Genetic testing can help guide management and treatment of unexplained epilepsy in children, new research suggests.

"A genetic diagnosis impacted medical management for nearly three out of four children in our study," said study author Dr. Isabel Haviland. She's a postdoctoral research fellow in neurology/neurobiology at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

In the ...

Starting college can be a time of fun, new experiences and growth. Yet it can also be a rough transition for many students who struggle with mental health issues.

A new study from researchers in the United Kingdom and Canada found about one-third of first-year students have or develop moderate to severe anxiety or depression.

When these young adults had increasing use of illicit dru...

Autism may be more prevalent among American children than believed, a new U.S. government study shows.

One in 44 children at age 8 in the United States have been diagnosed with the developmental disorder, a jump from the previous estimate of 1 in 54 children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found.

But a second study offered more heartening news: After look...

Parents who want to read to their toddlers and give them a developmental boost ought to pick up a traditional paper book rather than an e-book on a tablet, a new study reports.

Toddlers are more likely to interact with their parents when they're sharing a paper children's book rather than a tablet, University of Michigan researchers found.

Parents also tended to talk more to their c...

Blows to the head are common among America's kids, with close to 7% showing signs of a brain injury at some time in childhood, U.S. health officials report.

Sports, falls and abuse are likely causes, experts say.

Concussions and other head injuries are more common among white kids than Black or Hispanic kids. And prevalence increases with age -- from 2% in children up to 5 years ol...

Asthma is a tough disease for kids and their parents to manage well, but not keeping it under control may make these children up to six times more likely to wind up in the hospital with severe COVID-19, new research shows.

With the cold and flu season about to kick in and COVID-19 rates climbing again in some areas, kids with asthma should make sure their disease is under tight control, s...

Stop that racket!

A screeching rubber chicken tops this year's list of noisy toys that pose a threat to children's hearing.

The Sight & Hearing Association's annual Noisy Toys List for 2021 includes toys that tested louder than 85 decibels (dB), which is the U.S. National Institute...

The misconception that girls are less interested than boys in computer science and engineering begins at a young age in the United States.

And it's one reason for the gender gap in those career fields, according to a new study.

In surveys of more than 2,200 U.S. children and teens in grades 1 through 12, researchers found that half -- 51% -- believed girls are less...

Giving your baby fruit juice too early in life could lead to greater intake of sugary drinks later in childhood and much higher odds for obesity and tooth decay, a new study of more than 4,000 American mothers has found.

According to a team led by Edwina Yeung, of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, introducing fruit juice to infants before they were a year ...

Pfizer Inc. said Monday that its coronavirus vaccine provides long-term protection in youth ages 12-15, according to data from a company clinical trial that included more than 2,200 participants.

In a company clinical trial that included more than 2,200 adolescents, getting two doses of the vaccine was 100% effective against the coronavirus from seven days to four months after the second ...

As American families sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving, a majority of parents say they want to raise grateful kids but they don't think they're succeeding.

Four out of five respondents to a new nationwide poll said children aren't as thankful as they should be, and half worry that they overindulge their own kids. Two in five also said they're sometimes embarrassed by how selfish their ch...

Can your weight before pregnancy determine your baby's chances of developing asthma or allergies?

Yes, claims a study that looked at that question, as well as whether weight gain during pregnancy might have an impact.

"We did find that there was a link between the mother's weight before pregnancy, entering pregnancy, with the development of certain allergic diseases among c...

A new study is highlighting yet another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic: It has likely made it even harder for kids with obesity to manage their weight.

The findings, researchers said, are no surprise. Many adults, faced with normal life being upended during the pandemic, have seen changes on the bath...

While climate change gets a lot of notice for its numerous negative impacts around the globe, children's allergies may not be among them.

Despite climate change, with the longer growing seasons and larger pollen loads that are attributed to it, more than 5,800 children in the Los Angeles area with asthma did not have an increase in allergic sensitization or allergy diagnosis over a 15-yea...

Parents and children who were separated under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy have shown lasting psychological trauma -- even after being reunited, a new study finds.

Between 2017 and 2018, more than 5,000 children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border under the policy, which aimed to deter asylum seekers.

The practice was denounc...

Almost 1 in 10 eligible U.S. children ages 5-11 have received a first shot of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine since it was approved for that age group two weeks ago, the White House said Wednesday.

Of the 2.6 million doses put into kids' arms so far, 1.7 million were administered in the last week alone, which is about twice as many in the first week, according to White House COVID-19 coord...

Marijuana use in pregnancy may increase your child's risk for stress and anxiety, a new study suggests.

Although some moms-to-be use pot hoping to relieve morning sickness and anxiety, they should know it may cause genetic changes in the uterus that result in children becoming anxious, aggressive and hyperactive, researchers say.

"People are saying that cannabis is benign, and take ...

For children, masks don't mask the emotions of others, a new study shows.

It included nearly 300 children, ages 3-6, who were shown 90 pictures featuring actors who expressed joy, sadness or anger. In half of the pictures, the actors wore face masks.

In most cases, the children correctly identified the actors' emotions whether they were wearing a mask or not, according to the study ...

A rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 in children was more severe in the second wave of patients than in the first, researchers report.

For the study, investigators examined the cases of 106 patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) who arrived in two waves at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

In the first wave, patients were...

As if suffering through a childhood trauma weren't enough, new research suggests it might raise the risk of poor mental and physical health later in life.

Researchers analyzed nearly 2,900 responses to the 2019 New Zealand Family Violence Survey and found that about 45% of respondents said they had no adverse childhood events, a majority experienced at least one, and one-third reported mo...

As many parents know, children can be notoriously picky eaters. In some cases, their chronically fearful approach towards food amounts to what is considered a serious psychiatric condition.

But a new survey of adults who were, and continue to be, finicky eaters suggests that rather than forcing a child to eat foods they don't like, parents will probably make more headway by embracing a no...

In a finding that suggests a family's income influences parents' views on COVID vaccines for their younger kids, a new survey shows the more money parents make, the likelier they are to get their kids a shot.

The poll of more than 2,000 parents found that 47% of those with annual incomes of $100,000 or more were willing to get their children ages 5-11 vaccinated, compared with just 37% of...

The world faces an increased risk of a measles outbreak because 22 million infants did not get their measles shots last year due to the pandemic, the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Wednesday.

They said that 3 million fewer infants were vaccinated against measles in 2020 than in 2019, and just 70% of infants received both doses of the t...

THURSDAY, Nov. 11, 2021 (HealthDay News ) -- A Texas ban on mask mandates in schools violates the rights of students with disabilities, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The decision opens the door for school districts in the state to issue their own mask policies that could affect more than 5 million students, The New York Times reported.

The lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbot...

About 900,000 U.S. children aged 5 to 11 received their initial dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine during the first week of eligibility for that age group, the Biden administration said Wednesday.

Not only that, nearly 700,000 more are scheduled in the coming days, health officials added.

The low-dose Pfizer vaccine for younger children was approved on Nov. 2 and the first doses w...

As new government data showed that 360,000 young kids have now gotten their first shot, the Biden administration on Monday asked schools to help by hosting vaccination clinics and providing information to parents on the benefit of the shots.

On Monday, First Lady Jill Biden kicked off a campaign to promote COVID vaccinations for kids as she and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy visit...

Will boys fixated on gore-filled video games become violent in real life? Many parents may worry that's the case, but new and reassuring research finds violent video games don't trigger actual violence in kids.

The study included boys aged 8 to 18, the group most likely to play violent video games, and examined two types of violence: aggression against other people, and destruction of thi...

When children have colds, parents may want to hold off on using cough and cold medicines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests.

Most children get better on their own, and cough or cold medicines won't change the natural course of a cold or make it go away faster.

Also, some cough and cold medicines can have serious side effects, such as slowed breathing, which can be life-...

Across the country, children ages 5 to 11 are lining up to get their first dose of Pfizer's newly approved COVID-19 pediatric vaccine.

Most kids fear needles, but a few simple steps can help your young one get their COVID-19 shots with the fewest tears shed, experts say.

First, you need to get your own head together, said Dr. Vera Feuer, director of emergency psychiatry and behavior...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend the emergency use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in kids ages 5-11.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is widely expected to sign off on the recommendation later Tuesday, essentially opening the floodgates of vaccination for 28 million of the country's youngest citizens....

The U.S. government's COVID-19 vaccination program for children ages 5-11 will be ready to roll on Nov. 8, the White House said Monday.

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved vaccines for the 28 million American children who fall into this age group, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still has to weigh in on Tuesday with its recommendations, the

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has delayed a decision on whether to approve emergency use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in 12- to 17-year-olds until at least January, the company announced Sunday.

That's because the agency told the company on Friday that it needs more time to assess emerging international data on whether the vaccine increases the risk of a rare heart side effect ca...

Accidental poisonings on Halloween can turn a night of fun into one that's truly scary.

The following poison prevention tips -- from the Nebraska Regional Poison Center -- can help your little ones stay safe:

The liquid in lighted glow sticks can sting or burn if it gets into the eyes or mouth. Know that glow sticks are soft and can easily break open if children put them in their mo...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the emergency use of a smaller dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, paving the way for 28 million kids across the country to get their shots.

These youngest Americans can now receive one-third of the adult dose, with two injections given three weeks apart. If the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that it has lowered its limits for lead poisoning in kids.

The move is expected to more than double the number of 1- to 5-year-olds with worrisome levels of the toxic metal in their blood, according to the Associated Press. That means the number is projected to grow from 200,000 to about 500,000, AP said.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend emergency use of a smaller dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, advancing plans to offer the shots to 28 million young kids across the United States.

The vote was nearly unanimous at 17-0, with one abstention, and the FDA is expected to make a final ruling in a matter of days.

De...

Moderna announced Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine safely triggers a strong immune response in children aged 6 to 11.

Company data shows that a month after receiving both doses of the vaccine, children's antibody levels were 1.5 ...

Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 91% effective in preventing symptomatic illness in young children and brings no unexpected safety issues, according to a study posted Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Late Friday, the agency posted its analysis of data from Pfizer's pediatric study and said that in nearly all models, the health benefits of adminis...

A lower dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is 90.7% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in children aged 5 to 11, according to new clinical trial data from the company.

The data was given to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday, and the agency is expected to release its own analysis of the trial ...

The White House on Wednesday unveiled a national plan to roll out coronavirus vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds that is designed to make getting shots as easy and comfortable as possible for both kids and their parents.

Rather than mass vaccination sites, the Biden administration plans to have pediatric COVID shots delivered in settings that parents know and trust.

"Nationwide, more t...

Dust mites and smoke are known triggers of asthma in children. Now, scientists have identified previously unknown combinations of air pollutants that appear tied to the respiratory disorder.

"Asthma is one the most prevalent diseases affecting children in the United States. In this study, we developed a list of air pollutants a young child may be exposed to that can lead to longer-term pr...

Researchers have created a six-stage process to help families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) deal with the disorder.

"This framework is family-centered, focused on breaking down the barriers that families face from before diagnosis to preparing children with ADHD for the future," said Dr. Andrea Spencer, director of the Reach for ADHD Research Program at ...

Preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rarely receive the gold-standard treatment recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for their condition, a new study reports.

The AAP recommends a behavioral therapy technique called "parent training in behavior management," or PTBM, as first-line treatment for ADHD kids ages 4 and 5.

But only 1 of eve...

Fear, grief, uncertainty and isolation during the pandemic have triggered a national state of emergency in the mental health of America's youth, leading child health care groups warned Tuesday.

Youngsters already faced significant mental health challenges, and the pandemic has made them worse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolesc...

Watch closely if your kids appear to have a common cold this fall or winter. It could instead be respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, and that makes it more likely to progress to a serious lower lung infection.

RSV is back in force this year after a reprieve while many stayed home last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to experts at Penn State Health.

"The ...

In some heartening news on the vaccine front, two-thirds of American parents of children ages 5 to 11 plan to get their youngsters vaccinated when COVID-19 shots are approved for that age group, a new survey shows.

"While we're encouraged to see that a majority of parents intend to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 once they are eligible, there is clearly more work to be done to h...

Children who spent more time in nature during pandemic lockdowns suffered fewer behavioral and emotional problems, British researchers say.

The investigators also found that children in wealthier families tended to increase their connection to nature during the pandemic more than those from poorer families.

The new study included 376 families in the United Kingdom who had children a...

Despite hints of promise from early research, a new clinical trial finds no evidence that kids with autism benefit from nasal sprays containing the "love" hormone oxytocin.

Researchers called the findings disappointing.

But they said the study also offers important information: Some parents of children with autism are already using oxytocin nasal sprays in the hopes of supporting th...

From newborns to new adults, young people who get COVID-19 can carry high levels of the virus and spread it to others even if they show no symptoms.

That's the takeaway from a study of 110 people between 2 weeks and 21 years of age who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Researchers found that infants, children and teens were equally capable of carrying high levels of live, re...

When you're putting on a brave face to mask disappointment or shedding tears of joy, kids with autism are likely to misunderstand how you're really feeling.

That's because they don't use context to identify underlying emotions, according to a new study investigating whether kids with autism are able to tell when one emotion is concealing a different one.

The comparative analysis loo...