News

Students who participated in an intensive childhood education program from preschool to third grade were more likely to achieve an academic degree beyond high school, compared to a similar group that received other intervention services as children, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Over the past year, NICHD contributed to numerous scientific advances and key initiatives.

A program to teach preschoolers pre-reading, social, and thinking skills appears to have benefits through third grade, particularly in executive functioning—the mental skills that include planning, paying attention, organizing, and remembering details.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded nine research grants totaling nearly $100 million over the next five years for the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE), a program that supports large research projects aimed at understanding and developing interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Children start learning long before they start going to school. Find out how you can support your child's learning from birth.

Infants born to mothers in poverty had a greater chance of developing neurological problems within the first year of life, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Harvard University.

A conversation with Dr. Sheri Crow, a pediatrician specializing in critical care at the Mayo Clinic, about her NICHD-funded research. Dr. Crow has explored the long-term health outcomes of children who experience traumatic injury or a life-threatening illness in early childhood.

International experts have identified research needed to better understand relationships between child brain development, nutrition, and inflammation, particularly for children living in poverty.

Brain changes at age 6 or 12 months may help predict the development of autism spectrum disorder by age 2 years among infants with a high family risk, according to a study funded by NICHD.

Parents previously investigated for child abuse, showed more positive responses to their baby’s social and emotional needs after completing a home-visit program, according to a study supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi shares some thoughts about joining NICHD.

NICHD joins other NIH Institutes in supporting a study that will collect brain imaging and other data to better understand teen behavior.

Infants exposed to more than one language may be better able than their monolingual counterparts to see a situation from another point of view, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

NICHD needs your input for NIH’s All of Us program.

Children from low income environments appear to have a higher risk of neurological impairment than those from more economically secure circumstances, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

An instructional program for parents helps young children retain the literacy skills and positive learning behaviors acquired in Head Start through to the end of the kindergarten year, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Cathy Spong became NICHD’s acting director on October 1, 2015. Here she shares her plans for the year and her thoughts on what makes NICHD so unique.

In his recent article in The Huffington Post, Dr. Guttmacher highlights the importance of reading every day with children.

Children learn to read by building a number of skills. Learn more about how reading works in this slideshow.