news 2021

Researchers at SFU's School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) urge parents and guardians to educate their children on the potential risks associated with biowearable technology devices when gifting this holiday season. Biowearable technology devices, or biowearables, are interactive smart devices worn on-body, such as smart watches and fitness trackers.

Children have been spending almost triple the recommended amount of screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new Western-led study. Published in the  Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, the research found that, on average, children had nearly six hours of screen time each day. Some children in the study were on their screens even longer, at a staggering 13 hours a day.

For more than 20 years, the University of Toronto's  Elizabeth Johnson has studied the ways babies and children acquire language: How do children begin learning the meaning of words? How do they cope with unfamiliar languages and voices? How do they learn language so quickly? Now, with the support of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation's John R. Evans Leaders Fund , the professor of psychology and director of the Child Language and Spe

Hyperlexia is a condition where preschool children display an intense early interest in letters in a way that is very advanced for their age. They can decode words accurately, but without understanding their meaning. It is most common among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - with approximately 6-20% of children with autism demonstrating hyperlexia.