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Life-cycle changes can be both subtle and dramatic. For some species, growth involves primarily morphological changes that subtly turn a cuddly kitten into a full-grown cat over a period of [...], Biological kinds undergo a variety of changes during their life span, and these changes vary in degree by organism. Understanding that an organism, such as a caterpillar, maintains category identity over its life span despite dramatic changes is a key concept in biological reasoning. At present, we know little about the developmental trajectory of children's understanding of dramatic life-cycle changes and how this might relate to their understanding of evolution. We suggest that this understanding is a key precursor to later understanding of evolutionary change. Two studies examined the impact of age and knowledge on children's biological reasoning about living kinds that undergo a range of natural life-span changes--from subtle to dramatic. The participants, who were 3, 4, and 7 years old, were shown paired pictures of juvenile and adult animals and asked to endorse biological or nonbiological causal mechanisms to account for life-span change. Additionally, reasoning of 3- and 4-year-old participants was compared before and after exposure to caterpillars transforming into butterflies. The results are framed in terms of a developmental trajectory in essentialist reasoning, a cognitive bias that has been associated with difficulties in understanding and accepting evolution.

The factors responsible for depression in men following childbirth and the association between their depression in the postnatal period and later psychiatric disorders in their children are assessed. Findings show that depression in fathers in their postnatal period is associated with later psychiatric disorders in their children, independent of maternal postnatal depression.

A study was conducted on lower income population women who were moderate users of marijuana to examine the effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on children's intellectual development at the age of six. Results concluded that the Cognitive deficits noticed at the age of six were specific to verbal and quantitative reasoning and short-term memory.

Byline: James R. McDonell (1) Keywords: neighborhood; children; families; safety; well-being; measurement Abstract: Recent studies highlight the importance of neighborhood context for child and family well-being. Yet challenges to research on neighborhood effects remain research on young children is sparse, as is research on neighborhood effects on parenting. Measurement also continues to challenge researchers, particularly in devising non-invasive means of gauging neighborhood characteristics. The present study seeks to address these issues by using data from a newly developed observational measure of neighborhood characteristics to examine parent reports of the safety of neighborhood children in the home and self-reports of parenting. The results showed that neighborhood characteristics accounted for 23% of the variance in parent perceptions of children's safety in the home, with neighborhood physical appearance strongly predicting children's safety. Neighborhood effects on self-reported parenting were more modest, accounting for just 6% of the variance in parents' reports of nurturing interactions with their children vigilance for the safety of the neighborhood was a significant predictor. The study has implications for observational measurement of neighborhood effects and for policy and program practices to improve child and family well-being through neighborhood change. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, 158 Poole Agricultural Center, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA Article History: Registration Date: 25/09/2006 Received Date: 31/12/2005 Accepted Date: 05/06/2006 Online Date: 20/10/2006

This study examined the age-specific pattern of effects of welfare policies on child achievement. Drawing from 7 random-assignment welfare and antipoverty evaluations that provided more than 30,000 observations of children's achievement, this study found that times of developmental transition are the only periods sensitive to the changes in families brought about by these policies. More specifically, small positive effects of welfare and antipoverty policies were found for children making the transition into middle childhood, and small negative effects of these same policies were found for children making the transition out of middle childhood and into early adolescence. Effects were robust across various program groupings and could not be attributed to family characteristics that differ for children of different ages. This research informs the understanding of how changes in employment and income for low-income parents affect development across childhood. Keywords: poverty, school achievement, policy

The effect of maternal employment on child development is examined using fixed effects models. Hausman tests suggest that ordinary least squares models produce biased and inconsistent estimates. Fixed effects results show that only one of three tests (PLAT math) was negatively affected by maternal hours and weeks worked in year 1 of the child's life. The PIAT reading score was negatively affected by weeks worked in year 1 but not hours worked in year 1. None of the tests were affected by weeks or hours worked in year 2. Finally, weeks worked in year 3 positively affected PIAT math scores.

Objective: To examine the effects of stunting in early childhood on blood pressure in later childhood. Design: A cohort study. Setting: Kingston, Jamaica. Subjects: Seven to eight year old children, 120 stunted (height for age < -2 s.d. of the NCHS references) and 224 non-stunted (height for age > -1 s.d. of the NCHS references) at age 9-24 months. Methods: Stunted and non-stunted children were identified at age 9-24 months by house to-house survey of poor neighbourhoods in Kingston, Jamaica. Blood pressure and anthropometry were measured at age 7-8y. Birth weight was obtained from hospital records (73%) or maternal recall. Results: The stunted children remained shorter and thinner than the non-stunted ones. In multiple regression analysis adjusting for size and pulse rate, the stunted children had higher systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05). Birth weight was not a significant predictor of systolic blood pressure. Conclusion: Stunting in early childhood may increase the risk of elevated systolic blood pressure in later life. Sponsorship: Nutricia Research Foundation, The Netherlands and the Commonwealth Caribbean Medical Research Council. Descriptors: stunting; systolic blood pressure; pulse rate European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000) 54, 563-567, Introduction A growing body of evidence suggests that risk of hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease is programmed by prenatal and early postnatal experiences (Kaplan & Salonen, 1990; Barker et [...]

Research has found that mentoring programs can improve students' peer and family relationships, school attendance, performance, and attitude. However, effective mentoring programs require careful selection and preparation of mentors as well as ongoing support as community development is the backbone of the program and the local residents are willing to make a connection with young people.

Introduction It is well accepted in the field of home-school relations and child development that parents and teachers must work together to build common expectations and to support student learning [...]

The society should focus on the importance of not only academics but also of interpersonal skills and adults should recognize their responsibility to help children and young people develop these skills. A way of dealing with the issues of academic ability and interpersonal skills to rebuild the curriculum in such a way as to allow the students to feel that what they are learning is relevant to their present and future lives.

A study is undertaken in order to develop a better understanding of the factors that contribute to a child's development. This study used data from the 1999 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) to examine how parents feel about their neighborhood and sense of community spirit.

The field of speech-language pathology has increasingly focused on appropriate, culturally sensitive service delivery to persons from multicultural backgrounds. Although this is a welcome and necessary focus for the field, [...]

Several studies have shown that family characteristics can significantly affect children's development and thus school development. A number of studies suggest that high levels of poverty within the community can adversely affect children's development regardless of the quality of the individual family environment.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, but the aetiology or cause is not well understood. Mental disorders are important risk factors for suicidal behaviour but there [...]