DIGITAL - Amazon Moving Further into Kids' Digital Market

Amazon has taken two significant steps in the kids’ digital media market in the last two months.

First, in April, they introduced a suite of tools for both parental monitoring and engagement on their well-reviewed kid-friendly FreeTime subscription service.

The new parent dashboard allows parents to see what their kids are watching, reading, and playing, and also track how much time they’re spending in each digital environment.

This kind of software-based tracking is somewhat controversial, and largely ineffective as children mature into teenagers (talking works better with teens).

But in the rapidly changing digital world and with kids as young as three and four engaging with games and shows on mobile devices, it’s viewed as a necessary part of responsible parenting.

The second major element in Amazon’s new parental toolkit is the Discussion Cards.

The Discussion Cards are designed to facilitate productive and meaningful conversations between parents and kids about what the kids are engaging with in the FreeTime service.

The cards are written by Amazon’s own contenteEditors, and there are already thousands of cards available relating to the existing content within the service, and also some of the additional content that is frequently added to FreeTime.

The added element of suggested discussion topics is an innovation in the market, and is part of Amazon’s consistently parent-friendly approach to kids’ products.

Other examples of their engagement with this market include their insured kid tablets, and the comprehensiveness of their existing parental controls.

FreeTime, for example, allows parents to limit screen time and set ‘pause time,’ to ensure kids aren’t using the service when they need to be sleeping.

One area that parents will be watching is the inclusivity of the content.

Content curation has come under fire when parent’s interests conflict with children’s rights, particularly when it comes to accessing information about gender and orientation.

For trans or queer kids, access to information and representation can be a lifesaver, even at young ages, and strict parental controls can block access to vital resources and knowledge.

Amazon’s Discussion Cards have the potential to be a significant benefit to queer and trans kids if the content editors include inclusive and compassionate conversation prompts, and links to resources for parents.

The newly expanded parental tools aren’t the only major move that Amazon’s made recently.

This week they’ve unveiled the FreeTime app on Android devices.

This is a major development, and will allow Amazon to reach a much broader consumer base.

Prior to this release, FreeTime was only available on Amazon’s Fire Tablets, Kindles, and Fire TV.

The new Android app is free, but purchasing FreeTime Unlimited adds a significant amount of content in the form of books, videos, and games.

The kids’ digital media market is huge, and continuing to grow.

With these two new developments coming one after another, Amazon is positioning itself to be the go-to place for parent-friendly kids’ content.

About Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a published academic, an editor with the Editors Association of Canada, an independent scholar and researcher, and a self-care and narrative coach. She is particularly interested in the intersection of technology and identity - how our tools shape our selves and change our stories, and in how the nature of work is changing as we incorporate more technology into our daily lives.

Internships Explore the Human-Animal Bond and Nature-Based Therapies

The Sam and Myra Ross Institute at Green Chimneys offers internships that explore nature-based therapies and the human-animal bond while working with children with special needs.

International applicants are welcome in the program.

The hands-on internships take place in Green Chimneys’ enriched and supportive environment on one of two campuses.

Participants commit to a four to eight month stint at the Brewster Campus in Brewster NY which serves over 200 children in residential care or day treatment, or the Clearpool Campus in Carmel, NY which has a beautiful forest setting where 32 children work with a smaller group of professionals.

A professional treatment team of medical staff, social workers, teachers and child care professionals are supported by experts in animal-assisted activities, horticulture education, outdoor education and nature based vocational life skills training.

The Institute offers a variety of program areas for interns to choose from.

• Farm Animal Education and Interaction - Teaching Barn
• Horticulture - Educational and Vocational Gardens
• Equine Education and Interaction - Horse Barn
• Wildlife Rehabilitation, Education and Interaction - Wildlife Center
• Dog Interaction (requires direct experience with dogs and animal care with Animals for Adoption or another reputable shelter/training program, including a reference)

The internship offers an introduction to the theoretical and practical principles of Green Care, incorporating animals, plants and the natural world in the re-education, socialization and treatment of children experiencing significant social, emotional and behavioral challenges in their lives.

According to their website, interns gain:

• An overview of the field of Animal Assisted Interventions, including Animal Assisted Activities, Education and Therapy, and Horticulture Activities, Education and Therapy, including ways to work in and apply Nature Based Programs, the Human-Animal Bond, Humane Education, and Green Care within a professional setting.
• An understanding of how a non-profit organization operates and provides its services.
• Knowledge of the therapeutic milieu of a working treatment center through observations, including participation in staff and team meetings.
• Experience in managing individuals and groups of students in a special education environment including working with students with learning disabilities, Asperger’s Syndrome and emotional disturbances.
• An ability to develop activity ideas based on student’s behavioral, emotional, physical, and educational needs through chores, animal and plant care, to enhance their learning goals.
• Knowledge in the application of Animal Assisted Activities and/or Horticultural Activities for children who have psycho-social disabilities, as a part of a total treatment plan.
• Gain knowledge of Nature Based Program Activities and/or Horticultural Activities.
• Insight, through observation, into the field of social services and the pursuit of a career utilizing animal and/or horticulture-assisted activities.
• Valuable practical skills that can be applied to other programs and environments as part of a future career plan.

Applications are accepted throughout the year, but need to be submitted three months prior to the desired session - four months for applicants outside the US.

There is no academic prerequisite but the Institute Internship can be used as a supplementary practicum when training for a career in social work, psychology, education, veterinary science, animal care and program administration.

Applicants must be at least 3 years post-high school and able to commit to the full length of the internship.

All applicants will be subject to a criminal background check, fingerprinting and a medical screening that includes a test for tuberculosis.

Green Chimneys is recognized as a worldwide leader in animal-assisted therapy and educational activities for children with special needs, learn more and apply on their website.

RESEARCH - Therapeutic Riding Improves Autistic Children's Interaction With Pets

Researchers with the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado undertook the first known study to examine the effects of therapeutic riding in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on their caring behaviours towards domestic pets.

Past studies have examined whether social skills are impacted by animal assisted therapy with dogs, and how dogs in the home positively impact caregivers.

Service dogs are now being trained for individuals with ASD, but this look at therapeutic riding is new.

A total of 67 children between the ages of six and 16 participated in the study.

31 took part in a therapeutic riding program and the remainder were involved with barn activities for 10 weeks.

The riding program included learning about horses as well as time in the saddle.

The barn activity group learned about horses, safety rules and horse care, but they had no physical contact with horses.

A consistent caregiver completed questionnaires about participants’ interactions with their household pets before and after the program.

Caregivers of therapeutic riding group participants reported significant improvements in participants’ caring actions with the family pet compared with the barn activity group.

The findings support previous studies that show interaction with animals can have a positive impact on children with ASD.

Researchers concluded: “Engaging with horses during a standard therapeutic riding intervention protocol may generalize to improving caring actions toward family pets in children and adolescents with ASD.

“Moving forward, measuring how caregivers and family functioning are also impacted by the human–animal interaction may be useful.”

RESEARCH - Pet Dogs May Help Anxiety in Children

According to the Anxiety Association of America, anxiety disorders affect one in eight children.

A recent study, Pet Dogs and Children’s Health: Opportunities for Chronic Disease Prevention?, suggests that children living with a pet dog seem less likely to suffer from anxiety.

Researchers in New York enrolled 643 children with a mean age of seven at a pediatric primary care clinic when they came for their annual check-ups.

Among the 58% of children with a dog in the home, 12% tested positive on a screening test for potential anxiety, compared with 21% of children who did not have a pet dog.

“Having a pet dog in the home was associated with a decreased probability of childhood anxiety,” Dr. Anne Gadomski of the Bassett Medical Center and her co-authors wrote. “Future studies need to establish whether this relationship is causal and, if so, how pet dogs alleviate childhood anxiety.”

The researchers suggested pet dogs could reduce childhood anxiety, particularly social and separation anxiety, by a variety of means:

• A pet dog can stimulate conversation, an ice-breaking effect that can alleviate social anxiety.
• Companionship with a pet can alleviate separation anxiety and strengthen attachment.
• Social interaction of humans and dogs may also lead to increased oxytocin and decreased cortisol levels which weaken the stress response.
• More opportunities to play, explore and increase physical activity.

Children’s Mental Health Ontario defines a number of anxiety disorders including separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress, and selective mutism. Children and teens can have more than one type of anxiety disorder at the same time.

While there have been many studies that confirm the health benefits for adults who have pets, this study adds to a smaller body of data related to the impact of pets on young children.

Can Pets Prevent Allergies?

An article was recently published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology entitled "Furry pets modulate gut microbiota composition in infants at risk for allergic disease". The researchers studied infants that lived in homes with furry pets. The infants were found to share some gut bacteria with the pets. This sharing of bacteria is believed to help protect people against selected allergies by strengthening the immune system.

The selected infants had mothers with allergies which put the infants at an increased risk of developing allergies. It has been thought that early exposure to pets can trigger allergies in children. Dr. Merja Nermes of the University of Turku said, “Earlier it was thought that exposure to pets early in childhood was a risk factor for developing allergic disease. Later epidemiologic studies have given contradictory results and even suggested that early exposure to pets may be protective against allergies, though the mechanisms of this protective effect have remained elusive.”

The goal of the study was to determine how exposure to household pets could influence infants’ immune systems. 51 infants were included in the study with furry pets (dogs, cats, or rabbits) and 64 infants without pets in the home.

Fecal samples were collected at 1 month of age and tested for animal-specific bacteria: B. thermophilum and B. pseudolongum. 33% of infants with pets had animal-specific bacteria in their fecal samples and 14% of infants without pets had animal-specific bacteria in their fecal samples.

At 6 months of age infants had skin prick tests to examine their allergies to cow’s milk, egg whites, flours, soybeans, birch, grasses, cats, dogs, potatoes, and bananas. 19% of all studied infants had allergic reactions, none of which had B. thermophilum in their fecal sample at 1 month.

Previous studies have linked growing up on a farm or regular exposure to dog dander had increased protection against airway allergens. Children that grew up with pets have also been found to have increased “richness and diversity” in their gut microbe population. Nemes said, “When infants and furry pets live in a close contact in the same household, transfer of microbiota between pets and infants occurs. For example, when a dog licks the infant´s face or hand, the pet-derived microbiota can end up via the mouth into the infant´s intestine.”

It is currently unknown whether exposure to animal-specific bacteria during childhood protects people against allergies later in life. Nemes said, “Future research is needed to assess if these infants develop less atopic dermatitis, asthma or allergic rhinitis later. If a family with a pregnant mother or an infant wants to have a pet, the family can be encouraged to have one, because the development of allergic disease cannot be prevented by avoiding pets.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Dogs as Full-Time Staff? Learn How Cali, Cleo, and Savannah Are Helping Children

Photo credit: John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Calais School in Whippany, New Jersey, is using service dogs to help their students learn to read. They employ two full-time service dogs that work seven hours a day, five days a week. These dogs Cali (Rhodesian Ridgeback) and Cleo (Beagle) need time off just like any other staff member and this is where Savannah (Rhodesian Ridgeback) comes in to help. "Some schools with a special-needs population have service dogs that visit and work with the students as a once-in-a-while activity," David Leitner, Executive Director of The Calais School, told The New York Times' Well blog.

It is not easy to train a service dog, training lasts for over a year. Cali, Cleo, and Savannah have been trained to remain calm around children, stay quiet, not take food from anyone, and to allow students to approach them (the dogs are not permitted to approach students). All three of the dogs employed by Calais School were trained by Merlin’s Kids, a nonprofit organization that trains service dogs for special needs children.

The dogs help students start their school on a high note. "What happens in the first few minutes of the school day can set the tone for the rest of the day. As soon as they get off the bus, they see Savannah or Cali waiting to greet them", says Leitner. The dogs also provide friendship and support without judgement to the students. Students report feeling more comfortable when reading to the dogs as they know the dogs will not judge them should the student make a mistake.

Cali and Savannah have additional responsibilities at the school as they are both trained cortisol detection dogs. Cali was the first cortisol detection dog on staff at a school in the United States. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and the dogs can identify a stressed student before a situation escalates. Cali and Savannah can help children in the entire school as they are able to detect increased cortisol levels in a student at the opposite end of the school or even on a different floor.

READ THE NEWS REPORT

Puppy helps kids heal during medical treatment

On September 7 Ronald McDonald House, located next to Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, introduced its newest boon to sick kids’ health: a four-month-old, cream-coloured Labradoodle puppy named Asha.

“She’s our new furry staff member. We call her our director of pawsitive relations,” says Kelly Knight, senior communications co-ordinator for Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta.

Read the article in the Calgary Herald

Experts Find Key Benefits of Pets for Children

PetSmart(R) and Leading Child Expert Reveal Key Benefits of Pet Companionship for Children during National Pet Month


Whether they're furry, feathered, scaled or finned, pets can play a vital role in a child's overall development, not only offering companionship and social support but also valuable teaching moments around empathy and responsibility.

"There is no doubt that the relationship children have with pets has positive effects on their attitude and behavior," says Gail F. Melson, PhD, professor emeritus of developmental studies at Purdue University and author of Why the Wild Things Are: Animals in the Lives of Children. "Additionally, on a broader level, pets help develop a child's natural curiosity about the world. With this in mind, May is 'National Pet Month' and marks a great time for families to consider adding a pet to their household, as summer break approaches and kids
have extra time to start a new pet relationship."

Here are some specific ways pet ownership benefits children, according to Dr. Melson's research:

Pets are like a "best friend." Children often see their pets as confidants with whom they can freely share their feelings. Whether a fish, guinea pig or leopard gecko, pets are a strong source of ever-present emotional support for kids. According to one of Dr. Melson's research studies, five-year-olds who regularly confided in their pets had an easier time adjusting to the move to kindergarten because they had a way to express their thoughts, whether it's
excitement, nerves or speculation.

Pets show children how to care. Taking care of a pet encourages children to think outside of themselves and become responsible for another being's welfare. Children who are involved in caring for pets are more empathetic and feel better about themselves. Additionally, because animals cannot speak, children learn to pick up on their pets' non-verbal cues.

Pets spark a love of learning. Children who have pets tend to become more interested in issues such as animal welfare and the environment than those without pets. In other words, pets are a starting point from which children begin to learn about the natural world.


Choosing the Right Pet for Children

While dogs and cats are often the first pets that come to mind, parents may also want to consider small animals, reptiles or fish especially if they have younger children.

"Small animals such as hamsters and guinea pigs tend to be easier to
care for and interact with, which makes them better suited for children
10 and under," said PetSmart's Specialty Pets Expert, John Gerstenberger. "Other animals like fish and reptiles are also good options for children who have allergies."

While these pets are more manageable for children, PetSmart recommends
that all interactions between children and their pets be supervised by an adult.

Ultimately, selecting a pet depends on each family. According to
Gertstenberger, key considerations should include the age and personality of the children, available living space and the family's overall lifestyle. Families can learn more about selecting the right pet for their child by visiting their local PetSmart store and speaking with an associate or going online to the PetSmart(R) Care Guides, which provide important background information on pets, from behavior and nutrition to habitat set-up.

For more information About PetSmart click here