Jenny Radesky says human-like AI could encourage children to trust and depend on systems that are not designed for their developmental needs. Jenny Radesky has spent about 15 years studying how digital media affects children, and her latest warning is…
Disabled pupils now make up 19% of enrolment in America’s public schools, yet legal findings, inaccessible buildings and disproportionate discipline show that recognition is still not translating into inclusion. More disabled students are being identified in America’s public schools, and…
A case study shows how mapping the factors that maintain anxiety can reveal unexpected treatment targets, from inhaler use to family responses and school avoidance. A clinical formulation can do more than catalogue symptoms: it can help explain why a…
From crawling and climbing to rocking and carrying, ordinary play helps young children develop balance, body awareness and self-regulation , without turning every developmental difficulty into a diagnosis. Helen Battelley’s account of primitive reflexes and sensory development makes a simple…
A meta-analysis of 66 studies suggests that social and emotional learning can improve pupils’ prosocial behaviour, with shorter interventions sometimes outperforming more intensive programmes. A new meta-analysis suggests that school-based social and emotional learning programmes can do more than help…
A randomised trial suggests interpersonal psychotherapy for depression during pregnancy may influence babies’ early brain development and emotional responses, although longer-term effects remain unclear. A new study published in Nature Communications suggests that treating depression during pregnancy may do more…
A small Italian controlled study found no broad behavioural or sensory benefits from a 12-week Motor Sensory Room programme, with personal autonomy the only measure showing a significant improvement. A structured sensory-motor programme for children with autism spectrum disorder appears…
Research links early warmth, rejection and overprotection with how adults trust and relate to partners, but later experiences and therapy can help reshape attachment patterns. Childhood experience can shape how adults trust, avoid, or depend on partners, but the pattern…
Preparation, flexibility and giving children control over costumes and activities can help make Halloween safer, calmer and more inclusive. Halloween can be a joyful occasion for children, but for those with sensory sensitivities, anxiety, ADHD or autism, the season can…
Overlapping symptoms can obscure whether attention problems are driven by ADHD, anxiety or both, making a person’s history and day-to-day patterns crucial to assessment. “What’s going on?” and “Why am I feeling this way?” are questions that often sit at…
From Jenga to Uno, familiar games give counsellors a low-pressure way to help children practise emotional regulation, flexibility, communication and repair. Counsellors and therapists often keep a familiar set of board games within reach, and with good reason: the right…
As teenagers turn to AI chatbots for homework and emotional support, researchers warn that safeguards may arrive only after the technology is embedded in childhood. The latest warning about artificial intelligence and childhood comes at a moment when parents are…
