Teletubbies is as bad for your child as a violent video game, says leading psychologist

By Dr Aric Sigman on 11th September 2010 We must prevent children under three from watching television or risk irreversibly damaging their health. It may sound shocking but, rest assured, far from being a Luddite, I am enjoying my brand-new iMac and we own a television set. However, I stopped my three youngest children watching TV before the age of three. Let me explain...

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Why Limit Screen Time? Scientific Research Explains

November 18, 2010 by Sherrelle Walker, M.A This past September in a blog posting about the importance of physical exercise, I opened with a comment about the powerful pull that the video screen exerts on young brains. To be sure, this useful evolutionary adaptation has served us very well. Our instinctive ability to focus and concentrate on fast-moving, bright stimuli is a survival mechanism that allowed our ancestors to escape from many a tight spot. Even so, with the advent of modern technologies such as computers and television, we...

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Sharing the Practices of Phonics Practice: 5 Instructional Approaches

November 23, 2010 by Terri Zezula Let’s talk about phonics teaching. Actually, let’s talk about phonics practice.Together, let’s figure out and share what works. But before we start our quest forward, let’s take a quick look back. The “Great Debate” between proponents of the whole language and phonics approaches to reading instruction and practice has gone on for decades....

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Research Suggests Link Between 'Handedness' and Dyslexia

Finding based on scan of genomes of 192 children with reading difficulties FRIDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) -- New genetic mapping of children with reading difficulties suggests that those who carry a particular gene mutation are particularly well-skilled in the use of their right hand. The apparent link between a specific variation of the so-called "PCSK6 gene" and hand-motor control among dyslexic children is the first hard evidence to suggest that there could be an association between "handedness" and language disorders, the researchers...

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Why does my baby crawl backwards?

Q:My 7-month-old daughter is finally attempting to crawl, but she only goes backwards and in circles. Is there reason for alarm or is this natural? — Submitted by Doug in Okeechobee Answer by Karen Sokal-Gutierrez, M.D., M.P.H. Pediatrics: Doug, your daughter's physical development is right on track. Most babies begin to crawl between 7 and 10 months of age. Once they can sit up well and see the interesting things around them, they want to move across the floor to explore their environment. But it can take weeks or months for babies...

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Does walking barefoot cause flat feet?

Question: My 10½-month-old son is cruising all around, and I don’t make him wear shoes. Well, my family says he needs to learn how to walk in shoes or he’ll become flat-footed. When he wears them he fumbles. What’s best for my son?— Submitted by Breanne in Napa Karen Sokal-Gutierrez, M.D., M.P.H.Pediatrics A:Darlene, letting your baby go barefoot as much as possible...

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