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• We examined prenatal exposure to four OPEs in relation to behavioral development. • BDCIPP was associated with more adverse behavioral symptoms. • DPHP was associated with more behavioral symptoms, though not as strongly as BDCIPP. • ip-PPP was associated with fewer internalizing behavioral symptoms. • BCIPHIPP was not associated with behavioral development. Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are commonly used as plasticizers and flame retardants in consumer products, and exposure is relatively ubiquitous in most populations studied. This may be of concern as some OPEs may be neurotoxic, endocrine-disrupting, and interfere with behavioral development; however, observational evidence is limited. We used data from the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study, a prospective birth cohort study, to investigate associations between maternal OPE metabolite concentrations during pregnancy and behavioral development in offspring. Women provided a urine sample during pregnancy that was analyzed for concentrations of OPE metabolites, including diphenyl phosphate (DPHP), bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl phosphate) (BDCIPP), isopropyl-phenyl phenyl phosphate (ip-PPP), and 1-hydroxyl-2-propyl bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPHIPP). Offspring's behavioral development was assessed by the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (2nd Edition) (BASC-2) at approximately 36 months. Linear regression was used to estimate associations between tertiles in specific gravity-corrected OPE metabolite concentrations and children's scores on the BASC-2, adjusted for maternal age, maternal BMI, maternal race, maternal education, familial income, maternal depression, quality of the home environment, and sex. Higher BDCIPP concentrations were associated with higher scores on the Behavioral Symptoms Index (1st vs. 3rd tertile: β = 3.03; 95% CI = 0.40, 5.67) and Externalizing Problems (1st vs. 3rd tertile: β = 2.49; 95% CI: −0.12, 5.10) composites. Among BASC-2 scales, BDCIPP was most strongly associated with Withdrawal, Attention Problems, Depression, Hyperactivity, and Aggression. DPHP concentrations were also associated with higher scores on the Externalizing Problems and Behavioral Symptoms Index composites, but not as strongly as BDCIPP. Conversely, higher concentrations of ip-PPP were associated with fewer adverse behavioral symptoms, including an inverse association with the Internalizing Problems composite (1st vs. 3rd tertile: β = −3.74; 95% CI = −6.75, −0.74) and constituent scales. BCIPHIPP was not strongly associated with any measured behavioral outcomes. Our results suggest that greater maternal exposure to tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl phosphate) (TDCIPP, parent compound of BDCIPP) and, to a lesser degree, triphenyl phosphate (TPHP, parent compound of DPHP) during pregnancy is associated with adverse behavioral development in children. Our study contributes to the growing body of evidence pertaining to adverse developmental effects of prenatal OPE exposure and highlights the need for further research to characterize risks associated with this ubiquitous family of chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study explores the relationships of individualistic (e.g., competition, material success) and collectivistic values (e.g., familism, respect) with risky and prosocial behavior among African-American and European-Americanyouth. While previous work has focused upon immigrant adolescents, this study expands the research exploring cultural values to other racial-ethnic groups and to a younger developmental period. This study builds upon culture as individually experienced beliefs and practices, potentially espousing multiple cultural orientations and relationships to behavior. Methods: Data from Cohort 3 of a study of 219 urban, suburban, and rural children included African-American (42%) and European-American (58%) children, 54% female, ranging from grades 1–5 (mean age = 9). Multigroup structural equation models were tested resulting in a measurement model that fit similarly across groups (RMSEA =.05, CFI =.94). Results: African-American children reported higher levels of individualism, and African-American and European-American children reported espousing similar levels of collectivism. Children in higher grades were found to be more collectivistic and less individualistic. Individualistic values were related to children's lower prosocial and higher rates of problem and delinquent behavior. Collectivistic cultural values were associated with reduced rates of problem behaviors, controlling for race-ethnicity, gender and grade. Conclusions: Results provide support for the assertion that youth espouse multiple cultural orientations and that collectivistic cultural values can serve as promotive factors for children of diverse backgrounds. Practice and policy should seek to understand the role of family, school, and community socialization of multiple cultural orientations and nuanced associations with risk and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify different kin and fictive kin network support profiles available to children in foster care and examine whether these profiles predict behavioral outcomes. Background: For kids in foster care, individual‐level strengths have been shown to buffer the impact of maltreatment on negative outcomes. However, little is known about the possible benefit of kin and fictive kin networks on outcomes (e.g., internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors). Method: This longitudinal study measured the involvement of 221 foster care children's (6–14 years of age) kin and fictive kin networks (e.g., visits, childcare, homework help, transportation). Strengths (e.g., coping, talents), maltreatment, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing behaviors were measured using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths dataset. Results: Using latent profile analysis, two kinship involvement profiles emerged: A low‐involvement profile (75.5%) and a high‐involvement profile (23.5%). The high‐involvement profile was negatively associated with internalizing symptoms trajectories but not externalizing behavior trajectories. However, this effect was moderated by child‐level strengths: Children with more strengths and in the high‐involvement profile had the best internalizing symptoms outcomes. Finally, membership in the high‐involvement profile buffered the negative impact of maltreatment on internalizing symptoms trajectories. Conclusion: The presence of both child strengths and kin and fictive kin involvement is associated with better outcomes. Implications: These results support efforts to promote policies and practices designed to engage kin and fictive kin networks, which is not currently a priority in child welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article concerns meals from the point of view of children, focusing on structural and sociocultural aspects of meals in a Western context in general, and Sweden in particular. The aim was to study children's perceptions of meals with regard to what, where and with whom meals are eaten and how meals are made. The method used was an internet‐based, ethnological questionnaire, which is a qualitative method in which participants share their experiences and values regarding a certain topic of interest in writing. A hundred and twelve Swedish children were included. The children almost exclusively chose to write about family meals. These meals were described as well‐structured and organized, and were often portrayed in an idealized way, with family members sharing proper meals at home, spending an enjoyable time together with a nice atmosphere and good conversation. The children made a distinction between everyday meals and festive meals, where the main differences were that festive meals were more prone to include extended family and friends besides the nuclear family, and were described in a more exceptional way with regard to what is served and mealtime conditions. The article concludes that the family meal functioned as a way to construct the family and as a site where children acquire norms and values about meals and family identity, but they did so in an active way, by breaking rules and by challenging norms, thereby also contributing to change. The changing nature of the family meal was also seen in an extended proper meal and the commensal aspects surrounding mealtime, as commensality included both commensal eating and commensal foodwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Quantification of signatures of conscious processing in children with disorders of consciousness (DoC) using odd-ball paradigms in multiple modalities. Method: We review the diagnostic approaches available in the field, from clinical scales to neuroimaging methods, and concentrate upon measures derived from electroencephalographic event related potentials. Results: Evoked potentials were recorded in five procedures, encompassing visual, auditory and tactile modalities, from ten pediatric DoC patients—six in a minimally conscious state (MCS), three in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and one who emerged from MCS (eMCS)—and the control group of 10 healthy children. In almost all the eMCS and MCS patients, higher amplitude of P300 was observed and the effect was statistically significant in at least one out of the five performed procedures. Additionally, signs of conscious information processing were detected in one UWS patient. Conclusion: The presented results provide a proof of concept for the possibility of applying ERP-derived electrophysiological measures as an aid in the assessment of children and adolescents in DoC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruptive behavior in childhood is common. It spans from normative child misbehaviors to clinically-significant and impairing problems. While there are many rating scales evaluating such behaviors, historically, measurement has emphasized counting the number of symptoms present rather than assessing the normal-abnormal spectrum of behavioral expression. This study uses data from 644 early school age children aggregated from two data sources to statistically link a commonly used symptom count measure, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), to a more developmentally-sensitive measure, the Multidimensional Assessment Profile of Disruptive Behavior (MAP-DB). Two links between conceptually similar scales on each measure were developed: CBCL Conduct Problems and MAP-DB Aggression; and CBCL Oppositional Defiant Problems and MAP-DB Temper Loss. We compared two innovative methods—Item Response Theory (IRT) and Deming regression—to determine the optimal linking relationship. Results suggest IRT methods were superior in reducing linking error compared to Deming regression. While Deming regression accurately modeled the mean scores (thus minimizing linking bias), this method could not adequately address the floor effect for scores on the CBCL. For practical purposes, this study provides a crosswalk of score conversions between the CBCL and MAP-DB, such that data aggregation and group comparisons can be made across the two measures; this enables longitudinal analyses with historically-collected CBCL data to transition to the more innovative dimensional scales of the MAP-DB without undo loss of extant data. This study furthers efforts to shift from historical symptom counts to more developmentally-sensitive measurement across the disruptive behaviors spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined teachers' strategies for inclusion of children experiencing parental separation and divorce in mainstream early childhood development (ECD) in Zimbabwe. Entrenched in international research findings on best practices in inclusion and support for children experiencing parental separation and divorce in mainstream education, this descriptive study drew on a purposive sample of 23 mainstream ECD teachers. Thematic data analysis, which involved identification of themes founded on commonalities and patterns evident in document analysis, observational field notes and interview data, was utilized. Despite participants' inadequate preparation to manage children with behavioural challenges and motivate active participation and involvement of all children in mainstream pedagogy, they held positive dispositions towards inclusion. Participants institutionalized collaborative structures and cultures, structured child-centred activities, support systems, emotional support, educational support and behavioural support to include children experiencing parental separation and divorce in mainstream classrooms. This study is a springboard for future studies on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extensive meta-analysis, including 52 studies, was undertaken on the relationship between character education and student achievement and behavioral outcomes. Additional analyses were done to determine whether the effects of character education differed by student grade level, locale, race, and so on. The results indicated that character education is associated with higher levels of educational outcomes, no matter what type of standardized or nonstandardized measure was employed. Character education was also related to higher levels of expressions of love, integrity, compassion, and self-discipline. Overall, character education had somewhat greater effects for children in high school rather than those who were in elementary school. The effects of character education did not differ by the race of the children. The significance of these results is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive function (EF) difficulties are a core neuropsychological feature of pediatric epilepsy, and parent-report measures of EF concerns are an important complement to task-based EF measures. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) has shown sensitivity to parent-reported EF concerns in epilepsy and other pediatric populations. We compared profiles of parent-reported EF concerns using the BRIEF and its revision, the BRIEF2, in 117 pediatric patients with focal onset epilepsy to examine the clinical utility of the revised scale. We then compared BRIEF2 profiles between patients and age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Among patients, profiles on the BRIEF did not globally differ from the BRIEF2, and agreement was very good across scales. Patients and controls differed significantly on the BRIEF2, with patients showing higher EF difficulties reported by parents across most scales. High rates of clinical elevation among patients emerged on the Task Monitor, Plan/Organize, Working Memory, and Shift scales. Younger age of epilepsy onset, chronic epilepsy, and right hemisphere seizure focus were associated with higher parent-reported EF concerns. Findings suggest that the BRIEF2 demonstrates similar performance to the BRIEF among pediatric patients with focal onset epilepsy who are most at risk in the areas of task monitoring, working memory, planning and organization, and flexibility. These findings are informative when comparing literature across versions and provide additional insight into the nature of parent-reported EF difficulties among children with focal onset epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is an assessment tool that has been translated into various languages for use with school-aged children in different cultures. The English form is used in the Philippines, but there is no published evidence on the CBCL's structural validity when used with Filipino-English bilingual respondents. The study examined the factor structure of the CBCL DSM-oriented scales in a sample of schoolchildren using responses of their bilingual caregivers. Three competing factor models were investigated and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the six-factor model had the best fit. A multiple-indicators multiple-causes model also revealed some predictive relationships with age and gender. The results provided support for the structural validity of the English CBCL DSM-oriented scales when used by Filipino-English bilingual caregivers of Filipino school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and students with functional disorders are one of the target groups of the inclusive education. Students with functional disorders can adapt in general education schools faster if their intellectual development is within the normal range. This group usually consists of disabled students, but they are able to master general education programmes successfully with an assistant's support. The purpose of the article is to explore the problems of assistants' support for students with functional disorders in general education schools. Adaptation of these students to general education schools would facilitate their development and enable them to undertake further studies not only in vocational education, but also in higher educational institutions. Assistant's support would promote the adaptation of these students to the class environment and ease the daily life of their parents. Having assessed the current situation, the authors conclude that the assistant's support will be effective if the assistant's functions and roles are recognized and if training of assistants for students with functional disorders in general education schools is ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the role of self-reports and behavioral measures of interpretation biases and their content-specificity in children with varying levels of spider fear and/or social anxiety. In total, 141 selected children from a community sample completed an interpretation bias task with scenarios that were related to either spider threat or social threat. Specific interpretation biases were found; only spider-related interpretation bias and self-reported spider fear predicted unique variance in avoidance behavior on the Behavior Avoidance Task for spiders. Likewise, only social-threat related interpretation bias and self-reported social anxiety predicted anxiety during the Social Speech Task. These findings support the hypothesis that fearful children display cognitive biases that are specific to particular fear-relevant stimuli. Clinically, this insight might be used to improve treatments for anxious children by targeting content-specific interpretation biases related to individual disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the relationship between children's moral reasoning and their aggressive, assertive, and submissive tendencies in sport and daily life contexts. Definition of morality based on interactional formulation; Moral implications of behavioral option; Moral measures; Action tendencies.

The article presents method and analysis in the study of children's play behavior. The study of play behavior can be both descriptive and experimental. A record of children's activities during a "play session" allows drawing of conclusions about the important behavioral elements of play, and can lead to hypothesis testing. Moreover, the essential individuality of play behavior shows the methodological problem that is answered in part by using subjects as a fixed effect. Similarities and differences across children are reflected by the variance accounted for by the subjects effect.

The article reflects on the play functions of children. Some evidence was shown suggesting that play is of vital importance to the development of the mature adult. As the child becomes aware of the needs and relations to others and starts to develop more consideration to their interactional roles. Children develop a sense of moral judgment through this developing awareness and compliance with others. Therefore, play serves an important socializing as well as moralizing function. The article also suggests for more extensive research in children's play.

Bidirectional associations between child temperament (fear, frustration, positive affect, effortful control) and parenting behaviors (warmth, negativity, limit setting, scaffolding, responsiveness) were examined as predictors of preschool-age children's adjustment problems and social competence. Participants were a community sample of children (N = 306; 50% female, 64% European American) and their mothers. Observational measures of child temperament and parenting were obtained using laboratory tasks at two time points (children's ages 36 and 54 months). Teacher-reported adjustment measures were collected at the first and third time points (children's ages 36 and 63 months). Cross-lagged analyses were performed to examine whether child temperament and parenting predict changes in one another, whether they each contribute independently to children's adjustment, and whether these transactional relations account for adjustment outcomes. Maternal negativity at 36 months predicted increases in child frustration at 54 months. Maternal negativity and child effortful control predicted decreases in each other from 36 to 54 months. Maternal warmth predicted increases in child effortful control over time. Child frustration, child effortful control, maternal warmth, and maternal negativity at 54 months each independently predicted child adjustment problems at 63 months, controlling for problems at 36 months. Child executive control at 54 months predicted increases in child social competence at 63 months. The findings suggest that temperament and parenting have independent and additive effects on preschool-age child adjustment, with some support for a bidirectional relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyze performance on measures of neuropsychological and behavioral executive functions (EF) in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to evaluate the utility of performance-based tests for predicting scores on behavioral EF ratings. One hundred eighteen adolescents (75 ADHD and 43 controls) aged 12-16 years performed neuropsychological tests and completed a behavior rating scale of EF. The ADHD group presented significantly lower scores than controls on Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and all indexes of the WISC-IV, except the verbal comprehension index (VCI). The ADHD group had significantly lower scores on performance-based tests of working memory, planning and inhibition, and on EF rating scales. Scores on the cognitive EF working memory, planning and flexibility modestly predicted performance on behavioral EF. The results suggest that the combined use of performance-based tests and rating scales provides valuable complementary information that can improve the assessment of executive domains in ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author presents a personal narrative of his experiences as a psychologist, topics including pediatric psychology as a career choice, educational experience at University of North Dakota, and research on children behaviour psychology.

Background The present study investigated associations between urinary cotinine levels as a biomarker of secondhand smoke exposure and symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods A total of 520 child participants (200 with ADHD, 67 with ASD, and 253 normal control subjects) were assessed using the Korean version of the ADHD rating scale (K-ARS), Autism spectrum screening questionnaire (ASSQ), and Behavioral Assessment System for Children, second edition (BASC-2). The Korean version of the computer-based continuous performance test was used to assess cognitive function. Urinary cotinine was evaluated as a biomarker of secondhand smoke exposure. Results Urinary cotinine levels were significantly and positively associated with K-ARS score (B = 4.00, p < 0.001), ASSQ score (B = 1.71, p = 0.030), the behavioral problem subscales of the BASC-2 (B = 1.68–3.52, p < 0.001–0.045), and omission and commission errors in the continuous performance test (B = 6.21–8.42, p < 0.001–0.019). Urinary cotinine levels were also associated with the increased odds ratio of ADHD (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.05–2.30, p = 0.028) and ASD (OR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.12–3.21, p = 0.018). Conclusion Urinary cotinine levels were associated with lower behavioral adaptation and cognitive function and increased odds ratios of ADHD and ASD, indicating a negative effect of secondhand smoke exposure on the symptomatic manifestation of ADHD and ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: little is known about psychological factors associated with children's behavior during dental sedation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between parental dental anxiety, coping style, pain cotastrophizing (an exaggerated negative response to pain), and children's behavior during dental treatment under moderate sedation. Methods: Participants included 110 pairs consisting of mothers, fathers, or grandmothers and healthy children (60 boys, 50 girls; mean age equols 47.0 months, range equals 20 to 81 months) with a history of disruptive behavior during dental treatment All children required one dental restoration under moderate sedation, using local anesthesia and rubber dam isolation. Children.s behavior was assessed using the Ohio State University Behavioral Rating Scale, based on the video files of the procedure. Parents completed the Dental Anxiety Scale, the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Scale, and the Pain Cotastrophizing Scale-Parents Results: Parents of children with more positive behavior scored higher on planning (P-0.02) and acceptance (P-0.02) strategies than parents of children in the regular and negative behavior groups. No associations were found between parental dental anxiety or pain cotastrophizing and children's behavior. Conclusion: Parental adaptive coping strategies can have a positive impact on children's behavior during dental treatment under moderate sedation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The purpose of this study was to determine the relative efficacy of non-contingent reinforcement (NCR) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) after behavioral functions were identified through indirect, descriptive, and experimental assessment. Participants included three preschool-age children in three center-based classrooms in a southeastern Head Start agency. Functional behavioral assessment data were used to inform treatment procedures, which were examined with an alternating treatments design. This study examined (a) relative differences in the efficacy of NCR and DRO in decreasing problem behaviors in preschool children, (b) relative differences in the efficacy of NCR and DRO in increasing appropriate behavior, (c) relative preference for functional behavioral assessment procedures, and (d) differential preference for NCR versus DRO for preschool teachers. Results indicated NCR was more effective than DRO for improving behavior for two of three participants, although both NCR and DRO were effective, relative to a control condition, for decreasing problem behaviors and increasing appropriate behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the apparent primacy of syntactic deficits, children with developmental language disorder (DLD) often also evidence lexical impairments. In particular, it has been argued that this population have difficulty forming lexical representations that are detailed enough to support effective spoken word processing. In order to better understand this deficit, a meta-analysis of studies testing children with DLD in the auditory lexical decision task was conducted. The objective was to provide summary effect size estimates for accuracy and response time measures for comparisons to age- and language-matched control groups. Method: Two thousand three hundred seventy-two records were initially identified through electronic searches and expert consultation, with this cohort reduced to 9 through duplicate removal and the application of eligibility and quality criteria. The final study cohort included 499 children aged 3;8-11;4 (years; months). Results: Multivariate analysis suggests that children with DLD were significantly less accurate in the auditory lexical decision task than age-matched controls. For the response time estimate, however, confidence intervals for the same group comparison crossed 0, suggesting no reliable difference between groups. Confidence intervals also crossed 0 for language-matched control estimates for both accuracy and response time, suggesting no reliable difference between groups on either measure. Conclusion: Results broadly support the hypothesis that children with DLD have difficulty in forming detailed lexical representations relative to age- though not language-matched peers. However, further work is required to determine the performance profiles of potential subgroups and the impact of manipulating different lexical characteristics, such as the position and degree of nonword error, phonotactic probability, and semantic network size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a well-established instrument in the study of obesity-related eating behaviours among children. However, research using the CEBQ in multicultural samples is limited. This study aims to identify and examine differences in child eating behaviours as reported by Swedish-born and non-Swedish-born mothers living in Sweden. Mothers (n = 1310, 74 countries of origin, mean age 36.5 years, 63.6% with higher education, 29.2% with overweight or obesity) of children aged 3-8 years (mean age 4.8 years, 18.1% with overweight or obesity) completed the CEBQ. Responses were analysed using CEBQ subscales Food Responsiveness, Emotional Overeating, Enjoyment of Food, and Desire to Drink, clustering into Food Approach, and subscales Satiety Responsiveness, Slowness in Eating, Emotional Undereating, and Food Fussiness, clustering into Food Avoidance. Data were compared across seven regional groups, divided by maternal place of birth: (1) Sweden (n = 941), (2) Nordic and Western Europe (n = 68), (3) Eastern and Southern Europe (n = 97), (4) the Middle East and North Africa (n = 110), (5) East, South and Southeast Asia (n = 52), (6) Sub-Saharan Africa (n = 16), and (7) Central and South America (n = 26). Crude, partly and fully adjusted linear regression models controlled for child's age, gender and weight status, and mother's education, weight status and concern about child weight. The moderation effect of maternal concern about child weight was examined through interaction analyses. Results showed that while Food Approach and Food Avoidance behaviours were associated with maternal migrant background, associations for Food Fussiness were limited. Notably, mothers born in the Middle East and North Africa reported higher frequencies of both Food Approach (except for Enjoyment of Food) and Food Avoidance. The study highlights the importance of examining how regionally-specific maternal migrant background affects mothers' perceptions of child eating behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the psychometric properties of a Hebrew version of the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire (BIQ) in a non-clinical sample of Israeli children and adolescents. We produced a Hebrew translation of the BIQ and collected 227 responses to it from parents of children aged 4-15. Some respondents in the larger sample also completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire (n = 91) and the Conners’ Abbreviated Parent-Teacher (CONNERS) questionnaire (n = 39), in addition to the BIQ. Lastly, 21 children of BIQ respondents (aged 8-14) completed a self-report version of the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to assess how well the established six correlated factor model of the BIQ applied to the sample data. The Hebrew BIQ demonstrated good internal consistency (Chronbach’s α = .94, n = 227) and 3 month test-retest reliability, (r = .95, p < .001, n = 21). It also showed both convergent validity, as scores on the BIQ were correlated with the SCARED (r = .66, p < .01. n = 91), and discriminant validity, as BIQ scores were not correlated with the CONNERS (r = .24, n = 39). Finally, mother reports of BI were significantly correlated to child reports of BI via the BIQ (r = .60, p < .01, n = 21). Thus, through this preliminary study we demonstrated that the Hebrew version of the BIQ is an effective tool for screening for BI among Israeli children, making it a useful instrument for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report an initial validation of the Shape Trail Test–Child Version (STT-CV) with a non-clinical sample of children aged 6 to 9 years. The STT-CV has been developed as an age-appropriate and culturally fair direct downward extension of the Trail Making Test (TMT) for the assessment of cognitive flexibility. Children completed the STT-CV and four established measures of executive functions that assessed working memory, inhibitory control and task switching. Results showed the expected age-based differences in completion times for both parts of the STT-CV (Trail A and Trail B). Children’s performance on the STT-CV correlated significantly with all four measures of executive functions. After controlling for the effects of chronological age, completion times for Trail B remained correlated with most other measures of executive functions. These findings provide emerging evidence for the utility of the STT-CV, and highlight the need for designing and using appropriate variants of the TMT in the behavioural assessment of cognitive flexibility in developmentally and culturally diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe temper outbursts (STO) in children are associated with impaired school and family functioning and may contribute to negative outcomes. These outbursts can be conceptualized as excessive frustration responses reflecting reduced emotion regulation capacity. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been implicated in negative affect as well as emotional control, and exhibits disrupted function in children with elevated irritability and outbursts. This study examined the intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) of a region of the ACC, the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC), in 5- to 9-year-old children with STO (n = 20), comparing them to children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without outbursts (ADHD; n = 18). Additional analyses compared results to a sample of healthy children (HC; n = 18) and examined specific associations with behavioral and emotional dysregulation. Compared to the ADHD group, STO children exhibited reduced iFC between the aMCC and surrounding regions of the ACC, and increased iFC between the aMCC and precuneus. These differences were also seen between the STO and HC groups; ADHD and HC groups did not differ. Specificity analyses found associations between aMCC–ACC connectivity and hyperactivity, and between aMCC–precuneus iFC and emotion dysregulation. Disruption in aMCC networks may underlie the behavioral and emotional dysregulation characteristic of children with STO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although infants less than 18 months old are capable of engaging in self-regulatory behavior (e.g., avoidance, withdrawal, and orienting to other aspects of their environment), the use of self-regulatory strategies at this age (as opposed to relying on caregivers) is associated with elevated behavioral and physiological distress. This study investigated infant dopamine-related genotypes (dopamine receptor D2 [DRD2], dopamine transporter solute carrier family C6, member 4 [SLC6A3], and catechol-O-methyltransferase [COMT]) as they interact with maternal self-reported history of maltreatment to predict observed infant independent emotion regulation behavior. A community sample (N = 193) of mother–infant dyads participated in a toy frustration challenge at infant age 15 months, and infant emotion regulation behavior was coded. Buccal cells were collected for genotyping. Maternal maltreatment history significantly interacted with infant SLC6A3 and COMT genotypes, such that infants with more 10-repeat and valine alleles of SLC6A3 and COMT, respectively, relative to infants with fewer or no 10-repeat and valine alleles, utilized more independent (i.e., maladaptive) regulatory behavior if mother reported a more extensive maltreatment history, as opposed to less. The findings indicate that child genetic factors moderate the intergenerational impact of maternal maltreatment history. The results are discussed in terms of potential mechanism of Gene × Environment interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined associations between specific self-regulatory mechanisms and externalizing behavior patterns from ages 2 to 15 (N = 443). The relation between multiple self-regulatory indicators across multiple domains (i.e., physiological, attentional, emotional, and behavioral) at age 2 and at age 5 and group membership in four distinct externalizing trajectories was examined. By examining each of these self-regulatory processes in combination with one another, and therefore accounting for their shared variance, we aimed to better understand which specific self-regulatory skills were associated most strongly with externalizing behavioral patterns. Findings suggest that behavioral inhibitory control and emotion regulation are particularly important in distinguishing between children who show normative declines in externalizing behaviors across early childhood and those who demonstrate high levels through adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dysregulation Profile (DP) is a broad indicator of concurrent affective, behavioral, and cognitive dysregulation, often measured with the anxious/depressed, aggressive behavior, and attention problems syndrome scales of the Child Behavior Checklist. Despite an expanding body of research on the DP, knowledge of the normative developmental course of the DP from early childhood to adolescence is lacking. Furthermore, although we know that the DP longitudinally predicts personality pathology, no research yet has examined whether next to the DP in early childhood, the rate of change of the DP across development predicts personality pathology. Therefore, using cohort-sequential latent growth modeling in a population-based sample (N = 668), we examined the normative developmental course of mother-reported DP from ages 4 to 17 years and its associations with a wide range of adolescent-reported personality pathology dimensions 3 years later. The results showed that the DP follows a nonlinear developmental course with a peak in early adolescence. The initial level of the DP at age 4 and, to a lesser extent, the rate of change in the DP predicted a range of personality pathology dimensions in late adolescence. The findings suggest that the DP is a broad developmental precursor of personality pathology in late adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of an 11-week aerobic exercise intervention on executive function (EF) and white matter integrity (WMI). In total, 28 deaf children (aged 9–13 years) were randomly assigned to either an 11-week exercise intervention or the control group. All the children had behavioral assessment and diffusion tensor imaging prior to and following the exercise intervention. The behavioral performance results demonstrated that EF was enhanced by exercise. Relative to the control group, WMI of the exercise intervention group showed (1) lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the pontine crossing tract (PCT) and right cingulum (hippocampus) (CH), genu of the corpus callosum (gCC), right inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP), left superior corona radiata (SCR), and left superior frontooccipital fasciculus (SFOF); (2) higher mean diffusivity (MD) in the gCC, right CH, right inferior frontooccipital fasciculus (IFOF), and left anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC); and (3) lower MD in the left ICP and left tapetum (TAP). Furthermore, the lower FA in gCC showed a significant negative correlation with improvement in behavioral performance, but the correlation was not significant after FDR correction. These results suggest that exercise can effectively improve deaf children’s EF and reshape the WMI in deaf children. The improved EF by exercise is not related to a reshaping of WMI, but more studies on the relationship between EF and WMI by exercise may be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To describe behavioural and psychiatric outcomes of children within 10 years of convulsive status epilepticus (CSE).Method: Children originally identified by the population-based North London Convulsive Status Epilepticus in Childhood Surveillance Study were followed-up between July 2009 and February 2013. They were grouped into epilepsy- and non-epilepsy-related CSE, and compared with population norms and healthy controls using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire; and the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham questionnaire. Children who scored above recommended clinical cut-offs on any scale were invited for a neuropsychiatric assessment. Regression models were fitted to identify clinically relevant covariates associated with behavioural outcomes.Results: At a mean follow-up of 8.1 years post-CSE, 28% of enrolled children were found to have a psychiatric disorder. Children with epilepsy-related CSE scored higher than norms on all scales and children with non-epilepsy-related CSE scored higher than norms on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire. Presence of seizures at baseline and recurrence of CSE was associated with worse outcomes in the group with epilepsy. Intellectual abilities were associated with behavioural outcomes in all participants.Interpretation: A large proportion of children manifest behavioural issues 8 years after CSE. The present data highlight the need for behavioural screening in children with neurodevelopmental impairments post-CSE.What This Paper Adds: Eight years post convulsive status epilepticus (CSE), 37% of parents report behavioural issues. Of enrolled children, 28% were found to have a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual mental disorder. Intellectual abilities are strongly associated with behavioural outcomes in children post-CSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]