Children split from parents hurt in school
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (UPI) -- Time apart from a parent -- due to illness or divorce -- predicts disadvantages for children when they enter kindergarten, U.S. researchers said. Study leader Dr. Sandy Jee of the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital said that in most cases, separation is a marker of instability. "Parents are less apt to be reading to their kids or taking time to teach them new skills, such as tying shoes, practicing their letters or penning their names," Jee said. The study enrolled 1,619 children between 4 and 6 entering Rochester City kindergartens in the fall of 2003. Parents or caregivers were asked if their child had ever been away from a parent for more than a month, and to provide measures of their child's developmental skills. The results were analyzed to produce four four-point scales, each measuring different dimensions of healthy development, such as reading their own written name. The study, published in the May-June issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics, said children who have been separated at any point scored significantly worse in their ability to learn new tasks and their pre-literacy skills. But, their expressive language and speech scores were comparable to those of their non-separated peers.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (UPI) -- Time apart from a parent -- due to illness or divorce -- predicts disadvantages for children when they enter kindergarten, U.S. researchers said. Study leader Dr. Sandy Jee of the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital said that in most cases, separation is a marker of instability. "Parents are less apt to be reading to their kids or taking time to teach them new skills, such as tying shoes, practicing their letters or penning their names," Jee said. The study enrolled 1,619 children between 4 and 6 entering Rochester City kindergartens in the fall of 2003. Parents or caregivers were asked if their child had ever been away from a parent for more than a month, and to provide measures of their child's developmental skills. The results were analyzed to produce four four-point scales, each measuring different dimensions of healthy development, such as reading their own written name. The study, published in the May-June issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics, said children who have been separated at any point scored significantly worse in their ability to learn new tasks and their pre-literacy skills. But, their expressive language and speech scores were comparable to those of their non-separated peers.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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