Posts tagged as:

toddlers

This week on Thrive: March 15 – 19

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 21, 2010

Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.

Children’s Michael Agus, MD kept us updated on his relief work in Haiti. There’s a better genetic test for autism. Children’s CEO, James Mandell, MD, discusses the cost of children’s care. Children’s is featured in two National Geographic documentaries – one on the Shang Dynasty and the other on rare medical conditions. A newborn’s hearing screening should not be ignored. Thrive blogger, Melissa, reports on disaster relief simulation training. Are iPhone apps okay for toddlers? How can kids respond to email chain letters?

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Can toddlers learn sign language by watching DVDs?

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 29, 2010

Media expert Michael Rich, MD, MPH, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston, answers your questions about media use. Last week, he discussed a report detailing just how much media kids are using.

Here’s this week’s question:

Q: In your NPR Parents’ Journal interview, you stated that children under the age of 30 months do not learn anything about language from TV programs, but I disagree. My 17-month-old daughter is not allowed to watch entertainment TV, but since she was 9 months old, she has watched a baby signing language DVD series about 3 times a week. Now she knows about 80 signs (and about 60 spoken words), and learning sign language as a family has greatly enhanced our relationships because she can tell us what she needs without crying and throwing a tantrum. I feel strongly that the 1-2 hours of media exposure a week are making her toddlerhood much less frustrating and are worth whatever negative effects are possible. I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter.
-Serious about Signing, Baltimore, MD Full story »

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