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From Sesame Workshop

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University of Rochester

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Researchers garner clues about how kids learn by watching them watch educational television.
Elizabeth Corridan has more in today's Health Minute.
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IT'S A PROGRAM FAMILIAR TO MANY GENERATIONS - SESAME STREET - AND SCIENTISTS IN A NEW STUDY DECIDED TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW CHILDREN'S BRAINS RESPONDED WHEN WATCHING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMING. THE HOPE WAS TO DISCOVER WHAT CHANGES OCCUR IN THE AREAS OF THE BRAIN THAT HAVE TO DO WITH LEARNING MATH AND LANGUAGE SKILLS SO THAT ONE DAY THIS MIGHT HELP IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF LEARNING DISABILITIES.
THE SCIENTISTS ASKED MORE THAN 2 DOZEN CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES 4 AND 11 AND A GROUP OF ADULTS TO UNDERGO A BRAIN SCAN WHILE WATCHING A SESAME STREET VIDEO.
THEY FOUND THAT CHILDREN WHOSE BRAIN SCANS MORE CLOSELY MATCHED THOSE OF ADULTS SCORED HIGHER ON STANDARDIZED MATH AND VERBAL TESTS. IN OTHER WORDS, IF THE BRAIN IN THE CHILD APPEARED TO "LIGHT UP" IN THE SAME AREAS AS ADULTS AND IN PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WAY, THEN THESE AREAS OF THE BRAIN APPEARED TO BE MATURING IN A HEALTHY MANNER WHICH MAY BE LINKED TO THE MASTERY OF MATH AND VERBAL SKILLS.
SCIENTISTS SAY THAT BY KNOWING WHERE AND HOW THE BRAIN FUNCTIONS DURING OPTIMAL LEARNING, THEY MAY BE ABLE TO MORE EASILY IDENTIFY AND TREAT YOUNG PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES. BUT MORE AND LARGER STUDIES NEED TO BE DONE TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS.
FOR TODAY'S HEALTH MINUTE, I'M ELIZABETH CORRIDAN.
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