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Scientists have managed to train rats with hearing defects to pick out sounds from background noise, giving a possible solution to hearing-impaired children with difficulties in learning language.

Distinguishing speech from background noise, or temporal processing, is important in learning a language. When there are defects in this function, young children may encounter problems learning a language and reading.

In an article published in Nature Neuroscience, scientists in China and the United States described how they trained rats with hearing defects to pick out relevant sounds from background noise using food rewards.

“The training-induced cortical changes endured for at least two months after training ceased,” wrote scientists Xiaoming Zhou at the East China Normal University in Shanghai and Michael Merzenich at the W.M. Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California.

“Our results illustrate, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the neurological restoration of cortical temporal processing capacities by intensive behavioral training in developmentally degraded juvenile and adult animals.”

Looking ahead, the researchers said their findings could be used in training people with temporal processing problems.

“All of these findings contribute to the rapidly growing body of studies that reveal the extent to which, and the specific strategies by which, developmentally impaired brains can be corrected in older children and adults,” they wrote.

Children are becoming multi-talented these days and they are leaving no stone unturned to achieve and excel in whatever fields that is available to them. Do you see your kid drawing out indecipherable pictures of whatever it sees? Are you looking at shops or places where you can pick quality kids art supplies that will help mold the budding artist? You need to look for the right kind of easels and painting brushes that form a primary part of your child’s art supplies and you need to take special care to look at the height of the easels as this will be a contributing factor deciding the quality of the art form. There are a lot of places where these quality kids art supplies are found and these can purchased at good rates even over the internet. While parents purchase art supplies like easels, care has to be taken to ensure that they purchase the ones best suited to their children’s requirements. These art supplies should augment and enhance the skills of the little ones and prove to be handy for these budding artists to bring to limelight the talents that God has blessed them with and the same that their parents have passionately allowed them to pursue.

At 4 months my son was saying “ma ma”, “da da”, and “no”. At 6 months he stopped saying those things as well as some of his other relatives that are his age. The relatives howerer are now 19 months as well as my son and they are saying plenty of things but my son is not. It just seems as if he was smarter when he was younger than he is now. Should I be concerned? Other than speeking, he seems to be doing very well with his physical activities, and we read to him every day, we just cant seem to get him to talk.

My 19 month old daughter really doesn’t talk much either. She says around 10-15 words. But I can see her thinking and trying to sound out more. We try to read to her as much as possible. She points at things and can follow all of our directions that we give her (Example - go get your baby and put her up, go get your sippy and put it on the couch, etc.). We’re not too worried b/c we have 2 older boys. Our middle child took awhile to talk also, but you would never know now. I would bring it up with your doctor - just to ease your mind and make sure he’s meeting all of his other milestones. He’s probably just a late talker - which is fine!!!
PS- Don’t compare him to other kids - no 2 kids develop at the same rate!

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It is something you should ask your doctor. every child does things in their own time. My Bff’s daughter who is the same age as my daughter can say everyone’s names, hold on to a conversation with you and tell she is 2 years old. And my daughter is just learning to say people’s names. So it really does depends. Talk to your doctor if you feel worried.

I’m not due until December, but I’m already thinking of having to place my child in daycare. It’s really important for me to have some time to spend with my baby, so that really worries me. I’m hoping to get some time after giving birth, but I already know it’ll be hard not being with the baby all day. My husband works, I’ll be working as well. Is it really as hard as I think it will be to place my child in daycare?? And do you feel better if you find a place you can be comfortable with?? And when is it best to get serious about searching for a daycare? I don’t want to get ahead, but I don’t want to wait until last minute.

 I actually had a good amount of time off due to having a c-section with my son and I appreciated being able to look forward to seeing my son when I got off of work and picking him up from daycare. i put him in daycare around 3 months and being home with home everyday was driving me crazy! i actually appreciated being a mom more after putting him into daycare cause i had sometime away from him and didnt have to deal with the crying, feeding, pooping etc intil i got home and it was only a couple of hours of it. i loved being a mom better with having someone watch him while i got to be in the grown up world. its going to be hard at first but youll be fine. plus ur child needs to be around other babies and be exposed to the germs outside the house to build up the immune system. Youl be fine like i said and take finding a daycare or child care provider very serious! i had my son in a daycare at first and that didnt go to well. they was always using his stuff and food for other babies. i was coming home with other babys stuff in my bag or his stuff would be missing or lost. at the daycare he jus another a baby and not my special little joy. finally i took him out and now my cousin watches him and he is getting that personal attention he deserves. i feel more comfortable knowing my child is being loved just like if i was a stay at home mom. u have to remember whoever u choose to watch ur child they are going to have him/her more than u, everyday of the week. so choose wisely!

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Ahh!! Such a hard decision to make. With the cost of living going up, unfortunately some parents have to place their children in daycare. I was one of those. I was fortunate enought to stay home for 3.5 months, but then it came time, and I had NO choice but to go back to work! I know what is best for my family, and living off of my husbands salary alone would not work. Putting your baby in daycare will be harder on you than your baby! My daughter really enjoys daycare, and I enjoy taking her there. Babies need that socialization. In the end you will make the best decision for you and your family.

Its only day 2 of the holidays and already my kids are laying a guilt trip on me for not doing enough with them.
I have arranged for them to go to kids clubs and sleepovers with friends, but I feel so bad for not taking them out myself.
I am a student nurse and on placement throughout the holidays so I cant get any time off this summer. My time is not my own.

How do i stop feeling so bad for them having a crap summer?

You could always beat them and then they would really feel bad!!!

Actually I used to feel the same way when I worked, I went so far as working nights so I’d be able to spend time with them during the day.
Then I was just tired and couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t work nor spend time with them!!!

You just have talk to them and explain to them how you need to work but you’re trying to make compromises with them!!! Plan things with them for when you’re off, this way they can look forward to those days!!!

Kids understand a lot more than we usually give them credit for!!!

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Is there any way that you can do something with them on the weekends? Have them cook with you, or some other family-oriented activities. How about taking them to a movie? Help them understand that YOUR school does not allow summer break, and convince them into thinking that they are lucky to get the summer off. Nobody likes homework and book reports, right?
Would your kids be able to go on a vacation with other family members or friends? Those can be real fun, and make them forget that you are busy.
If none of this works, tell your kids to shove-off and get a job ‘cuz you’re not going to buy them food or make meals for them anymore. That should keep ‘em quiet ;-D.

In the front seat of a car? OR to have a convertable carseat facing the front when the child is too small and needs to be facing the back.. I live in north carolina and have seen several people with children in their car and doing BOTH of these acts. I have even seen an infant carrier in the front seat of a car and a mom driving while feeding the baby a bottle!!!! Is this not crazy or what?? I thought this was illegal? Or is it just “Not reccomended because of safety”

Unfortunately, this is not federally mandated, meaning carseat laws go by the individual state. North Carolina, while it mandates the use of carseats until 8 years old and 80lbs, does not have a rear-facing age law. See chart below for the rest of the state laws…..

http://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/cu…

First of all, just because it’s not illegal, doesn’t mean it’s not the safest thing for the child should you get into an accident…
Secondly, if you left the hospital and the nurses let you DID get into a accident, then they’d be liable and you could sue them for a LOT of money!

When you become pregnant you may be surprised at how expensive designer maternity clothes can cost. Of course, when you buy designer maternity fashion you will look absolutely gorgeous and stylish. That is because designer maternity clothes use special fabrics and designs to really make you look good. But, you may be wondering if the price tag is really worth the clothes you are buying. Well, that really depends. In general, most women choose to spend the money on designer maternity clothes when it is for a special occasion. That includes a big business meeting, a wedding, cocktail party, or other big event. But, in general, women find that the price tag is a little too high for clothes they will only wear for a brief period of time. And, many women claim that they really can’t tell a big difference in designer maternity jeans and affordable maternity jeans. Of course, your budget will play a big role in how much you can afford to spend on maternity clothes. But, overall, you won’t want to spend too much simply because these are clothes that you will wear for a few short months and that is it!

Arts and crafts are always fun. I used to work at a daycare with children of all ages, and no matter how old they were, they loved doing crafts. The girls could make bubble paper: all you need is dish soap, food coloring, straws, tin cake pans, and plain paper. Fill the pans about 1″ deep with water, add a few drops of soap and whatever colors you wish to use, then mix it up. Give each of the girls a straw and let them blow bubbles in the pan of colored water. Next, all they have to do is lay the paper on the bubbles. Once they have created the patterns and color combinations they like, just set them aside to dry. (Be sure to write their name on it so each girl gets the one she made.)

They could also make jewelry out of pasta. They can just paint the pasta (any pasta with a hole in it; like macaroni) then thread yarn through them when they dry.

You could have them make carmel popcorn balls or marshmellow squares to enjoy while they watch a movie, like Chicken Little.

They could also play games like simon says or mother may I. And of course, if they like stories, they could sit in a circle and one girl would start a story then “pass” it on to the next girl, and so on until all of the girls have contributed to creating an enitire story. (The daycare kids loved that one!)

Be creative and hang in there! You’ll do just fine!