The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter最新文献

In October 2025, cuts announced by the White House eliminated nearly all staffing positions at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), seemingly part of a broader push to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (National Public Radio, 2025). With school building, staffing, curriculum and standards development, and other educational functions mostly handled at the local and state level — and with 92% of the funding for elementary/secondary education coming from state, not federal, government, what role is played by the Federal government and OSERS in particular? At press time, the cuts appeared likely to be reversed, but my questions remained.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative by the White House is blaming ultra-processed food for what they say are increases in mental illness in children and adolescents. This fall, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a Request for Information to gather data to develop a definition of ultra-processed food. Around the same time, the federal government stopped issuing SNAP (food stamp) benefits to force an end to the government shutdown, which was caused by Democrats who protested the elimination of tax credits to help Americans pay for health insurance (the shutdown ended, food stamps were returned, and there was still no extension of health insurance tax credits).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative by the White House is blaming ultra-processed food for what they say are increases in mental illness in children and adolescents. This fall, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a Request for Information to gather data to develop a definition of ultra-processed food. Around the same time, the federal government stopped issuing SNAP (food stamp) benefits to force an end to the government shutdown, which was caused by Democrats who protested the elimination of tax credits to help Americans pay for health insurance (the shutdown ended, food stamps were returned, and there was still no extension of health insurance tax credits).

A colleague with a sprained finger feels grateful both that dictation software exists so that she can do her job — and that she won't have to dictate for long, once the finger heals. A mother I work with remarks frequently on the progress her teenage son has made — and the help he has received — even as he has continued to struggle in the years after a residential placement. Stories like these abound, centering around the realization of things we've taken for granted, of having a difficult situation reveal the privileges we have. In a word, they embody gratitude.

Autistic children and adolescents are at an increased risk for experiencing trauma, adversity and stressors compared to their non-autistic peers. Characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), like communication skill differences, and social reciprocity difficulty, are thought to make the individual more vulnerable to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma as these characteristics may impose an increased risk for victimization. Research has suggested that autistic children are more likely to experience ACEs such as peer violence, bullying, abuse or neglect, and parental mental health problems. However, given their communication and social difficulties, it may be more difficult for clinicians to detect traumatic experiences not reported by family members or schools. While there is agreement that autistic people tend to have greater exposure to trauma and ACEs, the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the clinical presentation of trauma exposure in this population has received less research focus.

There have been many peer-reviewed journal articles on screen time and young people, many of them written up in CABL. Is it addictive? It can be, it depends on how it's used and needed. But the amount of time spent on a screen is not a good measure of addiction — the quality of that time is. Do children (and adults, for that matter) turn to their phones out of boredom? Out of a need for a dopamine jolt? Out of a need to escape reality? Or are they curious about the world around them, much of which is a story to be told online.

The ages of 18 to 25 are often described as “transitional” — and they are, indeed marked by rapid development and changing expectations from childhood to adulthood. Compulsory school ends; children may leave home, pursue education or employment, lose social networks and resources, and connect with new ones. Yet the beginning of this time period is also marked by vulnerability to substance use disorder (SUD) as well as other problems.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a well-established risk factor for a wide range of adverse psychological and psychosocial outcomes. Hundreds of thousands of children have reported being abused within recent years, leading to negative physical and psychological effects, in some cases including death. CM can be defined as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as physical and emotional neglect. Both physical and psychological forms of abuse can be damaging to a child's well-being, and can have significant effects on the child's mental health later in life. Compared to neglect, maltreatment in the form of abuse is more likely to lead to mental health problems and risky behaviors, like suicidality.

The prevalence of extreme obesity in children in the United States has increased from 0.32% in 2008 to 1.13% in 2023, with concomitant high risks of metabolic complications, researchers have found. The risks of these complications, which included liver disease, prediabetes and diabetes, severe insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, were higher than for those with milder or no obesity. Extreme obesity was highest among adolescents and non-Hispanic Black individuals.