Children’s earliest experiences directly affect the architecture of their developing brains, which then provides either a sturdy or a fragile foundation for all the development and behavior that follows. Because of this, adverse experiences during childhood can negatively impact developing brain architecture and have lifelong impacts. In fact, according to a recent federal report, at…
New NICHQ Board of Directors member, Cara Coleman, JD, MPH, has a personal stake in health care improvement: Coleman spent her childhood overseas where she saw how lived experiences affected the health and well-being of countless individuals. As an adult, Coleman confronted the systems that exist in our country’s backyard: first in public health; then…
Young children in foster care often experience developmental health concerns and delays, which builds a foundation for continued adverse outcomes later in life. When families reunite after foster care, parents have a vital opportunity to promote their children’s developmental health and ultimately improve their life-long health outcomes. “Parents are their children’s earliest teachers and biggest…
Just three days after their daughter, Lyra, was born, Amber Cole and her husband realized that something was wrong. Lyra had lost an abnormal amount of weight and couldn’t gain it back; and frighteningly, whenever they lifted her legs to change her diaper she would scream in pain. “Every time we changed her, her scream…
Social media’s enduring popularity makes it an optimal resource for awareness building and education. In the past decade, the number of Americans using social media has nearly doubled, and today approximately seven in 10 Americans spend time on a social platform. Social media is prevalent across different groups and all income levels and has continued to…
Latoshia Rouse is the mother of triplets who were born prematurely, at 26 weeks gestation. She is also someone who knows too well that health care systems can both support and fail families. From struggling to find prenatal care to experiencing a dangerous postpartum hemorrhage, Rouse’s story reveals extensive holes in the health care system—holes…
“There is no population met with more scorn or derision than a mother with opioid use disorder [OUD] who has a young child,” says Eileen Costello, MD, FAAP, Chief of Ambulatory Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. Opioid-related deaths among women of reproductive age have rapidly increased in recent years, as have OUD among pregnant women…
According to a recent federal report, at least five of the top ten leading causes of death are associated with early childhood trauma. Reducing exposure to trauma during childhood, then, is a vital upstream strategy for improving lifelong health outcomes for children across the country. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can…
As we dive in to 2020, we’re sharing an update on policies and public programs that impact children’s health outcomes. We’ve included, important legislation to watch in the coming months, and a summary of vital public programs and funding included in FY2020 appropriations. By knowing what’s happened and what’s coming down the pike, children’s health…
Parents are children’s first and most important teachers. However, depending on daily stressors and their own life and childhood experiences, parents may need support from professionals in strengthening the parent-child bond and promoting their children’s social and emotional development. This is where positive, trusting, strength-based relationships among parents and healthcare providers can be helpful. …