Category: Infant and Childhood Development

When research goes remote: adapting studies in the face of COVID-19

By Peter Jurich, Waisman Science Writer With every challenge comes new opportunities. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in March 2020, much of the country went on lock-down with only essential services and operations remaining. The Waisman Center was no exception. Essential operations continued in the building and hundreds of employees transitioned to working …

The ECHO effect

Project ECHO (the mantra for which is “All teach, all learn”) uses video-conferencing technology to provide education and case consultation on best practice clinical services, training, and resources for individuals with specific healthcare needs that are difficult to meet locally. The Waisman Center ECHO platform will serve as a diagnostic and treatment training hub to share the center’s expertise on intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, throughout the state and beyond.

New gift to support research and training

A new estate gift will help support research and expand undergraduate and graduate student training in the area of intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Waisman Center. This significant gift – more than $1 million from the estate of Genevieve Lyda – establishes the Lyda Family Fund, a permanent endowment for the Waisman Center. Genevieve …

Waisman Center welcomes a center leader to director position

Qiang Chang, a longstanding member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Waisman Center’s leadership team, has been named the new director of the center following a nationwide search. Chang will assume the position on July 1 and report to the UW–Madison vice chancellor for research and graduate education. Qiang Chang Chang is an associate professor of …

Here is how a cat can hinder children learning new words

Say you are shown an apple, a banana and a fruit you have never seen before. Then you are asked to pick the “pifo.” Which fruit would you choose? Chances are you would select the novel fruit.

After decades of service, Waisman clinician Tina Iyama-Kurtycz retires in December

Iyama-Kurtycz’s journey from an 8-year-old with a dream to a skilled clinician took her to medical school at the University of Michigan and a residency at the University of Kansas. “While at Kansas, I met a pediatrician who was taking care of children with disabilities and I realized that’s what I wanted to do,” says Iyama-Kurtycz.

Waisman Center director search advances as interim leadership is named

“Dr. Messing has been an outstanding director of this center since his appointment in 2015. He is both a superb scientist and has been a strong leader across this center’s multifaceted mission,” says Norman Drinkwater, UW–Madison associate vice chancellor for research in biological sciences.

Background noise may hinder toddlers’ ability to learn words

The environments children are in, including how much and what kinds of stimulation they are exposed to, influence what and how they learn. One important task for children is zeroing in on the information that’s relevant to what they’re learning and ignoring what isn’t. A new study has found that the presence of background noise …

Waisman Center awarded Evjue grant to expand Day with the Experts series

The Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of the Capital Times, has awarded the Waisman Center $8,000 to expand the accessibility and reach of its free, community-oriented Day with the Experts series. The four Waisman Center Day with the Experts educational events focus on autism, cerebral palsy, cochlear implants and Down syndrome. The series features presentations …

Research tackles communication disorders in kids

It has been said that communication is the essence of human life. In fact, our ability to communicate an unlimited number of thoughts and ideas separates humans from all other creatures.