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Aim: To investigate developmental trajectories in early childhood and predictors of class assignment. Methods: Data were available for Gen2 infants at 12 (n = 2275), 24 (n = 1845) and 36 (n = 2110) months of age in the Raine Study. Latent growth class analysis was used to identify developmental trajectories based on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to estimate associations between foetal growth restriction, gestational age, child biological sex, breast feeding, parental age, socioeconomic factors and developmental trajectories. Results: Two groups of infants were identified, one typically performing and one poorer performing. Being born early-term, pre-term and male were associated with poorer development. Not exposed to breastfeeding was associated with the lower trajectories in the adaptive and personal-social domains. Conclusions: Developmental surveillance and advice for early-term infants should be considered. Findings highlight the continued need to support and promote breastfeeding as a protective mechanism for child development.

This descriptive study examines the reproductive health awareness of 100 randomly selected college students in selected private colleges in Olongapo City. The survey covered six basic and common reproductive health issues: maternal and child health, family planning, promotion of breastfeeding, adolescent reproductive health, prevention and management of abortion, prevention and management of reproductive tract infections. The data were subjected using weighted mean, and Pearson -r. The following information was generated: student-respondents were aware of the six basic and common reproductive health issues. On the sources of students' information, which included socio-economic conditions, status of women, social and gender issues, culture and psycho-social issues, the respondents perceived all of these factors as important. The correlational analysis also revealed a moderate to strong relationship values in all six health issues. The sources of students' information significantly affected the levels of awareness in the different issues about reproductive health. Moreover, the sources of reproductive health information come from the following according as ranked by the respondents: parents, nurse/doctor, television, friends, and the internet.

Few studies have compared knowledge of the specific health risks of cannabis across jurisdictions. This study aimed to examine perceptions of the health risks of cannabis in Canada and US states with and without legal non-medical cannabis. Cross-sectional data were collected from the 2018 and 2019 International Cannabis Policy Study online surveys. Respondents aged 16-65 (n = 72 459) were recruited from Nielsen panels using non-probability methods. Respondents completed questions on nine health effects of cannabis (including two 'false' control items). Socio-demographic data were collected. Regression models tested differences in outcomes between jurisdictions and by frequency of cannabis use, adjusting for socio-demographic factors. Across jurisdictions, agreement with statements on the health risks of cannabis was highest for questions on driving after cannabis use (66-80%), use during pregnancy/breastfeeding (61-71%) and addiction (51-62%) and lowest for risk of psychosis and schizophrenia (23-37%). Additionally, 12-18% and 6-7% of respondents agreed with the 'false' assertions that cannabis could cure/prevent cancer and cause diabetes, respectively. Health knowledge was highest among Canadian respondents, followed by US states that had legalized non-medical cannabis and lowest in states that had not legalized non-medical cannabis (P < 0.001). Overall, the findings demonstrate a substantial deficit in knowledge of the health risks of cannabis, particularly among frequent consumers.

Community health workers have been shown to be an effective way to improve health outcomes in under-resourced contexts like South Africa. Community health workers can support health and well-being through supporting mother-infant bonding, which is associated with a wide range of benefits. The bond between mother and infant is critical for infants' health, nutrition, care, and future development. However, mother-infant bonding faces many challenges in South Africa, including poverty, poor health care, lack of education, maternal depression, substance abuse, and high rates of crime and violence. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore how community health workers might enhance mother-infant bonding. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 community health workers. A thematic analysis suggests that that there are many contextual inhibitors of mother-infant bonding, that support is vital for mother-infant bonding, and that community health workers provide comprehensive, holistic support.

Background: Given the importance of adaptive behaviour (AB) for the identification of intellectual disability and the design of intervention plans for people with Down syndrome (DS), this cross-sectional study explored AB in infants with DS, compared to infants with typical development (TD). Method: we evaluated 60 infants (10-36 months) with ABAS-II (32 with DS, 28 with TD). Using the developmental trajectories method for data analysis, we compared AB between the two groups. Results: We found significant differences between groups in most of the skills assessed, in favour of infants with TD. Three different patterns of trajectories were found for the AB and the relation between the groups: (1) no differences (Leisure and Self-Care Skills); (2) differences at the beginning of the trajectory and then a similar slope (Home Living, Self-Direction, Social and Motor Skills); and (3) a similar starting-point with differences in the trajectories (Communication, Community Use, Pre-Academic, and Health and Safety). Conclusions: This empirical cross-sectional study contributes to the understanding of the development of AB in children with DS, showing both weak areas and skills that continue improving over time in these early years. Contributions and limitations of the study are discussed.

The estimated number of forcibly displaced persons around the globe is at a record high--nearly 70.8 million (UNHCR 2019)--75 percent of whom are women and children. This includes 34 million adolescent girls and young women, who are among the groups with the highest risk for health concerns. Indeed, many of the countries with the worst maternal and child health indicators are currently experiencing or have recently experienced a humanitarian crisis. The breakdown of health systems in humanitarian settings can cause a dramatic rise in mortality that would otherwise be easily preventable (Al Gasseer et al. 2004). The concentration of adversities associated with humanitarian settings puts young children at great risk of impaired development. Despite the enormous need for early childhood services in humanitarian settings--some 250 million children are living in countries affected by armed conflict--there is a severe lack of such support. Issues related to the mental health and wellbeing of caregivers are often overlooked, despite evidence that attending to their needs is essential in effective interventions (Casey 2015; Chynoweth et al. 2018). The World Health Organization (WHO) has made it a priority to address health care in humanitarian emergencies, in keeping with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health. Understanding health-care needs in these contexts and developing effective guidance materials has been an increasingly important topic on the WHO's global health agenda over the last few years. In this commentary, the authors argue that while evidence-based programs for maternal mental health do exist, tailoring approaches to include content on nurturing care and acknowledging the link between maternal mental health and child development must be a priority for multiple interventions and platforms.

Natural disasters create immense challenges for young children by exposing them to a high degree of adversity. Interventions designed to build resilience in the aftermath of a natural disaster may help buffer the negative consequences of these adverse experiences. In this article, we report the results of our quasi-experimental evaluations of two interventions designed by Save the Children to improve children's developmental outcomes and parental engagement during a critical period. These interventions provided resources across eco-developmental levels to young survivors of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal's Sindhupalchok district by targeting children's families, teachers, and communities. The first was a caregiver-focused intervention aimed at improving parents' and caregivers' ability to provide early stimulation and responsive, positive caregiving for children ages 0-3; the other was a facilitator-focused intervention at an early childhood development (ECD) center that aimed to improve the quality of learning environments, family engagement, and psychosocial supports for children ages 3-6. We found that the interventions had a mixed impact. The age 0-3 components had no detectable effect on developmental outcomes, whereas the age 3-6 components had a positive impact on children's early learning and development, particularly their pre-academic skills. Neither intervention improved parental engagement. We highlight the challenges of implementing family-focused interventions in emergency contexts and the importance of the delivery agents in ECD programs. Despite the null effects for the 0-3 group, these evaluations demonstrate that bolstering the quality of early learning environments and the skills of ECD facilitators can have a meaningful impact on child-level outcomes, even in postdisaster and emergency settings.

Modern developmental science is informed by several shared principles and adopts a lifespan approach that goes from infancy to senescence. Increasingly, disciplines outside psychology are adopting research frameworks (e.g., fetal origins, developmental origins of health and disease, first 1000 days) that prioritize prenatal experience as a driver of children's long-term health and developmental outcomes. Despite originating in medical literatures, these new frameworks share many of the core tenets of modern developmental theories. However, they also raise new questions and provoke a broader consideration of developmental influences, outcomes, and contexts. In this article, we describe these frameworks and consider how they align with, differ from, and inform modern developmental science.

Purpose: We sought to identify factors predictive of or associated with receipt of speech/language services during early childhood. We did so by analyzing data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; Andreassen & Fletcher, 2005), a nationally representative dataset maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. We addressed two research questions of particular importance to speech-language pathology practice and policy. First, do early vocabulary delays increase children's likelihood of receiving speech/language services? Second, are minority children systematically less likely to receive these services than otherwise similar White children? Method: Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for a population-based sample of 9,600 children and families participating in the ECLS-B. Results: Expressive vocabulary delays by 24 months of age were strongly associated with and predictive of children's receipt of speech/language services at 24, 48, and 60 months of age (adjusted odds ratio range = 4.32-16.60). Black children were less likely to receive speech/language services than otherwise similar White children at 24, 48, and 60 months of age (adjusted odds ratio range = 0.42-0.55). Lower socioeconomic status children and those whose parental primary language was other than English were also less likely to receive services. Being born with very low birth weight also significantly increased children's receipt of services at 24, 48, and 60 months of age. Conclusion: Expressive vocabulary delays at 24 months of age increase children's risk for later speech/language services. Increased use of culturally and linguistically sensitive practices may help racial/ethnic minority children access needed services.

We examined associations between child body mass index at 2-5 years and maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain, and rapid weight gain during infancy in children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, or population controls. The Study to Explore Early Development is a multi-site case-control study of children, aged 2-5 years, classified as autism spectrum disorder (n = 668), developmental delays (n = 914), or population controls (n = 884). Maternal gestational weight gain was compared to the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Rapid weight gain was a change in weight-for-age z-scores from birth to 6 months > 0.67 standard deviations. After adjusting for case status, mothers with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity were 2.38 times (95% confidence interval: 1.96-2.90) more likely, and mothers who exceeded gestational weight gain recommendations were 1.48 times (95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.87) more likely, to have an overweight/obese child than other mothers (P < 0.001). Children with autism spectrum disorder showed the highest frequency of rapid weight gain (44%) and were 3.47 times (95% confidence interval: 1.85-6.51) more likely to be overweight/obese as children with autism spectrum disorder without rapid weight gain (P < 0.001). Helping mothers achieve a healthy pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain represent important targets for all children. Healthy infant growth patterns carry special importance for children at increased risk for an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

This article makes a review and reflection on parenting practices and child development in the perinatal period; the theoretical foundations and recent data in the field are exposed. Spanish and international research in this emerging area indicates that pregnancy, postpartum and early parenting are opportunities and unique spaces to develop competencies to create family contexts that promote healthy development. An exhaustive positive parenting proposal of early promotion of child development in the perinatal period is presented. This includes the promotion of: prenatal bond, couple's relationship, social support networks, the physical and mental health of the mother alongside with the support to make informed decisions about parenting and the development of parental knowledge of the intergenerational transmission of parenting patterns and of early childhood development. It is expected, that the proposal could be a tool in the future design of public intervention programmes with families.

This study assessed sensory processing differences between 24-month infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), each with an older sibling with ASD, and low-risk infants with no family history of ASD. Sensory processing differences were assessed using the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile, a parent-reported measure. Groups were compared based on 3-year outcomes: (a) high-risk infants subsequently diagnosed with ASD; (b) high-risk infants without an ASD diagnosis; and (c) low-risk infants without an ASD diagnosis. Analyses showed that high-risk infants diagnosed with ASD have more difficulty with auditory processing (i.e., responses to auditory stimuli) and lower registration (i.e., lacking sensation awareness) compared to controls. Thus, behavioral responses to sensory input represent early risk markers of ASD, particularly in high-risk infants.

The Strong Start Study tested an innovative, High-Fidelity Wraparound intervention with families in early recovery from substance use. The Strong Start Wraparound model addressed the complex needs of pregnant and parenting women who were in early recovery to increase the protective factors of parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and capacity to support the social and emotional competence of children. The study enrolled pregnant women who recently had been admitted to substance use treatment and randomized half into Strong Start Wraparound and half into standard care. findings showed that Strong Start Wraparound families had more supports and less family conflict at 1 year postpartum as well as fewer self-reported mental health symptoms. Implications of these findings for the use of Wraparound with this population are discussed.

This nationally representative study of Irish infants explores whether the set of child and environmental factors established as predicting language outcomes aged 3?years would also predict language and communication development as early as age 9?months. Associations between infant and environmental characteristics and infant language outcomes at 9?months, as measured on the ASQ 10-month communication questionnaire, were explored in a series of bivariate logistic regression models and in a fully adjusted multivariable logistic regression model. Infant gender, health, birthweight and temperament were significantly associated with passing the ASQ communication measure at 9?months. Being an only child and having some experience of relative childcare predicted positive communication outcomes. Infants of older mothers and mothers who spoke less to the child while doing other things were significantly less likely to pass. Infants of mothers with the lowest educational level were more likely than their peers to pass at 9?months. Unlike language outcomes at 3?years, low maternal education does not appear to be a risk factor for poorer outcomes at 9?months. This study adds significantly to the infant language development literature by focussing on communication outcomes in early infancy and identifying protective and risk factors at such an early stage.

Infants of adolescent mothers are at increased risk for negative developmental outcomes. Given the high rate of pregnancy among Mexican-origin adolescent females in the US, the present study examined health characteristics at birth and developmental functioning at 10 months of age in a sample of 205 infants of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Infants were relatively healthy at birth and had near average developmental functioning at 10 months. The educational attainment of adolescents and their mothers, and infants' temperamental regulation, promoted positive developmental functioning, while the combination of low adolescent parental self-efficacy and high infant temperamental negativity was associated with greater developmental delay. Findings are discussed with respect to implications for prevention with this at-risk population of mothers and infants. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

This study used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) on two generations of African American women who gave birth from 1967 to 2005 to describe changing relationships between marital status and low birth weight (LBW) across the generations. An increasing protection of marriage on infant LBW across the two generations was found after adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic confounding factors via (a) logistic regression using generalized estimating equations, (b) propensity score analyses taking into account the differential distribution of confounders across the generations, and (c) sensitivity analyses that adjusted for childhood health of the mother prior to marriage. Intergenerational findings also suggest that marriage across generations was most protective against infant LBW; the lowest risk for LBW was found among women who were both married when they gave birth to their infants and had mothers who were married at the time they themselves were born. (Contains 5 tables and 4 notes.)

This prospective longitudinal study examined emerging effortful control skills at 24- and 36-months postterm in 172 children born preterm (less than 36 weeks gestation). Infant (neonatal health risks), family (sociodemographic risks), and maternal risk factors (depressive symptoms, anger expressions during play interactions) were assessed at six time points across 3 years. In addition, children's emerging effortful control skills, cognitive development, and mother-reported behavior and attention problems were assessed at 24 and 36 months. Analyses documented links between effortful control skills, cognitive skills, and concurrent attention problems in children born preterm. The study also found that preterm children's effortful control skills improved over time. In addition, neonatal health risks, family sociodemographic risks, and angry parenting interactions were associated with less optimal effortful control skills. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Racial and ethnic minorities are often residentially segregated from whites in urban settings, a fact which has important health consequences. Research on the relationship between residential segregation and health outcomes lacks national-level investigation of racial and ethnic minority groups other than African Americans. I use multilevel analyses to examine the associations of residential isolation and clustering with birth weight among Asian, black, and Latino Americans using data from the National Center for Health Statistics' Natality Files and the U.S. Census. Findings indicate that segregation has a negative effect on the likelihood of having a low birth weight baby among Asian Americans, suggesting a possible concentration of social and structural resources in highly-segregated communities. On the contrary, segregation marginally increases the odds of low birth weight among African Americans, but only in the presence of higher poverty rates. Segregation does not affect birth weight among Latino Americans. (Contains 4 tables and 1 note.)

Objective: This study assessed infant disposition and health outcomes among offspring born to mothers without prenatal care, based on maternal characteristics and the reason for lack of prenatal care (i.e., denial of pregnancy, concealment of pregnancy, primary substance use, financial barriers and multiparity). Methods: A retrospective record review was completed at an urban academic medical center. Subjects were women who presented at delivery or immediately postpartum with no history of prenatal care (N = 211), and their infants. Results: Infants of mothers with substance use problems had the highest rates of referral to child protective services and out-of-home placement at discharge, though mothers with other reasons for no prenatal care also experienced both referral and placement. Infants born to mothers using substances experienced the highest rates of neonatal intensive care unit admission, and the lowest mean birth weight. Conclusions: Though those without prenatal care experienced a variety of adverse outcomes, substance use problems were most frequently correlated with adverse infant outcomes. Mothers who either had lost custody of other children or with substance use problems were at highest risk of losing custody of their infants. Those who denied or concealed their pregnancy still frequently retained custody. Practice implications: Among mothers without prenatal care, those with substance use problems were least likely to retain custody of their infant at hospital discharge. Custody status of the mother's other children was also independently associated with infant custody. Mothers who denied or concealed their pregnancy still often retained custody. Referrals of mothers with no prenatal care for psychiatric evaluation were rare, though referrals to social work were frequent. Child protective services occasionally did not investigate referrals in the denial and concealment groups. Healthcare providers should be aware of the medical and psychological needs of this vulnerable population of infants and mothers. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study examines the early neurodevelopmental function of infants and preschool children who have chronic kidney disease (CKD). Fifteen patients with CKD are compared to a healthy control group using the "Mullen Scales of Early Learning" (MSEL) and the "Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale" (VABS). Multivariate analysis reveals significant differences between the CKD and control groups on both MSEL (p less than 0.01) and VABS (p less than 0.001) composite scales, with the group with CKD obtaining lower scores on both composites. A higher proportion of children with CKD meet federal eligibility criteria for early cognitive delay, but similar proportions are found across adaptive behaviors. Disease severity is positively correlated to cognitive and adaptive functioning such that lower scores are associated with less renal function (MSEL r = 0.62, p less than 0.001; VABS r = 0.70, p less than 0.001). Suggestions are made in regard to special education assessment and service provision. (Contains 2 tables.)

Participants included 106 infants and toddlers living in rural Paraguay and their primary caregiver. Children ranged in age from birth to 24 months and belonged to two distinct groups, including 46 children who had never participated in Pastoral del Nino, an early child development program, and 60 children who had participated in Pastoral for at least half the child's life. This article describes a study comparing the cognitive development and caregiving environment of rural Paraguayan infants and toddlers, from birth to 24 months, who were participating in Pastoral del Nino with that of children who were not participating in Pastoral programs. Cognitive (BSID-II) scores differed between the two groups, with Pastoral infants and toddlers scoring significantly higher at 0-4 months and 20-24 months. IT-HOME scores were significantly higher for Pastoral children at 0-4 months, 5-9 months, 10-14 months, and 15-19 months. Overall, best predictors for BSID-II scores included health, nutrition, and education variables, while best predictors for IT-HOME scores included caregiver education, lingualism, and community participation. (Contains 7 tables.)