Telehealth is increasing in popularity in the United States, partly due to the pandemic. But some children with autism have difficulty sitting through these virtual appointments. Yet those visits can be a helpful part of a child’s ongoing medical care, and their convenience may help limit time away from work and school, according to the…  read on >  read on >

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is upending any return to normalcy in some parts of the United States, with locales like Los Angeles County urging vaccinated folks to once again don masks indoors. Infectious disease experts said these places are acting with an abundance of appropriate caution, given that the Delta variant is more transmissible…  read on >  read on >

Add hearing loss to the many dangers posed by fireworks. More than 40 million Americans have some type of hearing loss, and about 10 million of those cases can be attributed to noise, according to the American Academy of Audiology. Noise from fireworks can reach 155 decibels — louder than a jet plane taking off…  read on >  read on >

Introducing bedtime routines very early in life can improve sleep habits in the toddler years, according to a new study. Almost 500 new mothers were first surveyed when their infants were 3 months old. They were questioned again when the children were 12 months, 18 months and 24 months. The mothers were asked about their…  read on >  read on >

Want to hold a preschooler’s interest in learning something new? Give them just enough information to make them want to know more, a new study suggests. This creates the perfect mix of uncertainty and curiosity in children, said researchers from Rutgers University, in New Jersey. “There is an infinite amount of information in the real…  read on >  read on >

The COVID-19 pandemic likely played a role in the 50% increase in deaths from fireworks in the United States last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says. Many public fireworks displays were canceled last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That led many people to light rockets, sparklers and firecrackers in their own…  read on >  read on >