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On July 1, the Program on Children was renamed the Program on Children and Families. This change, which better captures the range of research carried out by its 171 affiliates, [...]

We use natality microdata covering the universe of US. births for 2015 to 2021 and California births from 2015 through February 2023 to examine childbearing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that 60% of the 2020 decline in US fertility rates was driven by sharp reductions in births to foreign-born mothers although births to this group comprised only 22% of all US births in 2019. This decline started in January 2020. In contrast, the COVID-19 recession resulted in an overall "baby bump" among US-born mothers, which marked the first reversal in declining fertility rates since the Great Recession. Births to US-born mothers fell by 31,000 in 2020 relative to a prepandemic trend but increased by 71,000 in 2021. The data for California suggest that US births remained elevated through February 2023. The baby bump was most pronounced for first births and women under age 25, suggesting that the pandemic led some women to start families earlier. Above age 25, the baby bump was most pronounced for women aged 30 to 34 and women with a college education. The 2021 to 2022 baby bump is especially remarkable given the large declines in fertility rates that would have been projected by standard statistical models.

This study explored teachers' perspectives of the use of social support for students with ASD through a qualitative case study. The four main themes to emerge from the interview data reflecting the teachers' recommended strategies for social support included (a) Teachers' views of students with ASD and social support, (b) Recommendations for best practice at the whole-school level, (c) Promoting acceptance, and (d) Practical classroom strategies. The final theme contained five subthemes or a range of practical classroom social support strategies teachers may use, including Routine, Developmental Play and Group Work, Explicitly Teaching Awareness of Emotions and Body Language, ICT, and Integration. Despite being limited to the views of two busy teachers, this study highlights the significant and vital need for the use of social support for students with ASD. This study directs teachers, schools, universities and pre-service teachers towards the use of positive pedagogies and approaches to inclusive education. It is recommended that all primary teachers consider the best practice of social support within their own classroom, and further research be carried out to investigate best practice in fostering and supporting the social growth and needs of students with ASD.