Parent-child interaction as a dynamic contributor to learning and cognitive development in typical and atypical development / Influencia dinámica entre la interacción padre/madre-hijo y el aprendizaje y el desarrollo cognitivo en el desarrollo típico y atípico

Abstract

Converging evidence suggests that parent-infant interaction is one of the most crucial formative influences on child development. In neurodevelopmental disorders, however, different timings and trajectories of development may add a layer of difficulty to the existing challenges of dyadic interaction. The current study therefore set out to compare the specific aspects of dyadic interaction (i.e., responsiveness, directiveness, attentiveness, positive affect, liveliness, mutuality and engagement) between parent-infant dyads with Down syndrome, Williams syndrome and typical development. Video clips of parent-infant play interaction were rated using a validated tool, namely, the Social Interaction Measure for Parents and Infants. Significant effects emerged with respect to infant group on the quality of dyadic interaction, with the multiple comparison tests revealing differences between atypically and typically developing infant-parent dyads. The findings are discussed in relation to the effects of dyadic interaction on the linguistic and socio-cognitive development of atypical children.     

Reciprocal influences between stressful life events and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems

Investigated in this study were hypothesized reciprocal influences between stressful life events and adolescent maladjustment using data from a 6-year, prospective longitudinal study. Stressful life experiences, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing behaviors were assessed for a sample of adolescents (215 males, 236 females) living in the rural Midwest. From 7th to 12th grades, autoregressive analyses showed that stressful life events and these two forms of maladjustment were reciprocally interrelated over time. For example, stressful life events at one point significantly predicted delinquent behaviors 1 year later, which, in turn, significantly predicted stressful life events 1 year later, and vice versa. The findings provide evidence for the accumulating disadvantage for adolescents that results from the mutual reinforcement of problematic situations and adjustment problems over time.     

Adaptive Behavior,Social Adjustment,and Academic Achievement of Regular and Special Education Children

The purpose of the present study was to compare the adaptive behavior, social adjustment and academic achievement of educable mentally retarded, learning disabled, behavior disordered, and regular class children. A sample of 120 children, aged 7 through 9 years, was selected from class rolls on the basis of group membership, race and sex. Significant differences were found in adaptive behavior, social adjustment, and academic achievement among the four groups; none of the instruments, however, was able to differentiate among all four categories of children. Adaptive behavior and academic achievement differentiated EMR and regular class children from the other two groups, while social adjustment appeared to be the most effective variable in differentiating BD children from the other three categories. Findings of this study support the notion that measures of these abilities provide information of use to teachers, psychologists, and placement committees in their attempts to provide the most appropriate and meaningful education for students with special needs.     

Parents’ past experiences as a mediational tool for understanding their child’s current mathematical learning

This article explores the ways in which parents use their own past experiences as a mediational tool for understanding their child’s current school learning. Following a sociocultural approach parents’ past experiences were examined drawing on the notions of (1) heterochronicity, which looks at the partially overlapping histories of the individual and society and (2) prolepsis whereby the imagined future mediates and constrains the world of the present. The analysis draws on 22 interviews with parents whose children were from three primary multiethnic schools in a town in the Southeast of England. The findings brought to light the means by which parents can either intentionally or unintentionally use the past to inform their current representations and practices. Thus at times they use their past experiences to mediate internalisation (reproduction of the experience), at other times they use them to promote externalisation (change brought about by the experience). It is within this process that parents projected a future ideal for their child, which was either congruent or discordant with their own past.     

Invisibly at risk: Low‐income students in a middle‐ and upper‐class world

Women's studies programs, multicultural centers, and organizations to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students are campus fixtures. Few now question diversity's contribution to the education of all students. Jennifer Duffy suggests that it's time to acknowledge, support, and celebrate one more form of diversity that is mostly hidden: social class.     

To vocationalise or not to vocationalise? Perspectives on current trends and issues in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Africa

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the dichotomy of vocational education versus general education. This is more so as political pronouncements in many countries across the globe have taken on knowledge and skills as the key aim of the desire to improve access to education at all levels. Nowhere is this debate more tested, fiercely debated and gained controversy as in Africa. However, given recent developments in which knowledge and skills have become more acceptable terms in economically more developed nations, in which both are seen to go hand in hand, what is happening in Africa where development is highly sought but has proven to be more elusive? This has brought back to the forefront one of the dilemmas which has pre-occupied many African countries for a long time: whether to concentrate investment in general education or in vocational education. In this paper, I reflect on current trends and issues in TVET in Africa.     

Effect of high-intensity interval training in adolescents with asthma: The eXercise for Asthma with Commando Joe's® (X4ACJ) trial

BackgroundHigher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with reduced asthma severity and increased quality of life in those with asthma. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-month high-intensity interval training (HIIT) intervention in adolescents with and without asthma.MethodsA total of 616 adolescents (334 boys; 13.0 ± 1.1 years, 1.57 ± 0.10 m, 52.6 ± 12.9 kg, mean ± SD), including 155 with asthma (78 boys), were recruited as part of a randomized controlled trial from 5 schools (4 control and 1 intervention). The 221 intervention participants (116 boys; 47 asthma) completed 6 months of school-based HIIT (30 min, 3 times per week, 10–30 s bouts at >90% age-predicted maximum heart rate with equal rest). At baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up, measurements for 20-m shuttle run, body mass index (BMI), lung function, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Asthma Control Questionnaire were collected. Additionally, 69 adolescents (39 boys (of the 36 with asthma there were 21 boys)) also completed an incremental ramp test. For analysis, each group''s data (intervention and control) were divided into those with and without asthma.ResultsParticipants with asthma did not differ from their peers in any parameter of aerobic fitness, at any time-point, but were characterized by a greater BMI. The intervention elicited a significant improvement in maximal aerobic fitness but no change in sub-maximal parameters of aerobic fitness, lung function, or quality of life irrespective of asthma status. Those in the intervention group maintained their BMI, whereas BMI significantly increased in the control group throughout the 6-month period.ConclusionHIIT represents an effective tool for improving aerobic fitness and maintaining BMI in adolescents, irrespective of asthma status. HIIT was well-tolerated by those with asthma, who evidenced a similar aerobic fitness to their healthy peers and responded equally well to a HIIT program.     

A commitment to justice at a jesuit university: A comparison of criminal justice majors to non-majors

While both criminal justice programs and Jesuit institutions claim commitment to the realization of justice, their conceptions of justice differ. This exploratory survey of 31 criminal justice majors and 51 non-majors compares criminal justice majors' concept of justice with that of non-criminal justice majors. We find that criminal justice majors and non-majors generally do not differ in their views of justice or their rank of goals for specific criminal justice professionals, regardless of the number of theology/philosophy or criminal justice courses taken or other demographic factors.     

Proportional-integral-derivative control of nonlinear half-car electro-hydraulic suspension systems

This paper presents the development of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID)-based control method for application to active vehicle suspension systems (AVSS). This method uses an inner PID hydraulic actuator force control loop, in combination with an outer PID suspension travel control loop, to control a nonlinear half-car AVSS. Robustness to model uncertainty in the form of variation in suspension damping is tested, comparing performance of the AVSS with a passive vehicle suspension system (PVSS), with similar model parameters. Spectral analysis of suspension system model output data, obtained by performing a road input disturbance frequency sweep, provides frequency response plots for both nonlinear vehicle suspension systems and time domain vehicle responses to a sinusoidal road input disturbance on a smooth road. The results show the greater robustness of the AVSS over the PVSS to parametric uncertainty in the frequency and time domains.