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Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading heritable cause of intellectual disability, has a co-occurrence rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) estimated at ~60%. The onset and rates of motor development in FXS are slower relative to neurotypical development, and even more so in the context of co-occurring FXS + ASD. Extant evidence suggests these differences are likely to affect communication, yet this developmental process or how it varies in the context of co-occurring ASD remains unknown in FXS. We aimed to delineate developmental associations between early motor abilities and their rate of development from 9 to 60 months of age on communication outcomes in 51 children with FXS, 28 of whom had co-occurring ASD. We also aimed to identify variation in these developmental associations in the context of co-occurring ASD. Results captured within-syndrome variability in these developmental associations as a function of co-occurring ASD. Fine motor proved to be a robust predictor of receptive communication regardless of co-occurring ASD, but we identified differences between FXS with and without ASD in the association between aspects of motor development and expressive outcomes. Findings provide evidence for differential developmental processes in the context of co-occurring ASD with implications for timely developmental intervention. Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading heritable cause of intellectual disability, has a co-occurrence rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) estimated at ~60%. Children with FXS experience delayed achievement and slower development of key motor abilities, which happens to an even greater extent for children with both FXS and ASD. A multitude of studies have demonstrated that motor abilities are foundational skills related to later communication outcomes in neurotypical development, as well as in the context of ASD. However, these associations remain unexamined in FXS, or FXS + ASD. In this study, we aimed to determine the associations between early motor skills and their rate of development on communication outcomes in FXS. Furthermore, we investigated whether these associations varied in the context of co-occurring FXS + ASD. Results revealed within-FXS variation in the context of co-occurring ASD between some aspects of motor development and communication outcomes, yet within-FXS consistency between others. Findings provide evidence for variability in developmental processes and outcomes in FXS in the context of co-occurring ASD and offer implications for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory features are included in the diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder, and sensory responsiveness may produce "cascading effects" on later development. However, the relation between early sensory profiles and later skills has yet to be defined. This study aims to characterize sensory subgroups in 116 toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism spectrum disorder and test their association with later autistic traits and diagnosis. We used latent class analyses to assess individual differences across sensory patterns, grouping individuals with similar sensory profiles together. The final model was chosen based on a stepwise procedure, starting with a one-class solution, and then adds one class at a time. The Sensory Profile-2 Questionnaire measured clinical sensory features, and four sensory patterns were evaluated (seeking, avoiding, sensitivity, and registration). We investigated sensory subgroups concerning socio-communication skills and restricted/repetitive behaviors at 24 months and the clinical best-estimate diagnosis at 3 years. A three-class solution was favored, and toddlers can be characterized into three homogeneous sensory groups: low seeking, sensory balanced, and high sensitivity. The results showed that the high sensitivity group showed later socio-communicative difficulties and restricted/repetitive behaviors. Children in this class were those with the highest percentage of diagnosis at 3 years (57.9%). These findings provide new insights into the nature of sensory processing and may have implications for personalized support needs. Early sensory responsiveness may produce cascading effects on later development, but the relation between sensory profiles and autistic diagnosis remains unclear. In a longitudinal sample of toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism, we aimed to characterize sensory subgroups and their association with clinical outcomes later on. Three sensory subgroups were described and early sensory sensitivity plays a significant role in later development and diagnosis. This study supported the importance of examining different levels of sensory patterns to dissect the phenotypic heterogeneity in sensory processing. As sensory differences are associated with later developmental outcomes, these results may be critical when designing intervention needs and support for children at increased likelihood for neurodevelopmental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practice guidelines for early childhood education (ECE) and clinical autism interventions (Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention, NDBI) have emerged separately in history, represent different disciplines, and operate within different service systems in the United States. This article identifies priorities, principles, and practices that are shared across the NDBI and ECE frameworks, unique to each framework but compatible with the other, or in conflict. Both frameworks support converging inclusive ECE models focused on autism in that they are both grounded in responsive relationships, natural learning environments, and strategies to promote children's motivation and active engagement. While compatible in general, each framework extends the other in important ways. For example, NDBI goes beyond the ECE frameworks by focusing on a more fine-grained examination of learning strategies and targets. Opportunities for bridging gaps are identified, including the use of implementation science frameworks to integrate perspectives from different stakeholder groups, supporting the scale-up of inclusion preschools in community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) often demonstrate growth differences compared with typically developing (TD) children. However, growth charts have not been developed for this population. The purpose of this study was to create AMC-specific growth charts and to compare these values to those of TD children. A retrospective review of height/length and weight for 206 children with AMC was performed. Growth charts were developed and stratified over seven percentiles; these were then compared with growth charts of TD children. Children with AMC tend to be smaller in stature and weight compared with TD children, particularly in the first 36 months of life. Thereafter, weight values trend toward the 50th percentile of TD children, but height/length values persist around the 5th percentile of TD children. The development of AMC-specific growth charts provides health care providers an objective tool to evaluate growth patterns of patients with AMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many children with developmental delays need early intervention services but do not receive them. Developmental screening provides the impetus for identification of delays and service referrals but is not used consistently across all early childhood education settings. We used an implementation science framework to examine attitudes and engagement in a developmental screening program across three U.S. early childcare centers. Teachers demonstrated adequate knowledge of screening following training in the screener and were highly engaged in the screening process. Teachers' positive attitudes toward screening increased yet perceived barriers to regular use of screening in their practice remained unchanged. Family participation in the screening process varied across centers and suggested a trend between family income and participation. Future research is needed to target pervasive barriers to teachers' use of screening, such as perceived difficulties in engaging parents in the screening process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stories constitute a significant part of the Indian preschool curriculum due to their various benefits in preschool child development. However, the teachers' practice of stories and their perception regarding the influence of stories on preschool child development are vital determining factors in the benefit preschoolers receive from stories. The global concern for providing quality education for preschool children necessitates the exploration of teachers' practices and perceptions; however, such studies in the Indian context, where education is shaped by its multicultural and linguistic diversities, are limited. The present study provides an original contribution to exploring the Indian preschool teachers' practice of stories and perception of the influence of stories on preschool child development using a developed questionnaire, Teachers' Practice and Perception of Stories (TPPS). Ninety-six preschool teachers from English medium schools in Mangalore, India, participated in the study. The findings indicated that irrespective of teachers' demographic variables, they played an active role in telling stories to children and positively believed that stories facilitate speech and language, cognition, literacy, and socio-pragmatic development in preschoolers. The findings broadly apply stories for preschool child development in clinical and school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ADHD and developmental dyslexia (DD) frequently co-occur. However, it is unclear why some children with ADHD acquire DD while others do not. Methods: A total of 830 children (including typically developing controls, ADHD only, DD only, and ADHD + DD groups) of two ages (younger: first–third grade; older: fourth–sixth grade) were assessed on measures of reading ability and reading-related skills. Results: The clinical groups had different degrees of impairment in each reading-related skill. Regression results found that the four groups had different skills in predicting reading ability in younger and older grades. Especially, rapid automatized naming (RAN) was the only predictor of reading ability in children with ADHD only. Conclusions: The study highlights that RAN plays an important role in the reading development of children with ADHD only, reflecting the possible protective role of RAN in reading development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In past comparative studies, children with vision impairment were often shown a developmental delay compared to sighted children in several developmental domains. Medical treatments of vision impairments and societal attitudes toward disabilities changed considerably. Besides, within the rehabilitation practices, a stronger integration of multiple perspectives and increased focus on social inclusion and participation in society is present. The main goal of this scoping review was to investigate what is known about the development in cognition, language and communication, motor, social–emotional, and adaptive skills development of children with vision impairment by longitudinal studies. Besides, the results of the past studies were related to a contemporary view on disability, the participation concept. This was done by applying the family of participation-related constructs (fPRC) framework to examine which factors were covered and which not. A systematic literature search was performed in Web of Science, PsycInfo, ERIC, and Medline. Studies were included if they have been published in peer-reviewed journals between 1994 and 2020 had a longitudinal design and examined the development of children with vision impairment with no additional impairments up to 18 years of age. From the 2698 identified studies, 32 studies were included. The most commonly assessed variables concerned cognition and language and communication development. To a lesser extent, studies examined adaptive skills, motor, and social–emotional development. The majority used vision status as a predictor variable for developmental outcomes. In terms of the fPRC framework, most studies included variables related to the factor activity competences. The factors preferences, sense of self, environment, and involvement were studied far less often. The review suggested a positive impact on developmental outcomes for including variables that can mediate the relation between vision status and developmental outcomes and variables that are related to the fPRC factors environment, sense of self, and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite long wait times, public paediatric developmental assessment services remain crucial for the assessment of vulnerable children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Assessment represents a critical opportunity to guide the placement of supports to improve functioning and developmental trajectories. There is, however, a lack of research examining how multi-disciplinary assessment services conduct assessments, synthesise results and provide reports to families. This study retrospectively examined 85 reports provided to caregivers at a multi-disciplinary developmental assessment service. Reports were evaluated for whether they (1) addressed caregiver perceived needs, (2) used available data to provide appropriate information about child needs, (3) provided recommendations that were actionable and specific to needs, (4) had appropriate readability levels and (5) followed existing autism assessment guidelines. Findings showed clinicians were more focused on autism diagnostic needs while caregivers were more focused on multiple transdiagnostic needs. Recommendations provided in the reports that were related to autism diagnoses were specific and actionable, but reports rarely addressed transdiagnostic needs or comorbidities (e.g. cognitive impairments, mental health). For instance, only 13% of reports contained recommendations for conditions other than autism spectrum disorder, despite 61% of the population receiving two or more diagnoses. Reports largely followed autism assessment guidelines, but the language used was more complex for families than what is typically recommended. Recommendations for future practice are provided to improve the quality of reports and to better meet the needs of children and families attending developmental assessment services. Despite long wait times, public paediatric developmental assessment services remain crucial for assessment of children. Assessment is a critical opportunity to guide the placement of supports to improve outcomes. There is little research examining how clinical assessment services conduct their assessments, present results and write reports to families. This study examined 85 reports provided to caregivers at a developmental assessment service. Reports were evaluated for whether they (1) addressed caregiver perceived needs, (2) used available data to provide appropriate information about child needs, (3) provided recommendations that were actionable and specific to needs, (4) had appropriate readability levels and (5) followed existing autism assessment guidelines. Findings showed clinicians were more focused on autism diagnostic needs while caregivers were more focused on non-diagnostic needs. Recommendations related to autism diagnoses were actionable, but they rarely addressed comorbidities such as cognitive impairments or mental health. For instance, only 13% of reports contained recommendations for conditions other than autism spectrum disorder, despite 61% of the population receiving two or more diagnoses. Reports largely followed autism assessment guidelines, but the language used was more complex for families than recommended. Recommendations for future practice are provided so that consideration may be given to how to improve the quality and effectiveness of reports for families attending services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act (2012) is a progressive legislation enacted in accordance with the child protection policies of India, with a basic premise of gender neutrality and with due consideration to the aspects of child development in complex and difficult judiciary processes. Deposition of the child survivors is a critical part of the POCSO trial processes. It is of paramount importance to consider the developmental and mental health aspects of children and how that would influence their understanding of the judicial processes and mental health consequences during judicial proceedings. Despite the guidelines and support measures for child-friendly court procedures, the courtroom experience can be intimidating for children causing stress and in turn negative mental health impact, and preparation interventions are of immense help in this context. We present two case vignettes where court preparation interventions were used to help children to feel empowered and confident, and minimize the impact of re-traumatization experienced in recounting their abuse experiences and consequently, enabling children to provide accurate testimony in the court. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative to Mahler's separation-individuation model of child development is presented to explain differences in the development and experience of a sense of self in Indian culture and other cultures where the Western sense of individual selfhood is not seen as the goal of maturity and adulthood. In the absence of such a formulation, called here integrative individuation, the familial and relational experience of people from non-Western cultures is often misunderstood and pathologized by clinicians. Features of this non-Western sense of self include looser boundaries, different relational priorities, and greater tolerance regarding personal space. Though these differences have been commented on by scholars, a detailed developmental model has not previously been formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmonious voluntary movements require efficiency in their planning and execution. Throughout middle childhood structural changes in the central nervous and musculoskeletal systems influence these processes and resultant motor behavior. In this study, we evaluated the characteristics of the motor planning and executing of aiming movements directed at targets located in different positions in space in children aged 7, 9, and 11 years. We divided 43 right-handed children, into three age groups and instructed them to perform aiming movements directed at targets using a stylus on a digital tablet. The children performed the movement with their dominant upper limbs from a starting point towards targets positioned ipsilaterally or contralaterally to this dominant limb. We analyzed temporal and spatial variables of motor performance. Younger (7-year-old) children made more errors in the initial movement direction and more frequently corrected their movements during task execution when compared to 9- and 11-year-old children who did not differ from each other. All age groups were similar in movement accuracy and precision. Movements toward contralateral targets were slower and more accurate than movements toward ipsilateral targets for all groups. These results show that performing aiming movements develop with the onset of middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short article is a commentary on this special section of Perceptual and Motor Skills entitled Relationships between Executive Function and Sports/Exercise. Given the vast executive function research in sports already published, this moment is opportune for highlighting (a) progress to date, (b) research limitations yet to address, and (c) inspirational new findings. The articles that follow illustrate these themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of contemporary psychoanalytic writers have characterized gay childhood as a profoundly isolating experience. Within a developmentally informed self psychological framework, the loneliness of gay childhood is theorized here as a deficit in requisite twinship experience in early life. A detailed clinical example illustrates how these thwarted twinship needs may reemerge in the transference to the analyst, and how patients may escalate their acting out when the analyst misattunes to, or altogether misses, manifestations of twinship longings in the transference. A bridge between Freud's theory of the repetition compulsion and Kohut's theory of selfobject transferences suggests how specific moments of thwarted twinship needs may be repeated within the analytic relationship in an attempt to master the earlier experience. The experience of the analyst being pulled into the patient's attempts at mastery is detailed. A broader theoretical trend is hypothesized whereby psychoanalytic theories may have a pull toward twinship between each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In British Columbia (BC), the use of cross-age mentoring programs, commonly referred to as buddy programs, is not systemically evaluated and there are no clear program goals. Although the use of buddy programs is widespread across school districts in BC, research remains scarce regarding both the origins of buddy programs and their purpose. Accordingly, integrating leadership development training for children into existing buddy programs could provide clarity for the use of buddy programs while providing elementary-aged children positive benefits, better equipping them for their professional lives after secondary school. Leadership development training is widely accepted as valuable to the elementary-aged child due to its positive impact on self-esteem, self-efficacy, school connectedness, citizenship, civic efficacy, and sense of social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the generationing of education and development in five villages in Northern Sierra Leone. Understood as 'fields' governed by power dynamics, we consider how the interactive 'fields' of generation, education and development coalesce, re/structuring adult and child 'being' and 'doing'. We explore the tensions that arise between transformation and preservation in the field in light of wider social, cultural and economic change, and the negotiation of the generational contract in contexts of high risk and inter-dependency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated that sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) behaviors are empirically distinct from inattentive (IN) behaviors that are used to define attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, most studies used cross-sectional designs during middle childhood. Using parent and teacher ratings from the Family Life Project (N = 1,173), we investigated the factor structure, longitudinal measurement invariance, developmental trajectories, and predictors of developmental change in SCT and IN from age 3 years through Grade 5. SCT and IN were dissociable but correlated constructs that exhibited longitudinal invariance for both informants. Mean levels of SCT increased modestly with age, becoming more prominent between age 5 years and first grade, while IN was more stable. Lower parental education was associated with higher parent- and teacher-reported SCT, male sex was associated with higher teacher-reported IN, and African American race was associated with higher teacher-reported IN but lower teacher-reported SCT. These findings support the validity of SCT starting in early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, many adolescent girls experience sexual harassment before they leave high school, and between 20% and 25% of college women are survivors of sexual assault. Despite the many negative consequences associated with these experiences, perpetrating sexual harassment and assault is often viewed as normative. Using Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theoretical framework, we propose a bioecological theory of the perpetration and tolerance of sexual harassment of girls. We propose children's proximal and distal contexts contribute to the endorsement of sexualized gender stereotypes, which in turn impacts high rates of both perpetration and acceptance of sexual harassment. We discuss the ways that three important microsystems—parents, peers, and schools—contribute to this acceptance. We also propose that key components of media within the exosystem work to further normalize sexual harassment of girls and women. These contexts inform children's development, creating a culture that is permissive of sexual harassment, resulting in high rates of sexual harassment and assault in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Implications of our proposed theory for policymakers, teachers, parents, and researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is a rich literature on children's strategies for remembering, little attention has been paid to characterizing developmental change within individual children and to examining mediators that may bring about such change. To address these issues, we assess children's memory skills over time while simultaneously examining communicative interactions in the classroom. Children are not taught memory strategies in an explicit manner, but these skills emerge in the context of the elementary school classroom. Accordingly, we use longitudinal and experimental methodologies to examine the ways in which the language of instruction contributes to the development of children's memory and cognitive skills. The basic findings are discussed here in terms of possible applications in the classroom that may impact teachers' instruction and students' learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trajectories of expressive language development are highly heterogeneous in autism. Yoder et al. found that parental responsiveness, child response to joint attention, child communicative intent and consonant inventory were unique predictors of expressive language growth in minimally verbal preschoolers 16 months later (n = 87). This study applied these predictors to an independent sample, over a 12-month period (n = 27). A broader measure of phonetic repertoire, combining reported, elicited and observed speech sounds, was included to further understand the contribution of speech production skills. Expressive language growth was highly variable: 65% remained minimally verbal at mean age 5;2, while 7% gained over 340 words. Contrary to expectations, communicative intent, parent responsiveness and response to joint attention were not found to predict expressive language growth or outcome. In contrast, both consonant inventory and phonetic repertoire were significant predictors (adjusted R 2 = 0.29 and 0.45). These results underscore the contribution of speech production abilities to expressive language development in this population, which may reflect an additional deficit rather than a consequence of core autism symptoms. Future work should include those with the most persistently limited expressive language, so that findings can be generalized and additional barriers to communication identified and addressed. What is already known about the topic? Language skills vary enormously in autism: while some autistic individuals can engage in sophisticated conversations, many remain minimally verbal, meaning they use few or no words regularly for communication. We do not know what causes this variation, but we do know that certain child and family characteristics can be measured when a child is young, and this information can improve our prediction of how expressive language might develop over time. What this article adds? We examined four characteristics, which have already been found to predict language development in young minimally verbal autistic children. We followed the expressive language progress of 27 minimally verbal children, aged three to five, for a year. One-third no longer met the minimally verbal criteria at the end of the study. In this sample, only one factor predicted language progress, which was the child's initial speech skills (the number of different speech sounds that the child made during an interaction). This finding adds to the evidence that speech skills contribute to language development in autism. In some cases, persistent and severe expressive language difficulties may reflect an additional deficit in speech production, rather than a consequence of core autism features. Implications for practice, research or policy Our findings suggest that there are factors other than social skills that influence language development in autism. Careful assessment of speech production should be considered when language does not develop as expected. Future research should evaluate speech skills interventions for minimally verbal autistic individuals, as well as promoting the use of alternative communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For young Spanish–English dual language learners (SE-DLLs), early literacy skills, including phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge in Spanish as well as English, are crucial to their reading success. However, there is a lack of research about how SE-DLLs develop early literacy skills, and how their rates of performance can inform evidence-based intervention. This article examined to what degree SE-DLLs with disabilities or at risk for later reading difficulties on early literacy skills demonstrated growth on English and Spanish measures of early literacy when compared with their typically developing peers. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze growth for 325 SE-DLLs on four Individual Growth and Development Indicators that assessed phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge in English and Spanish. Results indicated that at-risk and typically developing children showed significant slopes for all measures and that at-risk children grew faster than typically developing children on Spanish alphabet knowledge measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently released National Institutes of Health Toolbox (NIHTB) batteries for neurological and behavioral function were designed to serve as standardized, common measures in clinical and epidemiological research. The current study aimed to examine constructs assessed by the self-report and parental proxy-report scales in the NIHTB Emotion Battery (NIHTB-EB) for Children by using factor analyses on data from the U.S. national normative sample of 2,916 English-speaking children. This battery contains 31 scales designed to assess both positive and negative aspects of social and emotional functioning that are considered developmentally relevant at each of three age ranges (3-7, 8-12, and 13-17 years). Results revealed four similar self-report factors for ages 8 to 12 years and 13 to 17 years. Proxy reports for ages 3 to 7 years revealed three factors, and for ages 8 to 12 years two factors. Based on the standardization sample data, age- and gender-corrected norms are presented for all NIHTB-EB individual scales and factor-based composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to describe the association of enrollment in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and infant growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Z scores and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development–Third Edition (Bayley-III) and Vineland Adaptive/Behavior Scale–II (VABS-II) scores represented primary outcomes. We conducted bivariate analyses and linear regression. Children who were enrolled in WIC or WIC/SNAP had weight z scores U (95% confidence interval [CI]) that were 1.32 (0.42-2.21) or 1.19 (0.16-2.23) units higher. Enrollment in WIC or WIC/SNAP was associated with a higher score (95% CI) of 11.7 U (1.2-22.2 U) or 11.5 (0.1-22.9) for Bayley-III cognitive score and 10.1 U (1.9-19.1 U) or 10.3 (0.9-19.7) for the VABS-II composite score. These findings support increased advocacy for participation in WIC or WIC/SNAP for families with high-risk infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the important scholarly contributions to our understandings of creativity, education, and the arts. I describe many important contributions, beginning with Dr. Ellen Winner's foundational studies of child development and the arts in the 1970s and 1980s. I identify several common themes throughout her career. First, I characterize her work as problem finding in nature—exploring new areas and identifying promising new research questions. Second, I discuss the interdisciplinary nature of her work—describing the broad range of empirical studies she has conducted, not only in the arts but also topics ranging from dyslexia to wisdom later in life. Third, I summarize her important contributions to our empirical understandings of the benefits of arts education. Finally, I describe the deeply collaborative nature of her work, noting students and colleagues that she has published with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entry into formal schooling is a signature developmental milestone for young children and their families and represents an important period of cognitive, social, and emotional development. Until recently, few researchers have attempted to isolate the unique impact of schooling on children's developmental and academic outcomes. The application of quasiexperimental methods has provided researchers with the tools to examine when and how schooling shapes children's development. In this article, we summarize three main insights from this work: (a) Schooling produces major, unique changes in children's growth across a wide range of psychological processes important for learning; (b) the effects of schooling are not universal across all domains; and (c) schooling impacts cognitive processes that are not explicitly taught. We also propose that a deeper look at classroom instruction and brain development can expand our understanding of how schooling influences academic success and positive life outcomes and provide a model for developmental science more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the development and content validation of the Child Oral and Motor Proficiency Scale (ChOMPS), a parent-report assessment of eating, drinking, and related skills in children 6 months to 7 years of age. Initially, 69 items for the ChOMPS were generated from literature review. Nineteen professionals evaluated the ChOMPS using content validity indices (CVI). Significant revisions were made to items and directions based on professional feedback. CVI were acceptable for both the relevance and clarity of items. Cognitive interviews were then conducted with 19 parents to explore parent understanding of items. Additional revisions were made based on parent feedback. The reading grade level of the resulting ChOMPS was less than sixth grade. The 70-item ChOMPS has evidence of content validity, indicating the items are relevant and clear to professionals, and parents understand the directions and items as intended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most developmental work regards adverse developmental experiences as forces that undermine well-being. Here, I present an alternative—or complementary—view, summarizing recent evidence on puberty, endocrinology, cellular aging, and brain connectivity that collectively reveals developmental acceleration in response to contextual adversity. Findings are cast in evolutionary-developmental terms, highlighting the trade-off between accelerated aging and (a) increased morbidity and (b) premature mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Modified Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory (MEPSI) is an 80-item, comprehensive measure of psychosocial development based on Erikson's theory with published reliability and validity data. Although designed as a comprehensive measure, some researchers have used individual subscales for specific developmental stages as a measure; however, these subscale reliability scores have not been generally shared. This article reviewed the literature to evaluate the use of the MEPSI: the major research questions, samples/populations studied, and individual subscale and total reliability and validity data. In total, 16 research articles (1990-2011) and 28 Dissertations/Theses (1991-2016) from nursing, social work, psychology, criminal justice, and religious studies met criteria. Results support the MEPSI's global reliability (aggregate scores ranged .89-.99) and validity in terms of consistent patterns of changes observed in the predicted direction. Reliability and validity data for individual subscales were more variable. Limitations of the tool and recommendations for possible revision and future research are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proper preparation for foster parents to care for abused and neglected children includes effective training and initial diagnostics in order to plan individual treatment. Hence, a basic knowledge about the main psychosocial and developmental problems associated with abuse and neglect and their prevalence in foster children is needed. For this purpose, a systematical literature review and a series of meta-analyses were conducted. A total of 25 studies reporting data on development (n = 4,033), mental health (n = 726), and attachment (n = 255) of foster children in preschool age met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analyses indicated prevalence rates of approximately 40% for developmental, mental health problems, and insecure attachment. Rates of disorganized attachment were estimated to 22%. These findings outline the necessity of an initial trauma-oriented diagnostics and trainings for foster parents that address foster children’s development, mental health, and disorganized attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal screening and progress monitoring measures are increasingly of interest to early interventionists who make decisions about the services provided to young children. A measure of infant-toddlers' growth in early movement, the Early Movement Indicator (EMI), was reported in 2002. However, the EMI has remained an experimental measure based on a small sample and not used broadly by practitioners in real-world programs. We addressed this limitation by advancing knowledge the EMIs scalability through a website and improved psychometrics in a large sample. Results indicated that the EMI was (a) scalable evidenced by a large volume of early childhood staff users in programs in five states with 628 children and 2,258 individual EMI assessments, (b) sensitive to growth over time, (c) comprised of a complex continuum of skill development, and (d) influenced by moderators (i.e., home language, Individual Family Service Plan [IFSP] status). Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal screening of very early school-age children (age 4-7 years) is important for early identification of learning problems that may require enhanced learning opportunity. In this context, use of standardized instruments is critical to obtain valid, reliable, and comparable assessment outcomes. A wide variety of standardized instruments is available for screening and assessment purposes, though previous reviews have revealed some technical inadequacies. Suitability and usability of instruments should be considered as well as technical adequacy, making instrument selection a challenge for education professionals. This review used a systematic search to identify 48 instruments that measured development and early academic skills in very early school-age children. Instruments were evaluated and mapped against established psychometric and usability criteria, and rated as good, adequate, or not adequate. The results provide education professionals with a guide to selection of standardized instruments suitable for this age group and assessment purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine age-related changes in gratitude expression and spending preferences and the associations between children’s greatest wish and gratitude expression. Participants were 285 children of ages 7 to 14 (M = 10.87, SD = 2.27, 54% girls) from public and private schools in Porto Alegre, a large urban center of Brazil. We found that verbal gratitude was the most common type of gratitude expression. Older children were more likely to express verbal and less likely to express concrete gratitude than were younger participants; they were also more likely to choose saving money for the future and less likely to choose donating to the poor. We also found a positive correlation between hedonistic wishes and concrete gratitude and between social well-being wishes and connective gratitude. Our results suggest that gratitude is linked to the ability of thinking about others, and may be hindered by a focus on immediate pleasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inadequacy of mental health and developmental services for children is a widely recognized and growing problem. Although a variety of solutions have been proposed, none has been generally successful or feasible. This research describes models of colocation that have evolved in primary care settings in Massachusetts and reports on pediatricians' and their colocated colleagues' impressions of their benefits and challenges. Pediatricians in I8 practices that included a colocated mental health/developmental specialist (MH/DS) were identified through a survey administered through the state American Academy of Pediatrics Chapter, and interviewed. Practices varied widely in the professional expertise/training and roles of the MH/DSs, communication among providers, and financial arrangements. The majority of pediatricians and MH/DSs reported being pleased with their colocated arrangements, despite the costs rarely being supported by billing revenues. This study suggests that further development of such systems hold promise to meet the growing need for accessible pediatric mental and developmental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advances of scientific techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging have led to an enormous increase in understanding of the physical, neurological and cognitive developments in infancy. Alongside this, radical new forms of theatre, dance and music have emerged, aimed at this same age group. Many artists now work alongside child psychologists, educators and other infant specialists to design performing arts productions suited to the needs and abilities of the infant audience. This article provides a summary of the development of the five main senses in early infancy in relation to theatre-based productions for babies aged 0–18 months. An exploration into this cross-disciplinary research practice not only demonstrates how performing arts have adapted for the baby audience, but also how they can provide a platform for further research into child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the psychomotor profiles of preschool stage students and to determine how these data agreed with the students' teachers' subjective assessment. We also correlated these data with other variables such as age, gender, and family influence. A total of 211 children aged 3 to 6 years, in the second cycle of preschool from 30 classes of 10 schools in Spain participated. Additionally, 30 preschool teachers from these classes participated. Study results revealed serious teacher misperceptions regarding their students' psychomotor development, with low agreement rates between students and teachers in the motor dimension and slight agreement rates in communicative, cognitive, and social areas. The reasons for and implications of these misperceptions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal exposure to substances can possibly influence a child's neurodevelopment and may impact on subsequent mental health. We investigated the mental health status of school-aged children referred to a pediatric hospital with a history of prenatal exposure to alcohol or other substances. Mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and compared with a reference group. A total of 105 of 128 (82%) eligible children prenatally exposed to substances participated in the study, with 48 children exposed to alcohol and 57 to other substances. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire subscale mean scores, total difficulties scores, and total impact scores were statistically significantly higher in the group of exposed children, compared with the reference group. In this hospital-based population of school-aged children prenatally exposed to alcohol or other substances, the exposed group had an increased risk of mental health problems, compared with the reference group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study addressed whether a spatial matching task relying on inter-sensory judgments might be influenced by the transition between egocentric and decentered mode of thinking. Thirty-six children aged 5, 7, or 9 years performed a paramedian correspondence task with conditions requiring inter-sensory integration (visual-proprioceptive) and a problem-solving task. The visual information was given through a mirror that perturbed the sensory judgments in the paramedian correspondence task. The results did not corroborate the hypotheses; nevertheless, the increasing importance of proprioception in the perceptual judgments for older children suggests that although younger children may be body centered (egocentric mode of thinking), older children seemed more able to use body to mediate their perceptual judgments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some reports suggest that there is an increase in the number of children identified as having developmental language impairment (Bercow, 2008). yet resource issues have meant that many speech and language therapy services have compromised provision in some way. Thus, efficient ways of identifying need and prioritizing intervention are required. Despite this, children’s natural change is rarely formally considered when intervention planning. The role of age, gender and non-verbal IQ in predicting change has also not always been considered. A longitudinal baseline period is important because it may guide teachers and language therapists towards different therapeutic aims/methods for different groups of children. This study reports on 22 children aged 4–7 identified by teachers as having language difficulties. All children took part in a classroom-based semantic language intervention in two phases, the first led by speech and language therapists (SLTs), followed by a phase led by trained learning support assistants (LSAs). Two Natural Change subgroups were compared: One group showed natural change in language over a six-week period before the intervention ran (n = 11; Baseline Improvers) whilst the other group did not show language change in this non-intervention period (n = 12; Baseline Non-Improvers). The groups were well matched on skills at study entry and differed only on score change without intervention. Language skills were assessed at three subsequent time points: pre-therapy, post-SLT-therapy and post-LSA-therapy. In the group as a whole, significant changes were seen across all language measures except expressive vocabulary. Non-verbal cognitive ability showed no change over time, and did not predict language change. There were important differences in the patterns shown by each subgroup depending on natural change without intervention. Notably, Baseline Non-Improvers changed during intervention more than Baseline Improvers. The results suggest that use of a longitudinal baseline may be useful when planning interventions and deciding where to focus limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS) and Y-Balance Test are common clinical measurements of postural control, but little is known about the effect of age on performance of these tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine how healthy child and adolescent athletes perform on 2 common clinical measurements of postural control.Hypothesis: Younger athletes would demonstrate poorer postural control compared with older athletes.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Level Of Evidence: Level 3.Methods: Three hundred eighty-nine athletes between the ages of 10 and 18 years underwent an evaluation of postural control. Each participant completed the mBESS in the double-leg, single-leg, and tandem stances as well as the Y-Balance Test. Postural stability data were analyzed between age groups (10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 years) using univariate analyses of covariance.Results: The youngest athletes (10-12 years) had a greater mean number of errors in the single-leg stance of the mBESS than the 13- to 15-year-old and 16- to 18-year-old athletes (3.8, 3, and 2.5 errors, respectively; P < 0.01). They also had greater right to left asymmetry compared with the 16- to 18-year-old athletes on the Y-Balance Test in the posterolateral (6.8 and 3.8 cm, respectively; P = 0.006) and posteromedial (5.3 and 3.6 cm, respectively; P = 0.014) directions of movement.Conclusion: Athletes between the ages of 10 and 12 years performed worse on the single-leg stance of the mBESS and demonstrated more asymmetry on the Y-Balance Test in the posterolateral and posteromedial directions compared with older athletes.Clinical Relevance: In the absence of a baseline balance test for athletes younger than the age of 13 years, caution should be used in interpreting postural stability assessments, as age may be a modifying factor in performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder is accompanied by ongoing efforts to understand and support parents in the face of challenges related to their child’s autism spectrum disorder. Although fathers are increasingly hands-on in raising children, research focus on parenting children with autism spectrum disorder continues to be skewed toward experiences of mothers. Our purpose in this article is to contribute understandings of how fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder perceive themselves to be managing, and we undertake this by examining comparisons fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder make between their parenting experiences and experiences of fathers of typically developing children. A purposive sample of 28 fathers of children (aged 2–13 years) with autism spectrum disorder living in an urban center in Western Canada participated in in-depth interviews about their parenting successes and challenges. We found fathers speak of universal fathering experiences yet articulate their own sense of loss and efforts to come to terms with unanticipated demands associated with autism spectrum disorder. Fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder feel “pangs of jealousy” toward fathers of typically developing children, yet they are keenly attentive to their own child’s development and convey a sense of gratitude for their child’s capabilities and personality amidst an appreciation for trials and triumphs of fathering in general and fathering a child with autism spectrum disorder in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the developmental origins of visual working memory in infants has largely progressed along two separate branches. One branch is rooted in the classic work on adult visual working memory, while the other is rooted in the classic work on the object concept in infancy. Both lines of research have yielded some converging results but also some surprisingly different patterns. In this review, I show that these different patterns are evidence for two distinct types of representations, which I term feature-based and object-based. I then show that there is evidence for both representation types beyond infancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most people have experienced loneliness and have been able to overcome it to reconnect with other people. In the current review, we provide a life-span perspective on one component of the evolutionary theory of loneliness—a component we refer to as the reaffiliation motive (RAM). The RAM represents the motivation to reconnect with others that is triggered by perceived social isolation. Loneliness is often a transient experience because the RAM leads to reconnection, but sometimes this motivation can fail, leading to prolonged loneliness. We review evidence of how aspects of the RAM change across development and how these aspects can fail for different reasons across the life span. We conclude with a discussion of age-appropriate interventions that may help to alleviate prolonged loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although considerable research has addressed development from childhood giftedness to adult excellence, subjective perceptions of this development by gifted individuals themselves have remained largely unexplored. This multiple case study examined the ways in which young adults, who in the past had been identified as gifted, made sense of their giftedness based on cues obtained from their social environment and the impact of this sensemaking on their development. Some participants made sense of their giftedness in a way that prevented them from developing a sense of agency in their education: Their sensemaking was based on social control or, conversely, on effortless learning and easy victories they experienced in childhood. The participants who showed the highest level of achievement and motivation in early adulthood perceived themselves as “agents of their learning” and made sense of their extraordinary outcomes as resulting from effortful, proper, and self-directed practice. Our findings indicate that a sense of agency is critical to maintaining gifted-level achievement through adolescence. We have identified some of the social environment factors that can diminish or enhance that sense of agency in high-achieving children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

All primates learn things from conspecifics socially, but it is not clear whether they conform to the behavior of these conspecifics—if conformity is defined as overriding individually acquired behavioral tendencies in order to copy peers’ behavior. In the current study, chimpanzees, orangutans, and 2-year-old human children individually acquired a problem-solving strategy. They then watched several conspecific peers demonstrate an alternative strategy. The children switched to this new, socially demonstrated strategy in roughly half of all instances, whereas the other two great-ape species almost never adjusted their behavior to the majority’s. In a follow-up study, children switched much more when the peer demonstrators were still present than when they were absent, which suggests that their conformity arose at least in part from social motivations. These results demonstrate an important difference between the social learning of humans and great apes, a difference that might help to account for differences in human and nonhuman cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article provides an integrated review of the expert literature on developmental processes that combine social, biological, and neurological pathways, and the mechanisms through which these pathways may influence school success and health. It begins with a historical overview of the current understanding of how attachment relationships and social environments influence brain development and plasticity and are, therefore, central to the physical and mental health of individuals and populations. It then expands on the effect of plasticity in relation to behavior and learning at school. This article concludes with a discussion of the role the school nurse may play in supporting health and learning by recognizing signs of relational stress and by advocating for prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study explores how school-aged children conceive relevant sources in learning how to draw the human figure: a live model, a photograph, a drawing and thought. Our purpose was to identify children's preferences in this regard, to study their evaluation of the potential for help they see in those sources, and analyse whether those justifications were related to children's developmental-educational level. Sixty children from first (20), third (20) and fifth year of elementary school (20) were interviewed individually. Children's preferences did not vary according to school level, but their justifications regarding the value of each source did. A developmental trend in the direction of a more flexible consideration of the drawer/learner's agency and of an incipient epistemological multiplism was found. Results contribute to two fields of developmental-educational research: development of graphical representation and conceptions of learning and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests that brain development follows an abnormal trajectory in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The current study examined changes in diffusivity with age within defined white matter tracts in a group of typically developing children and a group of children with an ASD, aged 6 to 14 years. Age by group interactions were observed for frontal, long distant, interhemispheric and posterior tracts, for longitudinal, radial and mean diffusivity, but not for fractional anisotropy. In all cases, these measures of diffusivity decreased with age in the typically developing group, but showed little or no change in the ASD group. This supports the hypothesis of an abnormal developmental trajectory of white matter in this population, which could have profound effects on the development of neural connectivity and contribute to atypical cognitive development in children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The reading process and reading development have been addressed by researchers for decades. As a result we know much about what reading is and how it happens. However, less is known about how reading influences other aspects of children’s development, specifically the development of social imagination. To address this, we examined the narrative produced by one child during wordless picture book reading using a conceptually derived coding scheme to identify instances of social imagination. We asked: Is children’s use of social imagination visible in wordless book reading, and if so, what does it look like and how might it give us a more detailed in-process view of the reader–text transaction? Results suggest that the use of social imagination is observable in wordless book reading and that it is an integral part of the comprehension of stories. From this we posit that through vicarious engagement with others, the process of reading may influence the relational capacity for social imagination. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is now well established in the adult literature that the ability to engage in flexible thought and action is a complex skill that relies on a number of underlying processes. The development of this skill has received growing interest in recent years. However, theories explaining children's ability to switch between different tasks typically focus on a single underlying process and are rarely extended to explain development beyond the preschool years. This article reviews the current literature on set shifting in children in comparison with task switching in adults, in order to highlight the range of factors that impact on children's ability to flexibly shift between tasks. In doing this we hope to set the scene for future research that can begin to establish the relationships between these processes and how they change with age. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Researchers have designed training methods that can be used to improve mental health and to test the efficacy of education programs. However , few studies have demonstrated broad transfer from such training to performance on untrained cognitive activities. Here we report the effects of two interactive computerized training programs developed for preschool children: one for music and one for visual art. After only 20 days of training, only children in the music group exhibited enhanced performance on a measure of verbal intelligence, with 90% of the sample showing this improvement. These improvements in verbal intelligence were positively correlated with changes in functional brain plasticity during an executive-function task. Our findings demonstrate that transfer of a high-level cognitive skill is possible in early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]