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Research -- StepUp to Learn

Arts and Crafts Activities Contribute to Future Scientists and Entrepreneurs

by StepUp Staff

Arts and Crafts Activities Contribute to Future Scientists and Entrepreneurs

Arts and crafts activities help children develop creative ways of thinking and significantly correlate with later success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.
Posted in Education, Engagement, Music, Neuroscience

Fifteen minutes of exercise creates optimal brain state for mastering new motor skills

by StepUp Staff
When asked to repeat the same task 24-hours later, participants those who had exercised for 15 minutes used far fewer brain resources than those who rested.
Posted in Attention, Engagement, Movement & Exercise, Neuroscience

Colored filter improves dyslexic children's reading speed

by StepUp Staff

Colored filter improves dyslexic children's reading speed

Reading, one of the most difficult activities for children with dyslexia, can be improved by the use of a colored filter.
Posted in Attention, Engagement, Neuroscience, Reading Skills, Technology

Writing bursts: How important are spelling accuracy and handwriting speed?

by StepUp Staff

Writing bursts: How important are spelling accuracy and handwriting speed?

Researchers from the University of London found that spelling accuracy, handwriting speed, and frequent pausing for misspellings were significant predictors of the length and quality of children's writing bursts.
Posted in Education, Handwriting, Neuroscience, Speech & Language

Do persistent babies make for successful adults?

by StepUp Staff

Do persistent babies make for successful adults?

University of Washington researchers argue that greater study of infant persistence can shed light on the factors that instill persistence, and the outcomes that may emerge from it later in life.
Posted in Attention, Engagement, Motivation, Neuroscience

Babies who hear two languages at home develop advantages in attention

by StepUp Staff

Babies who hear two languages at home develop advantages in attention

Six-month-old babies who are brought up hearing more than one language show advantages in early development of attention
Posted in Attention, Neuroscience, Speech & Language

Need to remember something? Better draw it, study finds

by StepUp Staff

Need to remember something? Better draw it, study finds

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have found that drawing pictures of information that needs to be remembered is a strong and reliable strategy to enhance memory.

Posted in Handwriting, Memory, Neuroscience, Speech & Language

Difficulties with audiovisual processing contribute to dyslexia in children

by StepUp Staff

Difficulties with audiovisual processing contribute to dyslexia in children

A University at Buffalo psychologist has published a neuroimaging study that could help develop tests for early identification of dyslexia, a disorder that affects 80 percent of those diagnosed with difficulties reading, writing and spelling.
Posted in Language, Neuroscience, Reading Skills, School Readiness

Intellectual Curiosity and Confidence Help Children Take on Math and Reading

by StepUp Staff

Intellectual Curiosity and Confidence Help Children Take on Math and Reading

Characteristics related to openness, such as intellectual curiosity and confidence, made children more adept to take on math and reading than characteristics describing conscientiousness, such as diligence and perseverance.
Posted in Attention, Education, Engagement, Mathematics, Memory, Motivation, Neuroscience, Reading Skills, School Readiness

Attention, please! Anticipation of touch takes focus, executive skills

by StepUp Staff

Attention, please! Anticipation of touch takes focus, executive skills

Inside the brain, the act of anticipating is an exercise in focus, a neural preparation that conveys important visual, auditory or tactile information about what’s to come. New brain research on 6 - 8 year olds shows not only this expectation in real time, but also how anticipation relates to executive function skills.

Posted in Attention, Neuroscience

Sensory Integration Dysfunction Case Study

by Jonathan Rowe

Sensory Integration Dysfunction Case Study

An August 2010 doctor’s report included history of Oromotor Dyspraxia, Auditory Sensitivity, Articulation Disorder, Developmental Language Delay, and Heavy Metal Toxicity which had improved with prior therapeutic interventions. Current diagnoses include Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Metabolic Disorder, and Developmental Coordination Disorder. Michael was receiving Speech Therapy 5 days a week and Occupational Therapy once a week. His delays first became evident at age 2 when he had not begun to talk.
Posted in Attention, Education, Language, Movement & Exercise, Neuroscience, School Readiness, Speech & Language

Selecting Sounds: How the Brain Knows What To Listen To

by StepUp Staff

Selecting Sounds: How the Brain Knows What To Listen To

Scientists developed a new approach to how the brain singles out a specific stream of sound from other distracting sounds. Using a novel experimental approach, the scientists non-invasively mapped sustained auditory selective attention in the human brain. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the study lays crucial groundwork to track deficits in auditory attention due to aging, disease or brain trauma and to create clinical interventions, like behavioral training, to potentially correct or prevent hearing issues.
Posted in Attention, Neuroscience, Speech & Language