'Mind the Kids': an ACAMH podcast

In this Mind the Kids podcast, we explore how early childhood vocabulary links to later educational outcomes—and why socioeconomic inequality continues to shape children’s life chances, even when ability appears similar.
Host Clara Faria is joined by Dr. Emma Thornton (University of Manchester) and Professor Danielle Matthews (University of Sheffield) to discuss their research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, they examines whether children with the same early language skills achieve similar GCSE outcomes, and how socioeconomic circumstances influence that trajectory.
The findings challenge simple meritocratic assumptions. While stronger vocabulary at age five predicts better educational attainment overall, this relationship varies significantly across socioeconomic groups. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds have markedly lower chances of achieving key GCSE benchmarks—even with strong early language skills—while those from more advantaged backgrounds are more likely to succeed regardless of early ability.
This conversation unpacks the implications for early intervention, education policy, and equity in child development. It also highlights the need for more targeted, evidence-based support for families and schools, and a deeper understanding of the mechanisms linking early cognitive skills to long-term outcomes.
Read the JCPP paper ‘Unequal educational outcomes for children with similar early childhood vocabulary but different socioeconomic circumstances' https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.70117
Emma Thornton, Danielle Matthews, Praveetha Patalay, Colin Bannard
First published: 26 January 2026
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In this episode of Mind the Kids, the podcast from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH), host Dr. Clara Faria — academic clinical fellow in child psychiatry — is joined by Alina Marinca, PhD student in Psychological Medicine at Queen Mary University of London and clinical psychologist, whose research is funded by the London Interdisciplinary School of Science Doctoral Training Partnership.
Alina shares findings from her JCPP Advances paper  ‘Sleep disturbance as a transdiagnostic marker of children's mental health difficulties: A network analysis of item-level associations between different types of sleep problems and different behavioural and emotional symptoms'.
The study draws on data from the Development of Emotional Resilience observational cohort — a school-based sample of over 500 primary school children aged 7 to 12 from East London, one of the most ethnically diverse and economically deprived urban cohorts in UK child mental health research.
Using network analysis — a powerful statistical approach that maps relationships between symptoms simultaneously — the study examines how specific sleep problems relate to emotional difficulties (anxiety and depression) and behavioural difficulties (hyperactivity, inattention, and conduct problems) in middle childhood, moving beyond the composite sleep scores that have dominated previous research.
The headline finding is striking: sleep anxiety and general anxiety emerge as the most central, influential nodes in the network — sitting at the core of children's emotional and behavioural difficulties and functioning as a transdiagnostic mechanism across multiple mental health conditions. Emotional symptoms were found to be more tightly interwoven with sleep problems than behavioural symptoms, a developmentally meaningful finding with direct implications for how we assess and treat sleep disturbances in primary school-aged children.
Alina and Clara discuss what this means for school-based mental health intervention, why sleep should no longer be treated as a secondary or peripheral feature of child mental health, and how a modular, targeted approach focusing on sleep-related anxiety could benefit children, parents, educators, and clinicians alike. The episode closes with a preview of Alina's next research phase: a longitudinal network analysis tracking whether these core sleep and anxiety symptoms remain stable over time.
Essential listening for anyone working in child mental health, sleep research, school-based intervention, or child and adolescent psychiatry.
Read the CAMH journal paper ‘Sleep disturbance as a transdiagnostic marker of children's mental health difficulties: A network analysis of item-level associations between different types of sleep problems and different behavioural and emotional symptoms'
Alina A. Marinca, Julia E. Michalek, Alice M. Gregory, Afia Ali, Jennifer Y. F. Lau
First published: 04 March 2026 https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.70104
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In this episode of Mind the Kids, the podcast from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH), host Dr. Clara Faria — academic clinical fellow in child psychiatry — is joined by Professor Lauren Kenworthy, Division Chief, Neuropsychology Director, Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders Pediatric Neuropsychologist, at the Children's National Hospital, based in Washington DC.
Professor Kenworthy shares findings from her landmark study, 'Executive Function Challenges Persist into Young Adulthood and Predict Mental Health Outcomes in Autism', published in JCPP — ACAMH's flagship peer-reviewed journal. Drawing on over 300 autistic individuals and more than 900 observations spanning ages 2 to 25, this is one of the most comprehensive longitudinal investigations into executive function trajectories and mental health outcomes in autism to date.
The episode unpacks what executive functions are — the brain-based cognitive abilities governing flexibility, working memory, and impulse control — and why they matter so profoundly for the mental health of autistic young people. With approximately 70% of autistic children and 63% of autistic adults experiencing mental health challenges at any given time, Professor Kenworthy explains why understanding the relationship between executive dysfunction and depression and anxiety in autism is not just academically important, but urgent.
Among the most striking findings: executive function challenges — particularly cognitive inflexibility — remain clinically elevated from early childhood all the way through young adulthood, persisting even in young people who have had access to clinical support. Anxiety symptoms worsen significantly for autistic girls, with measurable divergence from their male peers emerging around age 12 — a finding with major implications for autism diagnosis, gender differences in autism, and targeted mental health intervention.
Professor Kenworthy also shares her work developing Unstuck and On Target, a school-based executive function intervention designed to be delivered by educators — not just clinicians — addressing the urgent need for scalable, real-world, evidence-based autism support in schools. The conversation covers participatory research, the 12-year evidence-to-implementation gap, the limits of existing interventions including ABA, and why autistic voices must be central to the future of autism research and intervention design.
Essential listening for clinicians, researchers, educators, and anyone with a stake in autism mental health, early intervention, and neurodevelopmental research.
Read the paper 'Executive function challenges persist into young adulthood and predict mental health outcomes in autism' https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.70149
Lauren Kenworthy, Lauren Baczewski, Alan H. Gerber, Cara E. Pugliese, A. Chelsea Armour, Kelsey D. Csumitta, Gabrielle E. Reimann, Caroline Candy, Gregory L. Wallace, Matthew S. Fritz
First published: 11 April 2026
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This episode of the Mind the Kids podcast features Dr. Joanne Park, clinical psychologist and Principal Investigator of the Parenting Resilient Kids (Park) Lab at Mount Royal University, Canada. Hosted by Clara Faria, the conversation explores emerging research on “climate worry” in early adolescence, drawing on Dr. Park’s recent publication in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Dr. Park examines whether concerns about climate change represent a distinct psychological construct or are simply an extension of generalised anxiety. The discussion unpacks the difference between affective climate worry—emotional responses to climate change—and cognitive climate worry, which reflects more developed fears about future impact. Importantly, the findings suggest that climate worry is not only common among younger adolescents but may also have unique associations with wellbeing, independent of general anxiety.
The episode also highlights key developmental, social, and gender-related factors shaping how young people experience climate-related distress. Dr. Park discusses why girls and gender-diverse adolescents may report higher levels of climate worry, and considers how clinicians, educators, and parents can respond without over-pathologising what may be a rational reaction to the climate crisis.
This conversation is essential listening for clinicians, researchers, and educators interested in child and adolescent mental health, particularly those working with anxiety, emotional development, and the psychological impact of global challenges. It also offers practical insight into how to support young people in managing climate-related concerns through adaptive coping and resilience-building strategies.
Read the CAMH journal paper ‘Prevalence, conceptual distinctiveness, and cross-sectional correlates of climate worry in Canadian adolescents’ - https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.70076
Joanne L. Park, Audrey-Ann Deneault, Brae Anne McArthur, Suzanne Tough, Sheri Madigan
First published: 18 February 2026
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In this episode of the Mind the Kids, Clara Faria speaks with Professor Nathalie Auger and Professor Howard Steiger about new research exploring how maternal anorexia nervosa may influence children’s mental health and neurodevelopment.
Using a large population-based cohort, the study examines links between maternal eating disorders and outcomes such as anorexia nervosa, attentional difficulties, and other psychiatric risks in offspring. The discussion highlights the role of genetic vulnerability, environmental exposure, and epigenetic mechanisms, offering a nuanced understanding of how risk is transmitted across generations.
The episode also considers important clinical implications, including the benefits of early treatment, the importance of reducing stigma, and how supporting maternal mental health can improve outcomes for future generations.
A must-listen for professionals in child and adolescent mental health, psychiatry, psychology, and anyone interested in eating disorders and developmental research.
Read the CAMH journal paper ‘Maternal anorexia nervosa and risk of mental and neurodevelopmental morbidity in offspring'
Sam Amar, Gabriel Côté-Corriveau, Mimi Israël, Howard Steiger, Nancy Low, Nicholas Chadi, Émilie Brousseau, Nahantara Lafleur, Nathalie Auger
First published: 02 December 2025 https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.70051
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