For the past 15 years, the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools has worked tirelessly to impact lives by conducting, supporting and sharing high-quality research in the social, behavioral and educational sciences.
For the next 15 years, the center has no plans to slow down.
Many children growing up in disadvantage enter school without the requisite social, emotional and behavioral skills to be successful. When those children start off behind, they have a difficult time catching up to more successful students.
Because a child’s early school experiences are predictive of their long-term educational trajectory, starting school socially and behaviorally ready is crucial. Otherwise, long-term detrimental outcomes and widening gaps in academic and social success may follow.
As 12-year-old Joe rides a horse named Indy, his mother watches from the far end of the arena. She smiles as her son interacts with the gentle, giant animal.
Michelle Howell Smith, CYFS research assistant professor, can relate. She has seen the positive effects of equine-assisted therapy with her own daughter, MaKenna, who has autism.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is not limited to certain hours of the day. For diagnosed children, the condition is with them every hour of every day, year-round.
And their needs will evolve as they grow older.
Given the chronic and changing nature of ADHD — a neurodevelopmental disorder that makes it difficult to focus and control impulsive behavior — effective treatment must be flexible and consistent throughout the child’s life span, both at home and school.
Something to chew on: Despite oral disease being mostly preventable, it remains one of the world’s most common illnesses. But for many Latino immigrant families, limited access and high cost make dental services prohibitive.
While studies demonstrate that dental appearance and aesthetics have important implications for positive self-esteem, relationships and employment outcomes, perceptions of dental aesthetics held by immigrant families have not been investigated.
Recent studies show that 85 percent of the U.S. population has access to 4G — fourth-generation — broadband network technology.
Which means 15 percent of Americans do not.
In Nebraska, the numbers are better: A recent report by Nebraska Broadband indicates broadband is available to 99.5 percent of the state’s residents.
For students struggling to learn math, confusion and frustration can be common denominators. But a recent University of Nebraska research project aims to help remove those negative factors from the equation.
According to previous studies, students with math learning difficulties experience the most severe and persistent underachievement in algebra compared to their peers. Jessica Namkung, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, is exploring ways to help such students prepare for algebra.
Although studies reveal that immigrants and ethnic minorities are among those at greatest risk for poor health outcomes, little research exists on rural immigrants who experience a disproportionate burden of poverty and economic hardship.
Evan Choi, associate professor of child, youth and family studies, is using restricted-access versions of U.S. Census Bureau data to examine rural, low-income immigrant families and their health-related behaviors — and how they relate to their children’s health and developmental outcomes.
