Child's Name Research Articles

Early Childhood Care and Education and School Readiness in Zambia

ABSTRACTDespite increased investment in early childhood care and education (ECCE) globally, little is known about its effectiveness in low-income countries. Using kernel exact matching within a national sample of 1,623 Zambian 6-year-olds, we test the associations between ECCE participation and seven domains of children's school readiness. We find ECCE participation to be significantly and positively predictive of children's receptive vocabulary, letter naming, reasoning, fine motor, executive function, and task performance skills (d = 0.20 − 0.65). Although ECCE predicted better outcomes across program types and dosage levels, associations between ECCE participation and school readiness were descriptively if not significantly larger for children attending nonprofit (versus governmental or private) programs and for those attending ECCE between three and five hours per day (versus those attending less than three or six or more hours per day). Implications of these findings, particularly for the 68% of Zambian children who remain out of ECCE, are discussed.

Name of the child in Serbian private international law

Rules of Serbian Private International Law pertaining to the name of the child, both those currently in force, and those that are proposed in the Draft Private International Law Code (2004) are discussed in this article in the light of the decisions of the Court of the EU in Garcia Avello and Grunkin-Paul. The main issue related to the name of the child with an international element is how to regulate the recognition of first and last names of Serbian nationals determined abroad. Currently, there is a unilateral conflict rule providing for application of mandatory norms of Serbian family law. That means that the current Serbian law does not allow recognition of the name of the Serbian child determined according to foreign law if the foreign rules are different than the Serbian applicable rules. The registrar is directed to request the parents to adapt the child's name to requirements of Serbian law, irrespective of the consequences, i. e. the possibility that the child will bear different names in different countries. The fact that the child may also be a national of that other country and habitually resident there, is of no consequence. The Draft PIL Act introduces significant changes by: providing for a possibility for parents to choose the applicable law in case of change of name so that they can choose between the laws of the child's various nationalities, and by providing for recognition of changes of name conducted in a foreign country if the child has been a habitual resident of that country for at least five years. The author argues for introduction of substantive rules into the future PIL Code, which would provide for a possibility of recognition of child's name determined in the country of his other nationality or of his habitual residence.

Effects of Echoic Teaching Combined with Basic Reading Repertoires on Word Naming in Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Effects of Echoic Teaching Combined with Basic Reading Repertoires on Word Naming in Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Child Support: The Problem of Misuse of Child Support

The article examines the legislative and enforcement aspects of changing the manner and order of enforcing a court order (holding or injunction) on recovery of child support by allowing the payment of not more than a half of the amount of child support to a bank account in the child's name. This measure is intended to prevent misuse of the child support by the parent who receives it (acts as a beneficiary). It was concluded that it is necessary to supplement the Family Code provision that allows the payment of not more than 50 per cent of the amount of child support to the bank accounts in the name of the child with an indicative list of grounds that the child support payer can rely on to go to court with a relevant claim. It is also proposed that Chapter 17 of the RF FC be supplemented by a provision giving the court the right to compel a parent who receives the child support the amount of which exceeds the amount stipulated by the law to submit to the child support payer a monthly report on child support expenditure.

Centralized Reminder/Recall to Increase Immunization Rates in Young Children: How Much Bang for the Buck?

ObjectiveWe compared the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of: 1) centralized reminder/recall (C-R/R) using the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) versus practice-based reminder/recall (PB-R/R) approaches to increase immunization rates; 2) different levels of C-R/R intensity; and 3) C-R/R with versus without the name of the child's provider. MethodsWe conducted 3 sequential cluster-randomized trials involving children aged 19 to 25 months in 15 Colorado counties in March 2013 (trial 1), October 2013 (trial 2), and May 2014 (trial 3). In C-R/R counties, the intensity of the intervention decreased sequentially in trials 1 through 3, from 3 to 1 recall messages. In PB-R/R counties, practices were offered training using CIIS and financial support. The percentage of children with up-to-date (UTD) vaccinations was compared 6 months after recall. A mixed-effects model assessed the association between C-R/R versus PB-R/R and UTD rates. ResultsC-R/R was more effective in trials 1 to 3 (relative risk = 1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.20; P = .009). Effectiveness did not decrease with decreasing intervention intensity (P = .59). Costs decreased with decreasing intensity in the C-R/R arm, from $18.72 per child brought UTD in trial 1 to $10.11 in trial 3. Costs were higher and more variable in the PB-R/R arm, ranging from $20.63 to $237.81 per child brought UTD. C-R/R was significantly more effective if the child's practice name was included (P < .0001). ConclusionsC-R/R was more effective and cost-effective than PB-R/R for increasing UTD rates in young children and was most effective if messages included the child's provider name. Three reminders were not more effective than one, which may be explained by the increasing accuracy of contact information in CIIS over the course of the trials.

Cochlear implantation in autistic children with profound sensorineural hearing loss

IntroductionCochlear implants have become the method of choice for the treatment of severe-to-profound hearing loss in both children and adults. Its benefits are well documented in the pediatric and adult population. Also deaf children with additional needs, including autism, have been covered by this treatment. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the benefits from cochlear implantation in deafened children with autism as the only additional disability. MethodsThis study analyzes data of six children. The follow-up time was at least 43 months. The following data were analyzed: medical history, reaction to music and sound, Ling's six sounds test, onomatopoeic word test, reaction to spoken child's name, response to requests, questionnaire given to parents, sound processor fitting sessions and data. ResultsAfter cochlear implantation each child presented other communication skills. In some children, the symptoms of speech understanding were observed. No increased hyperactivity associated with daily use cochlear implant was observed. The study showed that in autistic children the perception is very important for a child's sense of security and makes contact with parents easier. ConclusionOur study showed that oral communication is not likely to be a realistic goal in children with cochlear implants and autism. The implantation results showed benefits that varied among those children. The traditional methods of evaluating the results of cochlear implantation in children with autism are usually insufficient to fully assess the functional benefits. These benefits should be assessed in a more comprehensive manner taking into account the limitations of communication resulting from the essence of autism. It is important that we share knowledge about these complex children with cochlear implants.

Dinâmica do chapéu: possibilidade de trabalhar a identidade com bebês

Ao adentrar o espaço coletivo, a creche normalmente é o primeiro local onde as crianças se relacionarão com outras de sua idade. Assim iniciam seu convívio com o outro que lhe é parecido ao mesmo tempo que é diverso/ diferente. Nesta idade é fundamental o trabalho com a identidade, com seu nome para que aos poucos as crianças possam reconhecer esse mundo que vai para além do próprio eu. Relatamos aqui a experiência vivida no Convivência I do CECI – Centro de Convivência Infantil/ UNICAMP com bebês de 6 meses a 1 ano e 3 meses onde a música foi o elemento desencadeador de tais vivências de reconhecimento de si e do outro. A dinâmica do chapéu consiste em cantarmos uma música que menciona o nome de cada criança em sua letra; neste momento o chapéu é colocado na cabeça da criança. A partir das repetições e pedidos das próprias crianças que começaram a demonstrar de forma não-verbal seu desejo pela música, trazendo-nos o chapéu ou utilizando outros materiais na cabeça como baldes e peneiras e batendo palmas, reconhecemos o quanto esta vivência tem sido significativa para elas. Hoje muitos acompanham a música com palmas, reconhecem seu nome quando cantado e outros, que já caminham, levam o chapéu até os colegas, que é uma forma de interagirem entre eles e perceberem esse entorno se ampliando.

Messages to Motivate Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: National Studies of Parents and Physicians.

Physician communication about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a key determinant of uptake. To support physician communication, we sought to identify messages that would motivate HPV vaccination. From 2014 to 2015, we surveyed national samples of parents of adolescents ages 11 to 17 (n = 1,504) and primary care physicians (n = 776). Parents read motivational messages, selected from nine longer messages developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and six brief messages developed by the study team. Parents indicated whether each message would persuade them to get HPV vaccine for their adolescents. Physicians read the brief messages and indicated whether they would use them to persuade parents to get HPV vaccine for 11- to 12-year-old children. The highest proportion of parents (65%) and physicians (69%) found this brief message to be persuasive: "I strongly believe in the importance of this cancer-preventing vaccine for [child's name]." Parents disinclined to vaccinate were most receptive to messages with information about HPV infection being common, cancers caused by HPV, and HPV vaccine effectiveness. Parents' endorsement did not vary by race/ethnicity, education, child age, or child sex (all P > 0.05). Our national surveys of parents and physicians identified messages that could motivate HPV vaccination, even among parents disinclined to vaccinate their children. The lack of difference across demographic subgroups in parental endorsement may suggest that these messages can be used across these subgroups. Our findings support physicians' use of these messages with parents to help motivate uptake of this important cancer-preventing vaccine. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(10); 1383-91. ©2016 AACR.

Highlights of This Issue

Kennedy and colleagues reported on the establishment of a web-based Cancer Epidemiology Descriptive Cohort Database (CEDCD) with goals to enhance awareness of resources, facilitate interdisciplinary research collaborations, and support existing cohorts for the study of cancer-related outcomes. The CEDCD includes data from 46 cohorts representing more than 6.5 million individuals. Genotyping has been performed by 67% of the cohorts, while 46% have performed whole genome or exome sequencing in subsets of enrolled individuals. The CEDCD assembles detailed descriptive information on a large number of cancer cohorts in a searchable database.Asian Americans are the fastest growing U.S. population, yet trends and patterns in the mortality burden of cancer among Asian American ethnic groups have not been documented. Thompson and colleagues reported on rates, standardized mortality ratios, and modeled trends in cancer-related mortality in different Asian American ethnicities from 2003 to 2011. Stomach and liver cancer mortality was very high, particularly among Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese, for whom these two cancer types combined accounted for 15–25% of cancer deaths. In Asian American women, lung cancer was a leading cause of death.Physician communication about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a key determinant of uptake. Malo and colleagues sought to identify messages that help motivate HPV vaccination by surveying national samples of parents of adolescents and primary care physicians. The highest proportion of parents and physicians found this brief message to be persuasive: “I strongly believe in the importance of this cancer-preventing vaccine for [child's name].” Parents' endorsement did not vary by race/ethnicity, education, child age, or child sex. The findings support physicians' use of these messages with parents to help motivate uptake of this important cancer-preventing vaccine.Berkowitz and colleagues developed multilevel small area estimate models to generate county-level estimates for six smoking status categories. The authors constructed and fitted a series of multilevel logistic regression models and applied them to the U.S. Census population to generate county-level prevalence estimates. They found large variations in current and former smoking status between and within states and by sex. County prevalence of former smokers was highest among men in the Northeast, North, and West. Utah consistently had the lowest smoking prevalence. These detailed county and state smoking category estimates can help identify areas in need of tobacco control and prevention.

Still standing out: children's names in the United States during the Great Recession and correlations with economic indicators

AbstractContinuing a long‐standing trend in the U.S. Social Security Administration database of first names (N = 358 million), American parents were less likely to choose common names for their children between 2004 and 2015, including the years of the Great Recession (2008–2010). These trends were similar in California (severely affected by the recession) and Texas (less affected). Over a longer time period (1901–2015), cyclical economic indicators were either not correlated with common names (e.g., stock market performance) or worse economic times predicted fewer common names. The results are consistent with increasing individualism, with limited support for the idea that economic threat leads people to embrace uniqueness and no real support for the idea that economic deprivation leads to more communal name choices.

Learning by Teaching a Robot: The Case of Handwriting

Thomas (all children's names have been changed) is five and a half years old and has been diagnosed with visuoconstructive deficits. He is under the care of an occupational therapist and tries to work around his inability to draw letters in a consistent manner. Vincent is six and struggles at school with his poor handwriting and even poorer self-confidence. Whereas Thomas is lively and always quick at shifting his attention from one activity to another, Vincent is shy and poised. Two very different children, each one facing the same difficulty to write in a legible manner. Additionally, hidden beyond these impaired skills, psychosocial difficulties arise: they underperform at school. Thomas has to go for follow-up visits every week, and they both live under the label of special care. This is a source of anxiety for the children and for their parents alike.

The effects of summer school on early literacy skills of children from low-income families

ABSTRACTThe early childhood literature has documented the impact of early literacy experience on children's later language and literacy development. The research also showed the achievement gap between children from lower socio-economic status and their peers from more economically advantaged backgrounds. To address this gap, the existing literature has suggested the potential impact of summer intervention programmes on preschool-aged children's early language and literacy skills prior to their entry to kindergarten. The focus of this study was to expand the literature by examining the immediate and long-term effects of a summer intensive literacy programme on preschool-aged children's language and literacy skills. Pre- and post-tests and group comparison results suggested that the summer intensive programme was effective in improving participating children's name writing, upper-case recognition, and print and word awareness. The data collected during the summer and the fall semester further suggested the longitudinal effects of the summer intervention programme.

Development of Embodied Word Meanings: Sensorimotor Effects in Children's Lexical Processing.

Previous research showed an effect of words’ rated body–object interaction (BOI) in children’s visual word naming performance, but only in children 8 years of age or older (Wellsby and Pexman, 2014a). In that study, however, BOI was established using adult ratings. Here we collected ratings from a group of parents for children’s BOI experience (child-BOI). We examined effects of words’ child-BOI and also words’ imageability on children’s responses in an auditory word naming task, which is suited to the lexical processing skills of younger children. We tested a group of 54 children aged 6–7 years and a comparison group of 25 adults. Results showed significant effects of both imageability and child-BOI on children’s auditory naming latencies. These results provide evidence that children younger than 8 years of age have richer semantic representations for high imageability and high child-BOI words, consistent with an embodied account of word meaning.

Parents’ perspectives on adopting English names in Taiwan

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the adoption of English names in Taiwan through questionnaires and interviews with parents of junior high school students. In total, 564 parents filled out a questionnaire regarding their adoption of an English name, reasons for needing an English name, and their perspectives about their child's English name. We interviewed nine parents with different answers in the questionnaire to explore parents’ perceptions of English names. The results revealed that 59% had or used to have an English name. Those with a higher level of education were more likely to have an English name. The two most common reasons for adopting an English name were attending English lessons and satisfying an occupational requirement. Regarding their children, 89% had an English name, and 96% of these children acquired it before they were enrolled in junior high school. The findings imply that an English name has gradually become a component of a glocal identity in Taiwan and this may have wide implications.

Young children, gender and the heterosexual matrix

ABSTRACTIn this paper I consider the adult focus of current mainstream gender theory. I relate this to how the concept of the heterosexual matrix originates in a social contract which excludes children from civil society. I argue that this exclusion is problematic both for theoretical reasons and from the perspective of children themselves. I start by discussing the nature of the heterosexual matrix and its foundations. I consider the implications for participation which arise from being named as a child, how that affects children's attempts to claim participation in civil society, and how this is related to children's naming of themselves as gendered. I then briefly consider the possibility that, because of their exclusion, children might also be considered to be exempt from the heterosexual matrix. However, I argue, there is considerable evidence that children are actively sexual beings who also work hard to claim inclusion in local practices of heterosexuality. I end by suggesting that there are three key reasons for this: that the discourses of normative sexuality provide children with a language to express sexual feelings; that self-insertion in the heterosexual matrix is a way for children to claim rights to participation; and that taking up heterosexual formations is a means whereby children can experience the power of naming themselves as part of the social world.

Naming Regulations and Indigenous Rights in Argentina

In Argentina, parents must register their children at the Civil Registry to receive a national identification card, choosing their child's name from a list maintained by provincial Civil Registry offices. This process regulates all citizens, but it is particularly onerous for indigenous parents who wish to give their child an indigenous name. In tracing the letter and practice of the law and responses to the law, I argue that the regulation of names is a political process with racial and gender assumptions built into it. These assumptions translate into exclusionary implications for membership in national identity. For indigenous people in Argentina, this is particularly problematic, as they are already largely invisible to the national body. Although indigenous people are challenging aspects of the law they are not challenging the very premise of the law—that the state has the right to control their access to citizenship through a law regulating children's names. Finally, the successes of indigenous parents in using an indigenous name has the unintended consequence of turning indigenous names into cultural commodities, thus diminishing the validity of indigenous political critiques of the law.

Editorial: Frontiers in the acquisition of literacy.

Editorial: Frontiers in the acquisition of literacy.

Parents' Talk About Letters With Their Young Children.

A literacy-related activity that occurs in children's homes-talk about letters in everyday conversations-was examined using data from 50 children who were visited every 4 months between 14 and 50 months. Parents talked about some letters, including those that are common in English words and the first letter of their children's names, especially often. Parents' focus on the child's initial was especially strong in families of higher socioeconomic status, and the extent to which parents talked about the child's initial during the later sessions of the study was related to the children's kindergarten reading skill. Conversations that included the child's initial were longer than those that did not, and parents presented a variety of information about this letter.

Exploring Names and Identity Through Multicultural Literature in K-8 Classrooms

Children's names reflect their gender, culture, religion, language, and family history. Use of students' personal names has the power to positively affirm identity and signal belonging within the classroom and school community. However, naming practices also have the power to exclude, stereotype, or disadvantage students. For many students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, their names can be a source of cultural conflict and a watershed for issues of identity and belonging within the school setting. Through multicultural explorations of students' names, educators can affirm students' cultures and identities, and draw upon these as resources to support learning and development from early childhood through the adolescent years. The purpose of this article is to (a) discuss the importance of a person's name to cultural identity, (b) describe strategies to build multicultural communities in K-8 classrooms through exploration of students' names, and (c) suggest multicultural children's literature and curricular activities to teach about the importance of personal names, and develop cross-cultural understandings.

A Note on John Wesley's Visit to Herrnhut in 1738

Abstract In early August 1738 John Wesley travelled to Germany, specifically to see Herrnhut in Saxony, as he wished to experience the spiritual life of the Moravian congregation. Surprisingly, he described the burial of a child at length. This research discloses the father's (a tailor) and child's name. Moreover, it confirms that Wesley had been present in Herrnhut on 19 August 1738 (New Style/Gregorian calendar).