The Baby Blog
A place to highlight new published findings, shine a spotlight on the researchers in our field, and share new tools of the trade that might help make life easier for ICIS Membership.
In Memoriam: Deborah Kemler Nelson
Deborah Kemler Nelson On November 13, 2023, our field lost a shining star. Professor Deborah Kemler Nelson, the Centennial Chair Emerita of Swarthmore College, passed away surrounded by her loving family. Debby got her PhD in psychology from Brown University with her...
Families with LGBTQ+ Parents: Transitions to Parenthood and Early Child Development
by Rachel H. Farr, PhD As LGBTQ+ parenthood (via varied pathways) increases worldwide, parents and providers benefit from information about parenthood and early child development1,2,3,4,5: What can LGBTQ+ parents and their partners expect during the transition to...
Report from the 2023 Founding Generation Symposium
By Vanessa LoBue (@vanessalobue) & Kiley Hamlin (@jkileyhamlin) The Founding Generation Summer Fellowship for Undergraduates aims to develop the next generation of scholars to advance innovative research on infancy and translation of research for the public good....
Autism and Development
by Daniel Messinger and Alyssa Viggiano(Jointly authored; written from Daniel’s perspective) Autism is a common and sometimes debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder whose symptoms typically emerge in the first three years of life. By focusing on three areas of...
ICIS Webinar Recap: Cutting-Edge Approaches in Developmental EEG
Developmental electroencephalography (EEG) is a constantly evolving field with researchers actively exploring cutting-edge approaches to studying brain development. One novel approach involves looking at live, naturalistic interactions by measuring changes in an...
We need to Prioritize Maternal Mental Health to Optimize Infant Health and Wellness
by Tracey Estriplet-Adams Being a mother can be both incredibly rewarding and highly demanding. It is a stressful job, and it often leaves mothers feeling overwhelmed and anxious. With such pressure comes the need to consider how the environment in which...
It’s almost time! Pack your bags, prepare your talks, and get ready to mingle at the #SRCD23 Biennial Meeting
by Nancy E. Hill, Rashmita Mistry and Gigi Luk The 41st meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) will be taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah from March 23-25! SRCD is an international, multidisciplinary, scientific association...
How quantitative evaluation of early infant movement may give us insight into Autism
by Rujuta B. Wilson, MD, MS As a behavioral child neurologist and clinician-scientist, I witness daily the dynamic growth of infant motor skills in the first year of life. The development of motor skills allows an infant to build social and environmental...
How do infants (learn to) see the world? New answers to an old question.
How infants perceive the world impacts how they respond, interact, and learn from objects and people. Over the last few decades, developmental scientists have designed research methods to probe infants’ perception. Advances in this field have already changed how we...
The Impact of COVID-19 on Infancy
by Vanessa LoBue We are soon approaching the 3-year anniversary of the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the pandemic is responsible for 600 million cases and over 6 million deaths worldwide. It has also seriously impacted economic,...