Aha ! Parenting Research Paper

Aha! Parenting.com (http://www.ahaparenting.com/ask-the-doctor-1/best-age-for-kids-to-start-daycare)
a. Is the author identified? Is the author a credible source of information on this subject? Do they have any reason to be biased?

The author is, Dr. Laura Markham and according to her website, she, “creates Aha! moments for parents of kids from babies through teens. She trained as a Clinical Psychologist at Columbia University, but she's also a mom, so she understands kids -- and parents!” She seems like a credible source for information, but as a parent can have her own personal biases on the subject.

b. What is the purpose of the site? Is it objective/impartial? Who is the intended audience?

The site is set up as a question and

Is the information credible? Is it research-based, endorsed?

For some of the information she sites her sources, but for other information she does not. For instance, in an article she attached about Pacifiers and if there is something wrong with them, she references the American Academy of Pediatrics. She does not quote from research or educational articles frequently and much of the information does seem to be personal opinion. However she tends to provide both perspectives when it comes to a complicated issue. In her daycare article she cites two sources at the end, “Badanes LS, Dmitrieva J, and Watamura SE. 2012. Understanding Cortisol Reactivity across the Day at Child Care: The Potential Buffering Role of Secure Attachments to Caregivers. Early Child Res Q. 27(1):156-165.
*Tucker-Drob EM and Harden KP. 2013. Gene-by-preschool interaction on the development of early externalizing problems. J Child Psychol Psychiatry.” And provides research based resources throughout the article to support her assertations.

d. Is the information recent?

None of the information I found had publishing dates on them. The website seems up-to-date, but who knows how old the information

She announces her bias and emotional connection to the topic and notes that it could have skewed her findings but ‘thinks’ she ‘assessed the literature clearly’ even though she is a mother with a child in daycare. When you search for her name or look for her accreditations, Slate.com says she is a “science writer based in cold spring, New York, and is Slate’s Parenting Advice Columnist. Follow her on Twitter.” When you delve deeper into other articles she has written, a lot of them have alarming or eye catching headlines. For example, “Swim Lessons Won’t Keep Your Child From Drowning—in fact, they could put your child at higher risk.” Most of the articles may fall under the category of ‘Parenting Advice’ but they appear to be written to attract attention and present an emotional or startling fact or topic. She may not be the most credible