social feedback loop of children’s vocalizations and the parents’
immediate response, which then leads to more frequent child vocalizations and
promotes speech and language development. Understanding the loop can be
critical in developing interventions for children with autism, who were
reported to experience this loop less often.
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