Type of day-care and preschool intellectual development in disadvantaged children

Levels and patterns of intellectual development of 3 groups of socioeconomically disadvantaged children were compared. The groups consisted of (1) children who were randomly assigned to receive extensive university-based intervention group day-care, (2) children whose parents placed them in community day-care centers for varying amounts of time, or (3) children whose parents chose little to no center-based day-care for their children. Two repeated-measures analyses of variance were performed to identify possible day-care effects on IQ level and on patterns of infant and preschool cognitive development. The results suggest that quality community day-care, as well as intervention day-care, may positively change both the level and pattern of preschool intellectual development of socioeconomically disadvantaged children.     

A longitudinal analysis of maternal abuse potential and developmental delays in children of adolescent mothers.

OBJECTIVE: This project was designed to examine the impact of adolescent mothers' abuse potential on the development of preschool children. The specific aims were to demonstrate relationships between maternal abuse potential and developmental problems in preschool children, to examine these relationships across time, and to determine whether maternal abuse potential predicted developmental delays after controlling for problematic parenting orientations. METHOD: Using a longitudinal design, we examined 146 first time mothers and their children. Maternal abuse potential was assessed when children were 1, 3, and 5 years old; problematic parenting orientation was assessed when the children were 6 months old; and child development (i.e., IQ, adaptive behavior, and behavior problems) was assessed at ages 3 and 5. RESULTS: Regression analyses revealed significant relationships between maternal abuse potential and a variety of developmental problems. Path analyses revealed unidirectional relationships between abuse potential predicting IQ and adaptive behaviors. Further analyses indicated that maternal abuse potential at 1 and 3 years predicted intelligence and adaptive behavior at ages 3 and 5, even when problematic parenting orientation was controlled. In contrast, children's behavioral problems at ages 3 and 5 was better accounted for by problematic parenting orientation than by abuse potential. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed that developmental delays in children of adolescent are related to abuse potential. Two pathways were found for predicting developmental delays: One pathway linked child abuse potential with IQ and adaptive functioning: the other pathway showed that problematic parenting orientation accounted for the development of emotional and behavioral problems.     

Assessing Quality in Toddler Classrooms Using the CLASS-Toddler and the ITERS-R

Many very young children attend early care and education programs, but current information about the quality of center-based care for toddlers is scarce. Using 2 observation instruments, the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ITERS-R) and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, Toddler Version (CLASS-Toddler), 93 child care classrooms for toddlers across the state of North Carolina, representing a range of quality, were assessed to determine overall quality, and associations between observed quality and teachers' ratings of child behavior problems and competence outcomes using the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment. Research Findings: Findings indicated that overall, toddler classrooms were rated as being of moderate quality. Associations between observed quality and teacher-reported child behavior problems and competence outcomes indicated that CLASS-Toddler ratings were positively associated with fewer behavior problems; specifically, children in classrooms with higher levels on the CLASS-Toddler domains of Emotional and Behavioral Support as well as Engaged Support for Learning were reported to have fewer behavior problems. Similarly, the ITERS-R subscales of Interaction and Listening and Talking were positively related to fewer reported behavior problems. Regression models showed that the CLASS-Toddler Emotional and Behavioral Support domain predicted differences in child behavior problems. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest the need for additional research related to very young children's experiences in center-based child care to examine associations between quality and child experiences and outcomes. Children's experiences over time need to be examined to understand how these early child care experiences are related to children's later school adjustment and performance. On a related note, professional development for teachers in toddler classrooms needs to be addressed in terms of preparing effective teachers for young children during the toddler developmental period.     

Age and gender specific sexual behaviors in children

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present research was to explore the sexual behaviors of 2- to 7-year-old children through reports of day-care personnel. An overall aim of this exploratory study was to provide information about the frequencies of child sexual behaviors. Also, the aim was to explore any age and gender differences. METHOD: A representative sample of 364 Finnish children not screened for developmental delay, sexual abuse history or psychiatric problems (181 girls and 183 boys) in 190 day-care centers were studied using the "Day-Care Sexuality Questionnaire" (DCSQ), with 244 sexual and other behavior items. RESULTS: Age influenced more the extent of the 244 sexual behaviors of boys than of girls. In sexual behaviors increasing with age, girls showed behaviors with a more social character, whereas boys showed more explorative and information-seeking behaviors. Girls had a higher frequency of domestic and gender role exploring behaviors, whereas the boys tended to engage in explorative acting and information-seeking behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that child sexual behavior reported by day-care personnel may provide useful information about the development of children's sexuality. Implications for sexual abuse investigations were discussed.     

Speech development patterns and phonological awareness in preschool children

To examine the association between speech production and early literacy skills, this study of 102 preschool children looked at phonological awareness in relation to whether children were delayed, typical, or advanced in their articulation of consonants. Using a developmental typology inspired by some of the literature on speech development (Kahn and Lewis, The Kahn-Lewis phonological analysis, 1986; Shriberg, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research 36(1):105-140, 1993a), we found that failure to master the early-8 consonants and a greater prevalence of certain types of production errors were associated with deficient phonological awareness. We also found that children who made no consonant errors had advanced phonological awareness relative to other children in the sample. In all cases, both productive speech patterns and speech errors were more closely linked with rhyme awareness than with phoneme awareness. The association between speech production and rhyme awareness may provide some new directions for the early preschool assessment of risk for reading problems.     

Social Interactions and Peer Perceptions of Young Physically Abused Children

14 3-6-year-old children with a history of physical abuse and a closely matched comparison group of 14 nonabused children, all of whom had been in day-care for more than a year, participated in this investigation. Behavior observations, teacher reports, and peer sociometric ratings were used to evaluate children's peer interactions. It was found that abused children initiated fewer positive interactions with peers and exhibited a higher proportion of negative behavior than nonabused comparison children. Peers viewed abused children as less well liked. Further, peers were less likely to reciprocate the initiations of abused children, although they approached abused children as often as they approached comparison children. Teachers viewed abused children as more behaviorally disturbed. Overall, results indicated that abused children experience disturbed social interactions outside the home environment, despite involvement in a day-care setting that provides alternative peer and adult role models.     

Temperamental Origins of Child and Adolescent Behavior Problems: From Age Three to Age Fifteen

We assessed relations between early temperament and behavior problems across 12 years in an unselected sample of over 800 children. Temperament measures were drawn from behavior ratings made by examiners who observed children at ages 3, 5, 7, and 9. Factor analyses revealed 3 dimensions at each age: Lack of Control, Approach, and Sluggishness . Temperament dimensions at ages 3 and 5 were correlated in theoretically coherent ways with behavior problems that were independently evaluated by parents and teachers at ages 9 and 11, and by parents at ages 13 and 15. Lack of Control was more strongly associated with later externalizing behavior problems than with internalizing problems; Approach was associated with fewer internalizing problems among boys; and Sluggishness was weakly associated with both anxiety and inattention, especially among girls. Lack of Control and Sluggishness were also associated with fewer adolescent competencies. These results suggest that early temperament may have predictive specificity for the development of later psychopathology.     

The Long-Term Consequences of Infant Day-Care and Mother-Infant Attachment

The aim of this study was to explore the within-group effects of mother-infant attachment and day-care on children's social and emotional adaptation at 42 months and in the early school years. For this high-risk sample, the effects of day-care depended on the quality of mother-infant attachment. Day-care appeared to have a negative effect for secure children but had a positive influence for insecure children. For the secure group, children in day-care were more negative and avoidant at 42 months, and they were more externalizing and aggressive in kindergarten compared to the home-reared group. In contrast, day-care children who were insecurely attached were less withdrawn and more agentic. Overall, day-care children were rated higher on externalizing behavior in kindergarten than home-reared children, but no differences were found in the later school years. The sequelae of attachment indicated that security of attachment during infancy differentially predicted later adaptation for day-care and home-reared children. Attachment was related to later adaptation for home-reared children but did not predict later adaptation for day-care children.     

Linked lives: stability and change in maternal circumstances and trajectories of antisocial behavior in children

Drawing on the notion of linked lives, this study examined the effects of stability and change in maternal circumstance on developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior in children 4 to 7 years of age. Using data from a national sample of young mothers and growth curve analysis, the study demonstrated that early maternal circumstances influences early antisocial behavior, whereas stability and change in these circumstances both exacerbate and ameliorate behavior problems. Of particular note, meaningful escape from poverty attenuates antisocial behavior whereas persistence in poverty or long-term movement into poverty intensifies such problems. These findings highlight the importance of structural context for parenting practices and the need to consider child development in light of dynamic and changing life-course fortunes of parents.     

Experiences in day care and social competence among maltreated children

The experience of 39 preschool-age maltreated children from 13 child care facilities was examined to determine the extent to which the children's social development was related to the quality of day-care service. Maltreated children assigned by the Arkansas Department of Social Services to three different types of child care facilities were observed: specialized day-care programs, regular day-care centers and family day homes. The children scored below average in intelligence and were rated by their parents as displaying higher than normal rates of disturbed behavior. While no comparison group of non-maltreated children was included in the study, observations of the maltreated children in the child care setting revealed substantially more positive than negative social behavior. The children were reasonably effective in interacting with adult caregivers in day care. The maltreated children were also productive in most encounters with peers. Ratings of the quality of care received in day care were significantly correlated with the children's social competence in child care. Aspects of social behavior in maltreated children were related to the organization of the program, the physical facilities, traits of the caregiver, and caregiver expectations for the children.     

Effects of public day-care: a longitudinal study

119 Swedish children were followed from their first year of life up to the age of 8. Most could be classified according to (a) type of day-care they had experienced during their first 7 years of life and (b) time of first entrance into day-care. At 8 years, the children were tested with aptitude tests and rated by their teachers on school performance and social and personal development. Hierarchical regression analyses and MANCOVAs were used in the statistical treatment. Time of entrance into day-care predicted children's cognitive and socioemotional development, controlling for sex and home background. Children with early day-care (entrance before the age of 1) were generally rated more favorably and performed better than children with late entrance or home care. There was a tendency for early center care to predict a more favorable outcome than other care.     

Recurrent Otitis Media and Attachment Security: A Path Model

The present study examined the processes through which recurrent episodes of otitis media influence children's attachment security. The model guiding the research suggests that mothers of children who experience recurrent episodes of otitis media have higher levels of parenting stress, which can have a direct negative effect on attachment security. As well, an increase in parenting stress may be indirectly related to attachment security by decreasing maternal sensitivity, a known precursor of attachment security. A structured telephone illness interview was conducted with mothers of 161 children every 2 weeks for 6 months to determine the number of episodes of otitis media children experienced. At the end of this period, parenting stress, attachment security, and maternal sensitivity were assessed. Recurrent episodes of otitis media did negatively affect attachment security by increasing mothers' perceptions of their children as behaving more negatively. Parenting stress was not related to maternal sensitivity; however, maternal sensitivity did predict attachment security.     

The Relationship between Fathers' and Children's Communication Skills and Children's Behavior Problems: A Study of Head Start Children

This study focused on the communicative interaction of fathers with their Head Start children and the relationship of fathers' and children's communicative skills and child behavior problems early and late in the school year. The results indicate a relationship between children's communicative competence and social behavior. The structural models for externalizing and internalizing behavior confirm the hypothesis that father communication is linked to child communication skills and child communication is linked to behavior problems. The findings also suggest that children's communicative competence may have an ongoing direct effect on children's social behavior that transcends the impact that earlier social behavior has on later social behavior.     

Home Literacy Exposure and Early Language and Literacy Skills in Children Who Struggle With Behavior and Attention Problems

Research Findings: This study investigated the relationships between behavior and attention problems and early language and literacy outcomes for 4-year-olds who experienced varied early home literacy environments. Participants were 1,364 children enrolled in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Attention problems and early home literacy exposure both significantly predicted language and literacy outcomes when relevant covariates were controlled. There was also a significant interaction between behavior and attention problems and early home literacy exposure in predicting expressive language abilities. Specifically, early home literacy exposure was related to more advanced expressive language achievement for children with behavior problems. In contrast, children with attention problems performed below their peers on expressive language measures even when they received comparable early home literacy exposure. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest the need for further research on the differential role of early home literacy exposure on the development of early language and literacy skills in children with behavior and attention problems.     

Children born at risk: What's happening in kindergarten?

Many studies examine the development of infants born at risk for medical and developmental problems during the early years of life, but far fewer follow these children into their school years. This project compared high-risk vs. low-risk children in their performance on the WPPSI at pre- and postkindergarten levels. In general, both groups of children demonstrated increases in performance; however, their patterns of performance were different. The high-risk children showed increases predominantly in the Performance areas of the test, whereas the low-risk children demonstrated increases predominantly in the Verbal areas.     

Otitis media,the quality of child care,and the social/communicative behavior of toddlers: A replication and extension

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of otitis media (OM) and the quality of child care on the social and communicative behaviors of toddlers, using a cumulative risk framework that included moderation. The study followed 72 children who began child care in infancy. Both process and structural aspects of the quality of 11 child care centers were measured and children received weekly ear examinations from the time they entered child care. At 24 months of age children were observed in their classrooms during free play when they were well. Children in the chronic OM, low quality care group exchanged more negative gestures with peers, initiated less verbally to teachers and peers and were talked to less by teachers and peers in comparison to all other children. The results suggest the importance of the moderating effect of the quality of child care in understanding the effects of OM on social/communicative development.     

Public school aggression among children with varying day-care experience

59 children with varying amounts and types of day-care experience were followed over their first 2 or 3 years of public schooling. Schoolteachers rated aggressiveness of several types and in several situations by these children, and also supplied information about managing the children, about children's use of strategies to avoid conflict, and about several associated skills and behaviors. Multivariate analyses indicated that children who had attended a cognitively oriented day-care program beginning in infancy were more aggressive than all other groups of children who had attended day care. Aggression among these children, however, declined over time, the children were not considered difficult to manage, and they were well liked by teachers. It was speculated that the increased aggressiveness among children attending cognitively oriented day care may have been caused by several problems of adaptation to the school setting.     

Children's illnesses: their beneficial effects on behavioral development

The theme of this presentation concerns the potential beneficial effects of children's illnesses on their behavioral development. Illnesses of a minor nature such as colds and gastrointestinal upsets are frequent events in the lives of all children at every age, but are most frequent in the preschool period. They are generally not life threatening and are managed within the family, day-care center, or school. These illnesses, like other life perturbations, can expand children's personal and social experiences in ways beneficial to their behavioral development. They provide many opportunities for children to increase their knowledge of self, other, prosocial behavior, and empathy, as well as a realistic understanding of the sick role. This knowledge is gained, not only from their personal feelings and social experiences while ill, but also by their observations of siblings, parents, and peers as they become ill and recover, often in quick succession after their own experience. This important subject has seldom been studied from a developmental point of view. The conceptualizations as presented are based on the author's clinical experiences and the existing related research. It is the author's hope that in the future developmental psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and other behavioral scientists will study children's illnesses as part of normal behavioral development.     

Effects of early and later family violence on children's behavior problems and depression: a longitudinal, multi-informant perspective

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of different forms of family violence at two developmental stages by assessing a sample of 110 Israeli children, drawn from the case files of Israeli family service agencies, studied longitudinally in both middle childhood and adolescence. METHODS: Information about the children's adjustment was obtained from parents, teachers, and the children themselves when the children averaged 10.6 and 15.9 years of age using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher Report Form (TRF), Youth Self-Report (YSR), and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Information about the history of family violence was obtained from the mothers, fathers, children, and social workers. RESULTS: The results paint a mixed picture of the effects of family violence on children and adolescents. The relationship between concurrent behavior problems and abuse group varied by informant and study phase, although they were strongest when children were the informants. Predictions regarding the relationship between early abuse and later adjustment were only partially confirmed. Different informants did not agree about which groups of children were most adversely affected, there was little stability over time in the pattern of reported effects, and children were more likely than other informants to report levels of maladjustment that varied depending on recent or concurrent exposure to family violence. Many families changed their abuse status over time, and children who were new victims at follow-up had the most internalizing problems. Girls were found to be at more risk for internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than boys. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple informants are necessary to evaluate and assess the effects of family violence on children's behavior. Younger children may be more susceptible to the effects of family violence than older children, but problems manifest by some children may not carry over to adolescence. Changes in family and parenting practices, as well as in children's capacity to appraise and cope with family violence may help mitigate the adverse effects of family violence.     

Autonomy and children's reactions to being controlled: evidence that both compliance and defiance may be positive markers in early development

This study examined reactions of 1-year-olds and young 2-year-olds to being controlled by mothers. Mothers' supportive behavior predicted children's willing compliance. However, contrary to research with older children, defiance was also associated with variables linked to maternal competence, specifically, mothers' supportive behavior, autonomy-granting controls, and low depressive symptoms. At this age high-defiant children initiated positive interaction with mothers more than did low-defiant children. With age, children displayed more willing compliance and more active resistance (defiance, low passivity). However, developmental increases in active resistance were absent when mothers were high in depressive symptoms. Findings are consistent with the proposal that in early development active resistance to parents often reflects children's motivation to control events, not poor parenting or strained parent-child relationships.