Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development

The Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development brings together a diverse and talented group of researchers with different backgrounds, but a singular purpose: To work collaboratively to address major issues related to the health of children everywhere.

Our Vision:

We will find new ways to promote health and development so that all children can reach their physical, intellectual and emotional potential. We will promote pediatric health care that is equitable, family-centered, safe and effective. We will work with families, communities, schools, providers and health-care organizations to translate research findings into actions that improve the quality of children’s day to day lives.

Providing new insights to improve children’s well-being

As many as one in 150 children today will be diagnosed with autism; 20% of children will have an episode of major depression before the age of 18; 30% of children are overweight; and 50% of children from low-income households start kindergarten without the basic skills they need to learn.

The Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute is a national leader in conducting innovative clinical and health outcomes research. Researchers at the center are dedicated to improving children’s well-being by addressing these and other pressing questions affecting today’s youth.

Under the leadership of Dimitri Christakis, MD, MPH, a multidisciplinary team of physician-scientists is advancing scientific knowledge of important issues related to child healing, including: child and adolescent mental health, fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, craniofacial abnormalities, infant and toddler cognitive and social development, cerebral palsy and the quality of pediatric health care.

By collaborating with Children’s and University of Washington clinicians, researchers at the center seek to quickly translate findings into advanced clinical practices and improved care for children.

To learn more about the center, contact Jane Yoon, program coordinator, at (206) 685-2775.

Major studies underway

Childhood Obesity:
 Childhood overweight is a whole family issue. We are testing different ways to counsel families to help 7- to 11-year-old children and their parents achieve better weight control in the short- and long-term.

Travel Assessment and Community (TRAC) Project:
Seattle Children's and the University of Washington are conducting a research study, the Travel Assessment and Community (TRAC) Project, to learn more about how a person’s neighborhood relates to their activity, where they go and their overall well-being. The goal is to better understand the relationship between where people live and their overall health.

Drowning/Injury Prevention: Drowning is the major cause of death globally and the third highest cause of injury death to children in the United States. We are researching drowning in open water and in high-risk racial and ethnic groups, as well as effective drowning prevention programs.

Telepsychiatry: Many children in rural areas lack access to psychiatric services. We are developing and testing ways of improving the care of children throughout Washington state via state-of-the-art telepsychiatry and parental counseling.

Asthma: Fewer than 50% of children with asthma are getting the treatments that have been proven to improve their lives. We are testing whether an interactive Web site can improve outcomes and quality of life for children with asthma.

Middle School Coping: Emotional health is critically important to the success of adolescents in school, at home, and in the community. In partnership with the Seattle Public Schools, we are evaluating a program for middle school students and their families designed to teach children and their parents the skills to manage stress and emotion.

Quality of Medical Care: Children in the United States receive less than half of the recommended care during medical visits. We are developing ways to improve the care children receive both in the hospital and in outpatient clinics.

Children with Chronic Conditions: Children with chronic conditions comprise around 15% of the childhood population, but consume more than 50% of the health-care costs of children. We are developing methods to stratify this population by complexity groups and gain better understanding of their health-care needs.

Childhood Obesity: Childhood overweight is a whole family issue. We are testing different ways to counsel families to help 7- to 11-year-old children and their parents achieve better weight control in the short- and long-term.

Neighborhood Effects on Children’s Health: Where children live can have short and long term impacts on their growth and development. We are trying to understand more about how neighborhood environments are related to 6- to 11-year-old children’s well-being, including their eating and physical activity.

Craniofacial Disorders: Craniofacial disorders such as cleft lip/palate, craniosynostosis, deformational plagiocephaly, hemifacial microsomia and velocardiofacial syndrome have elevated rates of learning disabilities and psychiatric complications, including autistic spectrum disorders. We are trying to understand the biological and environmental factors that impact these children’s development.

Adolescent Depression: Alterative approaches to pharmacologic treatment of depression are needed. We are evaluating behavioral activation therapy as an effective way to treat adolescents with depression.

Children’s Behavioral Development: Television violence has been linked to preschool children’s aggression. This interventional trial aims to improve the quality of TV programming watched by preschool children as a means of reducing aggression and increasing pro-social behavior.

Kindergarten Readiness: Upon school entry, 50% of poor children lack basic skills. This experimental study will test whether educational software can help such children start kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed.