Child Interaction Research Articles

Examining the validity, reliability and feasibility of capturing children's physical literacy through games-based assessment in physical education.

Observational tools can help refine practice design and guide the creation of effective learning environments. The intention of this study was to design and validate an observational instrument for assessing physical literacy that remains more faithful to the philosophically complex and holistic nature of the concept. Framed by concepts of ecological dynamics, the emergent games-based assessment tool enables capture of children's interactions with their environment, providing insight on the manifestation of physical literacy within physical education games. The design and validation of the instrument consisted of a multistage process: (1) design of the observational instrument and establishing face validity; (2) pilot observation study; (3) expert qualitative and quantitative review to establish content validity; (4) observation training; and (5), establishing observer reliability. Following expert qualitative and quantitative evaluation, Aiken's V coefficient was used to determine content validity. Results achieved demanding levels of validity (V ≥ 0.78) for all retained measurement variables. Cohen's κ values for inter- and intra-observer reliability ranged from 0.331 to 1.00 and 0.552 to 1.00, generally reporting "substantial" agreement during inter-observer analysis and "substantial" to "almost perfect" agreement during intra-observer analysis. The final model of the emergent games-based assessment tool, with 9 ecological conceptualisations of behaviour, 15 measurement variables, and 44 categorical observational items was found to be valid and reliable, providing both educators and researchers with a useful mechanism to assess physical literacy during gameplay.

Epidemiological features of Meningococcal infection in Tbilisi

Aim of the study was to identify of epidemiological features of meningococcal infection in Tbilisi in two reporting periods (1992-1999yy and 2017-2021yy). In 1992-1999, the incidence rate reached its maximum in 1993 (2.3 per 100,000 population), and in 2017-2021 it did not exceed one. In the second reporting period in 2020, the maximum rate was recorded in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic (0.36), which should be due to the prolonged interaction of children with healthy carriers. The age index in both reporting periods is for children aged 0-4 and was 21.4 and 8.81, respectively. Seasonality occurs in winter-spring in the second reference period, although in the first reference period it occurs at all times of the year, which can be explained by the failure of preventive measures in the 90s. The rate of lethality in the first reporting period is almost three times less than in the second reporting period, which may be the reason for not registering deaths in the 90s. We consider it appropriate to introduce vaccination in risk groups.

Relationship between child sleep problems in autism spectrum disorder and parent mental health and well-being

Sleep problems are a common comorbidity in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study is to determine how sleep problems affect not only the child with ASD, but parents also. Parents of 409 children and adolescents with ASD completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, World Health Organization Quality of Life Abbreviated Version (WHOQOL-BREF), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The majority (86.6%) of parents presented with poor sleep. The majority (95.3%; n = 387) of children presented with sleep problems, while 4.7% (n = 22) did not have sleep problems. A cross-sectional within-subjects research design was utilised, with the following analyses conducted: Pearson correlations, chi-square tests, t-tests, and MANOVAs. Relationships were found between child sleep problems and parent sleep problems, specifically child parasomnias, sleep duration, night wakings, and sleep onset delay. Parents of children with sleep problems experienced more parenting stress, specifically on the Difficult Child and Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscales of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Parents of children and adolescents with sleep problems had significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than parents of children and adolescents who did not have sleep problems. A relationship between sleep problems and lower quality of life was found. Parents of children with sleep problems received significantly lower scores on the WHOQOL-BREF domains of Physical Health, Psychological and Environment than parents of children without sleep problems. There was no significant difference found between parents of children with or without sleep problems on perceived social support. The current study demonstrated how child sleep affects parental well-being. While sleep problems are one comorbid condition in ASD, future research is needed to determine the impact of other comorbidities in parents of children and adolescents with ASD.

Implementation of Health Protocol Social Distancing on Children Educational Toy

<p>Nearing the end of 2019 a virus broke out causing the world to be in the state of a pandemic. With the virus spreading easily through droplets, the government of Indonesia issued the people to wear masks and keep a distance minimum of 1 meter. Public places such as schools, restaurants and religious places are to be closed and to operate through online media. Through 2 years of the pandemic the virus spreading decreased and the government allowed for public places to open again with a strict health protocol. Schools also begin the education onsite but this raises a new problem for the schools and children to face, especially children of 4-6 years old. These ages are where children begin to socialize with their peers. With the limitations of online meeting, children can not interact with their peers resulting in their social skills not developing optimally. Even when schools started onsite again the interaction period is limited by the health protocol such as wearing masks and social distancing. The method used in this study is a mixed method, combining both qualitative and quantitative to gather data both descriptive and number in order to produce the design. The design process uses SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Other Use, Eliminate, Reverse) method to adapt and combine two toys into a new one. This study hopes to design educational toys which encourage the interaction of children while abiding the health protocol. </p>

Maternal sensitivity and children’s sleep problems across early childhood

ABSTRACT The current study aims to clarify the temporal associations between maternal sensitivity and children’s sleep problems across early childhood. This study comprised 942 Dutch mother–child dyads from the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study. Throughout early childhood, maternal sensitivity was observed in mother–child interactions and coded using Ainsworth’s 9-point rating scales (1.5 years) and the revised Erickson 7-point rating scales (3 and 4 years). Caregivers reported children’s sleep problems on the Sleep Problems Scale of the Child Behaviour Checklist 1½−5 at child ages 1.5, 3, and 6 years. Cross-lagged panel modelling revealed that higher levels of maternal sensitivity (3 years) were associated with fewer sleep problems (6 years); all other temporal associations between maternal sensitivity and children’s sleep problems were nonsignificant. In conclusion, some indication of an association of parenting with children’s sleep across early childhood was found, but there was no evidence for bidirectional associations over time.

How Does the Beauty of Wives Affect Post-marriage Family Outcomes? Helen's Face in Chinese Households

Research on the economics of beauty has persistently emphasized beauty premiums in the labor market but ignored its influence within existing marriages. We examine the physical appearance of the wives and its influence on several post-marriage family outcomes using a conceptual framework that is widely applicable. Based on two data sets from China, we find beautiful women have at least 0.43 fewer children than average- or plain-looking women when controlling for other factors. The negative effect remains robust controlling for wages and the possible endogeneity of beauty. In terms of mechanisms, the negative impact seems to operate by altering bargaining power within the family and the opportunity cost of having children, but not through the quantity-quality interaction of children. For other outcomes, wives' good looks reduce the probability of their taking care of or tutoring their children and increase the probability of parents or in-laws caring for children or performing household chores in urban areas.

Children's social information processing predicts both their own and peers' conversational remarks.

The goal of the current study was to investigate whether children's social information processing (SIP) predicts their conversations with peers, including both their remarks to peers and peers' remarks to them. When children (N = 156; 55% male; United States; Representation by Race: 60% African American, 18% Mixed race, 15% European American, 7% Other; Representation by Latino/a Ethnicity: 22% Latino/a, 78% Not Latino/a; Mincome = $39,419) were 8 years old, we assessed their aggressive and prosocial SIP using the Social Information Processing Application (SIP-AP). When children were 9 years old, they participated in playgroups typically consisting of four same-sex unfamiliar children who interacted in a round-robin format. Each dyad completed a five-minute frustration task and a five-minute planning task. Observers coded children's verbalizations into six prosocial categories (Suggest, Agree, Solicit Input, Ask, Encourage, State Personal) and four antisocial categories (Command, Disagree, Discourage, Aggress). Children with higher aggressive SIP made more antisocial and fewer prosocial statements, whereas children with higher prosocial SIP made more prosocial and fewer antisocial statements. Furthermore, children with higher aggressive SIP elicited more antisocial and fewer prosocial statements from peers, whereas children with higher prosocial SIP elicited more prosocial and fewer antisocial statements from peers. Children's antisocial and prosocial remarks mediated relations between their aggressive SIP and peers' subsequent antisocial and prosocial remarks. Findings are discussed in terms of: (a) the use of SIP to predict more subtle social behaviors in children's social interaction, and (b) cycles of social interactions that maintain and reinforce children's SIP patterns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Hubungan Antara Penggunaan Gadget Dengan Interaksi Pendidikan Pada Anak Usia 4-6 Tahun dalam Keluarga di Jorong Rambai Nagari Koto Malintang Kecamatan Tanjung Raya

The background of this research is the low educational interaction among children in Jorong Rambai Nagari Koto Malintang, Tanjung Raya District, within the family, which is suspected to be due to the high use of gadgets by children in Jorong Rambai Nagari Koto Malintang, Tanjung Raya District. This study aims to see the level of gadget use, see the level of educational interaction between children in the family, and see the relationship between gadget use and educational interaction in children aged 4-6 years in families in Jorong Rambai Nagari Koto Malintang, Tanjung Raya District. This type of research is a correlational quantitative method. The population of this research is parents. Sampling by cluster random sampling. Data collection techniques with questionnaires. Data analysis using the percentage formula and product moment. The results showed that the use of gadgets for early childhood was said to be high, the educational interaction of children in the family was said to be low, and there was a significant relationship between the use of gadgets and the educational interaction of children in the family. Suggestions to pay attention to the use of gadgets in children, the educational interactions of children in the family must be considered.

DEVELOPING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL USING BCCT MODEL, ROLE PLAYING, AND NATURAL MATERIAL MEDIA IN GROUP B

Low social interaction of children with their friends is a problem in this study. This study aims to determine teacher activities, children's activities, and children's social-emotional development achievements through a combination of Beyond Center And Circle Time (BCCT) and Role Playing models with natural material media in group B of TK Negeri 3 Alalak. Theapproach and type of research used in this study are qualitative approaches and types of Classroom Action Research (PTK) in four cycles. Agroup B of TK Negeri 3 Alalak totaling 20 children were the subjects of this study. The results of this studyshowed that children's social emotional development in the learning process was seen from an increase of 40% at the first meeting, 65% at the second meeting, 85% at the third meeting, and 100% at the fourth meeting. The conclusion of this study based on the results of the study is that the combination of the Beyond Center And Circle Time (BCCT) model and Role Playing with natural material media can develop activities and achieve child development results.

Preschool Language Environments and Social Interactions in an Early Intervention Classroom: A Pilot Study

Preschoolers’ language abilities are associated with their social interactions in early childhood classrooms. Few studies, however, have examined associations between social interactions and objective measures of children’s real-time classroom language environments, information key to informing interventions to support preschool children at risk for language delays. In this pilot study, we examined associations between objective measures of real-time language environments (input and output) recorded via the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system and observations of children’s positive and negative interactions with peers and teachers in an early intervention classroom for children with developmental delays ( n = 9, seven girls). Mixed effects regression models revealed associations between children’s language environments (input and output) and their social interactions with peers and teachers. More talkative children were more likely to have a high number of positive peer interactions. Children who received more language input from teachers were more likely to have a higher number of positive teacher–child interactions, an effect that was stronger for children with the lowest language output. The results of this pilot study build on prior research by using real-time objective measurement to examine how children’s language input from peers and teachers and children’s own language output supports positive interactions within early intervention classrooms.

Democratic Parenting of Single-Parent Men and Women in Instilling Social Interaction in Children

This study aims to determine how a single parent with a democratic parenting style instills social interaction in their child. This type of research is qualitative research data used in the study are the activities of democratic parenting of single-parent men and women related to children’s social interactions. This research was conducted in Makmur Hamlet, Padangrie Simatahari Village, Kotapinang Sub-District, South Labuhanbatu Regency, North Sumatra. This sample was taken using a purposive sampling technique. Data collection techniques in this study are observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques are reduction, presentation, conclusion drawing, and verification. The results of this study show seven stages of the democratic parenting style, which include: agreeing to speak politely, using words such as please, sorry, and thank you, speaking in a low tone, using friendly expressions, mutual understanding, cooperation, openness, empathy, motivational support, and positivity. These stages involve agreeing to understand and support each other in decision-making, working together to maintain cleanliness and comfort, giving full trust to the child while correcting dishonest behavior, teaching the child to complement and embrace others, prioritizing life goals, avoiding toxic friendships, and encouraging independence and a sense of sufficiency while incorporating religious teachings. This research concludes that the parenting of male and female single parents has successfully educated children to interact well with their parents and the environment.

Exploring social stages of play through eye to I© intervention model.

The study explores the role of the Eye to I© intervention model in facilitating advancement through social stages of play in which skills contribute to the quality of social interaction and communication in children with autism. Data were collected on 11 participants, ages of 2-6years, formally diagnosed with autism, receiving Eye to I© Social Communication therapy at Potentials Therapy Center, New Delhi, India. Eye to I© is developed in-house at Potentials and is further discussed in the paper. All participants attended a form of group intervention. A mixed-method design included quantitative measures administered pre and post intervention (Communication DEALL Developmental Checklist, Communication Matrix) and video coding of Social Communication sessions. Qualitative measures were semi-structured parent interviews conducted at the end of intervention. Thematic analysis and quantitative statistical analysis results show that by the end of the Eye to I© intervention period children engaged in social stages of play of greater developmental complexity and showed increased scores in assessments of social skills as well as generalization of skills. This suggests that skill acquisition necessary to directly support two diagnostic criteria areas of autism as per DSM-V; i.e., communication and social interaction occurred during the period of intervention.

Early Childhood Educators' Perspectives on the Impact of COVID-19 on Child Care

Recent research documents early care and education (ECE) changes that occurred at the program level (e.g., staffing, enrollment) due to state policies enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, less is known about how practices and instruction at classroom level changed. Our study sought to explore ECE educators’ perceptions of how state policies and the pandemic influenced their daily practice and instruction during the pandemic. We conducted in-depth interviews with 12 ECE educators (6 center-based and 6 home-based) selected from a larger survey study from a mid-Atlantic state. Findings revealed there were: 1) significant disruptions with daily routines, family and child interactions, and child assessments; 2) extensive changes in materials used, the room/setting, and instruction; and 3) challenges beyond the classroom such as financial stress, and educator well-being. Results from our study can help inform professional learning experiences and ECE system leaders on where challenges with instruction exist and how the pandemic may have changed educator practices.

The adult in the room: The push and pull of parental involvement in research with children.

Parental involvement in research where children are the primary study participants is frequent but under-analyzed. To understand such dynamics in research with children, we examined children's (ages 8-14) interactions with parents who came in and out of view during our virtual interviews in our study, Photographing Health by Rural Adolescents in the MidwEst (PHRAME). We identified the pull and push of this adult involvement-a choreography in which children were active participants. Our analysis demonstrates that such interactions provide important data about how children navigated power dynamics, and also offer integral insights on how they were doing health and care.

Putting things in and taking them out of containers: a young child's interaction with objects.

How does the behavior of putting things away (putting them in) in a container and using them again (taking them out) develop in young children? Though object interaction is one of the most examined topics in child development, research on organized behavior with various objects and containers at home is lacking. Rather than conducting experiments on young children's interactions with objects, this study focused on natural child-object interaction in the home. We conducted a case study on a young child's natural interaction with objects at home, focusing on when the child puts them in or takes them out of a container (the shelf, the cabinet, or the box). The study took place over 2½ years. The behaviors of putting many objects in a container and taking them out appeared at 9 months old. After acquiring the skill of walking, the child carried the objects using bags. Putting objects in and taking them out was embedded in the locomotion, and the child prepared the containers of toys before play. Pulling as many objects out as possible became rare after 19 months of age. Taking objects out became more appropriate in that context. The child brought out the container before the activity and put things away afterward. Based on these findings, the development of organized object interaction as well as the anticipation and significance of the naturalistic longitudinal observations are discussed.

My Lovely Granny’s Farm: An immersive virtual reality training system for children with autism spectrum disorder

One of the biggest difficulties faced by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during their learning process and general life, is communication and social interaction. In recent years, researchers and practitioners have invested in different approaches to improving aspects of their communication and learning. However, there is still no consolidated approach and the community is still looking for new approaches that can meet this need. Addressing this challenge, in this article we propose a novelty approach (i.e., an Adaptive Immersive Virtual Reality Training System), aiming to enrich social interaction and communication skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In this adaptive system (called My Lovely Granny’s Farm), the behavior of the virtual trainer changes depending on the mood and actions of the users (i.e., patients/learners). Additionally, we conducted an initial observational study by monitoring the behavior of children with autism in a virtual environment. In the initial study, the system was offered to users with a high degree of interactivity so that they might practice various social situations in a safe and controlled environment. The results demonstrate that the use of the system can allow patients who needed treatment to receive therapy without leaving home. Our approach is the first experience of treating children with autism in Kazakhstan and can contribute to improving the communication and social interaction of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We contribute to the community of educational technologies and mental health by providing a system that can improve communication among children with autism and providing insights on how to design this kind of system.

Parenting stress and interactive engagement behaviors in children with developmental delay.

In clinical practice, the importance of interactive engagement behaviors is overlooked in children with developmental problems other than autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parenting stress affects children's development but lacks attention from clinicians. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of interactive engagement behaviors and parenting stress among non-ASD children with developmental delays (DDs). We also analyzed whether engagement behaviors affect parenting stress. At Gyeongsang National University Hospital, between May 2021 and October 2021, we retrospectively enrolled 51 consecutive patients diagnosed with DDs in language or cognition (but not ASD) in the delayed group and 24 typically developing children in the control group. The Korean version of the Parenting Stress Index-4 and Child Interactive Behavior Test were used to assess the participants. The median age of the delayed group was 31.0 months (interquartile range, 25.0-35.5 months); this group included 42 boys (82.4%). There were no intergroup differences in child age, child sex, parental age, parental educational background, mother's employment status, or marital status. Higher parenting stress (P<0.001) and fewer interactive engagement behaviors (P<0.001) were observed in the delayed group. Low parental acceptance and competence had the largest effects on total parenting stress in the delayed group. A mediation analysis revealed that DDs did not directly affect total parenting stress (β=3.49, P=0.440). Instead, DDs contributed to total parenting stress, which was mediated by children's overall interactive engagement behaviors (β=57.30, P<0.001). Interactive engagement behaviors were significantly reduced in non-ASD children with DDs and significantly mediated parenting stress. The importance of parenting stress and interactive behaviors in children with DDs should be further examined in clinical practice.

Multimodal Refusal and Response to Refusal of Chinese-Speaking Children: A Comparative Case Study

As a complex and dynamic phenomenon, multimodal discourse has gained increasing attention in various fields. One common type of multimodal act among children is multimodal refusal, which involves a communicative act of rejecting an offer, request, or invitation using multimodal semiotic resources such as verbal languages, gestures and body movements, etc. Usually, a refusal is followed by a response to it. The analysis of children’s refusal and their responses to refusal can shed light on the ways in which they manage social relationships and interpersonal dynamics in their interactions. Choosing Chinese-speaking children’s acts of multimodal refusal on one hand and their responses to refusal on the other hand as its research object, this paper aims to examine and systematically reveal the representational and interactional characteristics of such discourse. A naturally occurred corpus of 100 videos with a length of 120.24 minutes is collected and analyzed, on the basis of which the modal representation, modal interaction and multimodal graduation characteristics of Chinese-speaking children’s multimodal refusal-response acts in the early school age are thoroughly analyzed and compared guided by Systemic Functional Grammar and Appraisal Theory. It is found that 62% of the refusal acts are caused by acts of request, and 68% of the children would use multiple modes to implement acts of refusal. Children’s multimodal refusal-response acts has the highest frequency of modal synergy, and some children would have strong emotional reactions after being refused. It is suggested that, children’s multimodal refusal-response acts should be concerned and valued by researchers, educators and children’s parents.

Influence of Auditory Integrative Training on Casein Kinase 2 and Its Impact on Behavioral and Social Interaction in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Considerable disturbances in post-translational protein phosphorylation have recently been discovered in multiple neurological disorders. Casein kinase-2 (CK2) is a tetrameric Ser/Thr protein kinase that phosphorylates a large number of substrates and contributes in several cellular physiological and pathological processes. CK2 is highly expressed in the mammalian brain and catalyzes the phosphorylation of a large number of substrates that are crucial in neuronal or glial homeostasis and inflammatory signaling processes across synapses. In this study, we investigated the impact of auditory integration therapy (AIT) for the treatment of sensory processing abnormalities in autism on plasma CK2 levels. A total of 25 ASD children, aged between 5 and 12 years, were enrolled and participated in the present research study. AIT was performed for two weeks, for a period of 30 min, twice a day, with a 3 h interval between sessions. Before and after AIT, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Short Sensory Profile (SSP) scores were calculated, and plasma CK2 levels were assayed using an ELISA test. The CARS and SRS indices of autism severity improved as a result of AIT, which could be related to the decreased level of plasma CK2. However, the mean value of the SSP scores was not significantly increased after AIT. The relationship between CK2 downregulation and glutamate excitotoxicity, neuro-inflammation, and leaky gut, as etiological mechanisms in ASD, was proposed and discussed. Further research, conducted on a larger scale and with a longer study duration, are required to assess whether the cognitive improvement in ASD children after AIT is related to the downregulation of CK2.

Ti3 C2 TX MXene Ink Direct Writing Flexible Sensors for Disposable Paper Toys.

Flexible electronics have gained great attention in recent years owing to their promising applications in biomedicine, sustainable energy, human-machine interaction, and toys for children. Paper mainly produced from cellulose fibers is attractive substrate for flexible electronics because it is biodegradable, foldable, tailorable, and light-weight. Inspired by daily handwriting, the rapid prototyping of sensing devices with arbitrary patterns can be achieved by directly drawing conductive inks on flat or curved paper surfaces; this provides huge freedom for children to design and integrate "do-it-yourself (DIY)" electronic toys. Herein, viscous and additive-free ink made from Ti3 C2 TX MXene sediment is employed to prepare disposable paper electronics through a simple ball pen drawing. The as-drawn paper sensors possess hierarchical microstructures with interweaving nanosheets, nanoflakes, and nanoparticles, therefore exhibiting superior mechanosensing performances to those based on single/fewer-layer MXene nanosheets. As proof-of-concept applications, several popular children's games are implemented by the MXene-based paper sensors, including "You say, I guess," "Emotional expression," "Rock-Paper-Scissors," "Arm wrestling," "Throwing game," "Carrot squat," and "Grab the cup," as well as a DIY smart whisker for a cartoon mouse. Moreover, MXene-based paper sensors are safe and disposable, free from producing any e-waste and hazard to the environment.