Children's Health

Health & Safety

Combining The DNA Of Three People Raises Ethical Questions

5:03pm November 10, 2014

by Rob Stein

Scientists in England are ready to do something that's never been done before — combine the DNA of two women and one man to create embryos that don't carry hereditary mitochondrial disorders.

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Laundry detergent makers recently introduced miniature packets, but doctors across the country say children are confusing the tiny, brightly colored packets with candy and swallowing them.

Study: Detergent Pods Can Harm Children Who Play With Them

7:58am November 10, 2014

by Doreen McCallister

A study by an association of poison control centers warns that new laundry detergent pods pose a serious risk to kids who think they are candy.

The March of Dimes gives the United States an overall "C" grade in preventing preterm births.

Fewer Babies Are Born Prematurely, But Many Still Suffer

12:31pm November 06, 2014

by Nancy Shute

The rate of premature births in the United States has dropped to 11 percent, showing continued progress in preventing the risks of prematurity. But there are big disparities among the states.

Daniela Chavarriaga holds her daughter Emma as Dr. Jose Rosa-Olivares administers a measles vaccination at Miami Children's Hospital.

Vaccine Controversies Are As Social As They Are Medical

11:02am November 05, 2014

by NPR Staff

In writing her new book On Immunity, Eula Biss found that questions about vaccination touch on attitudes about environmentalism, citizenship and trust in the government.

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The scariest part of the holiday comes in the days that follow, as parents fight and negotiate to limit how much candy their kids eat. NPR's Gisele Grayson decided to pay her kids off to give up their loot.

How To Wean Your Kids Off Halloween Candy: Cold, Hard Cash

10:34pm November 04, 2014

by Gisele Grayson

After the costumes and candy comes the hard part: the fights and negotiations that go along with trying to limit kids' sugar intake. Why not skip the ordeal by paying kids to give up their treats?

Health & Safety

Apple's Siri Helps Autistic Teen With Communication Skills

12:35pm November 04, 2014

We hear from author Judith Newman, a mother with an autistic son, who wrote in The New York Times about how Siri, the voice from her iPhone, touched her autistic son.

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Dr. Curtis Chan, a dentist in Del Mar, Calif., loads up a truck with 5,456 pounds of candy to deliver to Operation Gratitude during the Halloween Candy Buyback on Nov. 8 last year. Chan personally collected 3,542 pounds of candy from patients.

Health & Safety

Cash For Halloween Candy? Dentists' Buyback Program Is Booming

11:04am November 04, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

If you're like many parents, by tomorrow morning you'll be facing a candy glut. One possible solution? Sell it to a dentist participating in a program that sends candy care packages to troops.

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Scientists are getting a clearer idea of how genetic mutations cause autism.

Scientists Implicate More Than 100 Genes In Causing Autism

6:51pm October 30, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Spontaneous gene mutations, not ones inherited from parents, increase a child's risk of autism, scientists say. By comparing genes within families they've identified more than 100 suspects.

Happy Birthday To Google Doodle Honoree Dr. Jonas Salk!

12:51pm October 28, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

On the 100th anniversary of the polio pioneer's birth, Google takes note with a doodle. As the world gears up to fight Ebola, it's a good time to remember one of the heroes of a 1950s epidemic.

Caribous doing their business in mountain ice have left a viral record hundreds of years old.

Ancient Viruses Lurk In Frozen Caribou Poo

8:58am October 28, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

A 700-year-old caribou dropping from northern Canada holds surprisingly well-preserved viruses. There's no evidence the viruses are dangerous, but they are scientifically interesting.

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