Infants may show early signs of autism, but a diagnosis usually isn’t made until age 3. Now, a new study suggests that jumpstarting therapy might stave off that diagnosis altogether. Researchers say their preemptive, parent-led intervention could have a significant impact on children’s social development and longer-term disabilities. “What we found is that the babies…  read on >  read on >

Older children and kids with chronic diseases are those most likely to wind up in the hospital with COVID-19, researchers have found. Conditions such as obesity, diabetes and neurologic problems, among others, put kids at risk for severe COVID-19, according to a new U.S. study. “There’s a myth circulating out there that children don’t get…  read on >  read on >

Living within a few blocks of a shooting increases the risk that a child will end up visiting the emergency department for mental health-related problems, researchers say. The new study found significant increases in mental health-related ER visits in the two weeks after a neighborhood shooting, especially among kids who lived closest to it and…  read on >  read on >

Potentially dangerous symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are not always immediately recognized by primary care providers, new research suggests. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar used for energy by cells. Between 5% and 10% of cases of diabetes are type 1,…  read on >  read on >

After more than a year at home, children are heading back to classrooms across the country. But they’re also toting heavy bags on their backs again. A backpack that fits properly — and is not overloaded with binders and books — will help prevent injury. “With a focus on getting back in the classroom and…  read on >  read on >

Pregnant women infected with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) may have a heightened risk of preterm birth, a new study suggests. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts. Most of the time, the immune system clears the infection. But some strains of HPV become persistent in a minority of people…  read on >  read on >