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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Culture & Living >
Parenting / Family
Focal points for news and resources on parenting and family issues include the Center for Mental Health Services Research in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, the Department of Psychology in Arts & Sciences, the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine and the university-wide Center for Aging.
| Faculty Experts: |
Showing Parenting / Family Experts 1 through 5 of 13.
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Ramesh Raghavan
Assistant professor of Social Work
Ramesh Raghavan's clinical, policy and administrative expertise in public health and psychiatry fuel his research interests in mental health services and policies for children in the child welfare system. Prior to joining the faculty at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the School of ...
Expertise: public health, mental health services, children in the child welfare system, health policy, Medicaid
Direct contact: 314-935-4469
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raghavan@wustl.edu
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Paul Shattuck
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Paul Shattuck's research and teaching focuses on autism, social policy, research methods, human behavior and the social environment, health and society, and disability studies. He has published a number of articles on the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The Journal of Autism and ...
Expertise: autism, social policy, research methods, human behavior and the social environment, health and society, disability studies
Direct contact: (314) 935-7570
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pshattuck@wustl.edu
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Yunju Nam
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Yunju Nam is available to comment on social and economic equality, poverty, welfare policy, domestic violence, child welfare, and asset-building policy for the poor. She is particularly interested in the effect of welfare reform on poor children and women.
Expertise: welfare, welfare police, domestic violence, child welfare, asset-building policy
Direct contact: 314-935-4954
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ynam@gwbmail.wustl.edu
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Luis Zayas
Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor of Social Work
Luis Zayas' primary interests are in clinical practice with adolescents and families and in training clinical practitioners. His clinical experience spans 25 years of working with children, adolescents, adults, and families in community mental health, psychiatric clinics, pediatric rehabilitation, ...
Expertise: adolescent mental health, maternal mental health in pregnancy, parent-child relations, cross-cultural factors in child-rearing behavior, family functioning, psychiatric diagnosis, alcohol use by Latinos
Direct contact: (314) 935-9448
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lzayas@gwbmail.wustl.edu
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Melissa Jonson-Reid
Associate Professor of Social Work
Expertise: domestic violence, family violence, child abuse and neglect, public school system, child welfare system outcomes, social work evaluation and practice
Direct contact: (314) 935-4953
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jonsonrd@gwbmail.wustl.edu
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Showing Parenting / Family Experts 1 through 5 of 13.
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| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
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Disruptive behaviors
Excessive tantrums in preschoolers may indicate serious mental health problems
Dec. 12,
2007 --
Certain types of tantrums in preschoolers may be a sign of serious emotional or behavioral problems, according to researchers at the School of Medicine. Although temper tantrums are common and normal in young children, the researchers found that long, frequent, violent and/or self-destructive tantrums may indicate the presence of psychiatric illness.
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WUSTL psychologist offers tips
Helping college students deal with stress during winter break
Dec. 11,
2007 -- For college students, the winter break can be a welcome time off. Classes are over, finals are finished and it's a time to spend with family and friends. But, says a practicing psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis, the break between semesters can also be a very stressful time for students.
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Sounds like a good idea
Audiology expert urges caution in selecting loud toys for children
Dec. 6,
2007 -- As the holidays approach, toy store shelves are stocked with toys that make noise. While toys with sound may be appealing to children, William Clark, Ph.D., director of audiology and communication sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, cautions parents to be careful in choosing such toys.
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Which Genetic Tests are Really Worth Getting?
The Wall Street Journal
May 1,
2008 -- With Congress poised to eliminate a big barrier to genetic testing for risk of certain diseases, consumers still face challenges in figuring out which ones offer useful information.
Despite heavy marketing by some genetic-test makers, the wide use of genetic tests has been held back by a variety of factors, including questions about the tests' usefulness and concerns that results could be used by employers and insurers to discriminate against people. Critics argue that many tests can't accurately identify which people are at risk for various illnesses.
WUSTL medical researcher Brian Gage comments.
Includes Web links to learn more about genetic testing.
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The roots of alcoholism . . . in the genes?
Los Angeles Times
April 30,
2008 -- WUSTL psychiatry professor and lead author Carolyn Sartor comments on a new WUSTL study that says: Young people often begin drinking alcohol because of environmental factors, such as peer pressure. But genes appear to be a significant factor in determining whether drinking progresses to problem drinking and alcoholism.
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Cutting Phosphate May Protect Kidney Patients From Heart Trouble
The Washington Post
and 11 others
April 24,
2008 -- Readily available phosphate-binding drugs could help prevent heart disease in people with chronic kidney disease, a new study in the the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology finds.
WUSTL researchers led by pediatric nephrology specialist Keith Hruska and pediatrics instructor Suresh Mathew comment.
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May We Scan Your Genome?
Newsweek
April 22,
2008 -- As personal genetic testing takes off, some worry that marketing is getting ahead of science.
With each new marketing push comes new criticism. Some say DNA testing doesn't belong in virtual clinics: One key issue is regulation.
WUSTL pediatrics and genetics specialist Thomas Morgan worries that the business is getting ahead of the science. "I might scare myself or reassure myself falsely based on the very limited knowledge that we have."
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Gut Check: Why Doctors Say Not All Fat Is Created Equal
The Wall Street Journal
and 2 others
April 15,
2008 -- The recent report that having a pot belly in your 40s roughly triples your risk of dementia in later life is just the tip of an ominous iceberg. WUSTL research on liposuction in which found no change in the women's cholesterol levels, triglycerides, insulin sensitivity or other health risks. "If they had lost that much fat by dieting, they would have substantially improved their metabolic profile, but they didn't," says Samuel Klein, director of WUSM's Center for Human Nutrition and the study's principal investigator.
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Autism Cases on the Rise; Reason for Increase a Mystery
WebMD.com
April 3,
2008 -- The number of children diagnosed with autism or related disorders has grown at what many call an alarming rate. Some of the increase in reported cases is because of "diagnostic substitution," says WUSTL social work professor Paul Shattuck, an autism researcher.
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Stanford Set to Raise Aid for Students in Middle
The New York Times
and 4 others
Feb. 21,
2008 -- WUSTL has need-based loans with grants for students from families earning less than $60,000. many prominent universities are moving to expand financial aid to the middle class.
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Parents learn how to let go in the technological age
NPR Morning Edition
Feb. 8,
2008 -- When kids head off to college, parents are forced to separate themselves from what has been a constant hands-on job for years. Parents and students comment on "Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Year," by WUSTL's Karen Levin Coburn.
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Safety Alert: Crib Bumpers
Parenting
Feb. 1,
2008 -- WUSTL pediatrics professor and lead author Bradley Thach comments on an injury data analysis of crib bumpers from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The study reported that firm pads can suffocate an infant by trapping his head in the space between the bumper and the mattress.
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A Hereditary Perk the Founding Fathers Failed to Anticipate
The New York Times
Jan. 15,
2008 -- Legacy admissions may be elitist, says Adam Liptak, but they're not illegal.
He also says that legacy preferences in college admissions -- the nepotistic advantages given to the children of alumni -- are indefensible.
References include an article published in the WUSTL Law Review.
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Maine program brightens college prospects -- at birth
The Christian Science Monitor
Jan. 10,
2008 -- The new Harold Alfond College Challenge is a first-in-the nation philanthropic program that will give families statewide a $500 starter grant — and assistance with paperwork — to set up 529 college savings accounts for infants. About 80 percent of account owners who receive matching grants in Maine continue to make contributions, according to a study by WUSTL.
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Why smoking behind the bike sheds could harm your grades
New Scientist (UK)
Jan. 8,
2008 -- Parents may now have another reason to worry about their children smoking. Nicotine may cause the teenage brain to develop abnormally, resulting in changes to the structure of white matter — the neural tissue through which signals are relayed. WUSTL School of Medicine's Richard Todd comments.
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Smoking link to hearing problems
BBC News online
and 3 others
Jan. 3,
2008 -- Teenagers who smoke, or whose mother smoked in pregnancy, are at higher risk of hearing problems and understanding what is being said, a Yale University study says. WUSTL psychiatry professor Richard Todd comments.
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Washington U. studies creation of public health school
St. Louis Business Journal
and 3 others
Dec. 28,
2007 -- WUSTL is exploring the possibility of increasing its involvement in the health of the region by establishing its own school of public health.
As part of a strategic planning process currently under way at the university, WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro and social work dean Edward Lawlor are investigating how the university can expand its focus on public health, according to Rob Wild, assistant to the chancellor.
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Want to Raise a Fruit-and-Veggie Lover? Be Persistent
CBC News (Canada)
and 8 others
Dec. 4,
2007 -- If you want your baby to love fruits and veggies later in life, offer plenty of opportunities to try both as you introduce your infant to solid foods, new research in the December issue of Pediatrics suggests.
And mom, eat plenty of fruits and veggies while you're pregnant and breast-feeding so you'll help to pass on the preference for these healthy foods.
WUSTL nutrition director Connie Diekman said the study results provide practical information for new parents.
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Saggy Pants Bans May Not Be Lawful
Associated Press
and 74 others
Dec. 3,
2007 -- Pine Lawn, a mostly black municipality outside St. Louis, is among a growing number of U.S. cities enacting laws that ban low-slung pants.
Critics say the bans amount to government attacks on youthful fashion that some find offensive. And constitutional scholars say they may not be lawful.
WUSTL law professor and First Amendment expert Neil Richards comments.
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Obese Kids Shows Signs Of Heart Trouble
WNBC.com (NY)
and 42 others
Oct. 19,
2007 -- Obese children show early signs of heart disease, according to WUSTL medical school researchers led by pediatric cardiologist Angela Sharkey.
The study was published in the Winter 2007 issue of the Journal of Cardiometabolic Syndrome.
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Genes Might Help Drive Overeating
U.S. News & World Report online
and 7 others
Oct. 17,
2007 -- Reporting in the October issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, scientists from the University at Buffalo say people with genetically lower levels of dopamine, a brain chemical that helps make eating and other behaviors more rewarding, may be driven to consume more food.
Samuel Klein, director of WUSTL's Center for Human Nutrition, said the study "addresses an important and relatively overlooked area in obesity -- the contribution of reward addiction in the regulation of food intake."
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Autism Improves in Adulthood
WebMD.com
Sept. 28,
2007 -- Most teens and adults with autism have less severe symptoms and behaviors as they get older, a groundbreaking study shows.
Not every adult with autism gets better. Some -- especially those with mental retardation -- may get worse. Many remain stable. But even with severe autism, most teens and adults see improvement over time, find Paul Shattuck, who is now a social work professor at WUSTL, and his colleagues at U. Wisconsin.
Shattuck and colleagues report their findings in the October issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
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Obese kids need more than information
United Press International
and 2 others
Sept. 28,
2007 -- In a review published in Health Psychology, U.S. researchers found obese children are hindered by getting "just information," but are helped by intervention geared to changing bad habits.
WUSTL psychiatry professor and lead author Denise Wilfrey comments.
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Additional Information:
Tips for parents on talking to children about war, terrorism
John Constantino, M.D., assistant professor of child psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, can provide parents with advice on how to talk to their children about war, terrorism and related issues. Constantino is an expert on psychiatric and developmental disorders in children (infancy through early adulthood), psychiatric complications of medical disorders and abnormally aggressive behavior in children. To arrange an interview, contact Nicole Vines in the Office of Medical Public Affairs: (314) 286-0100 or (314) 286-0105.
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