Child Development Research Articles

Augmented Reality in Smart Learning Devices: Advancing Cognitive Development and Entertainment

The integration of Augmented Reality (AR) in smart learning devices is transforming the way children engage with educational content. These devices merge physical and digital environments to create interactive, immersive learning experiences, enhancing cognitive development and providing entertainment. This paper explores the current applications of AR in educational devices for children, its impacts on cognitive growth, the role of interactivity, and its potential in future learning environments. The paper also provides a critical review of existing literature, identifying opportunities and challenges in this emerging field. Augmented Reality (AR) has revolutionized how children interact with educational content, offering an immersive, engaging learning experience. This paper explores the integration of AR into smart learning devices and its impact on cognitive development and entertainment for children. We delve into how AR enhances memory retention, problem solving skills, and spatial reasoning while making learning enjoyable. By critically analysing current literature and case studies, we highlight the potential and challenges of using AR to bridge the gap between education and entertainment.

Associations between sociodemographic exposures, growth and development during infancy with development at the age of eight years among children: Analysis of a maternal education trial in rural Uganda.

Links between early life exposures and child development later in life are not sufficiently explored in low- and middle-income countries. We studied associations between sociodemographic variables, growth and development at six to eight months with developmental outcomes at eight years. We used data from a maternal education trial which included 511 mother-infant pairs at children's age of six to eight months (baseline). In this follow-up study, data from 361 mother-child pairs were available. Questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic variables. Growth (anthropometry) was measured by study personnel and converted to z-scores according to the World Health Organization (WHO) growth reference. Child development (cognitive, motor and language) at baseline was assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Todler Development, third edition (BSID-III). Development at eight years was measured using two neuropsychological tools: Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children Second Edition (KABC-II) and Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Higher weight-for-age z-scores (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.74; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.53, 0.98; P = 0.04), better maternal education (aOR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.78, 0.96; P = 0.03). and better household head education (aOR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.78, 0.96; P = 0.03) at six to eight months of age were associated with lower odds of scoring below average on KABC-II categorical scores at eight years of age. Motor composite scores and maternal parity at six to eight months of age were positively associated with auditory and visual TOVA scores (all P-values <0.05) at eight years. Cognitive composite scores at six to eight months of age were positively associated with visual TOVA scores (P < 0.05). In contrast, weight-for-length z-scores and household head age were negatively associated with both auditory and visual TOVA scores (P < 0.05). Being a female child was associated with lower auditory and visual TOVA scores (P < 0.05). At six to eight months of age, growth and development, gender, maternal education and parity, and household head age and education were associated with child development at eight years. Interventions emphasising improved growth and development in infancy, as well as parental educational attainment, may improve long-term developmental outcomes.

Heterogeneous Trajectories of Parental Psychological Aggression from Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence in China: Associations with Child- and Family-Level Predictors and Children's Developmental Outcomes.

Previous research has shown that parental psychological aggression may change with children's age, and individual differences existed in the developmental trajectories of parental psychological aggression within different families. However, most studies on the heterogeneous psychological aggression trajectories have focused solely on mothers or combined mothers' and fathers' data, with few studies separately exploring the unique trajectories of fathers and mothers and their predictors and outcomes within Chinese societies. Therefore, this study investigated the heterogeneous trajectories of paternal and maternal psychological aggression from middle childhood to early adolescence and their associations with child- and family-level predictors and outcomes in China. A total of 1137 Chinese families with children in grades 1-3 (Mage = 7.17; SDage = 0.95 at Time 1; 52.35% boys, 47.65% girls) participated in assessments at five time points, using 1-year internals in between. Latent class growth models were used to estimate the heterogeneous trajectories of paternal and maternal psychological aggression from ages 7 to 11 years. Logistic regression analyses were used to understand the child- and family-level predictors of these trajectories, and analysis of covariance was used to examine the outcomes of these trajectories. The findings revealed that three trajectories of paternal psychological aggression were identified: low-persistent (88.95%), high-decreasing (7.93%), and high-increasing-decreasing (3.12%) trajectories. Four trajectories of maternal psychological aggression were identified: low-persistent (86.17%), high-decreasing (5.94%), high-increasing-decreasing (4.08%), and low-increasing (3.81%) trajectories. Lower marital satisfaction, more psychological aggression experiences during childhood, and being a parent of a boy were risk factors for both paternal and maternal trajectories, while higher negative affectivity in children was a risk factor of maternal but not paternal trajectories. In addition, the high-increasing-decreasing trajectory for both fathers and mothers as well as the low-increasing trajectory for mothers predicted children's more internalizing and externalizing problems. These findings highlight the importance of considering heterogeneity in understanding the developmental patterns of parental psychological aggression, their predictors, and cumulative effects on child development.

SAMHSA names director of OBHE

Rachele C. Espiritu Ph.D. has been named as the Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Equity at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Prior to this, she was a founding partner of Change Matrix, where she played a pivotal role in driving and measuring change to promote behavioral health equity and improve the well‐being of individuals and communities. Previously she served as a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center and as the Director of Evaluation for the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development. In these roles, she supported states and communities in building evaluation capacity for children's services and led internal evaluation initiatives for the Center. Esperitu's expertise spans behavioral health, evaluation, workforce development, leadership, systems change, and policy development. She has led numerous state and national initiatives supported by federal agencies and foundations, including the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health, the Colorado Equity Compass, and Transforming Academia for Equity. Espiritu earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she was honored as a Patricia Robert Harris scholar.

UPAYA PENINGKATAN KEMAMPUAN KOGNITIF BERHITUNG ANAK DENGAN PERMAINAN BALOK

The aim of this research is to improve the development of children's cognitive numeracy skills with number block games in the PAUD group for the 2021/2022 school year. This research uses descriptive methods and a qualitative approach in the form of Classroom Action Research (PTK). Place of research in PAUD with address. Data collection using techniques: observation and documentation. The tools used are observation and documentation sheets. Research results (1) Efforts to improve children's ability to count through number block games in PAUD have provided satisfactory results. This is evident from the recapitulation of the assessment of children's ability to count using the number block method. (2) based on research, observations and implementation of improvements in numeracy learning that researchers carried out in group A PAUD, it turned out to have a very positive impact on increasing children's ability to start numeracy. It is recommended: (1) It is hoped that the number block playing method should always be used in initial numeracy learning (2) It is hoped that school principals can apply the number block method as part of the educational unit level curriculum in developing numeracy learning (3) Considering the implementation of this research, of course There are still many shortcomings, so it is hoped that other researchers or teachers can continue to obtain more complex and satisfying findings.

Features of the perinatal and thoracic periods in children with autism spectrum disorders

Background. Autism spectrum disorders are a pathology that is becoming increasingly widespread throughout the world, regardless of geographic, climatic, socioeconomic or other regional characteristics. Due to the wide spread of this pathology, early detection of disease predictors is of great importance. Competent observation by a local pediatrician in the first year of life is of great importance in the first determination of disease symptoms / identification of risk groups. However, clear predictors indicating the presence of pathology have not been developed due to the lack of an accurate understanding of the etiology, pathogenesis of autism and the diversity of the clinical signs. It is believed that the gastrointestinal tract, microbiota, food intolerance play a certain role in the development and severity of ASD, but further research is needed in this area.Materials and methods. The study included 138 children with autism spectrum disorders aged 3–15 years (Me 6 [4; 7.5]) and their parents. There were 91 boys and 47 girls. A thorough analysis of the obstetric history, the course of the intranatal and neonatal periods, the nature of feeding, the neuropsychic development of children in the first year of life, and the social and everyday aspects of family life was carried out. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics methods.Results. The perinatal period of children with autism spectrum disorders does not differ significantly from the average data in the population. It was found that the assessment of emotional development is of great importance in monitoring children in the first year of life. Despite the fact that the examined patients did not have a clinically significant delay in neuropsychic development (more than 2 epicrisis periods), it is nevertheless noted that motor development was impaired less often than emotional, play and speech skills.Conclusions. Perinatal, social factors, the nature of feeding and past diseases do not affect the development of the disease. Among the assessment criteria in infancy, special attention should be paid to neuropsychic development, in particular emotional development and play activities.

The Impact of the Interactive Floor Device and Aerobic Training on Executive Functions in Children

Background/Objectives: Considering the importance of physical activity on the development of cognitive functions in children, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of a ten-week training program using the Interactive Floor device (© Funtronic), i.e., a kinesthetic educational game, and aerobic activity training on executive functions in 9-year-old children. Given current knowledge of the advantages of gamification and on-task switching, stronger improvement was expected for the Interactive Floor device than aerobic exercise activities. Methods: Sixty-four children (29 boys/35 girls) were randomly assigned to the Interactive Floor (n = 22), Aerobic Training (n = 22), or Control groups (n = 20). The participants had their cognitive abilities assessed twice (pre- and post-intervention) using computer tests from the Vienna Test System (VTS) and subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® Fifth Edition (WISC®-V). From VTS, the Stroop Test was used to measure inhibition and attentional control, while the Corsi Block test assessed visuospatial short-term working memory. To assess auditory working memory, the Digit Span subtest from the WISC®-V was applied. Additionally, fluid intelligence was estimated using Raven’s Progressive Matrices. Results: Repeated-measures mixed ANOVA and post hoc tests with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons showed that all intervention program groups improved in terms of intelligence and non-verbal abstract reasoning. The second significant finding in this study was that especially children from the Interactive Floor group developed their executive functions, i.e., inhibition and attentional control as well as their spatial short-term memory capacity. Conclusions: The results suggest that a combination of both physical exercise and cognitive games in the Interactive Floor group resulted in greater improvement in cognitive abilities in children than aerobic exercise or physical education lessons. It seems that a multidisciplinary approach combining physical and cognitive stimulation effectively promotes child development. Future programs aiming to improve cognitive skills in children should consider incorporating interactive and engaging activities that stimulate both the body and the mind.

Implementation of the Use of Educational Game Tools (clogs) from Wood Waste to Develop Creativity

The importance of educational game tools for early childhood is the background of this study, especially in teacher creativity in using wood waste as an educational game tool. This research aims to determine the implementation of using wood waste as an educational game tool to develop teacher creativity at PGRI Sarimulyo Kindergarten. This research uses qualitative methods through a qualitative descriptive approach. The subjects of this research were PGRI Sarimulyo Kindergarten educators. Data collection techniques used observation, interviews, documentation and triangulation. Data analysis techniques use data collection techniques, data reduction, data presentation and data conclusion. The results of the research show that the implementation of using wood waste as an educational game tool (clogs) can develop teacher creativity. Educational game tools (clogs) are traditional educational game tools which play an important role in helping to develop effective and enjoyable learning, with educational game tools (clogs) making it easier for teachers to stimulate aspects of children's development, including aspects of physical, motoric, cognitive and social emotional development, and art, as well as making it easier for educators to deliver learning. Keywords: Early Childhood Educational, Game Tools, and Creativity

Strategies to Implement a Community-Based, Longitudinal Cohort Study: The Whole Communities-Whole Health Case Study.

This paper discusses the implementation of the Whole Communities-Whole Health (WCWH) initiative, which is a community-based, longitudinal cohort study. WCWH seeks to better understand the impact of location on family health and child development while also providing support for families participating in the study. Implementing a longitudinal study that is both comprehensive in the data it is collecting and inclusive in the population it is representing is what makes WCWH extremely challenging. This paper highlights the learning process the initiative has gone through to identify effective strategies for implementing this type of research study and work toward building a new model for community-engaged research. Through iterative testing following the Plan-Do-Study-Act model, three main strategies for implementation were identified. These strategies are (1) creating a data collection schedule that balances participant burden and maintains temporality across data types; (2) facilitating multiple opportunities for qualitative and quantitative input from faculty, families, and nonparticipant community members; and (3) establishing an open-door policy for data analysis and interpretation. This paper serves as a guide and provides resources for other researchers wanting to implement a multidisciplinary and community-based cohort study.

Facilitating comprehensive child health monitoring within REDCap - an open-source code for real-time Z-score assessments

BackgroundMonitoring of somatic development through the assessment of anthropometric variables such as weight, height, and BMI is vital for evaluating the physical development and nutritional status of children. This approach aids in the early identification of somatic developmental disorders, enabling timely medical interventions. It traditionally relies on Z-scores, which compare anthropometric variables with reference standards. In addition to somatic development monitoring, the early detection and management of pediatric and adolescent hypertension are crucial due to potential long-term health risks. However, manual calculations of Z-scores are time-consuming and error-prone, impeding timely interventions for at-risk children. This article introduces an innovative open-code solution for real-time Z-score assessments directly within the electronic data capture platform, Research Electronic Data Capture, (REDCap™), aiming to streamline the monitoring of somatic development in children.MethodsLeveraging the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) references, our approach integrates Z-score computations directly into REDCap, providing a secure and user-friendly environment for healthcare professionals and researchers. We employed Bland-Altman analyses to compare our method with established calculators (Knirps and Growth XP™) using synthetic data values for all variables.ResultsBland-Altman plots demonstrated strong agreement between our REDCap calculations and the Knirps and Growth XP systems. Z-scores for height, BMI, and blood pressure consistently aligned, affirming the accuracy of our approach across the measurement range.ConclusionThe integration with REDCap streamlines data collection and analysis, eliminating the need for separate software and data exports. Moreover, our solution uses the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) references. This not only ensures calculation accuracy but also enhances its suitability for diverse research contexts. The Bland-Altman analyses establish the reliability of our method, contributing to a more effective approach to child growth and blood pressure monitoring.

Time-out under scrutiny: examining the relationships among the discipline strategy time-out, child well-being and attachment and exposure to adversity.

Discipline is a crucial aspect of parenting, shaping child development and behaviour. Time-out, a widely used disciplinary strategy with a strong evidence-base, has recently come under scrutiny with concerns about potential adverse effects on children's emotional development and attachment, particularly for those with a history of adversity. To contribute critical empirical insights to the current controversy surrounding time-out by exploring the associations among time-out implementation, parent-child attachment and child mental health, and whether adversity exposure moderated these associations. This cross-sectional study utilised a nationally representative sample of 474 primary caregivers in Australia, with children aged 6-8 years, who completed an online survey. Measures included the Implementation of Time-out Scale, Adverse Life Experiences Scale, Primary Attachment Style Questionnaire, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Spence Child Anxiety Scale. Appropriately implemented time-out was associated with enhanced mental health and attachment, while inappropriate time-out correlated with adverse child outcomes. Exposure to adversity moderated the relationship between time-out implementation and child well-being, such that children exposed to adversity were most likely to experience attachment enhancement from appropriately implemented time-out. Despite recent concerns of harm caused by time-out, particularly for children with a history of adversity, findings support the beneficial impact of time-out on child well-being and attachment when implemented in accordance with evidence-based parameters. Combatting misinformation and disseminating evidence-based time-out guidelines is crucial for promoting child well-being and attachment, especially for children who have experienced adversity.

Practical research on picture books in art activities for preschool children

Kindergarten Education Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education clearly puts forward: "use painting and other forms to arouse children's interest in reading picture books, and cultivate pre-reading and pre-painting skills".This shows that picture books are of great significance for children to cultivate their interest and develop the ability of art education activities. Picture books are timely and appropriately introduced into children's art teaching, by guiding children to observe, think and discuss the pictures and plots in picture books, to stimulate children's art creation inspiration and imagination, and make up for the lack of children's art teaching, but also to enrich its content and form, promote children's all-round development.

Influence of aging and maternal protein restriction on PIWI-interacting RNA expression in the offspring rat ventral prostate

The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept explores the link between exposure to adverse conditions during fetal and early childhood development and the onset of chronic non-communicable diseases, such as prostate cancer (PCa). Changes in epigenetics that control gene expression have been identified as potential contributors to the developmental origin of PCa. Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), for example, control transposable elements (TEs) and maintain genome integrity in germ cells. However, stress-induced deregulation of TEs warrants investigating the role of piRNAs in the prostate gland from the DOHaD perspective, which remains underexplored. This study aimed to detect and characterize piRNA expression in the ventral prostate (VP) of Sprague Dawley rat offspring at 21 postnatal days (PND21) and PND540. The rats were subjected to maternal protein restriction during pregnancy and lactation to understand its impact on prostate development and aging. Histological analyses showed that the gestational and lactation low-protein diet (GLLP) group experienced a delay in prostate gland development, with increased stromal and epithelial compartments and decreased luminal compartments during early life. Aging in this group resulted in decreased luminal compartments and increased stromal areas. Epithelial atrophy was observed in both groups, with an increased incidence of carcinoma in situ in the GLLP group. Small RNA sequencing from control and restricted groups (at PND21 and PND540) identified piRNA clusters in both young and aged animals. We also detected the expression of PIWI genes (Riwi, Rili, Rili2) in the prostate. Our data highlight the key role of maternal malnutrition in modulating piRNA expression in the offspring’s VP, with the potential to influence prostate developmental biology and the risk of prostatic disorders with aging.

Caregiver or Playmate? Fathers' and mothers' brain responses to ball-play with children.

Parents and children often engage in joint play-a domain where mothers and fathers are thought to exhibit disparate behaviors and impact child development via distinct mechanisms. However, little is known about the neural substrates of mother-child and father-child play. In this fMRI study, we sampled thebrain activation of parents of preschoolers (N = 88) during a novel event-related adaptation of the virtual ball-tossing game "Cyberball." Mothers (N = 40) and fathers (N = 48) played "Cyberball" ostensibly with their own and an unrelated child, whoconsecutively included, excluded, and reincluded parents. We found that overall, exclusion yielded comparable neural activations in mothers and fathers associated with mentalizing, saliency, and emotionprocessing. We also observed a parent gender effect in several brain areas. While mothers exhibited increased reward- and attention-related activity during inclusion, fathers displayed increased mentalizing-related activity during exclusion. Furthermore,we tested parents' response to reinclusion, which revealed a selective decrease in reward-related activity. Finally, exploratory analyses showed that parental involvement was positively correlated with parental brain activity within attention- and mentalizing-related areas during inclusion, as opposed to other game phases, and that an anxious parenting style was associated with increased neural sensitivity for game events involving their own child. Overall, our study elucidates the common and distinct neural networks that mothers and fathers engage during play interactions with their children, supporting theories that postulate only a partial differentiation of paternal and maternal parenting systems.

Peran Orang Tua Dalam Perkembangan Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus Tuna daksa: Kajian Pastoral Konseling

Children with special needs are children who are different from children in general. Children with special needs (formerly called extraordinary children) are defined as children who require special education and services to develop their human potential perfectly. Physical disability is one of the limitations for people with special needs and etymologically, physical disability is someone who has difficulty optimizing the function of their body parts as a result of injury, disease, mistreated growth, and as a result the ability to perform certain body movements is impaired. decline. Physical impairment can be defined as a form of abnormality or disability in the muscular and skeletal systems. joints and nerves caused by diseases, viruses and accidents that occur before birth, at birth and after birth. The role of parents in the development of children with special needs, such as disabled children, is very important in pastoral counseling studies. Parents have a role as educators, protectors and caregivers who influence the overall development of children. They must understand and understand the needs of children with special needs and provide appropriate guidance so that children can grow and develop optimally. In pastoral counseling studies, the role of parents also includes building self-confidence in disabled children. Parents must provide strong support and motivation so that children can improve their quality of life and improve their social and academic skills. Apart from that, parents must also understand and understand the self-concept, self-esteem, experience and education that disabled children need to increase their self-confidence.

Penguatan Pengetahuan Nutrisi Lokal untuk Pemberian MPASI dalam Pencegahan Faltering Growth pada Balita

Faltering growth is characterized by slow weight gain in early childhood, often the root cause of stunting in developing countries. In Indonesia, the stunting rate in toddlers reaches 24%, with high prevalence also recorded in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The leading causes of stunted growth include inadequate nutritional intake and infection, which impact children's physical and cognitive development. Early intervention through nutrition education is essential to prevent long-term impacts. Through education and leaflet media, this community service program aims to improve mothers' knowledge about locally-based MPASI at the Pringgarata Health Center. This program takes place in three stages—preparation, implementation, and evaluation—with 20 participants consisting of mothers and community leaders. The evaluation results showed a significant increase in mothers' knowledge from 30% to 85% after education, stating that this approach effectively improves understanding and potentially prevents faltering growth.

Concurrent validity of scores from phone-based caregiver reports on early childhood development: Evidence from the Early Childhood Development Index 2030 implementation in Nepal

The Early Childhood Development Index 2030 (ECDI2030) is a caregiver-reported tool designed to monitor progress toward Sustainable Development Goal target 4.2, which aims to ensure universal access to quality early childhood development (ECD), care, and pre-primary education to prepare children for primary education and inform national policies. Using the ECDI2030 through phone-based administration for remote data collection is expected to contribute to efficient evidence generation. However, the existing evidence for caregiver-reported ECD measures are exclusively drawn from studies on assessments through face-to-face interviews. We conducted a validation trial in Nepal, comparing randomly divided in-person and telephone interviews groups. The results support the concurrent validity of phone-based ECDI2030 scores for measuring ECD at a group level while highlighting administrative challenges specific to the phone-based method. This study contributes to the literature on ECD measurement and provides insights into the practical implications of different modes of data collection.

THE ROLE OF FATHER’S PARENTING STYLE CHILDREN AGED 24–60 MONTHS

The quality of a father's knowledge about parenting is still low (27.9%), and the absence of a father can hinder a child's development, which may affect their adulthood. The absence of a father can hinder a child's development from infancy through childhood and into adulthood. Children are the buds, potential, and next generation of the nation's ideals. Children have a strategic role in ensuring the existence of the nation and state in the future. This study aims to determine the involvement of the father's role in the care of children aged 24-60 months in Bekasi City, West Java in 2023. This research is included in the type of descriptive research. The number of respondents used in this study are 40 respondents. The technique used in this study was accidental sampling. Data processing in this study used excel software. Father respondents in this study seen from the results answered by respondents, showed that fathers play a role in childcare. The role of the father in this research shows that the father plays a role as a provider or as a facilitator and protector in the family, the role of child specialist and educator is also visible in the father because he participates in caring for the child. Decision maker, building responsive communication, and being a nurturing mother is seen in the role of father in the family

Understanding the Phonological Features of Child Development Workers in Selected Centers in Antique, Philippines

Understanding the Phonological Features of Child Development Workers in Selected Centers in Antique, Philippines

Teachers' Strategies in Enhancing experience and Creating Fun Art Learning For Children Aged 3-6 years in PAUD Jabal Rahmah Yogyakarta

The To optimize children's art development in art learning activities, teachers must have the right strategy. Therefore, it is not only the right techniques and resources that are needed to enhance children's art development. The teacher's method of preparing for learning, as well as methods, media, and other elements, greatly affect the child's learning process. The purpose of this study is to provide an explanation of the methods teachers use to make art learning fun for students in kindergarten. The research was conducted in one month, during April 2024. The location of this research was conducted in one of the PAUD in Yogyakarta, namely Jabal rahmah PAUD. This qualitative descriptive study was designed as a case study. Data collection involved observation, documentation, and interviews. Presenting data, reducing data, and drawing conclusions were part of the data analysis conducted using the Miles Huberman model. The discussion of art learning strategies in early childhood at Jabal Rahmah PAUD shows that these strategies are quite different: direct and collaborative learning strategies with group and centre models proved to be fun and improved children's art skills. based on this, children are used to working together and are confident in their respective fields. in addition, teachers use art learning as part of teaching and learning activities, while extracurricular teachers conduct art form activities such as music, fine arts and dance. This is due to the difference between classroom teachers and teachers who teach outside the classroom, who have greater professional experience gained through arts education.