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Informational text (IT) is a type of nonfiction designed to convey information about the natural or social world. Reading IT with young children increases knowledge of content area vocabulary and concepts and helps children build the background knowledge for success with future reading. However, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may struggle to understand IT. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to discuss how young children with ASD can be supported to comprehend IT. Instructional strategies discussed include (a) providing physical and temporal access to IT, (b) enhancing comprehension of IT within the context of Interactive Shared Book Reading (ISBR); and (c) promoting child engagement during ISBR. The theme of the life cycle of a frog is used to illustrate how the instructional strategies can be used in a kindergarten classroom.

The purpose of this systematic review was to describe single case design (SCD) research studies that systematically included peers in interventions designed to have positive outcomes for children with disabilities aged 3-8 years. Thirty-nine articles published in peer-referred journals in the past 10 years were analyzed in relation to study rigor and characteristics of interventions. Overall, this review supports including peers into systematic interventions for young children with disabilities, as the interventions were effective in producing positive changes in the behavior of young children with a variety of disabilities in social, communication, cognitive, play, and academic skills. No clear pattern emerged of a relationship between ecological factors (setting and interventionist) and generalization and maintenance of child behaviors. The analysis of study rigor suggests that fewer than half of the studies met current standards for SCD research and the number of studies conducting generalization, maintenance, and social validity was inadequate. A significant challenge for the field is to conduct more rigorous research to identify critical factors promoting positive behavior change for young children with disabilities when peers are included in interventions.

The purpose of this meta-synthesis was to integrate findings from qualitative research studying the experiences and outcomes of children when they participate in inclusive early childhood (EC) classrooms. The goal was to promote a broader understanding of practices and outcomes in inclusive EC programs. Eight primary studies were included in the meta-synthesis. Evaluation of the eight qualitative studies indicated that all utilized methods to establish trustworthiness and ensure rigorous methodology for the type of data collected, indicating high-quality of the studies. Three themes resulted from the systematic coding of the results of the primary studies. These themes related to the outcomes of children's access to and full participation in inclusive EC programs, the formation of positive relationships and friendships between the children with and without disabilities as a result of interactions over time, and the children's autonomy in social interactions as reflected in when, how, and with whom the children chose to interact. The results support that EC inclusion can result in positive outcomes for children and should be expanded as a service delivery model. Implications for future research and the provision of services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality professional development can lead to increased and sustained implementation of evidence-based practices. This study examined the effects of practice-based coaching paired with scripted supports on a paraeducator's use of shared book reading strategies. Indirectly evaluated were impacts on the expressive and receptive vocabulary knowledge of one preschool child with a language delay. Employing a single-case design method, the paraeducator was trained on three strategies (i.e., question/evaluate, expansions, and repeat) embedded within the context of shared book reading. Results indicated the paraeducator implemented the strategies with fidelity, corresponding child-level data was also positive. The paraeducator reported feeling more confident in her ability to implement the strategies. Implications for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2i (LGMD2i) is a dystroglycanopathy that compromises myofiber integrity and primarily reduces power output in limb muscles but can influence cardiac muscle as well. Previous studies of LGMD2i made use of a transgenic mouse model in which a proline-to-leucine (P448L) mutation in fukutin-related protein severely reduces glycosylation of α-dystroglycan. Muscle function is compromised in P448L mice in a manner similar to human patients with LGMD2i. In situ studies reported lower maximal twitch force and depressed force-velocity curves in medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles from male P448L mice. Here, we measured Ca 2+ -activated force generation and cross-bridge kinetics in both demembranated MG fibers and papillary muscle strips from P448L mice. Maximal activated tension was 37% lower in MG fibers and 18% lower in papillary strips from P448L mice than controls. We also found slightly faster rates of cross-bridge recruitment and detachment in MG fibers from P448L than control mice. These increases in skeletal cross-bridge cycling could reduce the unitary force output from individual cross bridges by lowering the ratio of time spent in a force-bearing state to total cycle time. This suggests that the decreased force production in LGMD2i may be due (at least in part) to altered cross-bridge kinetics. This finding is notable, as the majority of studies germane to muscular dystrophies have focused on sarcolemma or whole muscle properties, whereas our findings suggest that the disease pathology is also influenced by potential downstream effects on cross-bridge behavior.

Circulating myostatin-attenuating agents are being developed to treat muscle-wasting disease despite their potential to produce serious off-target effects, as myostatin/activin receptors are widely distributed among many nonmuscle tissues. Our studies suggest that the myokine not only inhibits striated muscle growth but also regulates pituitary development and growth hormone (GH) action in the liver. Using a novel myostatin-null label-retaining model (Jekyll mice), we determined that the heterogeneous pool of pituitary stem, transit-amplifying, and progenitor cells in Jekyll mice depletes more rapidly after birth than the pool in wild-type mice. This correlated with increased levels of GH, prolactin, and the cells that secrete these hormones, somatotropes and lactotropes, respectively, in Jekyll pituitaries. Recombinant myostatin also stimulated GH release and gene expression in pituitary cell cultures although inhibiting prolactin release. In primary hepatocytes, recombinant myostatin blocked GH-stimulated expression of two key mediators of growth, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)1 and the acid labile subunit and increased expression of an inhibitor, IGF-binding protein-1. The significance of these findings was demonstrated by smaller muscle fiber size in a model lacking myostatin and liver IGF1 expression (LID-o-Mighty mice) compared with that in myostatin-null (Mighty) mice. These data together suggest that myostatin may regulate pituitary development and function and that its inhibitory actions in muscle may be partly mediated by attenuating GH action in the liver. They also suggest that circulating pharmacological inhibitors of myostatin could produce unintended consequences in these and possibly other tissues.