Attention Development study...safe?

[Melaine]

I got a letter from the university that they are doing studies with infants about attention development. I returned the postcard and got an email that DS could participate in this study. It sounds interesting and they do pay a bit in compensation. I'm not sure about the safety of it though. What do you think?

Baby will be on your lap watching a computer monitor which will display Sesame Street characters at random. We are interested in how he pays attention to this and we will be recording 3 different measures as he watches. We record heart rate with small adhesive stickers which are placed on his chest. This is will be an index of attention. We record eye movement with smaller adhesive stickers which are placed on the temples. This will track what he looks at on the monitor. Lastly, we will record brain activity with an EEG “cap”. This is an elastic hat that contains tiny damp sponges that record brain waves. This will show us what parts of baby's brain is being used as he watches the presentation. The presentation only takes about 10 minutes, but the process takes about an hour. Most infants perform quite well with this study but some get bored and sometimes fussy. It's all about timing with infants so we just play it by ear.


Not sure about that EEG "cap"....does that sound completely safe?

[brittone2]

I would have no problem with my child participating.

An EEG just picks up the electrical activity in the brain. (eta: there's no "imaging" or "radiation" or anything going to the brain, if that's your concern).

[cvanbrunt]

Those are standard physiological measures that no IRB would ever, ever be concerned with. They have been around since the 1950s. The electrodes are just recording activity that is already going on. No worries at all.

[Melaine]

Cool. I will probably do it then. Thanks!

[MamaKath]

I would do it. There is nothing invasive about any of the tests. My kids both participated in a similar study at a university. It was actually really neat! I would do it again if asked in a second.

[Seitvonzu]

sounds totally safe to me! do it and have fun

[lhafer]

All of those things are perfectly safe and not harmful to your child. Good luck with the study. I would definitely do it!

[pinkmomagain]

I would totally do it.

And as someone who has a child with ADHD, thank you for considering participating in this study. Any research that contributes to the understanding of attention is awesome in my book!

[4stheCharm]

I would do it!

[m448]

I second what Gina said. I'm the one with adhd and am reading a newly published book that said children wired with adhd exhibit certain behaviors and attachment issues even from infancy. I know that the way my parents responded to mine truly did not help things. One of my own kids has been diagnosed and I am so glad I didn't fight my maternal instinct when that child was an infant.