Study: Want a smart baby? TV's not going to help (Madison Park, 3 Mar '09)
Watching television does not make babies smarter, according to a study released this week in the journal Pediatrics, adding to existing research that challenges the usefulness of baby educational videos and DVDs.
Researchers from the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute found no evidence of benefit from baby DVDs and videos and suggested that it may be harmful. Infants who watched the videos understood fewer words than those who did not watch them.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen media for children under the age of 2 years.
[full article]
Also, last night at the Laundromat, Dr. Amen was on PBS teaching about brain function (website). It was interesting, very similar to a community seminar I helped some teens put on (Living Free), though ours was more focused on addictions.
Dr. Amen presented some pretty revolutionary ideas:
DO exercise, get plenty of rest, and eat well.
DON'T drink much alcohol (1 serving a week?) or caffeine, use drugs, or get a concussion.
He probably said other insightful and revolutionary things, but I was distracted with cycle options and temperature gauges.
Take care of your brain. You need it. And if you have abused your brain, take heart; it can recover. That was the good news of the program. He even had brain scans to prove it.
1 comment:
that's pretty scary, imagine all those well-meaning parents making their children stupider. I'm a big fan of the "go play outside" option of parenting.
Thanks for the link by the way!
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