Child Development News


John Colombo one of four Higuchi Award Winners

LAWRENCE — Four faculty members at two Kansas universities were named recipients of the Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards, the state higher education system’s most prestigious recognition for scholarly excellence.  The annual awards are given in four categories of scholarly and creative achievement. This year’s honorees: 

Study identifies grammar challenge task with potential to identify language disorder among older children

To help identify Specific Language Impairment (SLI) in children who are beyond their preschool years, researchers at the KU Life Span Institute have evaluated a new, more grammatically challenging language task to aid in diagnosis.

Adding Complex Component of Milk to Infant Formula Confers Long-Term Cognitive Benefits, Study Demonstrates

Five-and-a-half-year-olds whose baby formula had included milk fat globule membranes and lactoferrin (MFGM+LF) went on to perform nearly 5 points higher on IQ tests years after they were weaned.

Program aimed at improving equity in children’s health in Kansas City, Kan.

KU researchers have been awarded a federal grant to improve language and communication skills in underserved communities in Kansas as part of an intervention program shown to be effective in multiple settings.

KU Autism Conference to Feature Research for Families, Professionals, Educators

The Kansas Center for Autism Research and Treatment will host the conference Autism Across the Life Span on April 8 at the KU Edwards Campus BEST Building. For the first time in two years, the one-day conference will be held in person and will feature six breakout sessions on autism research and programs related to behavioral health, interventions, neuroscience and the transition to adulthood.

New Research Pinpoints Promising Gene Target Specific Language Impairment

LAWRENCE — A study from the University of Kansas recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Sciences identifies a new gene target related to Specific Language Impairment (SLI). The discovery of BUD13 for future biological investigation of language acquisition holds potential for researchers to better diagnose and understand the communication disorder.

International Report on Autism Offers Comprehensive Model of Autism Care

A new, comprehensive model of autism care and treatment that prioritizes personalized, stepped care approaches is urgently needed, according to a new international report published in The Lancet. The report calls for global coordination to reform research, care, and treatment for autism.

Autism Research That Relies On Preschool Peers Receives Grant To Study Predictive Factors For Communication Development

If you’ve ever witnessed the blur of activity that is a typical preschool-age child, it can be difficult to imagine them as disciplined research partners. For more than 20 years, scientists at KU and elsewhere have studied interventions that pair young children with autism with their peers.

KU collaborative project that will evaluate method to help children’s literacy skills awarded $3.5 million

LAWRENCE – A national team that includes researchers from the University of Kansas has launched a five-year, $3.5 million project to study the efficacy of a language and comprehension program for elementary-age children.

McDaniel Awarded Grant to Study Vocalization ins Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The American Speech-Language Hearing Foundation has awarded Jena McDaniel, post-doctoral fellow at the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training, a 2020 New Investigator Research Grant.