Difficulty conceiving a pregnancy may be associated with small differences in children’s learning and behavior, according to a new study funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Neurodevelopmental differences in childhood, including behavioral concerns and conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can affect long-term health and well-being. ...

Yearly circulations patterns of rhinovirus (RV)—the most common cause of the common cold—were remarkably consistent over three decades with certain types of rhinovirus found more often in infants and young children, according to a recent ECHO Cohort study led by Jo Wilson, MD of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Some children—especially infants, toddlers, and children with ...

Twenty IDeA States Pediatric Network (ISPCTN) researchers and an ECHO Cohort researcher will showcase ECHO’s work at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting taking place in Boston, MA on April 24 – 27, 2026. The annual PAS Meeting connects thousands of pediatric researchers, clinicians, and educators from around the world to advance scientific discovery and promote innovation in child and ...

Higher perceived stress during pregnancy may be associated with greater severity of autism-related traits in children, according to a recent ECHO Cohort study led by Luke Grosvenor, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Many mothers experience higher levels of stress and other mental health challenges during pregnancy. Previous studies have found that pregnancy stress may be associated with increased risk of ...

Prenatal exposure to certain flame-retardant chemicals may be associated with differences in how children grow from early childhood through age 10, according to a recent ECHO Cohort study by Anne P. Starling, PhD,  and Jessie P. Buckley, PhD, of UNC Chapel Hill, and Deborah Bennett, PhD, of University of California, Davis. Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widely used as flame retardants and ...

Children exposed to maternal smoking before birth are more likely to experience behavioral and mental health challenges, according to a large study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. While previous research had linked prenatal smoking to acting out or rule-breaking, it was less clear whether smoking during pregnancy also affects broader mental ...

Stress during pregnancy and a mom’s own adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may be associated with higher risk of mental health problems for their children, according to a recent ECHO Cohort study led by Shaikh Ahmad, PhD, Alexandra Sullivan, PhD, and Nicole Bush, PhD of University of California, San Francisco, and Marie Churchill, MS and Rosa Crum, MD, MHS of Johns ...

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5)—tiny inhalable particles found in air pollution—during the earliest weeks of pregnancy was associated with babies being slightly smaller for gestational age, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Whitney Cowell, MPH, PhD, of NYU Langone Health. Low birthweight is a known risk factor for a range of health issues in infancy and later ...

Maternal smoking during pregnancy may be associated with higher blood pressure and increased risk of hypertension in children, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Lyndsey Shorey-Kendrick, PhD, of Oregon Health & Science University and Christine Ladd-Acosta, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University. Blood pressure that is higher than normal in childhood, including diagnosed high blood pressure, can increase the ...

Children living in communities with too few healthcare providers may experience different sleep patterns than those in better-resourced areas, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Brittany Lancaster, PhD, of Mississippi State University, Christy W. Hockett, PhD, of the Avera Research Institute, and Anna Wallisch, PhD, of the University of Kansas Medical Center. Most prior research on child sleep ...