Before they can speak, babies make friends

Before they can speak, babies make friends: study - Babies still too small to speak know how to make jokes and form friendships, say researchers at an Australian university who have spent two years filming the behaviour of young children.

Academics at Charles Sturt University are studying how children interact with other infants while in childcare using footage obtained from tiny cameras strapped to their heads.

Before they can speak, babies make friends: study

The study affords a "baby's eye view" of the world in which even simple objects such as spoons appear oversized, said Jennifer Sumsion, foundation professor of early childhood at the university.

But it also shows that children aged from six months to 18 months use sophisticated but subtle non-verbal means to make friends and make each other laugh.

"We were very, very surprised to see just how sophisticated they were in terms of their social skills, their helping skills, in making sure they were inviting other children to be part of their group," Sumsion told AFP.

Sumsion said babies interacted with each other by making eye contact and with hand gestures and humour.

They used "little social games that you wouldn't necessarily see unless you were looking very closely", she said.

Examples of this included children pretending to hand another child a toy, only to snatch it away at the last minute, or babies sitting close to each other in highchairs playfully switching their drink bottles around.

In another instance caught on camera, a one-year-old girl tried to comfort a baby when she was frightened by gently placing a piece of see-through fabric over her so she could see out but feel protected.

The researchers, who analysed the baby-cam footage alongside other video shot of the children at the same time, did not force the babies to wear the cameras and they were only attached for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.

They hope the research will shed light on the secret world of babies and their experience in childcare.

"What surprised us though was the games that they were playing with each other, even at that age. It's really very positive to see," Sumsion said. ( AFP )

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Saudi female driver defies ban, has fatal accident

Saudi female driver defies ban, has fatal accident - A Saudi woman who defied a driving ban in the kingdom was injured and her companion killed when their car overturned in the northern Hael province, a police spokesman said on Monday.

"One woman was immediately killed and her companion who was driving the car was hospitalised after she suffered several injuries" when their four-wheel-drive vehicle overturned late on Saturday, said police spokesman Abdulaziz al-Zunaidi.

Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.

However, they get behind the wheel in desert regions away from the capital.

Cars drive past Kingdom Tower in Riyadh in 2011. A Saudi woman who defied a driving ban in the kingdom was injured and her companion killed when their car overturned in the northern Hael province, a police spokesman said on Monday. (AFP Photo/Fayez Nureldine)

There have been several incidents reported in recent years of women being killed in accidents while driving despite the ban, one of a host of restrictions imposed on women in the kingdom.

In November 2010, a Saudi who defied the driving ban was killed along with three of her 10 female passengers when her car overturned in a crash.

A group of activists launched an Internet campaign last year urging Saudi women to defy the ban on driving.

The icon of the campaign, Manal al-Sherif, a 32-year-old computer security consultant, was arrested on May 22 and detained for 10 days after posting on YouTube a video of herself driving her car around the eastern city of Khobar.

Since then, women regularly get behind the wheels of their cars, according to the activists.

Five Saudi women were arrested while driving in late June in Jeddah.

Women in the kingdom who have the means hire drivers while others must depend on the goodwill of male relatives.

They are also obliged to be veiled in public, and cannot travel unless accompanied by their husbands or a close male relative. ( AFP )

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Fathers' work schedules may be linked with their children's weight

Fathers' work schedules may be linked with their children's weight - Working nonstandard hours can do a number on employees' health, but a study suggests it may also impact obesity levels in their children.

Australian researchers looked at how parents' odd work timetables affected the weight of their children. Study participants included 434 9-year-olds, among whom 22.8% were overweight or obese.

A nonstandard work schedule was defined as always or often working shift schedules, working after 6 p.m., or working overnight or on weekends. The authors made the point that working odd hours is becoming increasingly common, especially in the service industry.

In 75% of two-parent families both were employed, and in single-parent families almost 75% of parents were employed. In 32.5% of families mothers had irregular work schedules, in 39.4% of families fathers had nonstandard schedules and in 14.9% of two-parent families, both parents worked nonstandard schedules.

Working odd hours may have an impact on family life, which could in turn affect a child's weight, a study finds. (Carlos Osorio / Associated Press)

Researchers discovered that having a father who worked an irregular schedule was strongly linked with a child being overweight or obese, even after controlling for such issues as household income and various lifestyle factors. A weaker association was seen between both parents having nonstandard schedules and the child being overweight or obese. No link was seen between the mothers' work schedule and obesity.

The authors said that a father's odd work schedule could put additional time stresses on families, which may mean having to make concessions at mealtime. It could also put added pressure on mothers, who are still the main caretakers of their children. ( latimes.com )

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Parenting experts weigh in on 'Tiger Mother'

Parenting experts weigh in on 'Tiger Mother' — In "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" (Penguin Press, 2011), Yale Law School Professor Amy Chua describes child-rearing techniques that, as she puts it, "would seem unimaginable — even legally actionable — to Westerners."

Reacting to a modern American parenting culture she finds soft and forgiving of mediocrity, Chua, inspired by her Chinese immigrant parents, set strict standards for her daughters. They weren't allowed to make grades lower than As. They had to play piano or violin and practice hours a day, even on vacation, to ensure excellence. No sleepovers, play dates or TV.

For a lot of American parents, Chua's strident defense of "Chinese parenting" touched a nerve. But parenting experts see some value in her approach — if not always in the way she carried it out.

"There's a good take-home message here," said Dorian Traube, an assistant professor at USC's School of Social Work. "Chua has very clear expectations of her kids — what activities they'll engage with, who they engage with. Any parenting book you pick up will tell you that's the way to raise happy, secure children. What's controversial is her methods."

Take the way Chua taught her children perseverance. In "Battle Hymn" she writes of a time when her daughter Louisa tried to walk away from her piano practice after a week of "nonstop" — and fruitless — work on a piece.

Chua forced Louisa back to the piano, even as the child "punched, thrashed and kicked." She threatened to take Louisa's dollhouse to the Salvation Army if the girl didn't have the piece perfect within a day. When Louisa kept making mistakes, Chua told her to "stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic." She forced Louisa to practice "right through dinner into the night," not allowing breaks for water or even to use the bathroom.

For a lot of American parents, Chua's strident defense of "Chinese parenting" touched a nerve. (Larry D. Moore / Associated Press)

Eventually, Louisa mastered the piece and loved playing it.

"One of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up," Chua writes.

David Palmiter, a psychology professor at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa., said he was not aware of research showing that belittling children is a healthy motivational technique. But to some degree, he added, forcing kids to tough out a challenge — even when kids "howl at the moon" and push back hard — makes sense.

"We want kids to develop the psychological muscle to do things well when they don't feel like it," he said. That work ethic fosters success in school and work.

Ideally, Palmiter said, parents should aim for "optimal distress" — enough to build resilience but not interfere with growth. If your child gets so worked up by the pressure that she stops sleeping, or gets anxious or aggressive, or begins avoiding you, you've taken things too far.

Chua (partially) got it right with grades, too, the experts said. In "Tiger Mother," she writes that her daughters had to be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama. Underlying this rule is an assumption common among Chinese mothers, Chua writes: that children can be "the best" students if they work hard enough.

Setting challenging goals — insisting that mediocrity won't do — is crucial for children, said Abigail Gewirtz, an assistant professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota. "If you push a kid to do well, and they're good at it, they benefit," she said. "It's good to have high expectations."

But expectations need to be realistic and tailored to each child. "Not every kid can be at the top of the class," Gewirtz said.

Traube said that for high-performing children, meeting lofty expectations can be empowering. For a child who can't get the A, however (and some truly can't), a bar set too high can so discourage children that they decide "it doesn't make sense to have goals for the future."

While acknowledging that cultural norms vary, the psychologists saw less to laud in Chua's policy outlawing sleepovers and play dates.

"It would not be a recommendation I'd make," Traube said. "Not allowing kids to spend time with other kids could set them up to miss social cues and not be as comfortable with their peers." Such discomfort can lead to isolation later in life.

Chua's hard line on TV and computer games — she banned them completely — got mixed reviews.

"It's kind of extreme," said Jeffrey Seinfeld, a professor of social work at New York University. "Kids need some veg time."

Gewirtz, who doesn't let her children watch TV during the week, noted that some parents create successful no-TV households by replacing television time with other family activities. But she also said that keeping children away from television completely can make it harder for them to fit in with peers. "If your family doesn't watch TV, your kid might not know what's going on," she said.

With television as with anything, moderation, the experts agreed, is probably the best course. "Tiger mothers," as defined by Chua, take good instincts to extremes that just can't work for every child.

But at least, said Traube, Chua has folks thinking. "One thing I love about this book is that it's getting people talking about parenting," she said. ( latimes.com )

READ MORE - Parenting experts weigh in on 'Tiger Mother'

Let Grandma drive the kids!

Let Grandma drive the kids! - One less reason to worry about letting Grandma drive the kids: Letting her take the wheel might lower the chances that your kids will get injured.

According to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania found that kids who rode in cars with grandparents driving were less likely to get injured than kids riding with parent drivers -- even though older drivers are more likely to be involved in crashes than younger ones. The finding was unexpected, the team reported.

A child plays in a Geely GLEAGLE car on display at the Chinese Brands Auto Expo in Beijing earlier this month. When it's time for an adult to actually drive him around, this boy may want to ask a grandparent: Researchers in Philadelphia found that kids were less likely to suffer injuries during accidents when grandparents drove than when parents drove. (EPA / HOW HWEE YOUNG)

They looked at insurance data and subsequent interviews regarding crashes that occurred from Jan. 15, 2003, to Nov. 30, 2007, involving 217,976 children 15 or younger. Injuries were reported for 1,302 kids. Among those kids, 161 were driving with grandparents, resulting in an injury rate for grandparent drivers of 0.7%; while 2,293 were in the car with parent drivers, resulting in an injury rate for parents of 1.05%.

That greater chance of injury existed even though parents were more likely to use child-safety restraints correctly, the group reported.

As for why grandparents might be safer drivers, the researchers suggested that they might be taking special pains to be careful when shuttling grandchildren. "Perhaps grandparents are made more nervous about the task of driving with the "precious cargo" of their granchildren and establish more cautious driving habits," they wrote, which help the older drivers offset "perceptual deficiencies and problems judging and responding to traffic flow."

The researchers recommended that grandparents get even safer by learning how to correctly harness kids in the car, and that non-grandparents learn how to emulate grandparents' protective driving practices. ( latimes.com )

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Israeli military spokesman mocks on Twitter death of Palestinian demonstrator killed by army tear-gas canister

Israeli military spokesman mocks on Twitter death of Palestinian demonstrator killed by army tear-gas canister - Israeli Defence Force spokesman sparks fury after 'mocking' dead Palestinian demonstrator on Twitter - Clashes break out at demonstrator's funeral as Israeli soldiers fire tear gas at marching mourners

This is the moment a Palestinian demonstrator was struck in the face with a tear-gas canister fired by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank after he allegedly threw stones at their armoured vehicle.

Mustafa Tamimi, 28, died of his wounds on Saturday and yesterday the Israeli army faced backlash after a senior military spokesman was accused of mocking him on Twitter.

As mourners attended Tamimi's funeral in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh yesterday, the spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Major Peter Lerner, tweeted: 'What was Mustafa thinking running after a moving jeep while throwing stones #fail.'

Attack: Mustafa Tamimi (left) pictured running behind the armoured Israelis soldier jeep, which fired a tear gas canister at him in the village of Nabi Saleh in the West Bank

Hit: Tamimi then falls to the ground after being hit in the face with the canister, as his friend (right) runs away from the vehicle

Fatal injuries: Tamimi was taken to hospital after being hit with the canister but later died of head injuries

Killed: Palestinian Mustafa Tamimi died after being struck in the face with the canister

His tweet follows an unapologetic response from other Israeli military officials, who released the images of a sling that they allege was found on Tamimi's body - apparently proving that he had shot stones at the soldiers.

Further pictures were released of the demonstrator's body lying in a pool of blood after the incident, before he was taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Despite Major Lerner denying mocking Tamimi, saying the word 'fail' was directed at activists who gave a one-sided version of events, clashes erupted at the victim's funeral.

The term 'fail' is US slang, meaning extreme stupidity in a derogatory sense, and is a popular term used on the internet.

Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at Tamimi's mourners, who were trying to march on a spring near Nabi Saleh, leaving five people injured, the Daily Telegraph reported.

After a hospital spokesperson revealed that Tamimi had died from his injuries, an Israeli military spokeswoman said the demonstrators had 'hurled rocks at (Israeli) security forces who responded with riot dispersal means' and that an investigation into the incident was underway.

Mourners: Palestinian women mourn outside the house of Mustafa Tamimi in the in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh

Tamimi's funeral: Relatives of Palestinian demonstrator Mustafa Tamimi mourn during his funeral in the West Bank village of of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah

Tamimi was treated at a hospital in central Israel, where he died early on Saturday, a spokeswoman said.

Stone-throwing clashes have become a weekly occurrence at fixed flashpoints along the route of the West Bank barrier, which Palestinians condemn as a land grab.

Israel started building the network of metal fencing, barbed wire and concrete walls in 2002 following a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in its cities.

The World Court in The Hague said in 2004 the barrier was illegal, citing its route inside territory that Israeli forces occupied in a 1967 war.

Funeral clashes: Palestinians try to avoid tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes which erupted after the funeral of Palestinian Mustafa Tamim

Hurling rocks: A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones towards Israeli soldiers during clashes in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh

Demonstration: Thousands gather to mourn Mustafa Tamimi killed during a peaceful demonstration in his village

A Palestinian boy tries to grab a tear gas canister fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh on Sunday

A Palestinian demonstrator throws stones towards Israeli soldiers during clashes in the West Bank

Israeli soldiers detain an activist during clashes that erupted after the funeral of Palestinian Mustafa Tamimi ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Babies start learning grammar from the moment they are born

Babies start learning grammar from the moment they are born - Babies start learning grammar from the moment they're born, a study has revealed.

Researchers found that in their first year of life, infants are listening intently to language and deconstructing word patterns.

Professor Jill Lany, from the University of Notre Dame, said this is the foundation on which actual word learning begins at around 17 months.

Research: A new study has revealed that babies start learning grammar from the moment they're born

She said: 'Babies are constantly looking for language clues in context and sound.

'My research suggests that there are some surprising clues in the sound stream that may help babies learn the meanings of words.

'They can distinguish different kinds of words like nouns and verbs by information in that sound stream.'

She found that children as young as a year could identify grammatical clues to guess what a word might relate to, understanding that a phrase such as 'it's a' will occur before a noun.

New findings: The research on babies language development took place at the University of Notre Dame

Prof Lany said: 'If I were to say to you, "Oh look, it's a dax," you might not know what a "dax" is but the cue "it's a" let's a baby know that what follows is an object.

'Similarly, if a person were to say "I'm daxing it," the same principal is at work with cues and word patterns that indicate a verb or action word.

'Babies actually can use these patterns as clues to the meanings of new words they are learning.'

By 15 months they can track non-adjacent relationships with more complex grammatical structures, she said.

She explained: 'We often think about grammar coming after word-learning.

'But in fact, my research shows that all this information that babies are picking up in that first year of life about how words are occurring in their language, actually is supporting this process of word-learning prior to mastery of language." ( dailymail.co.uk )

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