Predicting cognitive development and early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in preterm children : the value of temperament and sensory processing

This study was the first to longitudinally explore the extent to which early temperament and sensory processing were of predictive value for cognitive development and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptomatology in a sample of preterm children (N= 50, 22 girls, mean gestational age 27 weeks). At the corrected ages of 10, 18, and 24 months, sensory processing and temperament were assessed, as were cognitive development and ASD symptoms at 36 months. Better cognitive development was predicted by fewer hospitalisation days at birth and by lower Activity Level at 18 months. Temperamental subscales of Negative Affect showed associations with both parent-reported and observational measures of ASD symptomatology, whereas sensory processing only had predictive value for parent-reported symptoms of ASD. The usefulness of temperament and sensory processing for prediction of ASD symptom severity and cognitive outcomes became clear in the second year of life. The results indicate that this area of research is worth additional investigation in the extreme and very preterm population, to explore in further detail whether these two concepts might be able to provide information about which preterms are more likely to develop ASD or cognitive impairments

Eerste resultaten Thuisleren Onderzoek, verslagen voor ouders: fasen één, twee en drie

In de strijd tegen het coronavirus (COVID-19) werd het onderwijs in Vlaanderen vanaf 16 maart enkele maanden op afstand georganiseerd. Ondanks de grote inspanningen van zowel scholen, leerlingen, als ouders, leek deze periode van thuisonderwijs voor veel gezinnen niet evident. Het doel van het huidig onderzoek was daarom het in kaart brengen van wat werkte en wat niet tijdens de periode van thuisleren voor Vlaamse kinderen met en zonder ontwikkelingsstoornis. In dit bestand vind u een overzicht van de verslagen die deelnemende ouders ontvangen hebben en waarin de eerste, voorlopige resultaten van het onderzoek besproken worden

The impact of school strategies and the home environment on home learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in children with and without developmental disorders

Using the Opportunity-Propensity Model (Byrnes, 2020; Byrnes & Miller, 2007), the current study investigated which factors helped predicting children’s home learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby examining differences between children with (DD; n = 779) and without (TD; n = 1443) developmental disorders. MANCOVA results indicated more negative experiences for DD children and their parents. SEM-results revealed the alignment between different teachers and autonomous motivation in children as the most important predictors for the outcome variables. Less predictors were significant for DD as compared to TD children which suggests other factors are at play in the DD group. Limitations, strengths and suggestions for future research are being discussed, together with some implications for classroom practices and remote learning approaches

The impact of school strategies and the home environment on home learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in children with and without developmental disorders

Using the Opportunity-Propensity Model (Byrnes in Dev Rev 56:100911, 2020; Byrnes & Miller in Contemp Educ Psychol 32(4);599-629, 2007), the current study investigated which factors helped predicting children's home learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby examining differences between children with (DD; n = 779) and without (TD; n = 1443) developmental disorders. MANCOVA results indicated more negative experiences for DD children and their parents. SEM-results revealed the alignment between different teachers and autonomous motivation in children as the most important predictors for the outcome variables. Less predictors were significant for DD as compared to TD children which suggests other factors are at play in the DD group. Limitations, strengths and suggestions for future research are being discussed, together with some implications for classroom practices and remote learning approaches