Cost Effective Approaches to Identifying Developmental Delay in 4- to 7-Year-Old Children

Recent enactment of public laws have mandated early identification of children at risk for delayed development. Several complex assessment batteries have demonstrated satisfactory predictive and classificatory accuracy when biomedical and social-environmental measures obtained in infancy are used as predictors of later IQ scores. Yet, these complex batteries are too costly for wide- spread adoption. The present study examined the effectiveness of smaller sets of predictor variables for correctly identifying children as developmentally delayed at four through seven years of age. The results show that a combination of six biomedical risk items, maternal education level, and four subscale scores from the HOME scale are effective when used as a screening battery across a four year period. The practical implications are for this battery to be used to screen children in the preschool period for developmental delay in the early primary grades.     

Validation of Stanford-Binet intelligence scale: Fourth edition abbreviated batteries with college students

This study investigated the relationship between the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB:IV) abbreviated batteries and the complete battery among a group of college students to determine the suitability of SB:IV short forms in educational planning and counseling contexts when an ability estimate is needed. A sample of 38 college students was administered the full battery SB:1V, and scores for four abbreviated batteries were extracted from the complete battery according to instructions in the test manual. The four abbreviated batteries were SF2 (Vocabulary and Pattern Analysis), SF4 (SF2 plus Bead Memory and Quantitative), SF6a (SF4 plus Memory for Sentences and Comprehension), and SF6b (SF4 plus Memory for Digits and Comprehension). Analyses revealed that all short-form SASs were significantly lower than the Composite SAS derived from the complete battery. Correlations between the complete and short forms were all highly significant. Approximately one third of the sample showed discrepancies of at least three standard errors of measurement between the short-form and complete-battery Composite SAS. These findings suggest a lack of comparability between short-form and complete-battery SASs on the SB:IV. Further implications for the validity of these abbreviated batteries and future areas of research are discussed.     

Kindergarten Predictors of Math Learning Disability

The aim of the present study was to address how to effectively predict mathematics learning disability (MLD). Specifically, we addressed whether cognitive data obtained during kindergarten can effectively predict which children will have MLD in third grade, whether an abbreviated test battery could be as effective as a standard psychoeducational assessment at predicting MLD, and whether the abbreviated battery corresponded to the literature on MLD characteristics. Participants were 226 children who enrolled in a 4‐year prospective longitudinal study during kindergarten. We administered measures of mathematics achievement, formal and informal mathematics ability, visual‐spatial reasoning, and rapid automatized naming and examined which test scores and test items from kindergarten best predicted MLD at grades 2 and 3. Statistical models using standardized scores from the entire test battery correctly classified ～80–83 percent of the participants as having, or not having, MLD. Regression models using scores from only individual test items were less predictive than models containing the standard scores, except for models using a specific subset of test items that dealt with reading numerals, number constancy, magnitude judgments of one‐digit numbers, or mental addition of one‐digit numbers. These models were as accurate in predicting MLD as was the model including the entire set of standard scores from the battery of tests examined. Our findings indicate that it is possible to effectively predict which kindergartners are at risk for MLD, and thus the findings have implications for early screening of MLD.     

Inhibitory Control as a Contributor to Conscience in Childhood: From Toddler to Early School Age

In this article we report a longitudinal extension of previous findings about the critical role of temperamental inhibitory or effortful control as the contributor to developing conscience in young children. A comprehensive observational battery, highly internally consistent, was developed to measure inhibitory control in 83 children at early school age who had been followed since toddlerhood and had been assessed using similar batteries at toddler and preschool age. We again confirmed the findings of robust longitudinal stability of inhibitory or effortful control, now from toddler to early school age, the increase with age, and gender differences, with girls outperforming boys. We also reaffirmed strong links, both contemporaneous and in the longitudinal sense, between in hibitory control and multiple, diverse measures of children's conscience at early school age, including observations of moral conduct, moral cognition, and moral self. The findings are discussed in view of the increasingly appreciated importance of temperament for critical aspects of socialization.     

Prediction: A six-year follow-up

The prereading and reading performance of a group of 370 predominantly Hispanic, bilingual public school children was followed for six years. The aim of the study was to compare the factorial make-up and predictive validity of tests used in the current research with findings from a previous study. The early study had followed the children from the end of their kindergarten year until the end of second grade. For purposes of the present study a 13-test predictor battery was administered to the children at the beginning of their first-grade year. This battery included a number of measures used in the early study, among them a 5-test Screening Index developed in the course of that study. Records were obtained of the follow-up children’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade reading test scores. Factor analysis of the pool of 13 predictor tests showed a two-cluster battery structure. These clusters closely resembled two of the four factors defined in the early study. As used with the group of bilingual children, the Screening Index misclassified many of the failing readers, as well as others who went ahead to read at grade level. The Screening Index quite accurately identified, across grades, children who eventually read well. A number of predictor tests administered at beginning of first grade continued to show significant correlations with reading at all grade levels. The consistent contribution of the predictor tests with reading points to their continuing usefulness as a point of departure for assessing children’s readiness to read. The investigation was conducted by the staff of the de Hirsch-Robinson Reading Clinic, Department of Pediatric Psychiatry, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The work has been supported by generous grants from a number of private donors, among them The Beinecke Foundation, The Morgan Family Fund, The Lita Annenberg-Hazen Charitable Trust, Mr. Seymour Milstein of the Milstein Family Foundation, and Mrs. William Carey.     

方形锂电池压痕测试有限元分析

机械载荷对车用动力电池的安全性具有重要影响,其中挤压变形是导致电池短路失效的重要因素之一。锂离子电池在使用中可能会受到外部冲击,从而破坏电池内部结构,导致电池无法正常工作。以方形锂电池为例,研究其在受到压痕作用时的力学特性,通过有限元建模,仿真分析了压痕在不同位置、不同加载速率和不同压头半径下的电池受力情况。结果表明,在高速率、大半径、中心位置的球形压头加载情况下,电池会承受较大压力,压痕区域内不同位置的承受力也不均匀,压痕区域中间位置受力最大,而在电池边缘部分,电池基本上不受力,近乎为零。这为初步判断电池的短路位置和易破坏区域提供了有效参考,也为锂电池设计提供了一定理论依据。     

Predictors of academic motivation in first grade among children born to low-income adolescent mothers

The central question addressed in this study was: What factors are associated with individual differences in academic motivation among first-grade students who were born to low-income adolescent mothers? Data from a 7-year longitudinal study were used to address the question. First-grade teachers assessed academic motivation for 89 children at the end of the school year. We tested a model that children’s experiences in the home prior to school entry influence the developmental trajectories of the children; experiences in the home are likely to influence the cognitive abilities children have when they enter school. More competent children are likely to be more successful on school-related tasks, which in turn, should influence level of motivation in the early elementary grades. The results of a path analysis were consistent with this model. Parenting practices and quality of the home environment during the early childhood period were predictive of children’s receptive language skills at age 4.5 years and achievement in the fall semester of first grade; achievement test scores were, in turn, predictive of academic motivation at the end of first grade. We also expected parental support for achievement after school entry to be related to individual differences in academic motivation, but this hypothesis was not supported.     

Evaluation and Analysis of Battery Technologies Applied to Grid-Level Energy Storage Systems Based on Rough Set Theory

Interest in the development of grid-level energy storage systems has increased over the years.As one of the most popular energy storage technologies currently available,batteries offer a number of high-value opportunities due to their rapid responses,flexible installation,and excellent performances.However,because of the complexity,multifunctionality,and wide deployment of power grids,trade-offs in battery performance exist,especially when considering economics,environmental effects,and safety.Therefore,establishing a comprehensive assessment of battery technologies is an urgent undertaking.In this work,we present an analysis of rough sets to evaluate the integration of battery systems(e.g.,lead-acid batteries,lithium-ion batteries,nickel/metal-hydrogen batteries,zinc-air batteries,and Na-S batteries) into a power grid.Specifically,technological properties,economic significance,environmental effects,and safety of these battery systems are evaluated on the basis of rough set theory.In addition,some perspectives are provided to promote the development of battery technologies for grid-level energy storage.     

The Effect of Executive Function on Biological Reasoning in Young Children: An Individual Differences Study

There is substantial variance in the age at which children construct and deploy their first explicit theory of biology. This study tests the hypothesis that this variance is due, at least in part, to individual differences in their executive function (EF) abilities. A group of 79 boys and girls aged 5–7 years (with a mean age of 6½ years) were presented with two test batteries: (a) a biology battery that probed their understanding of life, death, and body functions and (b) an EF battery that tested working memory, inhibition, and set‐shifting skills. Individuals' EF scores significantly predict their biology scores, even after controlling for age and verbal IQ.     

Changes in children’s cognitive development at the start of school in England 2001–2008

Since 1997, England has seen massive changes in the Early Years including the introduction of an early childhood curriculum, free pre‐school education for three‐year‐olds and local programmes for disadvantaged communities. Many of these initiatives took time to introduce and become established. Beginning in 2001, and each year thereafter until 2008, the authors collected consistent data from thousands of children when they started school at the age of four on a range of variables, chosen because they are good predictors of later success. These included vocabulary, early reading and early mathematics. Children from the same set of 472 state primary schools in England were assessed each year. This paper contributes to the existing studies of educational trends over time by examining the extent to which children’s scores on these measures changed over that period; in general, they were found to have remained stable.     

Assessment in early childhood education: threats and challenges to effective assessment of immigrant children

Research indicates that early childhood professionals gather assessment information to monitor child development and learning, to guide curriculum planning and decision making, to identify children who may have special needs, to report and communicate with others, and to evaluate programmes. A review of literature indicates that immigrant children have low achievement assessment scores as compared with mainstream American children, also immigrant children enter kindergarten already behind their mainstream American peers. The current study explored early childhood teachers' perceptions of assessment measures used with immigrant children and the challenges faced when assessing immigrant children. Findings of the study reveal that there are several factors that make early childhood teachers fail to gather effective assessment information from immigrant children. Unless the factors are addressed, planning for effective curriculum for immigrant children using assessment data will continue to be a challenge for early childhood teachers. Factors that continue to affect gathering effective assessment data from immigrant children include language barriers, cultural clashes, socio‐economic factors, and culturally and linguistically biased assessment measures.     

Maternal Support for Play and Language across Early Childhood

Patterns of development in language and play for full term and preterm children from 6 to 54 months and the effects of maternal parenting strategies (i.e., maintaining attentional focus, use of directiveness) were examined. Significant risk differences in the growth of both language and play were found. The high risk children were more likely to show delays in both these skills. Maintaining had a positive influence on children's skills, while directiveness had a largely negative influence, especially at older ages. The relation between growth in play and language was stronger for the high risk, preterm, when compared to the low risk and full term, children, but only during the infancy and toddler period. Given that play and language development is more likely to be delayed for preterm, high-risk children and the relation between the development of these skills is stronger for high risk preterm children, particularly early, it would be important to provide the parents and educators with information about play and language development. For example, communicating the need to be consistent in using some interactive behaviors (e.g., maintaining) as children develop while modifying other behaviors (e.g., directiveness) would be essential.     

锂电池撞击自动检测机构的研究

利用光学原理,电机驱动技术、气动定位技术、机械锁和安全门防护系统测定锂电池经高空重物抛投,撞击电池的检测方法,当重锤从空中跌落到锂电池时,锂电池在受到强烈碰撞下,对电池的性能变化的测试.实验结果显示：高空重物的抛投、加速度、着力点对锂电池性能影响较大.研究表明检测机构对锂电池受到外界冲击力作用下,数据采集,性能分析,准确、真实.     

Augmented reality-based virtual manipulatives versus physical manipulatives for teaching geometric shapes to preschool children

The aim of the current study is to compare the effect of virtual and physical manipulatives on preschool children’s understanding of geometric shapes. A quasi-experimental research design was employed where children in the experimental group used tablet computers to access Augmented Reality (AR)-based virtual manipulatives, while children in the control group used physical manipulatives. The instruction lasted for a period of four weeks at a public primary school in Turkey with 72 children aged five and six years old. Comparison of their understanding of geometric shapes was based on their scores from pre-test and post-test measures of the Geometric Shape Recognition Task instrument. Analysis of the collected data revealed no statistically significant difference between the groups in the circle recognition task, while statistically significant differences were found between the groups in the recognition tasks for triangle, rectangle, and square shapes in favour of the experimental group. In addition to this, although there was an increase in the total scores of both groups, the results showed a statistically significant difference in test scores in favour of the experimental group. The current study also showed that the children had difficulty in categorising geometric shapes when their attributes were changed, therefore providing different forms of geometric shapes to children is very important for improving their conceptual understanding.     

Using educational placement in third grade to select and validate a preschool screening measure

The early detection of children with mild learning problems remains a problem. New screening tests are being developed that will be more effective in identifying children who fall into this “difficult to identify” group. This study examined the predictive validity of one potential screening test. The scores of 268 children on each task of a nine‐task preschool cognitive battery were evaluated in terms of the accuracy with which they predicted the classification of those same children into regular education (n = 254) or special education (n = 14) 4 years later when the children were in third grade. A classification accuracy level of 79% was achieved for the exceptional children, and a classification level of 70% for the normally achieving children. Racial/ethnic status, testing language, and socioeconomic status all impacted the children's screening performance. Lower screening scores and a greater proportion of the sample with scores below the cut were associated with minority status, not being tested in English, and lower socioeconomic status. Preschool testing in Spanish or both English and Spanish was associated with poorer achievement 4 years later. Many of the children not in special education, but with a screening score below 13, had serious academic problems in third grade that were reflected in their low percentile scores on one or more subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 565–582, 2003.     

Gender Differences in Multiple-Choice Tests: The Role of Differential Guessing Tendencies

The present study focused on gender differences in the tendency to omit items and to guess in multiple-choice tests. It was hypothesized that males would show greater guessing tendencies than females and that the use of formula scoring rather than the use of number of correct answers would result in a relative advantage for females. Two samples were examined: ninth graders and applicants to Israeli universities. The teenagers took a battery of five or six aptitude tests used to place them in various high schools, and the adults took a battery of five tests designed to select candidates to the various faculties of the Israeli universities. The results revealed a clear male advantage in most subtests of both batteries. Four measures of item-omission tendencies were computed for each subtest, and a consistent pattern of greater omission rates among females was revealed by all measures in most subtests of the two batteries. This pattern was observed even in the few subtests that did not show male superiority and even when permissive instructions were used. Correcting the raw scores for guessing reduced the male advantage in all cases (and in the few subtests that showed female advantage the difference increased as a result of this correction), but this effect was small. It was concluded that although gender differences in guessing tendencies are robust they account for only a small fraction of the observed gender differences in multiple-choice tests. The results were discussed, focusing on practical implications.     

The risk of delayed school entry in relation to migration background in different institutional settings

In Germany, children of immigrants are faced with delayed school entry about twice as often as children of native-born parents because they are more often diagnosed not being ready for school. We investigate these early educational inequalities, focusing on the interplay of individual competencies and the institutional context in terms of the school enrollment procedure. We compare the conventional procedure, where school enrollment is supposed to be bound on school readiness, with reformed procedures where school enrollment is not supposed to be bound on school readiness. Data of school entry examinations from Hesse, Germany from 2008–2012 are analyzed (N = 50,717). The results show that children of immigrants from all origin groups have a substantially higher risk of obtaining a recommendation for delayed school entry than children of native-born parents. However, these ethnic differences are strongly reduced in the reformed procedures as compared to the conventional school enrollment procedure, indicating that these procedures could be an effective measure to reduce ethnic educational inequalities at school start.     

The early entrance option: Academic and social/emotional outcomes

This review examines how early kindergarten entrants fare academically and socially/emotionally in their schooling. In general, the literature is pessimistic about academic achievement and social/emotional adjustment of early entrants. The exception to this seems to be when screening procedures are required to identify children with exceptional ability and to eliminate from early entrance children likely to have adjustment difficulties. Typically, the screening battery includes measurements of academic readiness, social/emotional maturity, and a physical examination, followed by a trial entrance period. Much additional research is needed to identify variables that will add significantly in predicting future school success of early entrants. However, rather than predicting which children will fit the educational system, a more effective use of educational research would be investigation into developing educational programs that are flexible in meeting the needs of each child.     

Developmental trends in cognitive skills for children diagnosed as autistic and schizophrenic

102 children whose histories included a diagnosis of infantile autism or childhood schizophrenia were followed longitudinally to assess cognitive developmental trends. Despite some sample attrition, administration of a test battery of 5 language skill measures and 2 perception skill measures during 5 test periods over 4 years yielded 336 usable test batteries. After all tests had been administered, diagnosis of subjects for autism and schizophrenia using developmental histories and behavioral observations drawn at the time of first test-battery administration showed 111 test batteries on 33 children diagnosed as autistic, and 100 test batteries on 27 children diagnosed as schizophrenic. Comparisons of age and test score correlations, comparisons of cross-sequential means, and trends for means for diagnostic subgroups and normal controls suggest developmental delay for all skills at all ages for both autistic and schizophrenic children. Findings also suggest a trend for steady prepubertal cognitive skill development, followed by a postpubertal decline in skills for both diagnostic groups.