Welcome to the November 2023 Learning Brain News.

This month read about new research focussing on pre-school children and adolescents. It suggests young, shy children may struggle more on language intensive tasks than children who are outgoing, and adolescents start to cognitively mature at about 18 years.

Artificial Intelligence is very much in the news now. See the article this month about using AI for learning.

Kind regards,
The Learning Brain News Team

Do 18 Year Old Adolescents Think Like Adult?

A new study sheds light on when adolescents start thinking like adults. Researchers found that executive function, critical for task-switching and focus, typically matures around 18 years old.

Shy Children May Struggle with Language Tasks

Shyness can notably impact a child's performance in language assessments, particularly those requiring higher levels of social interaction. The research, encompassing 122 children aged 17-42 months, explored how different levels of social interaction in language tasks affected their performance, revealing shyer children struggled more with verbally intensive tasks.

The Largest Map of the Human Brain Ever Made

Researchers have created the largest atlas of human brain cells, revealing more than 3,000 cell types, many of which are new to science.

9 Tips for Using AI for Learning

Many teachers have found AI tools that can help organize their lesson plans and save time. But when it comes to getting students to engage with AI tools, teachers might feel a bit more hesitant. Check out these 9 tips for using AI learning.

Memory-Boosting Brain Plasticity Seen Live for First Time

Researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have, for the first time, witnessed nerve plasticity in the axon in motion.

Autism Study Unveils New Genetic Insights

Researchers shed new light on how genetics may influence the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study, the largest ever to focus on families with multiple children diagnosed with autism, has revealed seven potential risk genes. Additionally, it has provided genetic evidence for reconsidering language delay as a key component of ASD.

16 Terms to Help you Understand your Child's Learning Difficulties

If you have a child with language challenges, reading problems or learning difficulties, and you have sought help from their teacher, speech pathologist or other learning professional, you may have heard some unfamiliar terms.

Words like phonemic awareness, auditory processing, listening comprehension and working memory.

This eBook covers 16 common terms used in discussions about learning difficulties. Once you understand these, you should be able to have more productive discussions with your child's teacher or therapists.