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The global prevalence of suicidal behaviors in children is rising, with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) proposed as a contributing factor. This study examines the association between ADHD facets (hyperactivity and inattention) and suicidal behavior and attempts in children. Additionally, it seeks to compare self-reported ADHD symptoms and suicide-related incidents with parental reports. A cohort of 71 children referred from emergency departments due to suicidal thoughts and behaviors completed self- and parental report questionnaires. The results revealed that elevated hyperactivity scores, surpassing the ADHD diagnosis threshold, were significantly associated with increased rates of suicidal behavior. Hyperactivity demonstrated a stronger association with lifetime suicide attempts compared to inattention. Moreover, children's self-reported ADHD symptoms exhibited a stronger correlation with suicide attempts than parental reports. This study highlights the critical role of hyperactivity in understanding suicidal behaviors among children with ADHD. It underscores the importance of considering hyperactivity-related symptoms in assessment and treatment approaches for suicidal behavior in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Emotional Dysregulation (ED) is characterized by the inability to manage emotions effectively, leading to maladaptive behaviors, and often co-occurs with psychiatric conditions carrying significant long-term consequences. Early diagnosis of ED is thus essential for targeted interventions. To address this need, we developed and validated the "Reactivity of Emotions in Adolescents: Caregivers' Tool" (REACT), a novel parent-rated questionnaire designed to assess ED in adolescents. Method: The present study involved two samples, one drawn from the general population (n = 89 healthy controls from local schools) and the other composed of clinical patients (n = 76 adolescents with different psychiatric and/or neurodevelopmental conditions). Patients' diagnoses were confirmed through the clinical interview K-SADS-PL to explore the presence of any psychopathological conditions. Participants from both groups completed the RIPoSt-Y questionnaire, providing a measure of ED, while their parents filled out the ARI, measuring affective reactivity in youth. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were performed to refine the questionnaire's internal structure. Results: The final REACT questionnaire consists of 55 items distributed across three subscales, namely Negative Emotionality, Irritability, and Excitability. Psychometric evaluation showed that these subscales demonstrated excellent internal consistency and strong construct validity, with clinical patients scoring higher on all subscales compared to healthy controls. The REACT questionnaire showed also high convergent validity by exhibiting significant positive correlations with established measures of ED. Conclusions: This novel tool represents a valuable improvement in the assessment of ED in adolescence as it may facilitate tailored interventions to provide emotional well-being and long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been called into question whether widely used screening instruments for child mental health can provide comparable results across countries and cultures. Socialization goals can influence whether and to what extent a parent considers a behavior to be problematic and thus might influence parental reports on their child's behavior. We tested comparability of parental reports between native German (N = 116) and Turkish origin (N = 77) parents in Germany in an online study using a vignette approach. Parents were asked to rate the perceived problem severity of the same behavior depicted in the vignettes. We expected and found that parents of Turkish origin in Germany rate the externalizing problem behaviour depicted in the vignettes as more problematic compared to native German parents. The effect was fully mediated by parental approval of the socialization goals obedience and collectivism. We also controlled for social desirability responding and an extreme response style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of children are exposed to more than one language. One well-established method of assessing early vocabulary development in monolingual children is parent report; however, its use in bilingual/multilingual contexts is less established and brings unique challenges. In this methodological scoping review, we reviewed studies of early vocabulary development using parent report with bilingual/multilingual children (January 1980–March 2022). A total of 576 articles were screened, yielding 101 studies for analysis. The number of studies on bilingual/multilingual vocabulary has grown in the last two decades; yet representation of the world’s languages remains sparse. The majority of studies assessed bilingual/multilingual children’s vocabulary in each language and used instruments adapted for linguistic and cultural characteristics. However, the field could benefit from standardized reporting practices regarding definitions of bi/multilingualism, selection of reporters, and tool development and is in critical need of studies that develop, validate, and norm parent report instruments specifically for the bilingual/multilingual case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The triple pathway model suggests that different neuropsychological factors underlie symptoms of inattention (i.e., time, cognition and/or motivation problems). However, screening instruments asking individuals to judge the link between these neuropsychological factors and inattention are lacking. The recently developed screening questionnaire, PASSC, aims to examine these factors possibly causing inattention by asking parents to indicate to what extent their child experiences inattention symptoms and to what extent different neuropsychological factors explain this inattention. The present study extends prior validation research of the PASSC by examining associations between PASSC inattention explained by time, cognition, and/or motivation and children's performance on tests measuring these same three constructs. Results indicated positive correlations between PASSC inattention explained by time and less accurate performance on a time discrimination test, and between PASSC inattention explained by cognition and more working memory errors as well as higher attention switching costs. Furthermore, children whose parents indicated that their inattention was best explained by cognition showed higher switching costs than children whose inattention was best explained by motivation. This support for construct validity of the PASSC is limited to two PASSC explanations (i.e., time, cognition) and a subset of tests (i.e., time discrimination, attention switching, memory span). Future research should focus on integrating PASSC and performance test results to differentiate between children with attention problems but different underlying neuropsychological problems. Concluding, the PASSC can be a promising screening tool to identify inattention in children and the underlying explanation indicated by parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Method Results Conclusion WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on this subject What this paper adds to existing knowledge What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? There is a substantial discrepancy between international and local prevalence rates for speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) amongst children in New Zealand. Reports of communication impairment are likely to be underestimates. Prevalence data can describe population characteristics and inform the scope and nature of services to adequately meet demand. Parents and other caregivers are central to the early identification of children with communication needs but they may not recognise their child's needs or act on their concerns.Cross‐sectional data were available for the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) longitudinal study cohort at 24, 54 and 72 months of age, with 76% of whānau (families; n = 5241) completing three data waves. Descriptive and chi‐square analyses were used to address: (1) What are the communication abilities of children in the first 5 years of life? (2) What do New Zealand parents understand of their children's communication? (3) Do New Zealand parents have concerns? (4) What are the trajectories of parental concern for children's communication in the first 6 years of life?At 24 months old, 16% of children had communication skills that were of concern to their parents. At 54 months, there were concerns for 12.6% of children. Although most parents were able to describe their child's expressive abilities, many parents remained unconcerned when their child demonstrated communication skills that did not met developmental expectations.Parents can offer valuable insights about their children, but in many cases their level of concern about SLCN did not align with a professional view which reflects a more nuanced understanding of children's speech and language and the impact on future communication skills and needs. Increased awareness through public health messaging specifically regarding lifelong influences of communication challenges will aid in prevention, early detection and intervention. Parent's expectations of child speech and language development will inform how responsive they are to difficulties in their child. Appropriate parental concern is key to recognition of children with speech, language and communication needs that warrant referral to a professional. Parents are aware of expressive language skills that children acquire and can accurately identify their children's skills but have less knowledge of the ages of acquisition. Some parents are not concerned, do not seek support despite recognisable difficulties, and demonstrate limited understanding of the future consequences for children with communication needs that are unmet. Public health messaging should include both skills and age ranges for speech and language acquisition. Additionally, educating the public of the impact of speech, language and communication skills on children's futures is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affective dysregulation (AD) is characterized by irritability, severe temper outbursts, anger, and unpredictable mood swings, and is typically classified as a transdiagnostic entity. A reliable and valid measure is needed to adequately identify children at risk of AD. This study sought to validate a parent-rated screening questionnaire, which is part of the comprehensive Diagnostic Tool for Affective Dysregulation in Children (DADYS-Screen), by analyzing relationships with comprehensive measures of AD and related mental disorders in a community sample of children with and without AD. The sample comprised 1114 children aged 8–12 years and their parents. We used clinical, parent, and child ratings for our analyses. Across all raters, the DADYS-Screen showed large correlations with comprehensive measures of AD. As expected, correlations were stronger for measures of externalizing symptoms than for measures of internalizing symptoms. Moreover, we found negative associations with emotion regulation strategies and health-related quality of life. In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, the DADYS-Screen adequately identified children with AD and provided an optimal cut-off. We conclude that the DADYS-Screen appears to be a reliable and valid measure to identify school-aged children at risk of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children differ in their environmental sensitivity (ES), which can be measured observationally or by self-report questionnaire. A parent-report scale represents an important tool for investigating ES in younger children but has to be psychometrically robust and valid. In the current multistudy, we validated the parent-report version of the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC-PR) scale in Italian children, evaluating its factorial structure (Study 1, N = 1,857, 6.2 years, age range: 2.6–14 years) through a multigroup Confirmatory Factory Analysis in preschoolers (n = 1,066, 4.2 years) and school-age children (n = 791, 8.8 years). We then investigated the HSC-PR relationship with established temperament traits (Study 2, N = 327, 4.3 years), before exploring whether the scale moderates the effects of parenting stress on children's emotion regulation (Study 3, N = 112, 6.5 years). We found support for a bi-factor structure in both groups, though in preschoolers minor adaptations were suggested for one item. Importantly, the HSC-PR did not fully overlap with common temperament traits and moderated the effects of parenting stress on children emotion regulation. To conclude, the HSC-PR performs well and appears to capture ES in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in children/adolescents, characterized by the absence of speaking in specific social situations, mostly at school. The selective mutism questionnaire (SMQ) is a parent report, internationally used to assess SM symptomatology and treatment outcomes. Since no assessment instrument for SM was available in the Netherlands, our aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the SMQ, through reliability, confirmatory factor, and ROC analyses conducted on data obtained in 303 children (ages 3–17 years; clinical SM group n = 106, control group n = 197). The SMQ turned out to be highly reliable (α = 0.96 in the combined sample; 0.83 within the clinical group) and followed the expected factor structure. We conclude that the Dutch version of the SMQ is a reliable and valid tool both as a screening and clinical instrument to assess SM in Dutch speaking children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine associations between parent reports of bottle-feeding behaviors and infant non-nutritive suck (NNS) on a pacifier as well as oral feeding skills during bottle-feeding. A prospective study was conducted. Full-term infants with no prior diagnosed feeding disorders were recruited at 3-months. Parents reported their infant's bottle-feeding behaviors using the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool-Bottle-Feeding (NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding), consisting of five domains: Infant Regulation, Energy and Physiologic Stability, Gastrointestinal Tract Function, Sensory Responsiveness, and Compelling Symptoms of Problematic Feeding. Infant NNS was measured using a custom pacifier, pressure transducer device, which yields the following NNS variables: duration (sec), frequency (Hz), amplitude (cmH20), cycles per burst, cycle amount, and burst amount. The Oral Feeding Skills (OFS) scale was used to measure the initial volume, transfer volume, proficiency, and rate of milk transfer during bottle feeding. Fifty-two infants (58% male) with reported prior bottle experience completed this study. NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding Total score was significantly positively associated with NNS burst duration and NNS cycles per burst. The NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding Energy and Physiologic Stability domain was significantly positively correlated with NNS cycles per burst. NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding Gastrointestinal Tract Function domain score was significantly positively correlated with NNS duration, amplitude, and cycles per burst. There were no significant associations between NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding domains and the OFS scale. The findings demonstrate that parent reports of problematic feeding at 3 months of age are associated with aspects of infant NNS physiology and not with oral feeding metrics during bottle-feeding. Parent reports of bottle-feeding behaviors, particularly pertaining to gastrointestinal issues, were associated with aspects of infant NNS. These data together will allow for a more nuanced understanding of infant feeding and will be beneficial in determining if infants have a feeding delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Child maltreatment (CM) is a global public health and social problem, resulting in serious long-term health and socioeconomic consequences. As parents are the most common perpetrators of CM, parenting interventions are appropriate strategies to prevent CM. However, research on parenting interventions on CM has been hampered by lack of consensus on what measures are most responsive to detect a reduction in parental maltreating behaviours after parenting intervention. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the responsiveness of all current parent- or caregiver-reported CM measures. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in CINAHL, Embase, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed and Sociological Abstracts. The quality of studies and responsiveness of the measures were evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines for systematic reviews of patient-reported outcome measures. Only measures developed and published in English were included. Studies reporting data on responsiveness of the included measures were selected. Results: Sixty-nine articles reported on responsiveness of 15 identified measures. The study quality was overall adequate. The responsiveness of the measures was overall insufficient or not reported; high-quality evidence on responsiveness was limited. Conclusions: Only the Physical Abuse subscale of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for use in Trials (ICAST-Trial) can be recommended as most responsive for use in parenting interventions, with high-quality evidence supporting sufficient responsiveness. All other overall scales or subscales of the 15 included measures were identified as promising based on current data on responsiveness. Additional psychometric evidence is required before they can be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude and relevance of food allergies in the preschool population remain unknown in most regions of Mexico and Latin America. Thus, our aim was to estimate the parent-reported prevalence of food allergies in a Mexican preschool population and to characterize their clinical diagnosis and presentation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Culiacán City. A validated questionnaire was utilized. A total of 810 parents responded to the questionnaire (valid response rate, 40.7%). The estimated prevalence rates (95% CI) were: "physician-diagnosed Food Allergy (FA), ever" 5.30% (3.86–7.08); "immediate-type FA, ever" 2.96% (1.91–4.38); "immediate-type FA, current" 1.60% (0.86–2.73); and food-dependent anaphylaxis 1.11% (0.51–2.01). The main food allergens were milk (0.49%), strawberries (0.37%), egg, and soy (0.25% each). Atopic diseases and a family history of allergies were significantly associated with immediate-type FA. Among "immediate-type FA, current" cases, 76.9% required emergency room visits, but the prescription of epinephrine autoinjectors was reported in one case only. The food reactions occurred at home (92.35%), in a relative's house (38.5), and at restaurants (23%). Immediate-type FA reactions requiring emergency room visits are not uncommon among the studied population. Actions like proper anaphylaxis management and the prevention of cross-contamination of foods should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Postpartum depression (PPD) may have negative effects on the parents and lead to impaired cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioral development in their children. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with PPD in parents during the first year after delivery. Methods: This study used a self‐administered questionnaire. Questionnaires were mailed at 5 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after delivery, respectively. The particpants were 107 pairs of mothers and fathers. PPD was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Data on sense of coherence (SOC), Quality Marriage Index, Social Support Scale, Mother‐to‐Infant Bonding Scale, and sociodemographic variables were collected. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the strength of the association between several variables and the EPDS at each survey period for fathers and mothers, respectively. Results: The prevalence of PPD in the first‐year postpartum ranged from 12.1%–23.4% to 7.5%–8.4% for fathers and mothers, respectively. SOC had the strongest impact on EPDS scores for both fathers and mothers at all four survey periods. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that stress coping skills are an important factor affecting PPD throughout the first‐year postpartum for both fathers and mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Examine the validity and reliability of parent-reported International FItness Scale (IFIS) in preschoolers. Method: A cross-sectional study of 3051 Spanish preschoolers (3–5 years). Fitness was measured by PREFIT battery and reported by parents using an adapted version of the IFIS. Waist circumference was evaluated, and the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was calculated. Seventy-six parents of randomly selected schoolchildren completed the IFIS twice for a reliability assessment. Results: ANCOVA, adjusted for sex, age and WHtR, showed that preschoolers who were scored by their parents as having average-to-very good fitness had better levels of measured physical fitness than those preschoolers who were classified as having "very poor/poor" fitness levels (18.1laps to 22.1laps vs 15.6laps for cardiorespiratory fitness; 6.6 kg to 7.5 kg vs 5.3 kg for muscular fitness-handgrip-; 71.7 cm to 76.4 cm vs 62.0 cm for muscular fitness-standing long jump-; 17.2s to 16.2s vs 18.2s for speed/agility; and 11.2s to 15.6s vs 8.7s for balance; p < 0.001). The weighted kappa for concordance between parent-reported fitness levels and objective assessment was poor (κ ≤ 0.18 for all fitness measures). Overall, the mean values of the abdominal adiposity indicators were significantly lower in high-level fitness categories reported by parents than in low-level fitness categories (p < 0.05). The test-retest reliability ranged from 0.46 to 0.62. Conclusions: The reliability of the parent-reported IFIS are acceptable, but the concordance between parents reported and objectively measures fitness levels is poor, suggesting that parents' responses may not be able to correctly classify preschoolers according to their fitness level. Highlights The convergent validity and reliability (test-retest) values of the IFIS parent scale are moderately acceptable for assessing physical fitness in children aged 3–5 years. However, the results of concordance show that criterion validity is poor suggesting that parents' responses may not be able to correctly classify preschoolers according to their fitness level. Considering that the fitness level at these ages is fairly homogeneous, it seems difficult for parents to discriminate between the fitness levels of their children. Therefore, it seems necessary to recalibrate the scale in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study therefore aims to examine trait and state anxiety, sleep habits and executive functioning during 1 year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic in children and adolescents through the lens of parents. Assessments were conducted at three different times: April 2020 (T1), October 2020 (T2) and October 2021 (T3). The main sample included 953 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years, and scales were used to assess anxiety (STAIC), sleep habits (BEARS) and executive functioning (BRIEF-2). The results showed that 6 months after the outbreak of the pandemic, state and trait anxiety, sleep disturbances and executive dysfunctions increased significantly. One and a half year later, trait anxiety and sleep disturbances have been maintained, while state anxiety and executive dysfunction have decreased their scores obtaining scores similar to those of April 2020. In conclusion, there has been a further decrease in children and adolescents' mental health since the beginning of the pandemic, and it seems to remain at the present time, such as trait anxiety as a part of the personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parent report measures developed in the Western world are commonly used to assess children’s mental health, but their cross-cultural comparability is questionable. The present study examines the use of anchoring vignettes to assess and adjust for bias in five countries: the United States, Mexico, Germany, China, and Russia. Parents (N = 500) rated their child’s mental health and vignettes depicting internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in an online survey. Vignette ratings were used to assess bias and for rescaling. Cross-national comparisons of vignette scores revealed differences in the use of the scale range and overall level of vignette scores. Measurement invariance across countries improved after rescaling, resulting in weak invariance for internalizing and strong invariance for externalizing problem behavior. Rescaled scores revealed cross-national differences that were masked using the raw score. Results confirm the lacking cross-national comparability in parent reports of child mental health, and anchoring vignettes appear to be a useful tool for reducing bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irritability is a transdiagnostic feature of diverse forms of psychopathology and a rapidly growing literature implicates the construct in child maladaptation. However, most irritability measures currently used are drawn from parent-report questionnaires not designed to measure irritability per se; furthermore, parent report methods have several important limitations. We therefore examined the utility of observational ratings of children's irritability in predicting later psychopathology symptoms. Four-hundred and nine 3-year-old children (208 girls) completed observational tasks tapping temperamental emotionality and parents completed questionnaires assessing child irritability and anger. Parent-reported child psychopathology symptoms were assessed concurrently to the irritability assessment and when children were 5 and 8 years old. Children's irritability observed during tasks that did not typically elicit anger predicted their later depressive and hyperactivity symptoms, above and beyond parent-reported irritability and context-appropriate observed anger. Our findings support the use of observational indices of irritability and have implications for the development of observational paradigms designed to assess this construct in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfectionism, especially the evaluative concerns domain, correlates positively with mental health distress. The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (F-MPS) is one of the most widely used measures of perfectionism, but has not been validated in children or as a measure of parent-report of child perfectionism. The present study aimed to validate the reliability and concurrent, convergent, and factor analytic validity of the F-MPS as a measure for young children. The F-MPS was administered to a sample of 114 children ages 8–12, and their parent. Results suggest that the F-MPS is valid for parent, but not child, report of child perfectionism. The lack of support for the child report may be due to developmental limitations of children understanding and reporting of their own perfectionism traits. In contrast, parent-report using the brief version of the F-MPS appears to be an economical and valid measure of perfectionism in young children. Improved measures of perfectionism in youth would aid in early intervention to buffer the negative mental health effects of the maladaptive aspects of perfectionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) most commonly includes parent questionnaires. However, due to the nature of the questions and verbal limitations often present in children with ASD, caregivers may have difficulty completing such measures. Caregivers of 144 children with ASD ages 6 to 12 completed the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4 ASD Anxiety Scale and rated their level of confidence in responding to each item. Results indicated that parents had a moderate to high level of confidence in rating their children's anxiety symptoms. Parent confidence was not influenced by their child's age, expressive language ability, or intellectual functioning, but was related to their child's anxiety symptom count and ASD severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To understand the earliest parent reported signs suggesting their child may have an eating disorder (ED), and to quantify time from symptom onset to specialist assessment. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data derived from parents of 78 young people presenting to a British community ED service who completed a questionnaire asking when they first noticed their child displaying (a) a change in eating pattern, (b) weight concerns, (c) shape concerns. Parents were also asked to describe the first thing they noticed in terms of possible ED symptoms. Results: Mean age was 14.9 (SD: 1.58), 94% were female with diagnoses of anorexia nervosa (n = 50), bulimia nervosa (n = 10) and atypical anorexia nervosa (n = 18). Weight and shape concerns were most often noticed over a year prior to assessment (mean 12.7 months [SD: 12.8] and 13.3 months [SD: 13.2], respectively), with eating pattern change observed a mean of 9.7 months (SD: 7.6) before referral to specialist care. Seven main themes were developed from parents' descriptions of their child's symptoms: (1) eating pattern change, (2) shape concern, (3) weight concern, (4) observed weight loss, (5) binge eating/compensatory behaviours, (6) other mental health concerns and (7) physical symptoms. Conclusions: The most common parental concerns were eating pattern change, specifically their child becoming more rigid/rule‐bound with regard to eating and dietary restraint. Such external changes are likely observed before physical changes such as weight loss, offering potential for early identification by parents, primary care and other professionals, with implications for improved prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory of mind (ToM) has been frequently assessed via behavioral assessments. Recently, Tahiroglu and colleagues developed the parent-report Children's Social Understanding Scale (CSUS) to assess individual differences in ToM. They found it reliable and valid in assessing ToM of typically developing preschoolers. In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of the CSUS in ToM assessment of children and adolescents with atypical development, who are known to have difficulties in understanding others' mental states. In two studies, we collected data from 106 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Mage = 12.06 years, SD = 2.91) and 70 children and adolescents with hearing impairment (HI; Mage = 7.3 years, SD = 2.3). The children's social understanding was assessed via the CSUS (short form in the ASD and full form in the HI samples) and behavioral ToM tasks (tasks with low-verbal demands and standard ToM tasks). Receptive language in both samples and nonverbal intelligence in ASD sample were also assessed. Analyses revealed high internal consistency for the CSUS in both samples. As expected, the CSUS correlated with performance on behavioral ToM tasks, receptive language, and nonverbal intelligence. The CSUS continued to be significantly associated with performance on behavioral ToM tasks after controlling for receptive language and nonverbal intelligence in ASD sample, and controlling for age and receptive language in HI sample. These results demonstrate that the CSUS is a reliable and valid tool in measuring ToM among children and adolescents with ASD and those with HI in Turkey. Highlights: Research examining theory of mind has mostly focused on behavioral assessments. Parent-reports would be beneficial for assessing theory of mind especially in atypical samples. The Children's Social Understanding Scale is used in different cultures, yet, not widely studied in atypical samples. The scale has good psychometric properties in samples of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and hearing impairment. The scale captures individual differences in theory of mind of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and hearing impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Currently available screening measures for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) typically do not reflect DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and generally have weak positive predictive values. These factors result in missed opportunities for early intervention, delays in diagnosis, and contribute to inefficient usage of healthcare resources by inadequately discerning those in need of comprehensive assessment. This study examined a DSM-5 ASD symptom checklist to determine whether parent-report response patterns could accurately identify which children received an ASD diagnosis. Method: Data were examined from 376 ASD evaluations in a three-year period. Latent profile analysis was used to determine if subgroups could be identified according to parent response patterns, and network analysis was implemented to examine the relationship among DSM-5 ASD criteria within each latent profile. Results: A four-profile model was best supported based on fit indices and high probability classifications. The model was largely a product of how parents responded regarding their child's sensory behavior and minimally reflected other symptomatology. Subsequent network analyses by profile indicated weak coherence among DSM-5 symptoms within all profiles. Overall, direct assessment of DSM-5 criteria based on parent report did not add diagnostic value beyond that reflected in base rates. Conclusions: Although continued refinement of ASD screening tools is needed to improve accuracy of referrals for evaluations and reduce wait time for diagnosis, this study continues to support the need for behavioral observation and formal assessment by trained clinicians. Continued development of sensitive and specific screening tools, likely with embedded behavioral and/or objective observation, is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accurate assessment of cognitive development of young children is a vital component of developmental evaluations. Direct assessment of developmental skills is not always feasible, but there is limited information on the agreement between direct assessment and caregiver-reported cognitive skills. There is limited information regarding the accuracy of the parent-reported Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in comparison to the widely-used developmental measure, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Fourth Edition (Bayley-4). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether a standardized parent interview can effectively identify children at risk for cognitive developmental delays.We compared the agreement between the Bayley-4 Cognitive and the Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in young children being evaluated in-person for early developmental delays. 182 children (134 with an autism diagnosis), ages 6–42 months, completed both assessments.Results showed that Bayley-4 Cognitive scores had a moderately strong correlation with DP4-Cognitive scores (r = 0.70, p < 0.001). A cutoff of 70 or 69 on the DP-4 Cognitive was determined as ideal for identifying developmental delay based on diagnosis of global developmental delay or the Bayley-4 Cognitive.Our analyses revealed good agreement between DP-4 and Bayley-4 Cognitive scores, even after controlling for confounding variables such as degree of ASD characteristics, age, and sex. These results suggest that caregiver-report measures can be a valid and useful tool in the assessment of young children, particularly when direct developmental assessment is not feasible.Methods: Accurate assessment of cognitive development of young children is a vital component of developmental evaluations. Direct assessment of developmental skills is not always feasible, but there is limited information on the agreement between direct assessment and caregiver-reported cognitive skills. There is limited information regarding the accuracy of the parent-reported Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in comparison to the widely-used developmental measure, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Fourth Edition (Bayley-4). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether a standardized parent interview can effectively identify children at risk for cognitive developmental delays.We compared the agreement between the Bayley-4 Cognitive and the Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in young children being evaluated in-person for early developmental delays. 182 children (134 with an autism diagnosis), ages 6–42 months, completed both assessments.Results showed that Bayley-4 Cognitive scores had a moderately strong correlation with DP4-Cognitive scores (r = 0.70, p < 0.001). A cutoff of 70 or 69 on the DP-4 Cognitive was determined as ideal for identifying developmental delay based on diagnosis of global developmental delay or the Bayley-4 Cognitive.Our analyses revealed good agreement between DP-4 and Bayley-4 Cognitive scores, even after controlling for confounding variables such as degree of ASD characteristics, age, and sex. These results suggest that caregiver-report measures can be a valid and useful tool in the assessment of young children, particularly when direct developmental assessment is not feasible.Results: Accurate assessment of cognitive development of young children is a vital component of developmental evaluations. Direct assessment of developmental skills is not always feasible, but there is limited information on the agreement between direct assessment and caregiver-reported cognitive skills. There is limited information regarding the accuracy of the parent-reported Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in comparison to the widely-used developmental measure, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Fourth Edition (Bayley-4). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether a standardized parent interview can effectively identify children at risk for cognitive developmental delays.We compared the agreement between the Bayley-4 Cognitive and the Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in young children being evaluated in-person for early developmental delays. 182 children (134 with an autism diagnosis), ages 6–42 months, completed both assessments.Results showed that Bayley-4 Cognitive scores had a moderately strong correlation with DP4-Cognitive scores (r = 0.70, p < 0.001). A cutoff of 70 or 69 on the DP-4 Cognitive was determined as ideal for identifying developmental delay based on diagnosis of global developmental delay or the Bayley-4 Cognitive.Our analyses revealed good agreement between DP-4 and Bayley-4 Cognitive scores, even after controlling for confounding variables such as degree of ASD characteristics, age, and sex. These results suggest that caregiver-report measures can be a valid and useful tool in the assessment of young children, particularly when direct developmental assessment is not feasible.Conclusions: Accurate assessment of cognitive development of young children is a vital component of developmental evaluations. Direct assessment of developmental skills is not always feasible, but there is limited information on the agreement between direct assessment and caregiver-reported cognitive skills. There is limited information regarding the accuracy of the parent-reported Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in comparison to the widely-used developmental measure, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Fourth Edition (Bayley-4). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether a standardized parent interview can effectively identify children at risk for cognitive developmental delays.We compared the agreement between the Bayley-4 Cognitive and the Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4) in young children being evaluated in-person for early developmental delays. 182 children (134 with an autism diagnosis), ages 6–42 months, completed both assessments.Results showed that Bayley-4 Cognitive scores had a moderately strong correlation with DP4-Cognitive scores (r = 0.70, p < 0.001). A cutoff of 70 or 69 on the DP-4 Cognitive was determined as ideal for identifying developmental delay based on diagnosis of global developmental delay or the Bayley-4 Cognitive.Our analyses revealed good agreement between DP-4 and Bayley-4 Cognitive scores, even after controlling for confounding variables such as degree of ASD characteristics, age, and sex. These results suggest that caregiver-report measures can be a valid and useful tool in the assessment of young children, particularly when direct developmental assessment is not feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pragmatics has generally been defined as the ability to use language in social situations, it is commonly regarded as the third major component of language ability. To date, there is no tool for assessing early pragmatic development of Chinese‐speaking children. Aims: To describe the translation of the Language Use Inventory (LUI) from English to Mandarin Chinese and to report findings on the Chinese version's reliability, validity and developmental sensitivity. Methods & Procedures: The original English version of the LUI was translated into Mandarin Chinese. Parents of 177 typically developing (TD) toddlers and preschool children completed the inventory to examine its internal reliability and construct validity and how scores differed across ages and sexes. A total of 31 parents out of the 177 completed the LUI‐Mandarin, again within 4 weeks, to assess test–retest reliability. To examine discriminative validity, 43 parents of age‐ and sex‐matched TD children and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) recruited from Nanjing Brain Hospital affiliated with Nanjing Medical University completed the LUI‐Mandarin. Outcomes & Results: Cronbach's alpha values for the LUI‐Mandarin's three parts and for 11 of 12 LUI‐Mandarin subscales were 0.707–0.992, with most values in the 0.825–0.992 range. Test–retest reliability ranged from 0.66 to 0.95, indicating good to excellent reliability. Factor analysis of the LUI‐Mandarin revealed two different factors, and the total variance explained was 74.38%. The LUI‐Mandarin total scores and subscale scores increased with age for both boys and girls, providing evidence of the inventory's developmental sensitivity. Girls, however, had higher total scores than boys at earlier ages (18–23 months). The results of the discriminant validity study revealed that performance was significantly lower in the ASD group than in the TD group with respect to LUI total scores and subscale scores (except for subscale A). Conclusions & Implications: The LUI‐Mandarin is the first and only questionnaire available in China that evaluates the pragmatic language skills of children aged between 18 and 47 months. The results of the study show that the LUI‐Mandarin is a valid and reliable tool for Chinese toddlers and preschool children. What this paper adds: What is already known on this subject: The LUI is a parent‐report questionnaire that can provide comprehensive information about very young children's communicative competence. It is widely used both for assessment and to guide intervention. Additionally, it has been translated into French, Italian, Polish, Arabic, Portuguese and Norwegian and it shows good reliability and validity. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: In the present study we describe the translation of the LUI from English to Mandarin Chinese and report findings on the Chinese version's reliability, validity and developmental sensitivity. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: The LUI‐Mandarin is the first and only questionnaire available in China that can evaluate pragmatic language skills of children aged between 18 and 47 months. The results show that the LUI‐Mandarin is a valid and reliable tool for use with Chinese toddlers and preschool children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Difficulties in language development are related to social and emotional problems, lower academic outcomes, and lower quality of life from childhood to adolescence. These grave consequences might be significantly reduced by timely identification and professional support. The introduction of systematic screening for language delay (LD) in 3‐year‐old children in Hungary was based on the recent adaptation of the MacArthur–Bates CDI‐III (HCDI‐III). Aims: To explore the relevant psychometric properties of the HCDI‐III; to identify factors characteristic of the families and children influencing language development at the age group under investigation; and to evaluate the adequacy of the tool for the purpose of screening LD in kindergarten at the age of 3 years. Methods & Procedures: The norming study of the HCDI‐III was conducted in a collaborative research project with the Metropolitan Pedagogical Services in Budapest. HCDI‐III parent report forms along with a demographic survey form were distributed to parents of all Hungarian‐speaking children between the ages of 2;0 and 4;2 without special education needs. The normative sample comprised data from 1424 children aged 2;0–4;2 with 51.1% boys and 48.9% girls. The data set contained information including language skills, basic demographics, birth conditions, health issues and socio‐economic status (SES). Outcomes & Results: In the HCDI‐III form, six outcome variables were created to cover the domains of expressive vocabulary, morphosyntax and language use. Statistical analyses revealed appropriate psychometric properties of five outcome variables that showed a normal distribution and were strongly correlated to age. Outcomes of girls were slightly (but significantly) higher on scales corresponding to vocabulary, syntax, language use and productivity. Most variables were highly correlated with one another even with age partialled out. Multiple regression analyses revealed significant effect of age, gender and parental education on all main outcome variables. Neither one of the other eight predictors, including familial and birth‐related factors, affected linguistic outcomes in our sample. Conclusions & Implications: The results are consistent with the majority of Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) studies, and support the psychometric eligibility of the instrument for screening purposes between 30 and 50 months. As certain regions of Hungary are characterised by a high prevalence of low‐SES families, more research is needed to adapt the screening procedure and subsequent measures to their needs. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: Difficulties in language development are related to lower social and academic outcomes and lower quality of life from childhood to adolescence. These grave consequences might be significantly reduced by timely identification and professional support. Structured parent report forms such as the MacArthur–Bates CDI are widely accepted methods for screening children with LD. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study reports the Hungarian adaptation and norming of the CDI‐III form. Statistical analyses revealed appropriate psychometric properties of most of its sections. Language outcomes were affected by age, gender and parental education on all main outcome variables in children between 2 and 4 years of age. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: The results support the psychometric eligibility of the HCDI‐III instrument for screening purposes. The introduction of the screening procedure in clinical practice is expected to improve early support of children with language difficulties and reduce risks of developmental problems related to language disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive functions are related to key outcomes. Studies of autistic youth self-report of other nonsocial traits indicate that their insights into their own functioning and internal experiences provide important information that is not captured by their parents' report, but youth self-report of executive function has not been researched in autism. We investigate self- and parent-report on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 in 197 autistic youth without intellectual disability, including the magnitude and profile of problems reported across subdomains of executive function. We also compare autistic self-report to that of 114 youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 197 neurotypical youth. We find that autistic youth report significant executive function challenges in comparison to neurotypical youth and a distinctive profile of challenges in comparison to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth. Parents and their autistic children diverge regarding the severity of the youth's executive function difficulties, but both emphasize flexibility problems within their profile of executive function challenges. Intraclass correlation coefficients between parent and youth ratings were moderate to poor in the autistic group, indicating that autistic youth report adds important information beyond that captured by their parents' report. These data elevate the importance of asking autistic youth directly about their own executive function. Executive functions are often impaired in autistic people and relate to important outcomes such as mental health, success in school and work, and quality of life. Evaluating executive functions helps autistic people, clinicians, and families identify targets for external supports and skill building. Youth self-report of executive function has not been studied, yet we know that self-report from autistic youth is key to understanding other cognitive/behavioral phenomena in autism such as anxiety, obsessions/compulsions, sensory sensitivities, and repetitive behaviors. We investigated self- and parent-report of executive function problems in 197 autistic youth without intellectual disability (ages 11–18 years), including the magnitude and profiles of executive function problems autistic youth report across subdomains of executive function. We compared autistic self-report with that of 114 youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder without intellectual disability and 197 neurotypical youth. We found that autistic youth report significant executive function problems compared to neurotypical youth and a distinctive profile of challenges in comparison to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth. Parents and their autistic children diverged regarding the magnitude of the youth's executive function difficulties, but both identify inflexibility as the most impaired executive function subdomain. Autistic youth and their parents were somewhat more concordant in their report of executive function problems than youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their parents, but only showed moderate concordance at best. These findings elevate the importance of asking autistic youth directly about their executive functioning when engaging them in assessment and intervention, or researching executive functions in autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Child maltreatment (CM) is a serious public health issue, affecting over half of all children globally. Although most CM is perpetrated by parents or caregivers and their reports of CM is more accurate than professionals or children, parent or caregiver report instruments measuring CM have never been systematically evaluated for their content validity, the most important psychometric property. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the content validity of all current parent or caregiver report CM instruments. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in CINAHL, Embase, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Sociological Abstracts; gray literature was retrieved through reference checking. Eligible studies needed to report on content validity of instruments measuring CM perpetrated and reported by parents or caregivers. The quality of studies and content validity of the instruments were evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments guidelines. Results: Fifteen studies reported on the content validity of 15 identified instruments. The study quality was generally poor. The content validity of the instruments was overall sufficient, but most instruments did not provide high-quality evidence for content validity. Conclusions: Most instruments included in this review showed promising content validity. The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Child Abuse Screening Tool for use in Trial appears to be the most promising, followed by the Family Maltreatment–Child Abuse criteria. However, firm conclusions cannot be drawn due to the low quality of evidence for content validity. Further studies are required to evaluate the remaining psychometric properties for recommending parent or caregiver report CM instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined psychometric properties of a recently developed parent report screening questionnaire, i.e., Parent ADHD Screening questionnaire: Signaling the Core explanation underlying behavioral symptoms (PASSC). The PASSC aims to measure (1) ADHD symptoms and (2) what parents view to be the main underlying explanation(s) of these symptoms. The PASSC questions 3 (potential) underlying explanations based on the triple pathway model (TPM): i.e., time, cognition and/or motivation problems. Parents of 1166 Dutch children aged 4–12 filled in the PASSC, as well as 2 questionnaires measuring time, cognition and motivation (i.e., the FTF and the SPSRQ-C). Reliability of the PASSC is good, indicated by high internal consistency of the sumscores. Principal component analyses supported the distinction between inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms as defined in the DSM-5, and the distinction between the 3 TPM explanations given by parents for inattention, but not for hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms. The majority of parents selected one and the same explanation for inattention problems of their child, most often being cognition (31.2%) and motivation (28.2%). PASSC validity was further supported by positive associations between the explanation sumscores for inattention symptoms and other parent questionnaires measuring the same constructs (i.e., time, cognition and motivation; convergent validity), although we found no evidence for discriminant validity. Groups (based on age group, sex and ADHD diagnosis) differed on the PASSC sumscores in the expected directions. Concluding, the PASSC is a promising tool to assess a child's ADHD symptoms as well as the parent view on (potential) explanation(s) of inattention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to develop a classifier for infants at 12 months of age based on a parent-report measure (the First Year Inventory 2.0 [FYI]), for the following reasons: (1) to classify infants at elevated risk, above and beyond that attributable to familial risk status for ASD; and (2) to serve as a starting point to refine an approach for risk estimation in population samples.Method: A total of 54 high-familial risk (HR) infants later diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD), 183 HR infants not diagnosed with ASD at 24 months of age (HR-Neg), and 72 low-risk controls participated in the study. All infants contributed FYI data at 12 months of age and had a diagnostic assessment for ASD at age 24 months. A data-driven, cross-validated analytic approach was used to develop a classifier to determine screening accuracy (eg, sensitivity) of the FYI to classify HR-ASD and HR-Neg.Results: The newly developed FYI classifier had an estimated sensitivity of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.50, 0.91) and specificity of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.91).Conclusion: This classifier demonstrates the potential to improve current screening for ASD risk at 12 months of age in infants already at elevated familial risk for ASD, increasing opportunities for detection of autism risk in infancy. Findings from this study highlight the utility of combining parent-report measures with machine learning approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying and measuring anxiety in young people on the autism spectrum can be challenging. The present study investigated the use of the Anxiety Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASC-ASD), a self- and caregiver-rated screening tool in a Singaporean sample of ninety-one verbal autistic youths and their caregivers. Internal consistency ranged from satisfactory to desirable (α =.74–.92). Convergent validity with medium-large effect size was established using a structured diagnostic interview, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID). ASC-ASD scores were positively associated with autistic symptoms and response patterns indicated strong endorsement of autism-specific items. The findings are discussed in relation to existing literature on assessment of anxiety in ASD and in light of the study's strengths and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating infant sleep, either as a predictor or as an outcome variable, into interdisciplinary work has become increasingly popular. Sleep researchers face many methodological choices that have implications for the reliability and validity of the data. Here, the authors directly investigated the impact of design and measurement choices in a small, longitudinal sample of infants. Three sleep measurement techniques—parent-reported sleep diaries, actigraphy (Micromini Sleep Watch), and a commercial videosomnography (Nanit)—were included, using actigraphy as the baseline. Nine infants' sleep (4 girls) was measured longitudinally using all three measurement techniques. Nanit provided summary statistics, using a proprietary algorithm, for nightly sleep parameters. The actigraphy data were analyzed with both the Sadeh Infant and Sadeh algorithms. The extent to which measurements converged on sleep start and end time, number of wake episodes, sleep efficiency, and sleep duration was assessed. Measures were positively correlated. Difference scores revealed similar patterns of greater sleep estimation in parent reports and Nanit compared with actigraphy. Bland-Altman plots revealed that much of the data were within the limits of agreement, tentatively suggesting that Nanit and actigraphy may be used interchangeably. Graphs display significant variability within and between individual infants as well as across measurement techniques. Potential confounding variables that may explain the discrepancies between parent report, Sadeh Infant, Sadeh, and Nanit are discussed. The findings are also used to speak to the advantages and disadvantages of design and measurement choices. Future directions focus on the unique contributions of each measurement technique and how to capitalize on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Despite concerns about the inaccuracy of parents' reports of children's sleep, it remains unclear whether the bias of parents' reports varies across racial/ethnic groups. To address this limitation, the current study systematically investigated the concordance among parent-reported sleep questionnaires, sleep diaries, and actigraphy-based sleep in a sample of Hispanic and non-Hispanic White children.Methods: Parents of 51 Hispanic and 38 non-Hispanic White children (N = 89; Mage = 6.46, SD = 0.62; 50.6% male) reported their child's bedtime and wake time on school days using sleep diaries and questionnaires. Children's sleep also was assessed with actigraphy for five consecutive school days.Results: Parents reported longer sleep duration, earlier bedtime, and later wake time using sleep diaries and questionnaires compared to actigraphy-based assessments. Larger discrepancies between diaries and actigraphy of sleep duration, and between questionnaires and actigraphy of wake time were found in non-Hispanic White children, compared to Hispanic children.Conclusions: Although parents tended to overestimate their child's sleep as compared to actigraphy, parents of Hispanic children may be more accurate in some estimates of children's sleep than parents of non-Hispanic White children. Researchers, clinicians, and parents should be aware of the potential biases in parents' reports and estimates of their child's sleep and that the degree of bias could vary across racial/ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although higher sleep problems have been mostly reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with typically developing (TD) children, particularly in Western countries, such evidence is relatively scarce in developing countries. We therefore investigated sleep difficulties in Thai children aged 3‐16 years with ASD compared with age‐ and gender‐matched TD children by using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ)‐Thai version. Methods: Sixty‐five children with ASD (mean age 97.7, SD 44.5 months; boys 70.8%) and 65 TD individuals (mean age 98.5, SD 43.5 months) were enrolled at a university‐based hospital in Bangkok. Background characteristics, sleep duration variables, and the CSHQ were completed by the participants' parents. The CSHQ subscales and total score between children with ASD and TD controls were then compared. Results: Children with ASD were more likely to have longer sleep latency than TD individuals for both weekdays and the weekend. Those with ASD had higher CSHQ subscales including bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep anxiety, and night waking in addition to the CSHQ total scores than TD controls. In the ASD group, those who took psychostimulants for treatment of ADHD had lower scores on the sleep duration subscale compared with unmedicated individuals. Conclusions: Sleep difficulties were more prevalent in children with ASD compared with TD individuals. Parents should be advised to be aware of sleep problems in individuals with ASD. As such, sleep disturbances will be identified early, resulting in appropriate management and improved quality of life, not only for those with ASD but also their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study attempts to investigate the prevalence and onset patterns of the phenomenon of regression in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and explore its possible associations with socio-demographic factors, birth history and preceding medical and psychosocial events. Methods: 88 children diagnosed to have ASD according to DSM-5 criteria, of ages 1-10, were evaluated. M-CHAT was used for initial screening of the subject, followed by the administration of validated tools such as Developmental Screening Test (DST) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Responses were tabulated and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: 60.2% of the sample had a history of developmental regression as per parental reports; the regression involved loss of both language and social skills. However, there was no statistically significant difference between children with and without regression with respect to cognitive ability and severity of autism. It was observed that children may present with 4 different patterns of onset of Autism, more specifically: pure delay, developmental plateau, delay with regression and pure regression. Conclusion: Prevalence of regression in our study was higher than existing literature. Mean age of regression was between 15-24 months preceded by medical or psychosocial event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable progress in characterizing the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), more remains to be learned about how symptoms emerge in the first year of life. Parents with a new baby who already had at least one biological child diagnosed with ASD (high-risk) or no family history of ASD (low-risk) completed two measures when their baby was 9 months of age, the Autism Parent Screen for Infants (APSI) questionnaire and the interview-based Parent Concerns Form. Children underwent a blinded independent diagnostic assessment for ASD at age 3 years. Total scores on the APSI and the Parent Concerns Form were both able to independently differentiate high-risk children who were later diagnosed with ASD from other high-risk and low-risk children who were not. Using logistic regression, we found that the total score on the APSI predicted ASD outcomes at age 3 with 70% accuracy, but the Parent Concerns Form did not contribute any unique variance when the APSI was already in the model. The results suggest that the APSI identifies early features predictive of ASD in high-risk infants and can be used to flag them for targeted follow-up and screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilingual infants vary in when, how, and how often they hear each of their languages. Variables such as the particular languages of exposure, the community context, the onset of exposure, the amount of exposure, and socioeconomic status are crucial for describing any bilingual infant sample. Parent report is an effective approach for gathering data about infants' language experience. However, its quality is highly dependent on how information is elicited. This paper introduces a Multilingual Approach to Parent Language Estimates (MAPLE). MAPLE promotes best practices for using structured interviews to reliably elicit information from parents on bilingual infants' language background, with an emphasis on the challenging task of quantifying infants' relative exposure to each language. We discuss sensitive issues that must be navigated in this process, including diversity in family characteristics and cultural values. Finally, we identify six systematic effects that can impact parent report, and strategies for minimizing their influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ; Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001) is the most popular assessment for childhood temperament, its psychometric qualities have yet to be examined using Item Response Theory (IRT) methods. These methods highlight in detail the specific contributions of individual items for measuring different facets of temperament. Importantly, with 16 scales for tapping distinct aspects of child functioning (195 items total), the CBQ's length can be prohibitive in many contexts. The detailed information about item functioning provided by IRT methods is therefore especially useful. The current study used IRT methods to analyze the CBQ's 16 temperament scales and identify potentially redundant items. An abbreviated "IRT form" was generated based on these results and evaluated across four independent validation samples. The IRT form was compared to the original and short CBQ forms (Putnam & Rothbart, 2006). Results provide fine-grained detail on the CBQ's psychometric functioning and suggest it is possible to remove up to 39% of the original form's items while largely preserving the measurement precision and content coverage of each scale. This study provides considerable psychometric information about the CBQ's items and scales and highlights future avenues for creating even more efficient high-quality temperament assessments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study compared parent ratings to self-report ratings of depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, attention problems, and atypical behaviors in youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and typically developing (TD) controls. Measures included parent and self-report forms from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2), and self-report forms from the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). Results across all five BASC-2 scales indicated parent ratings for the HFASD condition were significantly higher than HFASD self-ratings, and were significantly higher than parent and self-ratings from the TD condition. In addition, average self-report scores did not differ significantly between HFASD and TD conditions on any of the BASC-2 scales, the CDI, or the MASC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion dysregulation is associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and confers risk for behavior problems and functional impairment; however, there is little guidance on best practices for measurement in adolescents. We developed a parent-report version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-P). Evidence of reliability and validity was evaluated in a large community online sample (Study 1: n = 978; M age = 13.52 years; SD = 1.93) and in two samples of adolescents with ADHD (Study 2, Sample 1: n = 78; M age = 12.12 years, SD = 0.91; Sample 2: n = 206; M age = 15.35 years; SD = 0.85). A four-factor solution of the DERS-P was obtained in Study 1 and confirmed in Study 2, with factors demonstrating acceptable internal consistency. The community sample was generally rated as less dysregulated than the ADHD samples. Support was obtained for convergent, concurrent, and incremental validity evidence. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the DERS-P as a psychometrically sound parent-report measure of emotion dysregulation in 11- to 17-year-old adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social anxiety typically emerges by adolescence and is one of the most common anxiety disorders. Many clinicians and researchers utilize the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) to quantify anxiety symptoms, including social anxiety, throughout childhood and adolescence. The SCARED can be administered to both children and their parents, though reports from each informant tend to only moderately correlate. Here, we investigated parent-child concordance on the SCARED in a sample of adolescents (N = 360, Mage = 13.2) using a multi-trait multi-method (MTMM) model. Next, in a selected sample of the adolescents, we explored relations among child report, parent report, and latent social anxiety scores with two laboratory tasks known to elicit signs of social anxiety in the presence of unfamiliar peers: a speech task and a "Get to Know You" task. Findings reveal differences in variance of the SCARED accounted for by parent and child report. Parent report of social anxiety is a better predictor of anxiety signs elicited by a structured speech task, whereas child report of social anxiety is a better predictor of anxiety signs during the naturalistic conversation with unfamiliar peers. Moreover, while latent social anxiety scores predict both observed anxiety measures, parent report more closely resembles latent scores in relation to the speech task, whereas child report functions more similarly to latent scores in relation to the peer conversation. Thus, while latent scores relate to either observed anxiety measure, parent and child report on the SCARED each provide valuable information that differentially relate to naturalistic social anxiety-related behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reliable predictors of continued language delay in late talkers have been elusive. • Children with delays in language comprehension, symbolic ability, and gesture use are at an increased risk of persistent language and learning disorders. • Parent-reported expressive vocabulary is often used to screen young children's communication development. • Evaluation of early social communication may provide an evidence-based approach to improving early detection before children are classified as late talkers. • Evaluating social communication delays between 18–21 months, or earlier, may guide clinicians in recommending preventive early intervention to children who are at risk for persistent language delay. Late talkers are a heterogeneous group of toddlers and reliable predictors of persistent language delay have been elusive. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which early social communication and vocabulary production predicted variance in language outcomes at 2 and 3 years of age. Participants were 408 typically developing and late-talking toddlers who completed the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Caregiver Questionnaire and Behavior Sample (CSBS CQ and CSBS BS) at a mean of 20 months, the Language Development Survey (LDS) at a mean of 24 months, and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) at a mean of 25 months. A subgroup of 198 children completed a second MSEL at 3 years of age. Associations among the LDS, CSBS CQ, CSBS BS, and MSEL were examined using correlational and hierarchical linear regression analyses. Logistic regression was used to examine each measure's contribution to predicting language delay at 2 and 3 years. Moderate to large correlations were observed among all variables. The LDS, CSBS CQ, and CSBS BS added unique contributions to the prediction of 2- and 3-year expressive and receptive language outcomes. Measures of speech and vocabulary production were the strongest predictors of language outcomes at age 2. At age 3, social and symbolic communication played a more significant role in accounting for variance in expressive and receptive language outcome. A similar pattern emerged for the categorical prediction of language delay. Measures of social communication between 18–21 months added important information to predicting language outcomes at 2 and 3 years, above and beyond parent-reported expressive vocabulary production measured at 24 months, with small effect sizes overall. Implications for identifying younger children who are at risk for continued language delay and recommendations for referral to early intervention programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Parent-reported birth complications are reliable across severity levels • Reported complications were stable across time, up to 12 years later • Validation with hospital reports revealed high correlations across severity levels • Discriminant validity was established for parent reports across severity levels • Parent and hospital reports of birth complications are comparable across 1–12 years. The purpose of this paper was to assess the reliability and validity of birth information provided by parents and to determine if the age of the child affects the reliability of information collected. This study used data from 105 families of typically developing twin and triplet children whose parents provided this information as part of a larger survey. Families originally participated in a longitudinal study at least once when children were between the ages of 1 and 5 years and were re-tested at least once subsequently between the ages of 2 and 17 years. A subset of 57 families (mean age = 2.58 years, sd = 2.41) also released hospital birth information to compare to parent report to assess validity. Repeated measures MANCOVAs were used to test for significant differences between parent reports at each time point. No differences were found between parent reports provided at different points in time regardless of the age of the child when reports were collected or length of time between collections. Thus, the method of using parent reports to collect data on neonatal birth complications appears to show acceptable test-retest reliability. Correlation analyses comparing parent reports to hospital records showed that parent reports were highly valid, with all correlations highly significant except minor birth complication scores for second born children. These findings have far-reaching implications for data collection in research and clinical work because they suggest that obtaining parent reports of birth complications, even many years after birth, is an acceptable method for assessing this information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is the most widely used mental health screening instrument for children and adolescents. It is a short questionnaire including 25 items that can be answered by parents, teachers or children. There are two studies which report norms for the German SDQ parent version. They do not include children younger than 6 years. Moreover, whether the German SDQ parent version is measurement invariant across age has not yet been investigated. The absence of measurement invariance across age would support the use of age-specific norms that are not yet available for the German SDQ parent version. We used data of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), a nationally representative survey including 14,835 children aged 3–17 years, to assess measurement invariance of the German SDQ parent version across the full age range. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the hyperactivity and emotional symptoms subscales are not comparable between children of different ages. This supports the use of age-specific norms for these two subscales and for the total SDQ. We used methods of centile estimation to smoothly model the centiles of the SDQ total score and the subscale scores in dependence on age. These age-specific centiles reflect the developmental course of SDQ problems in children (including preschoolers) and adolescents living in Germany. They can be used to identify children and adolescents with abnormal behaviour, while accounting for the developmental course of emotional and behaviour problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research regarding psychometric properties of autism spectrum disorder questionnaires is lacking. This study explored the criterion validity of the ASRS 6-18 parent report (ASRS-6-18-P) in a large, well-characterized, real-world clinical sample of 422 children ([Formula: see text] autism [AUT] n = 139; non-autism [NOT] n = 283) evaluated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2, a gold-standard measure. Significant mean differences were observed for DSM-5, social, and unusual behaviors. Total, DSM-5, social, and unusual behaviors demonstrated significant correlations with ADOS-2 comparison scores (modules 1-3), but not with module 4 (raw) scores. DSM-5 and Unusual Behaviors demonstrated significant but poor AUCs (0.60). Findings with/without covariates (IQ/age) were overall similar. Sensitivity and specificity could not be optimized. The suggested cutpoint (T-score = 60) demonstrated unacceptably high false positive rates (> 76.33%). While findings suggest limited diagnostic utility of the ASRS-6-18-P, the sample's complex psychiatric presentation and measurement error inherent in cutoff score application should be considered when generalizing results. Further research is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides first insights into aha-experiences in infancy and childhood. In two studies, a content analysis of parental reports from two different populations, a Norwegian sample and an international sample of English-speaking parents, was conducted. Parents described 606 aha-stories of their children (age 3 weeks to 16 years). Three main findings were replicated across two studies: (1) Even infants may have aha-experiences; (2) Children have aha-experiences on various topics related to action and cognition; (3) The focus of aha-experiences shifts from action to cognition with age (3 weeks-8 years, Odds Ratios > 1.567). These findings may have implications for understanding what motivates children's learning and cognitive development and for future research. [Display omitted] • Even infants may have aha-experiences. • Children have aha-experiences on various topics related to action and cognition. • The focus of children's aha-experiences shifts from action to cognition with age. • Most aha-experiences in children yield positive affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS) have increased rates of attention and executive functioning (EF) weaknesses. Research in other pediatric disorders has documented poor consistency between parent report of these skills and performance-based measures. We compared these data sources in children with PAIS. Forty full-term (≥37 weeks) children ages 3–16 (median = 7.2 years; 58% male) with PAIS completed neuropsychological testing and composite scores were created for seven attention and EF domains (Processing Speed; Attention; Working Memory; Verbal Retrieval; Inhibitory Control; Flexibility/Shifting; Planning). Parents completed "real-world" functioning questionnaires (ADHD Rating Scale-IV, BRIEF). Correlational analysis were used to compare parent and performance measures. Correlations between ADHD Rating Scale-IV scores and the performance-based Attention and Inhibition composite scores were nonsignificant. Significant negative correlations were found between the BRIEF GEC and performance-based Verbal Retrieval and Processing Speed composites, but remaining GEC/composite comparisons were nonsignificant. Analyses between parent report BRIEF index scores and the corresponding performance-based domain identified one significant negative correlation between the BRIEF Working Memory Index and the Working Memory composite score. While children with PAIS demonstrate difficulties in attention and EF on both parent report and performance measures, little significance was found in comparisons of these two types of measures. There may be several explanations for this dissociation: measures assessing different aspects of the same underlying construct; performance-based measures lacking ecological validity; and parents underestimating/underreporting their child's deficits. Thus, multiple sources of informant and performance data are necessary to make more accurate conclusions about functioning in these domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi‐informant or multimethod approach has been suggested for use in educational evaluation and children's development assessment. However, in the study field of approaches to learning, most previous studies used one method to measure approaches to learning. In addition, compared with kindergarten and elementary children, younger children have received little attention. This study was dedicated to determining whether a multimethod approach (direct measure, teacher report, and parent report) was needed to assess preschool children's approaches to learning. A total of 713 preschool children were enrolled in this study. Correlations and multiple regressions were conducted to analyze the correlation among the three methods as well as their criterion validity based upon comparisons with an assessment of children's early childhood development. The results revealed significant but weak correlations among the three assessment methods. The direct measure of approaches to learning was more relevant to children's early childhood development than the teacher report and the parent report. The criterion validity of using the direct measure to assess preschool children's approaches to learning was also better than that of the teacher report and the parent report. Therefore, the direct measure was recommended for use in assessing preschool children's approaches to learning, and teacher report can be used as a supplement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The evaluation of a child tends to differ between the mother and father regardless of whether the child has a disability or not, although parents have key information about the behavioral characteristics of the child. The number of reports in Japan, however, is limited. We, therefore, investigated the relationship between the parenting stress experienced by parents of non‐clinical preschool children and the children's behavioral characteristics. Method: The subjects were 83 pairs of mothers and fathers with non‐clinical children in kindergarten and nursery school (average age, 59.1 ± 13.0 months; 36 boys, 47 girls). The study was conducted using the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI‐SF) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: There was no difference in the PSI‐SF scores between mothers and fathers, but hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and the total score of the SDQ were significantly higher in fathers. On multiple regression analysis, parenting stress experienced by fathers was significantly related to hyperactivity/inattention, while parenting stress experienced by mothers was significantly related to peer relationship problems and emotional symptoms. Conclusion: Children's behavioral characteristics related to parenting stress differ between mothers and fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the construct validity of the Griffith Empathy Measure (GEM), specifically the validity of its separate "cognitive" and "affective" empathy scales. If these scales do distinguishably measure these separable constructs, then this would greatly complicate many past findings using the unidimensional Bryant Empathy Index, which is the original source of the scale items. If these scales are not valid as distinguishable measures of cognitive and affective empathy, however, then their growing use in this manner is not justified. Method: In addition to a narrative theoretical review of the cognitive and affective scales of the GEM, I conducted a small meta‐analysis of the GEM's scales relationships with callous‐unemotional (CU) traits in children. CU traits are widely conceptualised as being associated with severe deficits in affective empathy, alongside minimal deficits in cognitive empathy. Results: Across five studies, with a total of 3,496 children participants, CU traits were substantially negatively associated with the GEM cognitive empathy scale (r = −.40), but only weakly negatively associated with GEM affective empathy scores (r = −.12). Conclusion: I argue that Dadds et al. erred in trying to derive valid measures of both cognitive and affective empathy from an item pool that was not designed for that kind of dual‐use purpose. More specifically, the GEM "cognitive" scale may primarily measure broader callousness, whereas the affective scale may primarily measure only a narrow range of affective empathy, namely emotional contagion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex interaction between anxiety and autism has led to debate about the presentation of anxiety in individuals on the spectrum and questions about the extent to which traditional checklists assess the entire range of symptomatology. Moreover, studies to date have not explored how the presentation of anxiety may differ between settings. Through a combination of open-ended questions, closed questions and standardised measures, parents of 173 children (aged 6–13) on the autism spectrum provided (1) descriptors of their child's anxiety at home, school and in the community and (2) strategies used to reduce their child's anxiety in each setting. Over half (52.6%) felt their child was anxious at home, 77.6% at school and 76.2% in the community. Parents reported differing presentations of anxiety between settings, with the majority of descriptions relating to observable, behavioural changes (e.g. hides/shuts down, repetitive behaviours) rather than cognitive or physiological signs. Parents also reported using different strategies across settings. The use of open-ended questions allowed the identification of signs of anxiety not explored within traditional questionnaires and highlighted the potential for signs to vary across settings. This knowledge is critical to inform the development or adaptations of anxiety measures and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]