Early detection of communication delays with the PEDS tools in at-risk South African infants

Background: Prevalence of communication delays or disorders is increasing, possibly because of various environmental risk factors. Selection and implementation of effective screening tools are important to detect at-risk infants as early as possible. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS), PEDS-Developmental Milestones and PEDS tools to detect communication delays in infants (6-12 months) in a South African primary healthcare context. Method: A comparative study design evaluated the accuracy of the PEDS tools to detect communication delays, using an internationally accepted diagnostic assessment tool, the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale (RITLS). A convenience sample of 201 infants was selected at primary healthcare clinics. Results: Expressive and receptive language sensitivity scores were low across all three screens (ranging between 14% and 44%). The PEDS tools had high sensitivity (71%) and specificity (73%) ratings for the receptive and expressive language and socio-emotional domain in combination. Conclusion: In the sample population, the PEDS tools did not accurately detect receptive and expressive language delays; however, communication delays in general were identified. Future research determining accuracy of the PEDS, PEDS-Developmental Milestones and PEDS tools for children aged 2-5 years in detecting communication delays should be prioritised

Exploring toddler risky play: Listening to the voices of parents and teachers of toddlers in one school setting

This qualitative study explored the understandings, definitions, and influences of three toddler teachers and four toddler parents within the context of risky play in toddlerhood at a Southeastern land-grant university early childhood laboratory school. Sociocultural and bioecological theories informed the study and the developmental niche conceptual framework guided the organization of data analysis. Video stimulated recall interviews were the primary data source. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to ensure triangulation of data. Findings include: (1) analyzing risky play is comprised of (a) the psychology of the caregiver, (b) knowing the child, and (c) cultural influences, (2) risky play happens outdoors, and (3) risky play is contextual. This study contributes important knowledge to the field of early childhood education by offering a new perspective regarding the definition of risky play and reveals how deeply situated parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of risky play are in their own personal past experiences, knowledges, and interactions. In essence, an attempt to further investigate parents’ and teachers’ personal meanings and understandings of risky play was made. Implications for future research and practice include the investigation of toddler teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of risky play in order to delve more deeply into the individualism of risky play definitions, as well as the use of new methodologies to ensure the incorporation of participants’ histories, experiences, knowledges and confrontations with risky play scenarios to illuminate definitions and the evolution of individuals’ meaning making

Developmental Trajectories of Aggression from Toddlerhood to Early Adolescence in Boys and Girls: Exploring Early Predictors and Later Outcomes

Early behavior problems, such as childhood aggression, emerge in the second year of life and decrease prior to school entry for typically developing children. However, some children show frequent and persistent aggression and may be at risk for subsequent difficulties that lead to poor school and life outcomes. The current study aimed to identify aggression patterns in children from toddlerhood to early adolescence for boys and girls together and separately. This study also explored early influences on aggressive behaviors at age two, such as mothers’ parenting behaviors, cumulative family risk, and early child characteristics. A range of difficulties in early adolescence were investigated, including poor social skills, low academic success, internalizing problems (e.g., depression and anxiety), and delinquent behaviors. Data from a previous study of 3,000 families and children, the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation longitudinal study, which followed families and children from infancy to early adolescence were examined. Four aggression patterns were found, characterized by changes over time in the amount of aggressive behaviors exhibited, applicable to both boys and girls: low-stable, moderate-decreasing, moderate-increasing, and high-stable. Early parenting and development during toddlerhood discriminated these distinctive aggression patterns. Compared with children in the low-stable group, boys in the moderate-decreasing and high-stable groups, and girls in the high-stable group were less likely to have mothers using positive parenting behaviors. Boys in the moderate-decreasing group and girls in the high-stable group were more likely to show delayed language development. Boys in the moderate-decreasing and high-stable groups were more likely to indicate poor emotional regulation. Moreover, compared with children in the low-stable group, those in the moderate-decreasing, moderate-increasing, or high-stable groups tended to show difficulties in early adolescence, such as lack of social skills, lower academic success, more internalizing problems, and delinquent behaviors. Altogether, young children exhibiting high levels of aggression over time were at the highest risk for later social, behavioral, and academic problems when, at age two, they had mothers with less positive parenting behaviors or when they showed poor language development or poor emotional regulation

Early identification of children with Asperger Syndrome: Communication characteristics

Diagnosis of children within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) category varies significantly but children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) are typically diagnosed at a much older age than those with Autism (AD). The late childhood diagnosis of AS means a possible lapse in years that the child receives appropriate intervention and support. The purpose of this retrospective study was to gain further insight into what early communication and behavior characteristics can be identified in children from birth to three years who are later diagnosed with AS. Parents of ten children with AS and under nineteen-years old were identified to participate in the study. The subjects\u27 parents answered The Rossetti Parent Questionnaire and participated in face-to-face, open ended question interviews regarding their children from birth to age three. Parents were encouraged to share early memories about their child\u27s communication and behavior. The results of this investigation indicate that evaluating behavioral and communication characteristics of infants and toddlers may constitute a viable screening tool for AS. In particular, assessment of communication characteristics, (e.g., speech and language development, interaction/communication and comprehension/understanding) as well as behavioral characteristics, (e.g., anxiety/energy levels, sensory issues, transitions, and fine/gross motor skills) are important areas to evaluate. Earlier screening tools could result in earlier diagnosis and the provision of needed appropriate services at a far earlier age than has typically been the case for children with Asperger Syndrome

What Works? A Study of Effective Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs

Examines factors that lead to desirable outcomes in mental health consultation programs: solid program infrastructure, highly qualified consultants, and quality support services. Analyzes targeted outcomes, measurements, and intensity of interventions

Fathering And Toddler Emotion Regulation: Intergenerational Caregiving And Parasympathetic Processes

Emotion regulation is an essential component of adaptive childhood development that is rooted in complex and interacting environmental and biological systems (Hastings et al., 2008). Caregivers play an integral role in promoting their children’s emotion regulation (Morris et al., 2007), while children’s individual physiology affects how they react and respond to the caregiving environment (Beauchaine, 2015). Few studies have examined paternal influence on child emotion regulation, especially among low-income and African American families with toddlers. To address this limitation, the current study investigated relations among three contexts of fathering, parasympathetic regulation, and toddler emotion regulation. This study (N = 92) describes data from fathers (90% African American, 67% annual income \u3c $15,000) and their toddlers (M age = 29.64 months; 60% boys). Data were collected as part of a broader, ongoing study examining family resilience among urban children and their parents. Fathers reported on their own emotion dysregulation (EDS, Bradley et al., 2011), while parenting was assessed during two observed interactions: 1) a post-stressor family reunion; and 2) a play task. Child and paternal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was also obtained as an index of parasympathetic arousal (Mindware Technologies, LTD, Westerville, OH). Findings demonstrated a robust association between fathering and toddler emotion regulation, such that paternal emotion dysregulation and engagement following a stressor emerged as significant predictors. Further, toddler RSA moderated the associations between fathering and emotion regulation, such that toddlers with moderate and elevated levels of resting RSA benefitted from paternal emotion regulation and parenting engagement following a stressor. Fathering during play did not have a direct or indirect effect on toddler emotion regulation. Together, results from this study emphasize the importance of fathering on toddler emotion regulation, and present important findings related to the roles of both caregiving and physiologic contexts in early regulatory development

Sexual Abuse in Preschool Aged Children: Teaching Childcare Professionals to Identify Signs and Symptoms

Identifying sexual abuse in young children is difficult, but crucial to a child’s immediate well-being and long-term well-being. Because many children spend a large percentage of their day in childcare settings, the aim of this study was to help teach early childhood educators to identify and report sexual abuse. To accomplish this, the researcher designed a training program about sexual abuse and how to report it. The training program was then forwarded via e-mail to ten experts in the childcare field who had previously expressed interest in the study. These experts responded to a survey and provided many other suggestions. After receiving the feedback, the original program was edited and prepared for a pilot group

Developmental pathways to autism: a review of prospective studies of infants at risk

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Symptoms of ASD likely emerge from a complex interaction between pre-existing neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities and the child's environment, modified by compensatory skills and protective factors. Prospective studies of infants at high familial risk for ASD (who have an older sibling with a diagnosis) are beginning to characterize these developmental pathways to the emergence of clinical symptoms. Here, we review the range of behavioral and neurocognitive markers for later ASD that have been identified in high-risk infants in the first years of life. We discuss theoretical implications of emerging patterns, and identify key directions for future work, including potential resolutions to several methodological challenges for the field. Mapping how ASD unfolds from birth is critical to our understanding of the developmental mechanisms underlying this disorder. A more nuanced understanding of developmental pathways to ASD will help us not only to identify children who need early intervention, but also to improve the range of interventions available to them