Digital technologies have the potential to transform early childhood development (ECD) interventions by delivering personalized support at scale. We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Peru to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an artificial intelligence-supported digital parenting chatbot as well as traditional home visits as interventions to improve child development. Among 2461 caregiver-child dyads, both the digital and home-visiting interventions improved child development outcomes at 2.5 years of age, with standardized effect sizes of 0.11 and 0.17, respectively. At 1/15 of the cost of in-person support, the digital intervention yielded superior cost-effectiveness. These findings suggest that digital platforms can be a viable, scalable alternative to support children's development in resource-constrained settings.

This study aims to analyze the influence of parenting styles on the emotional development of early childhood based on a literature review. Emotional development is a crucial aspect of character formation, emotional regulation, and children’s social skills in daily life. The research method employed is a literature review, which involves examining relevant sources such as academic journals, books, and research The methodology utilizes a synthesis of peer-reviewed journals and relevant publications concerning the impact of caregiving styles on early childhood emotional maturity The reviewed literature was analyzed descriptively to identify patterns and trends in previous research findings. The results of the literature review indicate that parenting styles have a significant influence on children’s emotional development. Democratic (authoritative) parenting is consistently found to have the most positive impact on children’s emotional development, including better emotional regulation, self-confidence, independence, empathy, and social competence. Children raised with democratic parenting tend to express their emotions in a healthy manner and adapt well to social environments. In contrast, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting styles are often associated with emotional difficulties, such as low social skills, poor self-control, and challenges in managing emotions. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that democratic parenting plays a vital role in supporting optimal emotional development in early childhood

Impact of artificial intelligence-generated self-images on children's body image development: a cross-sectional study in Mexico.

Background and aim Separation anxiety, rooted in attachment theory, involves distress when separated from attachment figures. This study aims to investigate the prevalence Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASAD) among pregnant women and to explore its associations with attachment styles, childhood trauma, and prenatal attachment. Method This cross-sectional study included 106 third-trimester pregnant women, who were classified into ASAD (n = 51) and non-ASAD (n = 55) groups based on the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (SAD-SCI). Participants were also assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5), along with a sociodemographic data form, the Adult Attachment Style Scale (AASS), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-33 (CTQ-33), and the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analyses, and regression models. Results ASAD was identified in 48.2% of the participants. Anxious/ambivalent attachment, avoidant attachment styles and childhood trauma were significantly associated with ASAD severity (p<0,001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, anxious/ambivalent attachment style was independently associated with ASAD diagnosis (OR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.085–3.021). Supportive parental bonding was associated with lower ASAD severity, whereas overprotective parenting attitudes were associated with higher severity. No significant relationship was found between ASAD and prenatal attachment (p>0.05), but childhood sexual abuse negatively correlated with prenatal attachment (p=0.012). Positive paternal care (p=0.004) and overprotective parenting attitudes (p=0.050) were associated with stronger prenatal attachment. Conclusion ASAD is common during late pregnancy and is closely associated with insecure attachment patterns and adverse childhood experiences, but not with prenatal attachment. These findings support the clinical value of routine ASAD screening during late pregnancy and targeted interventions for at-risk women. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the postpartum course of ASAD and its implications for mother–infant relationships and child development.

Introduction: Kinesthetic engagement based on drama is nowadays perceived as a developmentally adequate approach to developing fundamental motor skills (FMS) in early childhood. Objective: The aim of the study given was to determine the efficacy of an 8-week drama-based kinesthetic program on locomotors, object control, and stability skills among kindergarten children. Methodology: The children of the Al-Surra Kindergarten in Kuwait with an age of 4 to 6 years were quasi-randomly divided into experimental (EG, n = 20) and control group (CG, n = 20). The EG underwent a systematic 8-week drama-based intervention (3 times/week, 45 minutes/session) where the FMS was practiced by immersion in fantasy plots. Results. The EG showed a great improvement in each of the motor domains: 25-m sprint (1.25 s, 0.92), standing broad jump (1.53 cm, 2.87), softball throw (.47 m, 2.00), catch score (.55, 2.28), standing balance (2.56 s, 3.65), and beam walk 10-m (1.25 s, 3.13). Comparisons between groups established much larger improvements in the EG in all skills (partial η 2 =0.72-0.78, p <0.001). Conclusions. The program based on dramas and kinesthetic engagement program is valuable in increasing the essential level of competence in motor skills of kindergarten children, and the effect size of this program is large in all measured areas. The results endorse the application of dramatized play as an effective intervention approach that can be used at a large scale to promote early motor development.

Preventing child maltreatment requires approaches that address some of the major root causes including ensuring children and families have access to the essentials like housing, food, and medical care. Colorado’s Family Development Services (FDS) improves family economic self-sufficiency (ESS) and health, which are both protective factors linked to reduced child maltreatment. This study examines how the readiness to change, both at the start and throughout FDS enrollment, impacts ESS and health outcomes. FDS, implemented in Family Resource Centers (FRCs), uses evidence-based practices including family-centered programming, motivational interviewing, and goal setting, in addition to connecting families to resources. We hypothesized that these practices foster readiness to change, which, in turn, improves ESS and health. Using data from 2031 families via the Colorado Family Support Assessment (CFSA) 2.0, we applied three multilevel models. The results showed an early readiness to change was linked to greater ESS and health improvements, while accumulated readiness over time led to more rapid progress. These findings underscore the value of family-focused and family-empowering practices for providers, policymakers, and funders who support family and child development services. Further, these results suggest that FRCs should prioritize building strong relationships, employing motivational strategies, and supporting family-driven goal setting to decrease the risk of child maltreatment.

Gender conformity powerfully shapes children's development, yet little experimental work has investigated the antecedents of this conformity. Here, we experimentally tested whether and how threats to children's felt gender typicality-the extent to which they feel typical of their gender group-elicit conformity and whether these effects vary by age and gender. We randomly assigned 147 children ages 5-10 years (70 girls; 79 racial/ethnic minority) to receive feedback suggesting their performance was gender-atypical (threat) or gender-typical (affirmation) on a pair of "gender knowledge games." We then assessed a broad battery of self-report and behavioral measures, which revealed three distinct responses to gender typicality threat: increases in evaluative concern (i.e., worrying about social judgment), typicality-enhancing behaviors (i.e., actively demonstrating gender-typical qualities), and atypicality-avoiding behaviors (i.e., distancing from gender-atypical qualities). Although gender typicality threat heightened children's evaluative concern regardless of their gender or age, only younger girls and older boys enhanced their gender typicality under threat. Moreover, gender typicality threat prompted boys but not girls to engage in atypicality avoidance. These results suggest that although children generally recognize the consequences of gender atypicality, boys become increasingly motivated to demonstrate their masculinity with age, whereas girls become less concerned with proving their femininity. Boys also uniquely learn that avoiding femininity is crucial to performing masculinity, whereas girls may not learn a corresponding masculinity-avoidance norm. These findings inform gender development theory as well as efforts to mitigate the consequences of children's everyday typicality threat experiences (e.g., teasing, bullying). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

In 2025, a systematic physical fitness health monitoring was conducted on 1,598 preschool children aged 3 to 6 in 6 kindergartens in ST Street, which objectively and clearly identified such problems as insufficient upper limb muscle strength, poor balance ability, weak lower limb muscle endurance, and stiff muscles and ligaments on the posterior side of the body. On this basis, kindergarten intervention strategies and a new semester physical exercise plan were proposed in a natural and appropriate manner, and implemented by means of creating a supportive environment, gamified training, and home-kindergarten co-education, so as to effectively promote the development of preschool children's physical fitness. Therefore, the new semester physical exercise plan is highly targeted and scientific, and can serve as a reference blueprint for kindergarten physical education.

Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) is essential for the healthy development of children. However, the pervasive presence of digital technologies has made digital gaming (DG) a prominent part of children’s everyday lives. As children grow up immersed in these digital environments, concerns about reduced PA have intensified. Given that adults, particularly parents and guardians, play a central role in guiding children’s behavior, their understanding of children’s motivational drivers for both PA and DG is of particular relevance. Objective This study aimed to explore the motivational differences underlying children’s engagement in either PA or DG. Specifically, the study investigated five distinct motivational scales (recreation, social interaction, coping, competition, and skill) to determine which motives primarily drive behavior in each context. Also, it assessed whether adults accurately perceive these motives in children. Methods Data were collected during events using an on-site questionnaire based on the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire. Both children and their accompanying adults completed parallel assessments regarding motives for PA and DG. The final sample included 94 participants forming 49 parent-child pairs. A 3-way mixed ANOVA with group as a between-subjects factor and activity and motive as within-subjects factors was conducted to examine group, activity, and motive effects and their interactions. To further explore these effects, a series of 2 × 5 repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to examine the interaction between activity type and motivational dimension across groups, followed by separate multivariate tests per motive. Results A significant interaction effect between activity type and motivational dimension emerged in the children’s data ( F 4,45 =3.93, P =.008, partial η² =.259). Further analyses showed that motive competition was rated significantly higher for DG than for PA ( F 1,48 =4.38, P =.04, partial η² =.084). Among adults, separate multivariate tests for each motivational dimension revealed the largest difference in perceived motive coping ( F 1,48 =4.72, P =.01, partial η² =.123), with PA rated higher than DG. Additionally, a significant difference emerged for motive competition ( F 1,48 =4.10, P =.05, partial η² =.079), indicating higher ratings for DG compared to PA. Conclusions The findings emphasize the complexity of children’s motivational profiles, suggesting that engagement in DG is not necessarily a sign of diminished interest in PA but rather reflects alternative, equally compelling motivations. This nuanced understanding challenges simplistic dichotomies and supports the need for balanced perspectives on children’s activity preferences. Importantly, no statistically significant differences were detected between children’s self-reported motives and adults’ perceptions of their children’s motives, suggesting a general tendency toward similar ratings rather than clear evidence of alignment. These insights can inform the development of more tailored strategies for promoting both physical and digital engagement in a healthy and complementary manner.

The effects of mentalization and sensitivity of postpartum depression mothers after the circle of security-intensive intervention on the social-emotional development of three-year-old children.

Parental psychological challenges and poor well-being are key factors in shaping both the quality of parent-child interactions and child development. Specifically, maternal psychological distress is a central determinant of child development. Elevated levels of distress in mothers are associated with poorer child cognitive, behavioural and social-emotional outcomes, with effects persisting into adolescence and adulthood. While this highlights the critical importance of early prevention and intervention efforts to support parents, postpartum mental healthcare remains limited, despite ongoing and evident needs. This protocol outlines a 2-year longitudinal follow-up study investigating the impact of a secondary perinatal programme (ie, Toi, Moi, Bébé), completed by mothers during pregnancy, and its impact on children's cognitive and social-emotional functioning at 24 and 48 months. Further, the study aims to explore whether maternal self-efficacy and emotion regulation may serve as potential mediators or moderators of the relationship between programme participation and child development outcomes. The research aims to leverage the Toi, Moi, Bébé programme, by recruiting mother-child dyads (n=250) in which the mothers participated in the programme during pregnancy. Mothers were randomly assigned to complete the parenting well-being intervention either independently or with added telephone support. Participants who consent will be invited to take part in a two-wave follow-up at 24 months (T1) and 48 months postpartum (T2). At both time points, mothers will complete demographic questionnaires and standardised measures assessing maternal well-being (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Perceived Stress Scale), child cognitive functioning (Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 and MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory), child social-emotional functioning (Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Social Emotional-second Edition-2 and Child Behaviour Checklist for Ages 1.5-5), maternal emotion regulation (Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) and maternal self-efficacy (Parental Cognitions and Conduct Towards the Infant Scale & Me as a Parent Scale). Parents' perceptions of their parenting experience will be measured using the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. Mother-child interaction, parenting quality and cognitive stimulation in the home environment will be measured using a brief virtual interview (StimQ2-Toddler) and a naturalistic observation assessment (Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes). Using RStudio, linear mixed models will be used to assess the impact of the intervention (online intervention only vs only with telephone support) on child cognitive and social-emotional development at T1 and T2. In parallel, separate models will be conducted to examine associations between maternal emotion regulation and self-efficacy on the child development outcomes at the same timepoints. Exploratory analyses will be conducted to examine potential moderating effects of child sex and group assignment on the associations between maternal emotion regulation and self-efficacy and child developmental (cognitive and socioemotional) outcomes, using causal inference models. The current study has been registered, reviewed and approved (MP-37-2025-10894) by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre Research Ethics Board. Findings from this research will be disseminated through peer-reviewed open access publications, and presentations at national and international conferences. NCT05110456.

Tracking aural (Re)habilitation outcomes with the mandarin auditory skills checklist: Normative data and clinical insights.

Early-childhood exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and neurobehavioral development in children.

Outcomes following hematopoietic cell transplantation for children, adolescents and young adults with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy and pubertal development in children: A cohort study.

The Pediatric Nephrology Standard of Care is essential for the diagnosis,monitoring, and management of children with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Earlydetection of kidney changes is essential since many conditions can be silent,but have a major impact on the child's growth and development. The Standard ofCare structure includes neonatal screening, assessment of predisposingconditions for kidney disease, calculation of the estimate of renal function andclassification of the CKD stage to propose drug and nondrug therapeuticinterventions. Challenges such as shortage of specialists, need for screeningsand unequal access to services reinforce the importance of robust publicpolicies and training programs. Personalized protocols are recommended to delayprogression to Renal Replacement Therapy. In September 2024, the ClinicalGuidelines and Therapeutic Protocol (CGTP) for CKD in adults was launched. Inthis Opinion article, a group of Pediatric Nephrologists comment on theperspectives for creating a CGTP for children and adolescents with CKD.

The Pediatric Nephrology Standard of Care is essential for the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of children with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Early detection of kidney changes is essential since many conditions can be silent, but have a major impact on the child's growth and development. The Standard of Care structure includes neonatal screening, assessment of predisposing conditions for kidney disease, calculation of the estimate of renal function and classification of the CKD stage to propose drug and nondrug therapeutic interventions. Challenges such as shortage of specialists, need for screenings and unequal access to services reinforce the importance of robust public policies and training programs. Personalized protocols are recommended to delay progression to Renal Replacement Therapy. In September 2024, the Clinical Guidelines and Therapeutic Protocol (CGTP) for CKD in adults was launched. In this Opinion article, a group of Pediatric Nephrologists comment on the perspectives for creating a CGTP for children and adolescents with CKD.

The purpose of this study was twofold, first, to examine potential changes in young children's media use starting a year prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and 2 years following onset (between 2½ and 4½ years of child age). Second, to examine links between children's screen time and their emerging regulatory functioning as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Participants (N = 269, 48% female at Wave 3) were drawn from Waves 3 to 5 of Project Media Effects on Development from Infancy to Adulthood, a longitudinal study on the impact of early media use on children's development. Parents reported children's time using media across different medium (e.g., television, tablets, book reading, smartphones). At Waves 3 and 5, children's baseline RSA was recorded in their homes. Results revealed an increase in nearly all forms of media during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic (W4) and decreases during year 2 (W5) with some but not all forms of media returning to W3 levels. A growth mixture model found two distinct classes of participants primarily across measures of socioeconomic status (SES). Higher levels of screen time pre-COVID-19 pandemic were linked to lower RSA 2 years later, regardless of SES. Protective factors were observed for children from lower SES families, including if they had higher income relative to other class members. Findings are framed in the context of displacement and polyvagal theory, suggesting that higher levels of media consumption early in life may displace opportunities that support children's emerging regulatory systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Improving toy hygiene in pediatric hospital settings through maternal education: A randomized controlled study.

The effects of education program provided for healthcare professionals on their levels of knowledge and awareness about child abuse and neglect.