VIDEO ONLY: Stephanie Nelson, Ph.D., ABPP, ABPdN, Climate, Context, and Cognition: Linking Environmental Change to Children's Daily Lives

Abstract: This session translates emerging research on climate change and brain health into clear, clinically relevant insights. We review major pathways through which environmental stressors influence brain development, including the effects of heat on cognition, pollution on neuroinflammation, noise on academic skills, climate-related sleep disruption, and ecological change on disease risk. We also discuss solastalgia, eco-anxiety, and the psychological effects of recurring natural disasters. Participants will learn how these risks build on one another and why children’s developing nervous systems are especially sensitive to them. Using engaging visuals, stories, and accessible metaphors, this presentation highlights actionable takeaways for pediatric neuropsychologists. We close with a forward-looking section on resilience, protective factors (e.g., green space, shade access, nature contact), public health successes, and ways neuropsychologists can leverage their roles in clinics, communities, and professional organizations. Objectives: 1. Identify major environmental exposures associated with climate change and summarize their documented effects on children’s cognitive and emotional development. 2. Describe proposed mechanisms linking heat, air pollution, noise, wildfire smoke, and sleep disruption with neurodevelopmental outcomes. 3. Explain how environmental and social factors can combine to create cumulative risk for children and adolescents. 4. Discuss the current evidence on climate-linked emotional responses such as eco-anxiety, solastalgia, and the effects of repeated climate-related events.