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The aim of the study is to develop a Likert-type scale to determine the play preferences of children attending pre-school education. The research was designed and carried out according to the survey research model. Data collected from 3 different study groups were used in the scale development process. The study groups consist of parents of children attending pre-school education in Istanbul Province in the 2022-2023 academic year. The 33-item and 8-dimensional structure obtained after EFA was also confirmed with CFA. Dimensions were determined as solitary play, parallel play, together play, collaborative play, building-building play, dramatic play, games with rules and digital play. It is seen that the reliability coefficients of the scale after EFA and CFA vary between 0.757 and 0.900. In order to distinguish between the lower and upper groups and to make comparisons between the groups, an independent group t test was performed, and it was revealed that there was a difference between the 27% lower and 27% upper groups (p <0.05). It was determined that the testretest values of the game type preferences scale were significant. According to these values, it was determined that the scale gave consistent results. When all studies were evaluated, it was concluded that the play preferences scale is a measurement tool that can validly and reliably measure the play preferences of children receiving preschool education.

This study aimed to explore the provision of learning experiences for early childhood development at Childhood Development Centers (CDCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the "what" and "how" aspects. Data were collected from 57 participants through in-depth interviews and group interviews involving parents of young children, teachers/caregivers at CDCs, community leaders and committees, as well as relevant government agencies in two areas of Thailand. Content analysis was utilized to analyze the qualitative data gathered between July and November 2020. The findings revealed that CDCs employed various forms of capital, including: human, group and network, local wisdom, organizational, financial, and natural resources, to adhere to the National Childhood Development Center Standards. CDCs provided three distinct patterns of learning experiences for children: 1) Community participation within the local area, involving parents and networks associated with CDCs. 2) Enhancement of systems and mechanisms for collaboration with early childhood development among government, private sectors, and academic sectors at the district level. 3) Promotion of health and wellness among early childhood during the COVID-19 pandemic through encouraging child development, improving nutrition, and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The effectiveness of education and upbringing of children with hearing loss who are placed in special and mixed groups remains an important issue. The study aims to establish mixed groups consisting of both healthy children and children with hearing loss, and subsequently evaluate and compare their cognitive and mental development across different phases of the experiment, taking into account their level of digital literacy skills. Digital literacy skills are essential for the full development of children in the digital age. Children were tested for digital literacy level, cognitive skills, emotional stability, and relationships with peers using the Battelle Developmental Inventory, as well as Temple, Dorkey, and Amen test. The findings were compared among groups and categories of children. The digital literacy level of children with implants and hearing loss by the end of the study year was slightly lower than in the control group. The use of digital technologies made it possible to improve the speech functions of children with implants and hearing loss by 1.5-2.0 times. Children without hearing loss, who were placed in groups for children with speech disorders, were divided into those who were rejected and those who were accepted. Perhaps, this might result in more severe anxiety among such children. Children from the mixed groups were more tolerant of their peers. The resulting data suggested greater effectiveness of the mixed groups compared to the traditional system of special education programs and upbringing.

Purpose: To investigate the language environments experienced by preterm-born infants, this study compared the linguistic and interactive features of parent--infant conversations involving 2-year-old preterm- and term-born infants. The study also explored how mother-infant and father-infant conversations may be differentially affected by preterm/term birth status. Method: Twenty-two preterm-born (< 37 weeks' gestation) and 25 term-born ([greater than or equal to] 37 weeks' gestation) 2-year-old infants engaged in dyadic mother/father-infant free-play interactions that were transcribed to quantify the linguistic (parental volubility, speech rate, lexical diversity, and morphosyntactic complexity) and interactive (infant/parent responsiveness, turn-taking, and conversational balance) features of parent-infant conversations. Language, cognitive, socioemotional, and executive function skills were assessed via standardized tools. Results: Compared to the term group, the preterm group was characterized by lower maternal speech rate, parental lexical diversity, and parent-infant turntaking, as well as greater mother--infant conversational balance. The preterm group presented poorer language and executive function skills when compared to the term group. Conclusions: Both similarities and differences exist between the language environments of preterm and term groups. Similarities may be due to the partial developmental catch-up of preterm-born infants (cognitive and socioemotional skills) and parental scaffolding. Differences may partly reflect a parental adaptation to the language and executive function difficulties of preterm-born infants. These findings suggest that researchers/clinicians should appraise the language environment with respect to the unique developmental needs of preterm/term-born infants. Future research directions are provided to advance a more holistic characterization of the language environment and a deeper understanding of the developmental significance of preterm-term differences in such environments.

This study is based on the limited number of studies on recognizing and evaluating preschool children; It aims to be a guide for families and teachers regarding the developmental problems and social and emotional maturity levels of children who continue their preschool education online during the pandemic process and to evaluate the results in terms of children and turn them into opportunities. This qualitative study is carried out in a case study pattern using the "Koppitz Draw a Person Test" for 5-year-old preschool children. The Working group consists of children a total of 100 students, 50 girls and 50 boys, attend official and independent kindergartens through distance education in Akdeniz, Mezitli, Toroslar and Yenisehir districts in the center of Mersin, affiliated to the Ministry of National Education (MEB) in the 2020-2021 academic year. Pictures obtained by the "Koppitz Draw a Human Test" were used as data tools. The data were coded and analyzed by the "Koppitz Draw a Human Test." The data obtained in the study were interpreted in tables according to Koppitz (1968). In the study, the participant children drew the indicators for academic failures as 8%; and 98% of the indicators expressing social and emotional inadequacy and representing at least one or more anxiety states in the child were drawn. In addition, this study determined that children with self-confidence problems, showing emotional weakness, recessive, and lack of motivation develop negative attitudes when faced with obstacles and rules in response to their expectations during the pandemic process.

Currently, Developmental scales for children aged 0-6 years are a particularly valuable resource for assessing developmental milestones in children. Most scales are developed based on a broad conceptual framework, and their metric validation is insufficient and of low quality. The aim of this systematic review is to analyse the psychometric quality of these tests and identify aspects in need of improvement. To this end, the PRISMA methodology and the WOS and ProQuest databases were used to search for articles addressing this topic. A total of 680 articles were identified, of which 72 were selected using the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results indicate a scarcity of independent studies on the statistical measurement of the scales. The selected articles are very heterogeneous and validate these tests using adaptations of common metrics. Most perform cross-cultural, concurrent, and prognostic validations of the tests. We conclude that the quality of the scale metrics and other common aspects of these tests need to be improved, particularly sample sparsity and heterogeneity, as well as cultural biases. We underline the importance of applying for advances in metrics for the construction of developmental scales and recommend the use of computerised versions to improve their ease of use and efficiency.

This conceptual paper introduces the idea of the walled garden of pedagogy. I will come to delineate it as a desirable and necessary feature of education given that it offers a protective space for pedagogical practice and rehearsal. This paper critiques a previous conceptualisation of a walled garden introduced by unschooling advocate John Holt (in relation to the raising of children), in which such a metaphorical construction is described as a prison. The limitations of Holt's conceptualisation are used to then build upon the concepts of pedagogical reduction and Yves Chevallard's notion of "la transposition didactique" to argue that educators in practice inevitably build walled gardens from pedagogical foundations. It is argued, and thus recommended, that it is the gradual introduction of risk that separates the pedagogical walled garden from the conceptualisation of the childhood prison. It is imperative that educators understand their responsibility for leveraging the inevitable protective element and the necessary risk required in education.

In this study, it has been tried to develop a different perspective in the literature by determining the reflection of couple burnout of mothers, which is examined as a problem between couples or a personal problem, on the social development of children. The study was designed in the relational survey model, one of the general survey models. In the study, the Social Skills Assessment Scale was used to measure the social skills of children, and the Couple Burnout Scale Short Form was used to measure the mother's burnout level. According to the findings, a significant negative relationship was found between the Social Skills Scale's sub-dimensions of Initiating and Maintaining Relationships, Aggressive Behaviors and Coping Skills with Impulses, Planning, Group Communication and Conducting a Job Skills, and Social Skills Scale Total Score and Couple Burnout. It has been observed that couple burnout of mothers negatively and significantly predicts children's social skills and sub-dimensions of social skills, such as initiating and maintaining relationships, coping with aggressive behaviors and impulses, planning, communication with the group and running a business. It was concluded that the couple burnout of the mothers negatively predicted the social skills of the children.

Research Findings: This study aims to extend our knowledge regarding contributions of educator--child interactions to child language outcomes by examining the extent to which specific dimensions of the CLASS observational tool of educator-child interactions are associated with child language abilities, utilizing data from an Australian longitudinal study of over 2,000 children attending formal Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The analysis included a novel measurement model fitted to the data to allow each CLASS dimension to be modeled separately. Results showed that each CLASS dimension was associated with initial average language abilities. Small, negative effects of Emotional Support dimensions on growth of children's average Understanding Directions score were found, but there were no associations between any of the dimensions and average growth in Verbal Ability. None of the Instructional Support dimensions (which are language focused) predicted growth in language abilities. These null findings are addressed in the discussion. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study illustrate that, typically, ECEC programs rate low on dimensions of quality developed to capture language-promoting educator-child interactions. Findings also suggest a selection effect related to equity of access to classroom quality with children with the highest initial language abilities in the highest quality classrooms.

Young children's development is a crucial period determining their adult outcomes. Through adversities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, preschool teachers play an essential role in nurturing children's development. This study has the objective to explore preschool teachers' perceptions of their students' development throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 12 Teachers living in West Timor, Indonesia, were involved in the photovoice process. The qualitative data analysis resulted in three overarching themes: cooperation between teachers and parents, alternative stimulations of child development, and uncomprehensive child development. More support on options and alternatives for facilitating young children's remote learning is needed to maintain a stable and comprehensive development process in this pandemic.

The mediation effect of posttraumatic perception between self-esteem and PTSD severity among college student veterans (N = 64) were investigated. The results of the investigation indicated a significant relationship between self-esteem and PTSD severity. The total effect between self-esteem and PTSD severity showed a statistically significant relationship. Additionally, the investigation affirmed that self-esteem among student veterans was directly and negatively related to posttraumatic perception. Implications for college counseling with veterans are discussed.

Secondary analysis of the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2018 data set (Baby FACES 2018) explored links between family risk events and referral-making and referral uptake among families receiving Early Head Start (EHS) services. Referrals to both behavioral health and entitlement programs were considered. Results showed that referrals to behavioral health programs were much more likely to be given to families receiving care from home-based care than center-based care, and that referrals were slightly more likely to be given to families who did not have any family risk events. Several factors also moderated the relationship between family risk and referrals, including perceived closeness of the parent/caregiver--EHS staff relationship, family conflict, and caregiver depression. There were no observed effects for referrals to entitlement programs. Caregiver depression weakened the link between family risk and service uptake for entitlement programs.

Early detection and access to interventions for developmental delays in young children have been shown to improve health, social, and academic outcomes later in life. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors associated with caregivers' perception of child developmental concerns in low-income communities. A countywide survey was conducted in Los Angeles County (LAC), California, among 4,863 participating Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) families with children ages 1-4 years. Proportional odds ordinal logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between the severity of reported developmental concerns and respondent characteristics. Results indicate that demographic characteristics, support systems, health care visits during COVID-19, and maternal symptoms of depression are associated with higher odds of reporting more severe developmental concerns among the WIC population. Advancing policies, programs, and research that aim to improve early detection and access to childhood professionals for all families will be essential to allow all children in low-income households to optimize their development.

Infancy, a formative period for development, has been identified as an advantageous time to provide family-centered support for children with delays. Families should be included as stakeholders during development of such interventions to ensure social value. We describe a preliminary randomized controlled trial evaluating Infant Achievements (IA), an 8-week (16-session) parent-mediated intervention for parents of infants 8-12 months old with social and communication delays. This study reports our qualitative examination of the intervention's social validity. We conducted focus groups with seven IA parent participants and analyzed their responses using conventional content analysis. Five themes emerged: (a) difficulty identifying resources to address concerns; (b) seeking validation of concerns; (c) seeking support to enhance children's development; (d) experiencing a supportive coaching relationship; and (e) creating meaningful interactions to support children's communication and social skills. Our results emphasize the necessity of partnering with families in the development of evidence-based, family-centered interventions for infants with developmental delays to maximize their social value.

De facto school segregation, stemming from structural racism, has myriad consequences for children's development. Extant research documents the implications of segregated schools for children's academic resources and opportunities, but there is less attention on the social processes that unfold as a result of school segregation, particularly in early and middle childhood. Social processes--including ethnic-racial socialization, stereotyping and prejudice, and intergroup contact--are important mechanisms wherein school segregation affects academic and social development, thereby upholding a recursive cycle of structural racism. We synthesize cross-disciplinary theoretical and empirical research to propose a conceptual framework for how school segregation relates to social processes that shape early and middle childhood development. We conclude with reflections and future directions including prioritizing the social benefits and costs of desegregation for minoritized children, expanding research within an intersectional framework, accounting for structural inequities and injustice in child development research more broadly, and implications for education and learning.

The mediators of real-world executive functions in autism during the transition into adulthood are mainly unknown. This study aimed to identify the mediators for the behavioral and cognitive domains of real-world executive functions in late adolescent and young adult autistic populations. We followed up 289 autistic children (aged 11.6 ± 3.8, male 82.2%) and 203 non-autistic controls (10.7 ± 2.9, 66.5%) to their ages of 16.9 ± 4.7 and 15.8 ± 3.9, respectively. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, comprising two global scales (Behavioral Regulation Index and the Metacognitive Index), was used to assess real-world executive functions at Time 2. Mediators of behavior regulation and metacognition were explored among a wide range of clinical correlates and parental bonding. We found that the autistic group had lower executive functions than the non-autistic group with lower behavior regulation and metacognition subscores. Several childhood factors were significant mediators. Multiple mediation analyses revealed that childhood inattention remained a significant mediator for both behavior regulation and metacognition in late adolescence, and peer problems were the specific mediators of metacognition. Our findings suggest several childhood factors may mediate real-world executive functions during late adolescence. Treating common mediators such as inattention may improve real-world executive functions in autistic individuals during adulthood.

A good deal of research purports that bilingualism has a positive effect on some aspects of cognitive functioning. However, this effect is not consistent, and little research examines trajectories of cognitive skill development in bilingual children. Moreover, it remains unclear whether different types of bilingualism impact how cognitive abilities unfold. The reported study investigates children's data from three linguistic groups (179 sequential bilingual, 96 simultaneous bilingual and 57 monolingual German-speaking children) and examines differences (1) regarding cognitive outcome measures pertaining to selective attention, visuospatial thinking and abstract thinking and (2) searches for substantial developmental trajectory differences regarding said measures. Children were tested at 3 points in time; at age 4;10, 6;2 and 7;4. Results indicate no significant linguistic group differences in selective attention, visuospatial thinking and abstract thinking when controlling for gender, language comprehension of the child, and families' socioeconomic status. Moreover, the three linguistic groups did not differ in developmental trajectories. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Guided by the ecological model of civic development, this study examined the extent to which the growth in children's self-control during middle childhood predicted their civic engagement at age 26 directly and indirectly via their prosociality at age 15. We used data from 1,042 children (50% female, 77% White) in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Children's self-control at 3rd grade and growth in self-control from 3rd to 6th grade were significantly and positively associated with voting at age 26. In addition to these direct links, children's self-control at 3rd grade and growth in self-control during middle childhood positively predicted children's prosociality at age 15, which, in turn, positively predicted engagement in environmental causes, political or social action groups, and volunteering at age 26. These findings indicate that children's self-control during middle childhood may be an important foundational asset for later prosociality and unique types of civic engagement and may be a key factor for nurturing the development of well-rounded citizens.

This study investigated the development of rapid visual object categorization. N = 20 adults (Experiment 1), N = 21 five to six-year-old children (Experiment 2), and N = 140 four-, seven-, and eleven-month-old infants (Experiment 3; all predominantly White, 81 females, data collected in 2013-2020) participated in a fast periodic visual stimulation electroencephalographic task. Similar categorization of animal and furniture stimuli emerged in children and adults, with responses much reduced by phase-scrambling (R[superscript 2] = 0.34-0.73). Categorization was observed from 4 months, but only at 11 months, high-level cues enhanced performance (R[superscript 2] = 0.11). Thus, first signs of rapid categorization were evident from 4 months, but similar categorization patterns as in adults were recorded only from 11 months on.

School-based screening instruments have traditionally focused on assessing within-child factors, such as a student's academic, social, emotional, behavioral, or physical development. This emphasis in school-based screening may be a missed opportunity to assess and ameliorate contextual factors (i.e., social determinants of health) influencing child development. In this scoping review, we aim to describe the current landscape of screening for social determinants of health (SDOH) in school settings. Following established practices for scoping reviews, we searched PsycInfo, ERIC, and CINAHL Plus in December 2022 for articles describing the development or use of an SDOH measure in a school setting. From each eligible article, two coders independently extracted (1) study characteristics, (2) measure characteristics, (3) available psychometric or usability information, and (4) reported outcomes of measure implementation. Descriptive and content analyses were used to examine data. We identified six articles describing the development or use of SDOH measures in elementary, high school, or university settings. These articles yielded six unique SDOH measures, intended for either adolescent or young adult self-report, caregiver proxy-report, or both. Measures included 6-25 SDOH items, with additional items assessing demographics, health behaviors, or mental health (e.g., depression). Reported outcomes included increased referrals to services and implementation of school-based supports to reduce social risk (e.g., school food pantry). We discuss next steps for research evaluating the feasibility and social consequences of school-based SDOH screening.

As adults, we represent and think about number, space, and time in at least two ways: our intuitive--but imprecise--perceptual representations, and the slowly learned--but precise--number words. With development, these representational formats interface, allowing us to use precise number words to estimate imprecise perceptual experiences. We test two accounts of this developmental milestone. Either slowly learned associations are required for the interface to form, predicting that deviations from typical experiences (e.g., presentation of a novel unit or unpracticed dimension) will disrupt children's ability to map number words to their perceptual experiences or children's understanding of the logical similarity between number words and perceptual representations allows them to flexibly extend this interface to novel experiences (e.g., units and dimensions they have not yet learned how to formally measure). 5-11-year-olds completed verbal estimation and perceptual sensitivity tasks across three dimensions: Number, Length, and Area. For verbal estimation, they were given novel units (i.e., a three-dot unit called one "toma" for Number, a 44 px long line called one "blicket" for Length, a 111 px[superscript 2] blob called one "modi" for Area) and asked to estimate how many tomas/blickets/modies they saw when shown a larger set of dots, lines, and blobs. Children could flexibly link number words to novel units across dimensions, demonstrating positive estimation slopes, even for Length and Area, which younger children had limited experience with. This suggests that the logic of structure mapping can be dynamically utilized across perceptual dimensions, even without extensive experience.

The account that word learning starts in earnest during the second year of life, when infants have mastered the disambiguation skills, has recently been challenged by evidence that infants during the first year already know many common words. The preliminary ability to rapidly map and disambiguate linguistic labels was tested in Italian-speaking infants (N = 96, 47 boys; age = 4 and 6 months, eye tracking). Infants can rapidly map linguistic labels to objects and movements, and disambiguate the intended referents to novel words, but they fail with sinewave analogs. In hearing infants, mapping and disambiguation emerge early in development, and are flexible as to which visual referents infants are willing to map to linguistic labels, but may be constrained to linguistic sounds.

This study aimed to determine the effects of the Active Early Learning (AEL) childcare center-based physical activity intervention on early childhood executive function and expressive vocabulary via a randomized controlled trial. Three-hundred-and-fourteen preschool children (134 girls) aged 3-5 years from 15 childcare centers were randomly assigned to the intervention (8 centers; n = 170 children) or control group (7 centers, n = 144 children) in May 2019. Participants were mostly Australian (85%) and from slightly higher areas of socio-economic status than the Australian average. There was an AEL intervention effect on inhibition ([Beta] = 0.5, p = 0.033, d = 0.29) and expressive vocabulary ([Beta] = 1.97, p = 0.001, d = 0.24). Integration of the AEL physical activity intervention into the daily childcare routine was effective in enhancing children's executive function and expressive language development.

This survey-based research explores data from a diverse range of 54 professionals involved in collaborative team working to support children with specific needs. The survey investigated the individual's perception of their own role, and the interactions within the team. The survey collected some quantitative data, such as age and length of time in role, to explore correlations, but it also asked open-ended questions, providing a wealth of qualitative data. While we have focused on relationship dynamics between professionals in previous work, in this article we revisit the data with a specific focus on the positionality and voice of the child and their parents within multi-professional teams. In doing so we find that professionals frequently forget that the child themselves is entitled to a say in the decisions made about them and that the concept of the parent as an expert on their own child is rarely recognised in practice. There is also evidence that the challenging emotions that many parents struggle with during multi-professional working can easily be misread as reluctance or disinterest. All of these findings highlight a need for professionals to take a far more reflective approach to their collaborative work with colleagues, families and children.

Drama therapy incorporates play, imaginary engagement, embodiment, and perspective taking to promote interpersonal skills and affective functioning. Existing school-based drama therapy (SBDT) research has demonstrated utility with select populations; however, much of the SBDT literature has featured disparate findings. Absent from the current literature is a thorough synthesis of the benefits of SBDT for socio-emotional development in early childhood, an age cohort that may be well suited for drama therapy due to the method's theoretical and practical focus on action, symbolism, and play. A scoping review was conducted to answer the research question: "What is the use and potential of SBDT to enhance socio-emotional skills in early childhood?" Following a thorough database and manual search, 406 articles were identified and, after screening, 16 articles met the inclusion criteria. Based on the results, practice recommendations include the use of metaphor, distance, and life-drama connection to enhance socio-emotional skills, using dramatic play as a tool to address adverse experiences, and applying SBDT to support specific clinical populations. Policy recommendations include the use of SBDT within a public health trauma approach and the need for ecological integration of SBDT into schools. Research recommendations include the need for a broad-level articulation of a scaffolded SBDT research agenda in schools focused on socio-emotional skills and recommendations specific to methodological and reporting rigor.