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This study investigated the influence of gender, age, and camp type on outcome achievements for children (aged 6 to 10) at summer camp. The outcome achievements measured were affinity for exploration, affinity for nature, camp connectedness, friendship skills, independence, perceived competence, problem-solving confidence, responsibility, and teamwork skills. Three hundred thirteen campers were sampled from American Camp Association--accredited day and resident camps. Controlling for camper age, the study found an interaction effect between the type of camp attended and the gender of campers. Discriminant analysis indicated that differences were primarily due to achievements on the outcomes of affinity for nature and perceived competence. A discussion of implications of these findings for camp administrators concludes the paper.

In this response to Spaulding et al.'s examination of state education agency (SEA) guidance on severity ratings, these authors contend that Spaulding et al. provided an incomplete view of current practices in public schools. These authors state that, ultimately, school speech-language pathologists (SLPs) must follow all state regulations and local policies and procedures, and also should be aware of nonbinding guidance available to assist members of the individualized education program (IEP) team in making a determination of need for services regardless of any severity rating. These authors agree that: (1) the work of Spaulding et al. (2012) provides important information on standardized test use and an overview of differences in state severity rating models; (2) the information regarding the appropriate use of standardized tests of language skills is a critical first step toward the body of work required for development of assessment tools and techniques that are functional; and (3) that due to limited guidance offered by both ASHA and the research literature, school-based clinicians may turn to their state education department to identify recommended procedures. However, they suggest that further discussion is needed at the national, state, and local level to address issues such as standardization samples that do not include students with language impairments. In addition, the difference between a test designed to determine presence of impairment versus degree of severity should be examined, and research in the speech-language pathology field should continue to examine existing evaluation tools and focus on the development of new assessment methods that can be used by school-based SLPs. Finally, these authors state that functional, scalable, and evidence-based assessment and treatment practices in the literature are needed so that those working in SEAs and LEAs can develop evidence-based guidance and state policies that advance the practice of SLPs in the school setting.

This paper will provide information on a recent Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) conducted by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network on Using Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice to Improve Foster Care Placement Stability. Information on this particular BSC will be provided, followed by initial findings gathered from an evaluation of the BSC and metrics gathered by each of the nine participating teams throughout the BSC process. Specific trauma-informed promising strategies adopted by teams are presented along with recommendations for next steps. (Contains 1 table.)

The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) is a multi-site case-control study designed to explore the relationship between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotypes and etiologies. The goals of this paper are to (1) describe the SEED algorithm that uses the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) to classify children with ASD, (2) examine psychometric properties of different ASD classification methods, including the SEED method that incorporates rules for resolving ADI-R and ADOS discordance, and (3) determine whether restricted interests and repetitive behaviors were noted for children who had instrument discordance resolved using ADI-R social and communication scores. Results support the utility of SEED criteria when well-defined groups of children are an important clinical or research outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For young children with significant social emotional difficulties, early identification and intervention can mitigate later challenges. Early social emotional difficulties may indicate an early mental health condition, developmental delays, or educational disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) includes provisions for finding and supporting young children with delays or disabilities associated with social emotional needs. Yet, few young children are identified and connected to services, suggesting identification challenges. We used survey methodology to learn about social emotional evaluation practices used by Child Find teams in Colorado for children evaluated for early intervention and preschool special education eligibility. Results suggested that Child Find professionals relied heavily on observations, parent report, and teacher/caregiver input when determining social emotional eligibility. Fewer providers used standardized screening and validated social emotional tools. While most providers made decisions aligned with Colorado eligibility, others appeared to misunderstand the criteria. Implications and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between incarcerated parents and their children. A total of 110 participants in the "Reading for a Change" program at three Colorado correctional facilities were recruited. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, incarcerated parents were asked about their relationships with their children and the impact incarceration has had on their families. Results indicated considerable barriers to visits, high costs of keeping in touch, significant impacts on the family at home, strained financial support, and important reported changes in children's behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental programming of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis is theorized as a mechanism through which early life experiences are linked to later health outcomes. Despite the importance of understanding early stress responses, reliably eliciting stress responses in young children can be challenging. The current study measured salivary cortisol reactivity in a diverse sample of preschoolers. A standardized challenge paradigm was administered at home and at child care for each child, allowing for comparison of normative cortisol reactivity between settings. Results demonstrated that administration at home was associated with significant cortisol reactivity, while administration at child care was not. In comparison to white children, racially and ethnically diverse children exhibited lower cortisol reactivity in response to the home stressor. Results suggest that home‐based stress paradigms may be particularly effective at eliciting a stress response in this age range. Possible interpretations of differences by child race/ethnicity are discussed. Highlights: Differential physiological responses to stress examined between home and childcare environments for a diverse sample of preschoolers.Significant cortisol reactivity was elicited at home but not at childcare, suggesting that home visits create a novel, naturalistic stressor for young children.Latinx and non‐Latinx minority children exhibited lower physiological reactivity in comparison to white children – cultural and methodological considerations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The epidemiology, demographics, clinical presentations, and outcomes associated with enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) pathotypes in US children are not well understood. Methods This study was a retrospective chart review of all pediatric patients with a stool sample submitted to the Children's Hospital Colorado clinical microbiology laboratory for testing with the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel from October 2015 through October 2017. Results During the study period, 5692 patient stool samples were submitted; 679 (13%) were positive for EAEC, EPEC, or ETEC. Of note, 163/232 (70%) patients with EAEC, 282/493 (57%) with EPEC, and 49/58 (85%) with ETEC had detection of at least 1 other pathogen. Of all E. coli –positive stool samples, only 158/679 (23%) were from low-risk patients who were singly infected with EAEC, EPEC, or ETEC. In this cohort, most cases were associated with acute diarrhea (50%), abdominal pain (61%), and/or cramping (49%) and presented without fever (14%), emesis (28%), or lethargy (7%). Thirteen (8%) of these 158 patients received antibiotics at the time of their initial presentation to care. Of the 145 patients who did not receive antibiotics at their initial visit, 23 (16%) returned to care due to persistence of symptoms. Conclusions Our results suggest that the majority of patients singly infected with EAEC, EPEC, or ETEC present with mild, self-limited, gastrointestinal (GI) complaints. Further research is needed to determine what role these pathogens might play in children who present with chronic or inflammatory GI symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of Hispanic parents' perceptions of their preschool children's weight status. Design and Methods A cross-sectional descriptive design with Hispanic parent-child dyads ( n = 83) from a Head Start setting was used to compare parents' perceptions of their children's weight status with their 2- to 5-year-old children's body mass index (BMI) and weight categories. Methods included a word choice from five response options, and varying body size silhouettes presented in a linear fashion and a random circular pattern. Parents' perceptions were compared with the children's BMI, and in relationship to parents' demographic characteristics and BMI. Results Approximately half of parents underestimated their child's weight status, and overweight/obese parents tended to underestimate their overweight/obese children's weight status. Practice Implications Eliciting parent perception of their child's weight is one way providers can engage in obesity prevention dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Vision problems in homeless children can decrease educational achievement and quality of life. Purpose. To estimate the prevalence and specific diagnoses of vision problems in children in an urban homeless shelter. Methods. A prospective series of 107 homeless children and teenagers who underwent screening with a vision questionnaire, eye chart screening (if mature enough) and if vision problem suspected, evaluation by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Glasses and other therapeutic interventions were provided if necessary. Results. The prevalence of vision problems in this population was 25%. Common diagnoses included astigmatism, amblyopia, anisometropia, myopia, and hyperopia. Glasses were required and provided for 24 children (22%). Conclusions. Vision problems in homeless children are common and frequently correctable with ophthalmic intervention. Evaluation by pediatric ophthalmologist is crucial for accurate diagnoses and treatment. Our system of screening and evaluation is feasible, efficacious, and reproducible in other homeless care situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined the implications of test differences for defining and diagnosing comprehension deficits using reading comprehension tests. They had 995 children complete the Gray Oral Reading Test–3, the Qualitative Reading Inventory–3, the Woodcock–Johnson Passage Comprehension–3, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and compared which children were identified by each test as being in the lowest 10%. Although a child who performs so poorly might be expected to do poorly on all tests, the authors found that the average overlap between tests in diagnosing comprehension difficulties was only 43%. Consistency in diagnosis was greater for younger children, when comprehension deficits are the result of weaker decoding skills, than for older children. Inconsistencies between tests were just as evident when identifying the top performers. The different children identified as having a comprehension deficit by each test were compared on four profile variables—word decoding skill, IQ, ADHD symptoms, and working memory skill—to understand the nature of the different deficits assessed by each test. Theoretical and practical implications of these test differences in defining and diagnosing comprehension deficits are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose To evaluate an end-of-life ( EOL) program related to specific outcomes (i.e., number of hospitalizations and place of death) for children with brain tumors. Design and Methods From 1990 to 2005, a retrospective chart review was performed related to specified outcomes for 166 children with admission for pediatric brain tumors. Results Patients who received the EOL program were hospitalized less often ( n = 114; chi-square = 5.001 with df = 1, p <.05) than patients who did not receive the program. Practice Implications An EOL program may improve symptom management and decrease required hospital admissions for children with brain tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND School environment and policy changes have increased healthy eating and physical activity; however, there has been modest success in translating research findings to practice. The School Environment Project tested whether an adapted version of Intervention Mapping (AIM) resulted in school change. METHODS Using a pair randomized design, 10 rural elementary schools were assigned to AIM or the School Health Index (SHI). Baseline measures were collected fall 2005, AIM was conducted 2005-2006, and follow-up measures were collected fall 2006 and 2007. Outcome measures included number and type of effective environment and policy changes implemented; process measures included the extent to which 11 implementation steps were used. RESULTS AIM schools made an average of 4.4 effective changes per school with 90% still in place a year later. SHI schools made an average of 0.6 effective changes with 66% in place a year later. Implementation steps distinguishing AIM from SHI included use of external, trained facilitators; principal involvement; explicitly stating the student behavior goals; identifying effective environment and policy changes; prioritizing potential changes based on importance and feasibility; and developing an action plan. CONCLUSION The AIM process led to environment and policy changes known to increase healthy eating and physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physically neglected youth are at increased risk of mental health problems, but there are few interventions that have demonstrated efficacy in reducing mental health symptoms for this vulnerable population. The Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) program, which consists of mentoring and skills groups, was developed for preadolescent youth in foster care. In a published randomized controlled trial with 156 youth, FHF demonstrated positive impacts on mental health functioning. The current study sought to determine whether FHF might be particularly effective in ameliorating the impact of neglectful family environments. Because it was not possible to isolate a neglected-only subgroup, as most children with physical neglect histories had experienced other types of maltreatment, we tested the hypothesis that intervention effects would be stronger among children with more severe physical neglect. Findings did not support this hypothesis, however, as severity of physical neglect did not significantly moderate the impact of the intervention on psychosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very little is known about the language environments of children in the United States in non-English-speaking homes. There is currently no published research that analyzes deaf or hard of hearing children in Spanish-speaking households, although the Colorado Home Intervention Program demographics indicate that these households account for 10 to 15% of the population of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In other geographic regions in the United States, it is likely that the population of deaf and hard of hearing children from Spanish-speaking homes is considerably larger. The Spanish-speaking population in the United States has grown considerably within the last 5 to 10 years and will continue to expand. For these children to receive adequate treatment, research must be conducted to understand their language environment. The Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) System uses a small recording device to collect, analyze, and sort a child's language environment into multiple categories and analyzes variables such as child vocalizations, adult words, and conversational turn taking. The normative data for the LENA System are from families who are English-speaking. The article demonstrates the feasibility of using the LENA System to gain understanding of the language environment of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing in a Spanish-speaking household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will provide information about the Pragmatics Checklist, which consists of 45 items and is scored as: (1) not present, (2) present but preverbal, (3) present with one to three words, and (4) present with complex language. Information for both children who are deaf or hard of hearing and those with normal hearing are presented. Children who are deaf or hard of hearing are significantly older when demonstrating skill with complex language than their normal hearing peers. In general, even at the age of 7 years, there are several items that are not mastered by 75% of the deaf or hard of hearing children. Additionally, the article will provide some suggestions of strategies that can be considered as a means to facilitate the development of these pragmatic language skills for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prospectively examined mean changes in Autism Diagnostic Interview—Revised (ADI-R) Total and Domains scores and stability of the ADI-R diagnostic classification in 28 children with autism initially assessed at age 2—4 years and reassessed 2 years later. Mean Total, Social Interaction, and Communication scores decreased significantly from Time 1 to Time 2 Restricted/repetitive Domain mean scores did not change over time. The ADI-R diagnostic classification was stable in 67% of children using the current published criteria. The stability increased to 78% when a modified criterion was used in the Restricted/repetitive Domain and to 88% when the broader ASD criteria were used. Among pre-schoolers with autism, parent-reported symptoms decreased significantly at two-year follow-up in Social and Communication Domains but not in the Restricted/repetitive Domain. However, ADI-R diagnostic classification remained relatively stable over time. Revising ADI-R diagnostic criteria in the Restricted/repetitive Domain or including the broader ASD criteria may improve its sensitivity and diagnostic stability in younger children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The field of public health is increasingly using community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address complex health problems such as childhood obesity. Despite the growing momentum and funding base for doing CBPR, little is known about how to undertake intervention planning and implementation in a community-academic partnership. An adapted version of Intervention Mapping (AIM) was created as a tool for university and elementary school partners to create school-level environment and policy changes aimed at increasing student physical activity and healthy eating. After AIM was completed, interviews were conducted with school partners. Findings indicate AIM is closely aligned to 7 of 9 CBPR principles. Examples include equitable involvement of all partners, co-learning, and balancing knowledge generation and community improvement. Shortcomings, lessons learned, and suggestions for strengthening the AIM process are described. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Childhood obesity is among the leading health concerns in the United States. The relationship between unmet physical activity needs in young children is of particular interest as the trend in childhood obesity continues to rise and unmet physical activity needs are identified. The preschool years are an influential time in promoting healthful lifestyle habits and early childhood interventions may help establish lifelong healthful behaviors which could help prevent obesity later in life. The Food Friends : Get Movin' with Mighty Moves is a preschool physical activity program which aims to improve children's gross motor skills and physical activity levels. The home environment and parental modeling are critical factors related to child physical activity in this population. The parent component, Mighty Moves : Fun Ways to Keep Families Active and Healthy, was designed to address barriers in the home environment that lead to unmet physical activity needs in preschoolers and their families. The program and materials were designed based on Social Marketing tenets and Social Learning Theory principles. Four Colorado Head Start centers were assigned to an experimental group as part of the Mighty Moves group randomized trial. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used to determine what messages and materials reached and motivated the target audience to increase physical activity levels. Results of the study indicated the program's materials helped families and children to be more physically active. Additionally, materials and material dissemination were revised to enhance program goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrophysiological work in nonhuman primates has established the existence of multiple types of signals in the temporal lobe that contribute to recognition memory, including information regarding a stimulus's relative novelty, familiarity, and recency of occurrence. We used high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine whether young infants represent these distinct types of information about previously experienced items. Twenty-four different highly familiar and initially novel items were each repeated exactly once either immediately ( Experiment 1 ), or following one intervening item ( Experiment 2 ). A late slow wave (LSW) component of the ERP exhibited neural responses consistent with recency signals over right-central leads, but only when there were no intervening stimuli between repetitions. The LSW also exhibited responses consistent with familiarity signals over anterior-temporal leads, but only when there were intervening stimuli between repetitions. A mid-latency negative component (i.e., the Nc) also distinguished familiar from novel items, but did not exhibit a pattern of responding consistent with familiarity signals. These findings suggest that infants encode information about a variety of objects from their natural environments into long-term memory, and can discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar items, and between recently seen and new items, very quickly (within 1 sec). They also suggest that infants represent information about not only whether a stimulus is familiar or unfamiliar but also whether it has been seen recently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve-month follow-up outcomes from a group-randomized trial (GRT) of a classroom curriculum aimed at preventing bullying and victimization among elementary students in the Denver, Colorado, public school system are presented. Twenty-eight elementary schools were randomly assigned to receive selected modules of Youth Matters (YM), a skills-training curriculum that targets bullying and victimization, or to a no-treatment control group. Linear growth models were fitted to five waves of data collected over 3 years to test the effect of the intervention on the rate of change in self-reported bullying and victimization. Participation in YM was associated with a 7% decline in bully victimization 1 year after the intervention ended. Practice and methodological challenges encountered in the investigation are discussed in the larger context of intervention research in school settings. Strategies to increase school-based intervention research by social work investigators are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the degree to which parents are informed about syndrome-based behaviors in children with three genetic mental retardation syndromes: Down syndrome (n = 21). Prader-Willi syndrome (n = 25), and Williams syndrome (n = 21). Parents were informed regarding blatant behavioral features associated with their children's syndromes (especially concerning maladaptive behaviors) but were less informed about certain subtle syndrome-based cognitive processing outcomes. Compared to the parents of children with the other two syndromes, parents of children with Down syndrome were more informed about syndrome-related behaviors; in addition, greater numbers of individuals (e.g., parents, school psychologists, teachers, speech-language pathologists) brought information about children with Down syndrome into the classroom setting. Across all three groups, the supportive educational services received by the children were generally not adjusted to syndrome profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at describing the characteristics of school-aged children whom educators had identified as learning disabled (LD). A probability sample of 800 was selected from the population of all children served as learning disabled in the state of Colorado. A coding form was used by trained coders to extract relevant features from the case files of the children. The sample was characterized by (1) distributions of single variables (e.g., below grade level achievement, discrepancy between IQ and achievement, medical indicators), and (2) hierarchical classification creating clusters or subgroups within the LD sample. Fewer than half the sample exhibited characteristics consistent with definitions of LD in federal regulations and professional literature. Included in this group were subgroups of hyperactive, brain-injured children, children with significant discrepancies between IQ and achievement and those with signs of perceptual processing disorders. Slightly more than half the sample did not match conventional definitions of LD but exhibited learning problems such as language interference, emotional disorders, or mild retardation. The inclusion of the latter groups among the learning disabled is a particular problem in the validation of the construct and will confound research on prevalence rates and treatment efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Weight, height, and head circumference measurements of 4,167 Spanish-surnamed school-aged children were compared with similar data from 2,322 non-Spanish surnamed children who resided in the same Denver, Colorado neighborhoods. These data were also compared with data from six other studies. Both male and female Spanish-surnamed children were found to weigh less, be shorter, and have smaller head circumferences than non-Spanish-surnamed children living in the same Denver neighborhoods. The sizes of the children in these two populations residing in lower and lower-middle class neighborhoods were closer to each other than to the sizes of children from middle and upper-middle socioeconomic classes as measured in previous studies or to the sizes of children in the recently published cross-sectional National Center for Health Statistics study. Such comparisons suggest that growth retardation is more a reflection of socioeconomic factors than of ethnic-genetic factors. (Am J Public Health 69:903-907, 1979.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children spend a substantial amount of time in early care and education (ECE) settings and may eat a majority of their diet in this setting. While there are several instruments focused on measuring factors of the ECE environment that may influence diet and weight outcomes, there are few comprehensive, valid, and reliable measures for collecting self-report of ECE providers’ feeding practices. The purpose of this study was to establish the factor structure and internal reliability of a survey developed to measure practices and beliefs of ECE providers relative to feeding children. Methods: Licensed ECE centers from CA, CO, ID and NV were included in this cross-sectional survey study. The sample was stratified by states and census regions to yield equal numbers of centers from each category. The total sample distribution included 1600 randomly selected centers and up to 8000 staff members (who represented teachers, aides, assistants, or cooks); 1178 surveys were completed. We conducted an exploratory, unrestricted factor analysis as well as parallel analyses to inform the number of factors to be extracted. Results: Factors within Structural Mealtime Strategies included Adult Control of Foods Consumed (Kuder-Richardson [KR] = 0.67), Bribing with Sweet Foods (KR = 0.70), and Supportive Adult Roles at Mealtime (KR = 0.55). Factors in Verbal Mealtime Strategies included Supporting Children’s Eating Self-regulation (KR =0.61), Pressure to Eat (KR = 0.58), and Social Comparisons (KR = 0.59). Beliefs about Mealtime factors were Autonomy Promoting (α = 0.64), Coercive Beliefs (α = 0.77), and Concern-Based Control (α = 0.60). Conclusions: The AFC Strategies and Beliefs Survey provides a promising self-report instrument with a strong factor structure consistent with the extant literature to measure practices and beliefs related to feeding and mealtimes in the ECE setting. Feeding young children in group settings differs in many ways from feeding in a family setting; hence it is important that measures such as the AFC Strategies and Beliefs Survey capture unique aspects of the ECE feeding environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A 1984 study of dental disease in 534 children (aged 6-15) of migrant farm workers in Colorado found that the prevalence of disease for this population continues to exceed the national and regional average. The mean DMFS was 3.56 with only 23 per ¢ caries free compared to a regional non-migrant DMFS mean of 2.50 with 44.7 per ¢ caries free. Results indicate that the children of migrant farm workers should remain a priority in preventive and restorative dental care programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]