Day: February 26, 2022

    New research from a team of psychologists at the University of Miami finds that preschoolers produce the same amount of language whether or not they are wearing masks.  Researchers used a device which tracks the number of language sounds coming from the person who wears it, in order to monitor the language of two classes of preschoolers.  When they compared the class from early 2020 (pre-Covid pandemic) with the class of teachers and children who wore masks, they found no change in the children’s ability to learn and produce language.  The study also included children with hearing loss, who often exhibit language delays. While they anticipated that mask wearing might affect these students most, they found no difference

  It is thought that approximately 15-20% of the population are “neurodiverse,” meaning that they have received a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, or Tourette Syndrome. With the increased prevalence of these diagnoses, many companies are beginning to focus on  neurodiversity in their workforce. Large companies, such as SAP, Microsoft, EY, JPMorgan Chase, and Ford Motor Company, are part of the “Neurodiversity @ Work Roundtable,” where including the neurodiverse population in the workforce is emphasized. One study found that “neurodiverse employees were comparable to neurotypical staff in work quality, efficiency and productivity. The bonus was ‘the neurodiverse employees excelled at innovation’.” https://theconversation.com/neurodiversity-can-be-a-workplace-strength-if-we-make-room-for- it-164859

  In August 2022, a new series of cartoon episodes focusing on explaining various disabilities will be premiering! The 10 episode series provides information for children, families, and educators covering the topics of assistive technology, transportation, communication, and service animals. The episodes are targeted for viewers in kindergarten through third grade to increase understanding and awareness regarding peers and their differences. The videos will aim to explain how children with varying ability levels complete various tasks. Over the course of the next couple of years, these videos will be piloted in schools. Please visit the link below for more information! https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/12/cartoons-about-disability-will-educate-children

  A recent study conducted by The School of Psychology’s Centre for Human Developmental Science revealed that playing with dolls independently lead to frequent talk about others’ thoughts and feelings compared to when playing on a tablet. The ‘internal state language concept’ is linked to increasing a child’s opportunity to develop social skills and can be beneficial to a child’s emotional development. Lead researcher Dr. Sarah Gerson said, “When children create imaginary worlds and role play with dolls, they communicate at first out loud and then internalize the message about others’ thoughts, emotions and feelings. This can have positive long-lasting effects on children, such as driving higher rates of social and emotional processing and building social skills like empathy that