Colour Symbolism of Aboakyir

In Ghana, traditional festivals are important cultural elements that are identified with many ethnic groups across the country. Aboakyir is one of such traditional festivals celebrated annually by an ethnic group in the Central Region called Simpa or Effutu. The Effutu people celebrate the festival at their traditional capital called Winneba every first week of May. The purpose of the study was to conduct a qualitative research into the colours used to celebrate the Simpa Aboakyir festival during the 2016 edition. To aid the researchers gather reliable data for the study, a non-probability sampling technique called purposive sampling was used to select 16 respondents. The researchers used observation, unstructured interview and still-photography to gather primary data throughout the last week of the festival. The responses from the interviews were recorded electronically; field notes and still-pictures were taken and the recorded information was transcribed, the field notes were expanded and relevant photographs were sifted and edited. The data was categorised into relevant themes and the selected photographs were analysed through aesthetic appreciation. The transcribed data were analysed through inductive reasoning and descriptive qualitative approach to respond to the objectives and research questions of the study.  The findings that emanated from the analyses were discussed qualitatively according to the philosophy of interpretivism research paradigm to reflect the literature and the research questions of the study. Based on the findings that emerged from the analysis, the researchers recommended that visual art students at all levels and visual art practitioners must experiment the colours used by Effutus in the celebration of their traditional festival to develop other unconventional harmonious colour schemes that can be applied in creative arts. Keywords: Aboakyir festival, colour schemes and aesthetic appreciatio

Creating and Evaluating Two Cumulative Developmental Vulnerability Risk Measures.

Objectives The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a valid and reliable population-level tool measuring child developmental vulnerability in Kindergarten. The objective of this study was to derive and validate new EDI-based development “cumulative vulnerability” risk indicators using a cumulative risk index approach (Rutter, 1979). Approach The EDI has two main outcome measures: individual domain scores and vulnerability (scoring below a 10% cutpoint). To account for more complexity, we derived two new “cumulative vulnerability” measures. The Mean EDI Domain Score (MEDS) is the mean of the domain scores, and the Total EDI Vulnerability Index (TEVI) is an ordinal summative measure using domain vulnerability indicators. In Study I, we examined the relationship of the MEDS and TEVI measures with neighbourhood-level SES. In Study II, we examined the predictive/explanatory power of the MEDS and TEVI measures with Grade 3 provincial assessments in Ontario, Canada. Results Study I used EDI Kindergarten data from twelve provincial and territorial data collections between 2008 and 2013 in Canada (316,015 children) aggregated to 2,038 customized neighbourhoods. The two new cumulative vulnerability measures worked as expected, with positive association between MEDS and neighbourhood SES (r=0.58), and a negative association between TEVI and neighbourhood SES (r=-0.57). Study II used data from 61,039 Kindergarten children matched between the EDI and Grade 3 EQAO datasets. The predictive/explanatory power of Mean EDI Domain Scores (MEDS; R2=0.11 to 0.15) was twice that of new ordinal summative measure (TEVI; R2=0.06 to 0.08). Interestingly, the predictive power of the TEVI was similar to that of the composite EDI outcome measure, overall vulnerability (vulnerable on one or more domains). Conclusion The MEDS and TEVI work as expected and can be used for research and reporting purposes. More specifically, the TEVI can also be used as a severity metric evaluating the impact of multiple developmental vulnerabilities. It is recommended that further research be conducted to validate the measures with other datasets

Defying Expectations: Can We Identify Neighbourhoods with “Other Than Expected” Developmental Outcomes?

Objectives To contribute to the evidence on the association between neighbourhood-level child development in Kindergarten and neighbourhood SES, our objective was to quantify the sociodemographic and child development characteristics of the neighbourhoods that “defy expectations”: high SES neighbourhoods with much-worse-than-expected child outcomes, and low SES neighbourhoods with much-better-than-expected child outcomes. Approach Using exploratory and model-based Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we identified homogenous profile groups of 2038 customized Canadian neighbourhoods using ten SES indicators. We identified the most parsimonious number of profile groups and validated and characterized the derived groups of neighbourhoods using neighbourhood and aggregated child characteristics. Next, as our outcome, we created quartile groups for developmental vulnerability risk, measured with the Early Development Instrument (EDI), to match the number of derived neighbourhood profile groups. Last, we used contingency table analysis to identify neighbourhoods that defy expectations, and then characterized these neighbourhoods using descriptive statistics and correlational analysis. Results The LPA identified four neighbourhood SES groups which we labelled “Low” (31.6%), “Low-moderate” (12.7%), “High-moderate” (38.4%) and “High” (17.4%). These four SES groups were cross-tabulated with quartile groups of EDI vulnerability risk. Inspection of the resulting 4-by-4 contingency table showed that within the “Low” SES profile group 57 (8.9%) neighbourhoods had much-better-than-expected developmental vulnerability risk. Conversely, within the “High” SES profile group, 12 (3.4%) neighbourhood had much-worse-than-expected developmental vulnerability risk. Additionally, these analyses identified large provincial differences in the proportion of neighbourhoods that defy expectation. In 12 provinces and territories in the study, the proportion of neighbourhoods that defied expectations within each province ranged from zero to 50%. Conclusion The identification of neighbourhoods that defy expectations contributes to our understanding of neighbourhood factors influencing child development. Using mixed-methods approaches, these neighbourhoods can be compared to nearby neighbourhoods from the same SES profile group that do not defy expectations, in an effort to identify contextual factors that differentiate them

The Canadian Neighbourhood Early Childhood Development (CanNECD) Socioeconomic Index: Stability and Measurement Invariance Over Time.

Objectives and Approach The CanNECD SES Index is a composite of 10 Canadian Census and Income Tax Filer variables, aggregated to 2,038 custom neighbourhoods covering all of Canada. The baseline 2006 Index accounted for 32% of the neighbourhood-level variance in overall developmental vulnerability in Kindergarten children, as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Other existing SES indices accounted for 17% at most. The Index now has two additional time points (2011 and 2016), which allows an evaluation of its consistency over time. Our objective is to assess three aspects of the Index’s temporal consistency. The first is the consistency of the strength of association between the Index and vulnerability rates across EDI developmental domains. The second is the consistency of neighbourhoods’ quintile rank over time. Finally, we use Confirmatory Factor Analysis in an SEM framework to assess the Index’s measurement invariance over time. Results For each EDI domain, the strength of association between Index scores and neighbourhood-level vulnerability rates were either maintained or minimally declined over time. Additionally, neighbourhood quintile rankings were highly consistent over time with over 60% of neighbourhoods in the same quintile between 2006 and 2016, and fewer than 3% with a greater than one-quintile change. Finally, our preliminary measurement invariance results show at least configural invariance over the three time points. Conclusion / implications Our results confirm the stability of the CanNECD Index, justifying its utility for: mapping SES indicators across neighbourhoods and over time, contextualizing neighbourhood-level developmental vulnerability in young children, and identifying interesting neighbourhoods for future study, especially those where the children are faring much better than predicted by the Index

Does social capital flatten the social gradient in early childhood development? An ecological study of two provinces in Canada

Social capital is thought to buffer the negative effects of low income on health and thereby flatten the social gradient. Child development research on social capital has suggested that social networks of adults and children in a neighborhood may play a protective role in children's outcomes. Yet little is known about how this relationship applies to diverse developmental outcomes in early childhood. This study examines whether the presence of role model adults and the willingness of neighbors to help keep children safe moderates the relationship between neighborhood income and five developmental outcomes for children in kindergarten: (1) physical health and well-being, (2) social competence, (3) emotional maturity, (4) language and cognitive development, and (5) communication and general knowledge. We linked neighborhood-level data on child development from two Canadian provinces, British Columbia (BC, n = 100) and Ontario (n = 482), to neighborhood-level data on social capital from the Ontario Kindergarten Parent Survey, and the BC Social Capital Study; and income data from the 2006 Canadian Census. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the main and interaction effects of social capital and income in relation to child development outcomes. In Ontario, higher levels of social capital were associated with better child outcomes on all five developmental domains. Similar trends were observed in BC. Higher levels of social capital flattened the income gradient in language and cognitive development in both provinces, and social competence in Ontario. Implications for research and practice are discussed

The Shape of the Socioeconomic Gradient: Testing to Functional Form of the Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Early Child Development

Introduction The literature provides abundant evidence of socioeconomic gradients in health outcomes. However, it is unclear, and particularly understudied in early child development research, whether these observed gradients are linear, whether they diminish as socioeconomic status (SES) increases, and if they ultimately reverse in slope at the highest SES values. Objectives and Approach We linked neighbourhood-level Census and Tax Filer data with Early Development Instrument (EDI) data across Canada. The EDI is a kindergarten teacher-completed measure of five domains of early child development. We used this linked database to statistically compare and choose the most appropriate functional form of the relationship between each of the EDI domains (dependent variables), and the Canadian Neighbourhoods and Early Child Development (CanNECD) study's SES index (predictor) in regression models. Model comparison approaches included: visual checks of lines fitted using Generalized Additive Models, Akaike and Bayesian Information Criterions, Ramsay’s RESET, J and Cox tests. Results The results indicate the optimal functional form of the gradient varies across domains of the EDI. The best model for the Physical Health and Well-Being domain was quadratic, suggesting there may be some reversal in slope at higher values of SES. The best models for the Social Competence and Language and Cognitive Development domains were logarithmic, indicating diminishing returns to SES but with no slope reversal. The best model for the Emotional Maturity domain was linear, suggesting the gradient was consistent across all values of SES. The best fit for the Communication Skills and General Knowledge domain was a cubic ‘S’ curve, suggesting the curve is positive and concave for lower levels of SES but curves upwards beyond a certain SES threshold. Conclusion/Implications The results demonstrate the importance of examining functional forms when modeling socioeconomic gradients. Assuming linear relationships between SES and health outcomes (early child development, in this case) may distort and bias the true nature of the relationships, thus leading to misinterpretations, especially at the highest and lowest values of SES

Neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status and prevalence of teacher-reported health disorders among Canadian kindergarten children

BackgroundThe evidence on the association between neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) and health disorders in young children is scarce. This study examined the prevalence of health disorders in Canadian kindergarten (5–6 years old) children in relation to neighborhood SES in 12/13 Canadian jurisdictions.MethodsData on child development at school entry for an eligible 1,372,980 children out of the total population of 1,435,428 children from 2004 to 2020, collected using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), were linked with neighborhood sociodemographic data from the 2006 Canadian Census and the 2005 Taxfiler for 2,058 neighborhoods. We examined the relationship using linear regressions. Children’s HD included special needs, functional impairments limiting a child’s ability to participate in classroom activities, and diagnosed conditions.ResultsThe neighborhood prevalence of health disorders across Canada ranged from 1.8 to 46.6%, with a national average of 17.3%. The combined prevalence of health disorders was 16.4%, as 225,711 children were identified as having at least one health disorder. Results of an unadjusted linear regression showed a significant association between neighborhood-level SES and prevalence of health disorders (F(1, 2051) = 433.28, p < 0.001), with an R2 of 0.17. When province was added to the model, the R2 increased to 0.40 (F(12, 2040) = 115.26, p < 0.001). The association was strongest in Newfoundland & Labrador and weakest in Ontario.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that the prevalence of health disorders among kindergarten children was higher in lower SES neighborhoods and varied by jurisdiction in Canada, which has implications for practice and resource allocation

A Pan-Canadian Data Resource for Monitoring Child Developmental Health: The Canadian Neighbourhoods Early Child Development (CanNECD) Database

The Canadian Neighbourhoods Early Child Development (CanNECD) database is a unique resource for research on child developmental health and well-being within the socioeconomic and cultural context of Canadian neighbourhoods. This paper describes the CanNECD database and highlights its potential for advancing research at the intersection of child development, social determinants of health, and neighborhood effects. The CanNECD database contains Pan-Canadian population-level child developmental health data collected through regional implementation of the Early Development Instrument (EDI), geo-coded information on residential neighbourhoods covering all of Canada, and socioeconomic and demographic variables from the Canada Census and Income Taxfiler database. The data are de-identified but linkable across datasets through use of common numeric sequences. The nearly 800,000 records spanning 2003-2014 and representing all Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Nunavut) are compiled in a secure electronic collection system at the Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. Early studies using the EDI demonstrated its utility as a tool for assessing child developmental health at a population level, and its potential for both community-level and large-scale monitoring of child populations. Research using the CanNECD database is now examining to what extent social determinants and the steepness of the social gradients of developmental health differ between geographical jurisdictions and between different sub-populations. We are also working to identify outlier neighbourhoods in which EDI scores are substantially higher or lower than predicted by a neighbourhood’s demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and exploring other potentially important determinants of children’s developmental health. Finally, we are examining the extent to which change-over-time in aggregate EDI scores vary geographically, and how well it coincides with changes in socioeconomic factors. Thus, the CanNECD database offers the opportunity for research that will inform national policies and strategies on child developmental health

Inattention and hyperactive/impulsive component scores do not differentiate between autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a clinical sample.

BACKGROUND: Although there is high co-occurrence between ASD and ADHD, the nature of this co-occurrence remains unclear. Our study aimed to examine the underlying relationship between ASD and ADHD symptoms in a combined sample of children with a primary clinical diagnosis of ASD or ADHD. METHODS: Participants included children and youth (aged 3-20 years) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (n = 303) or ADHD (n = 319) for a total of 622 participants. Parents of these children completed the social communication questionnaire (SCQ), a measure of autism symptoms, and the strengths and weaknesses of ADHD and normal behavior (SWAN) questionnaire, a measure of ADHD symptoms. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on combined SCQ and SWAN items, followed by a profile analysis comparing normalized component scores between diagnostic groups and gender. RESULTS: PCA revealed a four-component solution (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, social-communication, and restricted, repetitive, behaviors, and interests (RRBI)), with no overlap between SCQ and SWAN items in the components. Children with ASD had higher component scores in social-communication and RRBI than children with ADHD, while there was no difference in inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive scores between diagnostic groups. Males had higher scores than females in social-communication, RRBI, and hyperactivity/impulsivity components in each diagnostic group. LIMITATIONS: We did not formally assess children with ASD for ADHD using our research-criteria for ADHD, and vice versa. High rates of co-occurring ADHD in ASD, for example, may have inflated component scores in inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. A disadvantage with using single informant-based reports (i.e., parent-rated questionnaires) is that ASD and ADHD symptoms may be difficult to distinguish by parents, and may be interpreted differently between parents and clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: ASD and ADHD items loaded on separate components in our sample, suggesting that the measurement structure cannot explain the covariation between the two disorders in clinical samples. High levels of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were seen in both ASD and ADHD in our clinical sample. This supports the need for a dimensional framework that examines neurodevelopmental domains across traditional diagnostic boundaries. Females also had lower component scores across social-communication, RRBI, and hyperactivity/impulsivity than males, suggesting that there may be gender-specific phenotypes related to the two conditions

Inattention and hyperactive/impulsive component scores do not differentiate between autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a clinical sample.

BACKGROUND: Although there is high co-occurrence between ASD and ADHD, the nature of this co-occurrence remains unclear. Our study aimed to examine the underlying relationship between ASD and ADHD symptoms in a combined sample of children with a primary clinical diagnosis of ASD or ADHD. METHODS: Participants included children and youth (aged 3-20 years) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (n = 303) or ADHD (n = 319) for a total of 622 participants. Parents of these children completed the social communication questionnaire (SCQ), a measure of autism symptoms, and the strengths and weaknesses of ADHD and normal behavior (SWAN) questionnaire, a measure of ADHD symptoms. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on combined SCQ and SWAN items, followed by a profile analysis comparing normalized component scores between diagnostic groups and gender. RESULTS: PCA revealed a four-component solution (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, social-communication, and restricted, repetitive, behaviors, and interests (RRBI)), with no overlap between SCQ and SWAN items in the components. Children with ASD had higher component scores in social-communication and RRBI than children with ADHD, while there was no difference in inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive scores between diagnostic groups. Males had higher scores than females in social-communication, RRBI, and hyperactivity/impulsivity components in each diagnostic group. LIMITATIONS: We did not formally assess children with ASD for ADHD using our research-criteria for ADHD, and vice versa. High rates of co-occurring ADHD in ASD, for example, may have inflated component scores in inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. A disadvantage with using single informant-based reports (i.e., parent-rated questionnaires) is that ASD and ADHD symptoms may be difficult to distinguish by parents, and may be interpreted differently between parents and clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: ASD and ADHD items loaded on separate components in our sample, suggesting that the measurement structure cannot explain the covariation between the two disorders in clinical samples. High levels of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were seen in both ASD and ADHD in our clinical sample. This supports the need for a dimensional framework that examines neurodevelopmental domains across traditional diagnostic boundaries. Females also had lower component scores across social-communication, RRBI, and hyperactivity/impulsivity than males, suggesting that there may be gender-specific phenotypes related to the two conditions