Parents or teachers rated 487 non-clinically referred young people with Pervasive Developmental Disorders on the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form. The objectives of the study were to examine the ...relative prevalence of specific behavior problems, assess the impact of subject characteristics, and derive an empirical classification of behavioral and emotional problems for this population. Results indicated that the youngsters experienced high rates of behavior and emotional problems. Cluster analysis suggested that six- and eight-cluster solutions best fit the ratings provided by parents and teachers, respectively. Both parent and teacher cluster solutions contained groups of children characterized as problem free, well adapted, hyperactive, anxious, and with undifferentiated behavior disturbances. The empirically derived clusters were supported by data external to the analyses.
Sleep problems are prevalent in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and are associated with the expression of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs). Children (
n
= 57) with autism ...spectrum disorder (ASD,
n
= 38) or developmental delay (DD,
n
= 19) participated in multiple assessments of intellectual ability, ASD symptoms, and RRBs (3 timepoints for ASD, 2 for DD). Sleep problems assessed at age 4 via parent report were associated with trajectories of higher-order RRBs (sameness/ritualistic/compulsive behaviors) from age 2–6 in the ASD group, and from age 2–4 in the DD group, even after controlling for intellectual ability, social-affective symptoms, and anxiety. Trajectories of stereotyped/restricted behaviors were unrelated to sleep problems. Sleep problems were associated with trajectories of higher-order (but not lower-order) RRBs in a transdiagnostic sample.
Effects of early child care on children's functioning from 41 years through the end of 6th grade (M age=12.0 years) were examined in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study ...of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n=1,364). The results indicated that although parenting was a stronger and more consistent predictor of children's development than early child-care experience, higher quality care predicted higher vocabulary scores and more exposure to center care predicted more teacher-reported externalizing problems. Discussion focuses on mechanisms responsible for these effects, the potential collective consequences of small child-care effects, and the importance of the ongoing follow-up at age 15.
Seven hundred thirty-one income-eligible families in 3 geographical regions who were enrolled in a national food supplement program were screened and randomized to a brief family intervention. At ...child ages 2 and 3, the intervention group caregivers were offered the Family Check-Up and linked parenting support services. Latent growth models on caregiver reports at child ages 2, 3, and 4 revealed decreased behavior problems when compared with the control group. Intervention effects occurred predominantly among families reporting high levels of problem behavior at child age 2. Families in the intervention condition improved on direct observation measures of caregivers' positive behavior support at child ages 2 and 3; improvements in positive behavior support mediated improvements in children's early problem behavior.
Background
Children with language impairment (LI) show heterogeneity in development. We tracked children from pre‐school to middle childhood to characterize three developmental trajectories: ...resolving, persisting and emerging LI.
Methods
We analyzed data from children identified as having preschool LI, or being at family risk of dyslexia, together with typically developing controls at three time points: t1 (age 3;09), t3 (5;08) and t5 (8;01). Language measures are reported at t1, t3 and t5, and literacy abilities at t3 and t5. A research diagnosis of LI (irrespective of recruitment group) was validated at t1 by a composite language score derived from measures of receptive and expressive grammar and vocabulary; a score falling 1SD below the mean of the typical language group on comparable measures at t3 and t5 was used to determine whether a child had LI at later time points and then to classify LIs as resolving, persisting or emerging.
Results
Persisting preschool LIs were more severe and pervasive than resolving LIs. Language and literacy outcomes were relatively poor for those with persisting LI, and relatively good for those with resolving LI. A significant proportion of children with average language abilities in preschool had LIs that emerged in middle childhood – a high proportion of these children were at family risk of dyslexia. There were more boys in the persisting and resolving LI groups. Children with early LIs which resolved by the start of formal literacy instruction tended to have good literacy outcomes; children with late‐emerging difficulties that persisted developed reading difficulties.
Conclusions
Children with late‐emerging LI are relatively common and are hard to detect in the preschool years. Our findings show that children whose LIs persist to the point of formal literacy instruction frequently experience reading difficulties.
Objective: Many children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) have serious, functionally impairing behavioral problems. We tested whether combined treatment (COMB) with risperidone and ...parent training (PT) in behavior management is superior to medication alone (MED) in improving severe behavioral problems in children with PDDs. Method: This 24-week, three-site, randomized, parallel-groups clinical trial enrolled 124 children, aged 4 through 13 years, with PDDs, accompanied by frequent tantrums, self-injury, and aggression. The children were randomized 3:2 to COMB (n = 75) or MED (n = 49). The participants received risperidone monotherapy from 0.5 to 3.5 mg/day (with switch to aripiprazole if risperidone was ineffective). Parents in the COMB group (n = 75; 60.5%) received a mean of 10.9 PT sessions. The primary measure of compliance was the Home Situations Questionnaire (HSQ) score. Results: Primary: intent-to-treat random effects regression showed that COMB was superior to MED on HSQ (p = 0.006) effect size at week 24 (d) = 0.34. The HSQ score declined from 4.31 (plus or minus 1.67) to 1.23 (plus or minus 1.36) for COMB compared with 4.16 (plus or minus 1.47) to 1.68 (plus or minus 1.36) for MED. Secondary: groups did not differ on Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scores at endpoint; compared with MED, COMB showed significant reductions on Aberrant Behavior Checklist Irritability (d = 0.48; p = 0.01), Stereotypic Behavior (d = 0.23; p = 0.04), and Hyperactivity/Noncompliance subscales (d = 0.55; p = 0.04). Final risperidone mean dose for MED was 2.26 mg/day (0.071 mg/kg), compared with 1.98 mg/day for COMB (0.066 mg/kg) (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Medication plus PT resulted in greater reduction of serious maladaptive behavior than MED in children with PDDs, with a lower risperidone dose. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)
The present study investigates the relationships among children's history of maltreatment, attachment patterns, and behavior problems in Japanese institutionalized children. Twenty-nine children (12 ...boys and 17 girls) from three different institutions in the Kinki area (Western part of Japan) participated in this study. Their average age was 6. 41-years (ranging from 4 to 10). Thirteen of the children (44.8%) had history of maltreatment before they were institutionalized. Children's attachment was assessed by the Attachment Doll Play Assessment (George & Solomon, 1990, 1996, 2000). The child’s main caregiver answered the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Archenbach, 1991) to identify children's behavior problems. Results indicated a significant relationship between maltreatment history and attachment pattern. The relationship between attachment pattern and behavior problem was also confirmed. Implications and limitations of this study were discussed.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at high risk for sleep disturbance and behavioral dysregulation. However, the relationships between these difficulties are not fully understood. The ...current study examined the relationships between specific types of sleep and behavioral problems among 81 children with ASD. Sleep problems were significantly associated with physical aggression, irritability, inattention, and hyperactivity. In multivariate analyses, distinct sets of sleep problems accounted for between 22 and 32 % of the variance in behavior problems across models. These results indicate that sleep disturbance is associated with behavioral dysregulation among children with ASD. Of note, night awakenings had the most consistently strong association with daytime behavior problems, even after controlling for the effects of age and sex.
Longitudinal studies on resilience among children who have experienced maltreatment indicate that resilience is multi-dimensional. However, most research consolidates diverse developmental domains ...comprising resilience into a single score, which does not allow for detection of potentially heterogeneous associations between risk factors and outcomes of resilience processes.
This study seeks to improve our understanding of the association between early child maltreatment and development through middle childhood (6–12 years) using individual domains considered to be outcomes of resilience processes.
Participants are 499 children from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect.
We used latent growth curve models to explore patterns of socialization and daily living skills, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors – outcomes of resilience processes – across three time points in middle childhood, and their association with early maltreatment, defined as referral to Child Protective Services (CPS) before age 6.
In fully adjusted models, children experiencing early maltreatment had poorer baseline scores in activities of daily living (−4.22, 95% CI −7.38, −1.46) and externalizing behavior (2.95, 95% CI 1.05, 4.86), but maltreatment was not associated with change over time in these domains. However, maltreatment was associated with increases in internalizing behavior over time (0.42, 95% CI 0.06, 0.77).
Heterogeneity in patterns of association between maltreatment and outcomes of resilience processes support the utility of examining developmental domains individually, versus as a composite, to identify specific targets for intervention.
Abstract Children under three comprise a sizable and growing proportion of foster care placements. Very young children who enter the child welfare system experience disruptions of critical ...attachments that are essential to this formative stage of brain development, as well as other traumatic events, leaving them at great risk for lifelong impairments. To reverse these concerning outcomes, babies who have been removed from their homes require intensive, relationship-based interventions that promote secure attachment to a primary caregiver and holistic attention the child's developmental needs. Child welfare decision-makers must be informed of infant brain development and knowledgeable about the particular needs and circumstances of each child. This article describes a model with these features that has been developed and tested in the Bronx, New York, one of the nation's poorest urban counties with high rates of foster care. The Project utilizes evidence-based Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) as its core intervention, and emphasizes collaboration and information sharing– driven by the CPP clinician– with judges, child welfare workers, attorneys and other social service and mental health providers, thereby encouraging developmentally and relationally informed case planning and permanency decisions. The model is evaluated using pre and post treatment psychosocial measures and program outcome data. Results indicate improvement in parenting interactions, positive child welfare outcomes (including increased rates of reunification, fewer returns to foster care), and improved safety and wellbeing. Results highlight the need for child welfare practices to be more closely aligned with the current science of infant brain development, and to incorporate a specialized approach to address the unique needs of infants.
PDF
