New research finds there may be clues early on that a child is at risk of developing autism or mental retardation. Scientists with the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders say high levels of certain proteins in the blood at birth are the indicators. They examined neonatal blood samples from children in California and found concentrations of several proteins were elevated in those who later developed autism or mental retardation. But much more research still needs to be done before scientists develop early diagnostic tests. If you're having problems getting your kids to sleep at night, tell them it's good for their brains.
Some new research indicates that sleep dramatically strengthens growth in brain connections.
And this is during a critical period of visual development. One expert believes a function of sleep is to help consolidate what you learned when you were awake. Unfortunately, the downside of this study is that it was only done on cats. But, you don't have to tell that to your kids. Copyright 2001 by Global IBS Partnership.