Teaching parts of the brain to work together in autistic children. “Can’t see the forest for the trees” is a good description of children with autism, who often excel at details but cannot see the big picture. Researchers, exploring a theory that autism results from a failure of the various parts of the brain to work together, measured the brain activity of a group of high-functioning autistic volunteers while they performed a simple memory task involving letters of the alphabet. Using a brain imaging technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers found that the autistic volunteers showed different brain activation patterns compared to non-autistic controls. For example, the volunteers with autism used the right hemisphere of their brain, which processes shapes and visual information, to recognize letters, as opposed to the left hemisphere, which normally processes letters and words. Also, the imaging showed that the different brain areas of the autistic volunteers were less likely to work together. Such synchronization is necessary for many kinds of higher-level thinking and analysis that prove difficult for those with autism. These findings support the theory that autistic brains have defects in their neurological wiring, forcing the various parts to work independently. This discovery could help change the way autistic children are taught, placing more emphasis on activities that stimulate problem-solving skills and activate multiple brain areas simultaneously. The societal cost of autism is around $43 billion each year. [i]   Improving behavioral and educational therapies for autistic children may not only lessen these costs but also improve quality of life.

Teaching Spanish-speaking children to read English. As of 2000, nearly one in five Americans spoke English as a second language, [ii] reflecting the fact that Hispanics comprise the most rapidly growing and the largest minority group in the United States. [iii]   In addition, the number of students designated by their schools as having limited proficiency in English increased by 72 percent over the last decade. [iv]   Together, these and other trends led the National Research Council, the National Reading Panel, and subsequent legislation (Reading Excellence Act, 1998; No Child Left Behind Act, 2001) to call for educators to use evidenced-based methods when teaching reading in U.S. schools. Given these facts, researchers asked, what are the best methods to use when teaching Spanish-speaking children to read in English? The researchers found that Spanish-speaking students initially instructed in Spanish and then in English outperform students instructed in only one language, whether it was Spanish or English. This study of 135 Spanish-speaking 4th-graders demonstrated the value of applying a bilingual approach to teaching reading to students for whom English is not their first language. The data showed that, when students were allowed to gain literacy skills initially in their native language and then transfer these reading skills to English, the children became more proficient in both languages. These findings provide an important, evidenced-based foundation upon which to design new reading programs for English-language learners, providing a critical step to help reduce the educational gap and increase lifelong success for these children.

Reducing unnecessary surgeries for children. Three-fourths of all children have a middle ear infection by the age of three. [v]   These infections often result in fluid in the ear (effusion) that can temporarily impair hearing and language development. To prevent this, physicians began inserting drainage tubes in the middle ears of these children (tympanosotomy), making the procedure the most common pediatric operation in toddlers; however, no evidence existed to verify its effectiveness. Researchers recently completed a large, longitudinal study to provide the empirical evidence needed to determine if the timing of tympanosotomy, early or delayed, made a difference in children’s development. The researchers found that the earlier placement of tympanosotomy tubes does not appear to benefit language, speech, behavior, or intellectual development in children at ages three, four, or six years. These data support a more conservative treatment approach of “watchful waiting” and only inserting ear tubes for more serious circumstances, saving children from the pain and any adverse consequences associated with surgery while helping to reduce health care costs.

Poverty among immigrant children. The number of immigrant children in the United States— those who are either foreign-born or have at least one foreign-born parent—is increasing rapidly. Thirty-five years ago, immigrant families had lower poverty rates than U.S.-born families; now the poverty rates for immigrant families are two-thirds higher. In addition, the number of immigrant children living in poverty increased steadily, from about 12 percent in 1970 to about 21 percent in 2000. [vi]   Traditional explanations for overall poverty rates in the United States, however, fail to explain the causes of economic decline in immigrant families. To better understand the roots of the problem, researchers determined in a large demographic study that the key variables contributing to increased poverty rates among immigrant children include the facts that their parents are 1) less educated, 2) more likely to be unemployed, and 3) more likely to be recent immigrants. This study highlights possible factors leading to poverty among immigrant families, which can influence a child’s ability to grow, learn, and become a self-sustaining adult.