Psychology

Children and instructors interact in the School of Human Ecology Preschool Lab, which is housed in the newly renovated Nancy Nicholas Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison — Today, here in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Television aired the first episode of the 47th season of Sesame Street (other affiliates across the world are also airing the season). And it drew inspiration from a UW–Madison connection: Researchers at the Center For Healthy Minds (CHM) consulted with Sesame Street to produce episodes this season focused […]

Sesame Street and Wisconsin Public Television help share the Kindness

September 18, 2017 by Kelly April Tyrrell

Recent news reports about the Biggest Loser TV series brought disheartening news to millions eager to shed excess pounds, but it raised eyebrows with a long-time metabolism researcher at UW-Madison. After excruciating diet-and-exercise routines, a study published in the journal Obesity showed that the contestants’ bodies adjusted so they were […]

‘Biggest Loser’ study: Reality-TV solution to obesity is unreal

June 3, 2016 by David Tenenbaum

Brittany Travers is a new professor at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A story published 2016 January 20 on the UW-Madison news site features Travers and her recent work using a Wii balance board and prototype video game to help improve balance in kids on the autism […]

Video games, balance and autism: A Q&A with autism expert ...

January 19, 2016 by Kelly April Tyrrell

Children sit at a picnic table outside the Waisman Center at UW-Madison — The following is a guest post from Adityraup “Rup” Chakravorty, Waisman Communications: >As children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition to adulthood, many see an appreciable improvement in their symptoms. But the degree of improvement varies greatly. Years ago, researchers at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison began to wonder, could […]

Mothers and schools matter for people with autism spectrum disorders

December 7, 2015 by Kelly April Tyrrell

Do you play music for your dog or cat because Fluffy or Fido loves the same music as you? Maybe, but if you gave your critter an “off” switch, you might just return to a quiet house.

Music: Is it an animal thing?

November 18, 2015 by David Tenenbaum

Students sit during mindfulness practice — Mindfulness is quite the buzzword these days, yet most of us would probably be hard-pressed to describe what mindfulness actually is. And what it is not. The practice is an old one, dating back centuries, and researchers at UW-Madison are hoping some sound, evidence-based science will lend it more Western credibility […]

Are you as mindful as a 5th grader?

August 20, 2015 by Kelly April Tyrrell

An otherwise unremarkable dress that people perceive in different ways — It’s the dress that broke the internet. Admittedly, we here behind UWMadScience passionately resisted viral postings about “the dress” as it percolated – and then exploded – across social media in the blink of an eye (people must have tired of the llamas). Does it really matter whether it’s black […]

#thedress: Your brain is playing tricks on you

February 27, 2015 by Kelly April Tyrrell

If there was a way to potentially help kids pay better attention, exercise more generosity with their peers, perform better in school, and be more aware of themselves and others, would you try it? What if it was free, relatively easy and cost only a bit of your time and focus? […]

Kinder kindergarten: Mindfulness tips for preschoolers and their families

January 23, 2015 by Kelly April Tyrrell

Origami projects by Matthew Ward, 35, are pictured as Matthew and his mother, Nancy Ward, talk with a reporter at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Nov. 6, 2013. Both participated in a Waisman Center-led support group for families of children who have autism. The six-week program, Transitioning Together, assists families as their children transition from high school into adulthood. Matt, one of first children in the Waisman Center preschool program, went on to become an alumnus of UW-Madison. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison) — It’s not so easy to tell a young child with autism from a young child without, yet, many kids are examined for signs of the developmental disorder in short, 10 minute doctor’s appointments. A new study out this month in the journal Pediatrics looks at the effectiveness of short clinical […]

An autism diagnosis is not so simple

January 15, 2015 by Kelly April Tyrrell