Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDBB)

Overview/Mission

CDBB supports basic and translational research and training that addresses the typical neurocognitive, psychological, behavioral, physical, and social-emotional development and health of infants, children, and adolescents. The branch explores how individual differences in development, as well as family and other social relationships, are affected by genetic and environmental influences including emerging societal trends (e.g., increased reliance on technology and digital media), as well as public health emergencies (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). The branch also supports basic research to identify the mechanisms by which atypical development and related health outcomes in children and adolescents, including those with learning disabilities, arise from or are differentially affected by genetic and environmental risk/protective factors. The branch uses these findings to inform translational prevention, intervention, and health promotion studies designed to enhance their lives.

Pediatric Primary Care, Behavioral Pediatrics, and Health Promotion: Focuses on relationships between behaviors and clinically important health outcomes, such as the establishment and maintenance of healthy behaviors and identification and reduction of risky behaviors from childhood through early adulthood
Neurodevelopment, Cognition, and Behavior: Supports basic research on the developmental pathways leading to typical and atypical cognitive and brain development and developmental mechanisms underlying cognition and behavior at the molecular, genetic, cellular, and brain structural and functional levels
Early Learning and School Readiness: Supports basic and translational developmental research to specify the experiences that prepare children for a successful transition to school entry and later achievement and long-term follow-up to quantify the long-term effect of early intervention programs
- NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (Historical/For Reference Only): Completed study that analyzed how different non-maternal child care arrangements related to measurements of the children's health, behavior, school performance, and other health indicators
Language Development and Multilinguilism: Includes research in language development and psycholinguistics throughout the lifespan, including bilingualism/multilingualism and/or second-language acquisition
- Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids (TALK) Initiative: An NIH-wide initiative that supports activities to better understand early language development and the learning trajectories and needs of late-talking children. TALK will expand the study of language development to a broader range of populations and identify potential risk factors for late talking.
Mathematics and Science Cognition, Reasoning, and Learning: Development and Disorders: Supports projects in basic and intervention research within all aspects of mathematical thinking and problem solving, as well as in scientific reasoning, learning, and discovery, across all ages from infancy into early adulthood
Literacy and Related Learning Disabilities: Focuses on research and training initiatives to increase understanding of both normal and atypical development of reading and written language skills. This includes development of prevention, remediation, and instructional approaches to enhance these abilities
- Learning Disabilities Innovation Hubs: Research network that addresses the causes, symptoms, and treatments of learning disabilities that affect reading, writing, and mathematics
- Learning Disabilities Research Centers Consortium: Research consortium that aims to develop knowledge on the causes, origins, and developmental courses of learning disabilities
- National Reading Panel (Historical/For Reference Only): Branch-led panel from 2000 that evaluated existing research and evidence to identify the best ways of teaching children to read; includes National Reading Panel Publications
Social and Emotional Development/Child and Family Processes: Supports research and research training relevant to normative social, emotional, and personality development in children, from the newborn period through adolescence. This includes studies of family processes, child maltreatment, exposure to violence, and human-animal interaction

Databrary : Open data library of developmental science video, audio, and related metadata
NIH Toolbox: Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function : Comprehensive set of neuro-behavioral measurements that quickly assess cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor functions
Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) : Set of person-centered measures that evaluates and monitors physical, mental, and social health in adults and children
Cincinnati Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Neurodevelopment (C-Mind) Project : Standardized methods for recruiting, scanning, and processing brain imaging data from children from birth through adolescence
Neurodevelopmental MRI Database : Includes MRI average templates for different age segments
NIH Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Normal Brain Development : A Pediatric MRI Data Repository: Dataset for a longitudinal MRI-based neuroimaging study of more than 550 healthy, psychiatrically normal children and adolescents, ages newborn to 18 years

Brett Miller, Acting Branch Chief
Main Research Areas: Reading, writing, and related learning disabilities; dyslexia/reading disability
Melissa Y. Delgado, Ph.D., American Association for the Advancement of Science/Society for Research in Child Development Policy Fellow
Layla Esposito, Program Director
Main Research Areas: Social and emotional development and child and family processes, human-animal interaction
Courtney L. Gallen, Program Director
Main Research Areas: Technology and digital media; cognitive neuroscience; assessment and intervention; typical development and atypical development
Tracy King, Medical Officer
Main Research Areas: General pediatrics/pediatric primary care; developmental and behavioral pediatrics; transition from pediatric to adult health care
Laura Machlin, Program Director
Main Research Areas: Neurobiological mechanisms; genetic and environmental influences on cognition and behavior; sensitive periods; structural and functional neuroimaging
Kathy Mann Koepke, Program Director
Main Research Areas: Mathematics cognition, reasoning, learning, development, and disorders; reasoning, including animal models and human learning, transfer, typical development, and dysfunction; science learning, including animal models and human cognition, reasoning, learning, typical development, interventions, and disorders
Parisa Parsafar, Ph.D., Program Officer
Virginia C. Salo, Program Director
Main Research Areas: Language development throughout the lifespan; preverbal communication; multilingualism and/or second-language acquisition

Highlights

CDBB leads NICHD support of research to address the short- and long-term effects of technology and digital media (TDM) in infants, children, and adolescents. Visit the TDM in Childhood and Adolescence page to learn more about this effort and access information and recordings from previous workshops and a fact sheet on digital media and children’s health.
- Addressing the Impacts of Technology and Digital Media on Infants, Children, & Adolescents: NIH collaborated with experts to develop this research agenda to help guide work on addressing the impacts of TDM use and exposure on the development of infants, children, and adolescents.
Maternal Mental Wellness and Women's Health. Learn about NICHD research efforts related to maternal mental health, including depression and anxiety during and up to 1 year after pregnancy.
CDBB leads and participates in NICHD’s activities related to COVID-19.
Safe Return to School For All summarizes current evidence and best practices to help administrators, educators, and families and students—including students with disabilities—return to school safely in the context of COVID-19. The information provided is based on collaborative research from the NICHD-funded Washington University Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute of Human Development, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute (Maryland), in collaboration with the Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri.
The Executive Summary (PDF 437 KB) of the "Media Exposure and Early Child Development" workshop is now available.
Branch-funded research was featured in the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council on June 7, 2018.
- Video: Dr. Alan Mendelsohn discusses the Video Interaction Project (VIP).
- Video: Ms. Kaira Gonzalez speaks about her family’s experience with VIP.
Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice : CDBB co-sponsored this stakeholder workshop at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. A report, toolkit, and public service announcement-style video are available.
Systems Approaches to the U.S. Childhood Obesity Epidemic: This panel discussion is part of the Advances in Child Development and Behavior
Research Speaker Series, sponsored by CDBB.

Breadcrumb

Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDBB)

Overview/Mission

Branch Research Programs and Networks

Branch-Funded Projects

Researcher Tools and Resources

Program Scientists, Staff, and Research Areas

Highlights

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