Episode 13 – Children at the Border

In this special episode of Circle of Willis I talk with five developmental scientists about what may be happening to the children who are currently being separated from their parents as part of a policy to deter immigration and asylum seekers at the southern border to the United States. We discuss what happens to the private emotional lives of these children, but also what happens to their brains and to their bodies. Specifically, I spoke with Jude Cassidy, Professor of Psychology and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland. Megan Gunnar, Regents Professor and McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota Dylan Gee, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Yale University Charles Nelson, Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital Nim Tottenham, Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbia University Thanks also to VQR and the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia To Siva Vaidhyanathan, professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia and Executive Producer of Circle of Willis. To Nathan Moore, General Manager of WTJU FM, here in Charlottesville, VA and director of the TEEJ.FM network. To Tom Stauffer for original musical contributions to this episode, and for the music he made with Gene Ruley as part of their band the New Drakes. Finally, a special thanks to Lulu Miller, co-founder of the podcast Invisibilia and reporter for NPR News. ** Note: Mirian G's story, related in the show, can be found here.