PSY COVID-19 News

Do masks in school affect kids' speech and social skills?

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/03/15/1086537324/schools-masks-kids-learning-speech-development

This school year is supposed to be the closest to “normal” that we’ve had in a while. But the back and forth over mask mandates and the surge of the delta variant have disrupted students’ learning and made this year just as uncertain as 2020.

https://www.wlrn.org/podcast/sundial/2021-09-21/childrens-mental-health-broward-vaccine-policy-and-queens-gambit-composer-wins-emmy

As more states drop mask mandates, experts explain why keeping them on in schools is still a smart move for families and teachers.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/do-masks-really-harm-kids-heres-what-the-science-says

The University of Miami study supports vaccine requirements for school employees and cutting class sizes.

https://www.wlrn.org/news/2021-09-20/university-of-miami-study-supports-covid-vaccines-reducing-class-sizes-to-slow-virus-spread

With Mask Mandates Dropped At Many Camps And Schools, Families Are Navigating Risks

 https://www.wpr.org/families-unvaccinated-kids-covid-19-worries-are-still-top-mind

Online program led by UM psychology professor assists troubled couples

https://news.miami.edu/as/stories/2021/05/we-need-to-talk.html

Whether just comfortable at home or nervous about leaving, kids may need extra support to get back out there.

https://theconversation.com/heres-how-to-help-your-kids-break-out-of-their-pandemic-bubble-and-transition-back-to-being-with-others-157732

How to manage your child’s transition as schools and camps reopen for face-to-face activity

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/article/excited-for-the-return-in-person-class-your-kids-may-not-be

The emergence of this crucial kind of relationship relied on the ability to recognize the unique benefits others have to offer

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-evolutionary-origins-of-friendship/

How parents can help kids deal with all the changes COVID-19 might throw at them

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/family/2020/10/why-your-child-might-need-new-lessons-in-resiliency

Will I get sick? Will my teachers? How will class be different? We asked psychologists how parents can help their kids navigate returning to school.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-help-kids-manage-back-to-school-anxiety-in-the-covid-era-11597671639

Earlier this year, Osnardo “Ozzie” Drago, left, received a Daisy Award for excellence in nursing from Caridad Nieves, chief nursing officer at Jackson. His special bond with a patient with severe autism inspired Jackson to seek UM-NSU CARD’s autism-friendly training designation.

https://www.miamiherald.com/article244131162.html

Some people's brains respond more positively to getting off the beaten track.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/202005/the-science-behind-our-need-variety-in-activities

New research finds a link between visiting new places and enhanced happiness.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonisweet/2020/05/22/travel-increases-happiness-study-finds/#6901f2ad6793

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2020/04/19/why-attention-management-is-the-secret-sauce-to-success-during-the-pandemic-and-after/#4daafd061db9

Family outreach programs are adapting to the new norm by creating virtual resources and tools to stay connected

https://news.miami.edu/as/stories/2020/04/maintaining-vital-connectivity.html

Jill Ehrenreich-May is a Professor of Child Psychology and the Director of the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Treatment Program at the University of Miami. She spoke to WLRN about how to talk to kids about coronavirus.

https://www.wlrn.org/post/how-do-you-help-anxious-kid-right-now-tips-talking-about-coronavirus#stream/0

A study published in the Journal of Global Health has analyzed data from more than 6,600 families with a child with a neurodevelopmental condition (NDC)—autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, developmental language disorder, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and intellectual disability—from 70 countries, including the United States.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-07-explores-anxiety-families-children-neurodevelopmental.html

How can we measure the developmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children?

https://ijpds.org/article/view/1651

While the infection rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rises exponentially around the globe, individuals with autism spectrum disorder are being identified as part of a group at higher risk for complications from COVID-19.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30197-8/fulltext

http://www.7-dippity.com/other/covid-19.html

This interactive guide helps children and families cope with the psychological effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Co-authored by Dr. Annette La Greca, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics at the University of Miami, and Scott Sevin, President of 7-Dippity, the material is designed for adults to work on together with children.

Some of the University’s top mental health experts offer tips for curbing those anxious feelings that many are harboring while dealing with the longevity and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2022/02/mental-health-experts-offer-insights-on-how-to-overcome-anxiety.html

An array of stressors and the absence of new experiences and memory milestones have altered our perception of time during the pandemic and marked the distinction between objective and subjective time, according to faculty experts.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2021/10/the-pandemic-has-played-with-our-perception-of-time.html

Some of South Florida’s top leaders—including University of Miami President Julio Frenk and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava—joined a panel discussion and shared their own methods for staying focused with the University’s mindfulness experts, psychology professor Amishi Jha and law professor Scott Rogers.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2021/10/leaders-discuss-how-to-stay-on-track-amid-a-crisis.html

A team of psychology researchers observed that young children produce the same amount of language whether or not they are wearing masks. Another finding showed that kids produce more complex speech sounds while wearing masks than without them.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2021/09/psychologists-masks-do-not-impede-preschoolers-language-development.html

By observing children and their teachers in motion, an interdisciplinary team of researchers proposes strategies for limiting the spread of COVID-19 in school.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2021/08/preschool-classroom-study-sheds-light-on-curtailing-the-pandemic.html

University psychology scholars give parents and guardians some pointers about how to help lower their children’s anxiety levels during what may be a challenging school year with a new spike in COVID-19 cases.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2021/08/how-to-support-childrens-mental-health-during-the-school-year.html

The Linda Ray Center is open and serving Miami's most vulnerable families through in-person and online teaching methods.

Keeping its mission to serve, the Linda Ray Intervention Center continues to assist children and families in need.

https://news.miami.edu/as/stories/2020/12/linda-ray-story.html

A University of Miami alumna hosts television segments to help viewers organize and spiff up their spaces during the additional time spent in the house because of the pandemic.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/10/extra-time-at-home-prods-consumers-to-declutter,-decorate.html

Experts in psychology and business discuss how doubt affects individuals during times of increased stress.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/09/uncertainty-during-the-pandemic-can-lead-to-depression-anxiety.html

A University of Miami expert explains the new conventions of courting in an environment where social distancing is mandatory.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/08/rules-are-different-for-dating-during-a-pandemic.html

University of Miami psychologists offer their insights on behaviors that can be beneficial during periods of physical distancing and isolation.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/06/which-personality-traits-will-help-you-during-the-pandemic.html

Child experts at the University of Miami offer ways that parents can help ease children’s anxiety and frustration at the inability to see friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/05/psychologists-offer-guidance-on-how-to-support-children-during-social-distancing.html

Faculty members with experience in distance learning, education, and child psychology weigh in on some methods to capture kids’ attention while they learn on their computers.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/05/professionals-offer-pointers-for-teaching-online.html

University of Miami psychologists offer their insights on behaviors that can be beneficial during periods of physical distancing and isolation.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/06/which-personality-traits-will-help-you-during-the-pandemic.html

University of Miami mental health professionals are ramping up to help the health care workforce cope with the toll of treating COVID-19 patients.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/04/psychology-experts-help-our-caregivers-cope-during-the-pandemic.html

April marks Autism Awareness Month, which recognizes autism spectrum disorder, a neurological disorder which affects the way the brain develops and processes information. We reached out to professor Michael Alessandri, executive director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD), to share tips and resources to help parents of children with autism during this stay-at-home period. He responded to our following questions.

https://news.miami.edu/life/stories/2020/04/autism-tips-during-covid-19.html

The emotion, an ancient mechanism meant to keep us healthy, isn’t doing much to protect us against coronavirus—because COVID-19 does not offer the usual visible cues that protect us from sick people—shared Debra Lieberman, evolutionary psychologist and University of Miami associate professor.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/04/psychologist-explains-purpose-and-pitfalls-of-disgust.html

Twenty-four University of Miami research teams have received rapid response grants to undertake innovative projects that will provide critical information about the novel coronavirus.

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2020/04/fast-tracked-research-projects-aim-to-respond-quickly-to-mitigate-effects-of-covid-19.html