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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
NSU’s Institute of Child Health Policy Co-Authors Journal Article
NSU’s Institute for Child Health Policy Director Deborah Ann Mulligan, M.D.
An article in the January 2012 edition of PEDIATRICS, “The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bond: Focus on Children in Poverty,” is a new report which looks at specific concerns affecting children from low-income families. It was authored by Regina M. Milteer and Kenneth R. Ginsburg from the Council on Communications and Media Committee on Psychological Aspects of Child and Family Health, and NSU’s Institute for Child Health Policy Director Deborah Ann Mulligan, M.D.
The article states that children benefit from both free and semi-structured play, which contributes to their resilience and creativity as well as helping them to develop physically, intellectually and emotionally. Play also affords families valuable opportunities to bond. Recognizing that there is a complex interplay of factors that may limit recreation in some neighborhoods, possible solutions include supervised after-school programs, community-based activities ranging from sports to creative arts, and keeping school facilities open for use by families when they would otherwise be closed.