Responsiveness In Children Research Articles

Family transitions following the birth of a sibling: an empirical review of changes in the firstborn's adjustment.

Nearly 80% of children in the United States have at least 1 sibling, indicating that the birth of a baby sibling is a normative ecological transition for most children. Many clinicians and theoreticians believe the transition is stressful, constituting a developmental crisis for most children. Yet, a comprehensive review of the empirical literature on children's adjustment over the transition to siblinghood (TTS) has not been done for several decades. The current review summarizes research examining change in first borns' adjustment to determine whether there is evidence that the TTS is disruptive for most children. Thirty studies addressing the TTS were found, and of those studies, the evidence did not support a crisis model of developmental transitions, nor was there overwhelming evidence of consistent changes in firstborn adjustment. Although there were decreases in children's affection and responsiveness toward mothers, the results were more equivocal for many other behaviors (e.g., sleep problems, anxiety, aggression, regression). An inspection of the scientific literature indicated there are large individual differences in children's adjustment and that the TTS can be a time of disruption, an occasion for developmental advances, or a period of quiescence with no noticeable changes. The TTS may be a developmental turning point for some children that portends future psychopathology or growth depending on the transactions between children and the changes in the ecological context over time. A developmental ecological systems framework guided the discussion of how child, parent, and contextual factors may contribute to the prediction of firstborn children's successful adaptation to the birth of a sibling.

Children's emotional responsiveness and sociomoral understanding and associations with mothers' and fathers' socialization practices.

Sixty-two preschoolers (55% boys) were presented hypothetical dilemmas about moral transgressions. Responses were evaluated in terms of children's emotional responsiveness, prosocial motives, and readiness to intervene. Mothers and fathers reported separately on their use of victim-oriented inductions, teaching reparations, power assertion, and love withdrawal. Four years later, parents reported on children's behavioral problems, emotion-regulation ability, and empathy. Mothers reported using more victim-oriented inductions than did fathers, and girls responded with more personal distress and reported more rule-oriented motives. Maternal love withdrawal was a positive predictor of empathy and motives of concern. For fathers, teaching reparations were positively related to children's sympathy. Interestingly, mothers' power assertion was negatively related to sympathy at high levels of fathers' power assertion, but not at low levels. Maternal power assertion during the preschool years was negatively associated with children's long-term empathy scores. School-age outcomes also were meaningfully predicted by earlier sociomoral competence.

The Effects of Parental Depressive Symptoms, Appraisals, and Physical Punishment on Later Child Externalizing Behavior

Examined a cognitive-behavioral pathway by which depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers increase risk for later child externalizing problem behavior via parents' appraisals of child behavior and physical discipline. Participants were 245 children (118 girls) at risk for school-age conduct problems, and their parents and teachers. Children were approximately 3 years old at Time 1 (T1) and 5 ½ years old at Time 2 (T2). At T1, mothers and fathers reported their depressive symptoms, perceptions of their child's reciprocal affection and responsiveness, frequency of physical punishment, and child externalizing problems. Mothers, fathers, and teachers provided ratings of externalizing behavior at T2. Structural equation modeling revealed that parents' negative attributions mediated positive relations between their depressive symptoms and frequency of physical punishment for both fathers and mothers. More frequent physical punishment, in turn, predicted increased child externalizing behavior at T2. In future research, transactional mechanisms underlying effects of clinical depression on child conduct problems should be explored at multiple stages of development. For parents showing depressive symptoms, restructuring distorted perceptions about their children's behavior may be an important component of intervention programs.

Links between paternal depressive symptoms, parental sensitivity and children's responsiveness: A study on Israeli children with feeding disorders

This study examined mechanisms by which paternal depressive symptoms are related to children's responsiveness to their fathers and mothers among children with feeding disorders (FD). Participants included 28 children diagnosed with FD and their parents and 27 children and parents in non-FD families. Measures included paternal reports of depressive symptoms and videotaping of parents' sensitivity and children's responsiveness, as exhibited during play and feeding interactions. Analyses revealed that in both groups, paternal sensitivity mediated the link between paternal depressive symptoms and children's responsiveness to their fathers. However, crossover effects of paternal depressive symptoms on the mother-child relationship were evident only among the FD group. Specifically, paternal depressive symptoms were linked to lower maternal sensitivity, which in turn, was linked to children's reduced responsiveness to their mothers. The paper discusses the role of paternal depressive symptoms in the parent-chil...

Functional Correlates of Children's Responsiveness to Intervention

Functional imaging research has yielded evidence of changes in poor readers after instructional intervention. Although it is well established that within the group of children with poor reading there are differences in behavioral response to intervention, little is know about the functional correlates of responsiveness. Therefore, we acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from children identified as “at risk for reading disability” who responded differently to a reading intervention (5 responders; 5 nonresponders; 4 controls). Groups differed in activation level of the left hemisphere posterior superior temporal and the middle temporal gyri, suggesting that future imaging studies should consider responders and nonresponders separately.

Spillover to triadic and dyadic systems in families with young children.

Research has evidenced support for the spillover model, which asserts that parents' marital functioning influences their parenting and coparenting behavior in dyadic (mother-child and father-child) and triadic (mother-father-child) family contexts. However, few studies have simultaneously investigated the spillover model in both parenting and coparenting systems, preventing examination of whether spillover impacts both systems equally or differentially. Further, little research has examined whether quality of the marital system influences children's behavior toward their parents, as well as their parents' behavior, in dyadic interactions. We examined the spillover model using observational measures of parent and child behavior in parent-child dyadic interactions as well as coparenting in triadic interactions. We also explored parent and child gender differences in spillover effects. Participants were families with children aged 3 to 6 years (n = 149). Findings indicated that spillover occurs to multiple family systems, but the effects varied according to whose behavior (mother, father, child) was explored. In families of boys and girls, the marital system influenced warmth in triadic interactions, as well as fathers' responsiveness and children's responsiveness to mothers in dyadic interactions. Spillover effects were largely equivalent for girls and boys, but spillover to coparenting hostility in triadic interactions was limited to families raising girls. Parent gender also moderated associations between marital functioning and parent-child interactions: Spillover was significantly stronger for fathers' responsiveness (vs. mothers' responsiveness) and child responsiveness to mothers (vs. child responsiveness to fathers).

Respiratory Variation in Aortic Blood Flow Velocity as a Predictor of Fluid Responsiveness in Children After Repair of Ventricular Septal Defect

This study aimed to compare respiratory variation in transthoracic echo-derived aortic blood flow velocity (∆Vpeak) and inferior vena cava diameter (∆IVCD) with central venous pressure (CVP) as predictors of fluid responsiveness in children after repair of ventricular septal defect (VSD). A prospective study conducted in pediatric intensive care unit investigated 21 mechanically ventilated children who had undergone repair of VSD. Standardized volume replacement (VR) was the intervention used. Hemodynamic measurements including CVP, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, transthoracic echo-derived stroke volume (SV), cardiac output, ∆Vpeak, and ∆IVCD were performed 1h after patient arrival in the intensive care unit. Hemodynamic measurements were repeated 10min after VR by an infusion of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (10ml/kg) over 20min. The volume-induced increase in the SV was 15% or more in 11 patients (responders) and less than 15% in 10 patients (nonresponders). Before volume replacement, the ∆Vpeak (23.1±5.7% vs. 14.0±7.7%; p=0.006) and ∆IVCD (26.5±16.2% vs. 9.2±9.1%; p=0.008) was higher in the responders than in the nonresponders, whereas CVP did not significantly differ between the two groups. The prediction of fluid responsiveness was higher with the ΔVpeak, as shown by a receiver operating characteristic curve area of 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-1.00; p=0.01), a ΔIVCD of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.69-1.00; p=0.01), and a CVP of 0.48 (95% CI, 0.22-0.73; nonsignificant difference). The ∆Vpeak and ∆IVCD measured by transthoracic echocardiography can predict the response of SV after volume expansion in mechanically ventilated children at completion of VSD repair.

Infant Responses to Maternal Still Face at 9 Months Predict Social Abilities at 18 Months

BackgroundThis study investigated developmental change and stability in infant responses to the still-face (SF) situation, as well as predictive validity at age 18 months, focusing on autonomy and responsiveness.MethodsA total of 231 children (117 boys and 114 girls) and their Japanese mothers were observed in a face-to-face SF situation at two infant ages (4 and 9 months), as well as a caregiver-child teaching interaction at age 18 months. Each infant’s facial expression, gaze direction, and vocalization were coded according to the SF paradigm, including the Natural Interaction (NI) and SF phases. Each child’s Autonomy and Responsiveness to the Caregiver at age 18 months were both evaluated by means of the Interaction Rating Scale.ResultsThe results indicated that negative facial expression and vocalization in the SF phases at age 9 months predicted the Autonomy rating at age 18 months, while positive facial expression and gaze toward the caregiver in the NI at age 9 months predicted the Responsiveness to Caregiver rating at age 18 months.ConclusionsThe results are discussed in the context of developmental continuity and change in the children’s social cognition and voluntary movements.

A Global Review of New Social Risks and Responses for Children and their Families

Given global demographic and social trends, the need for new policy and program responses is essential. This article identifies and describes new and traditional social risks affecting children and their families in both industrialized and developing countries by region. Traditional risks continue in the developing as well as the industrialized countries but the extent and scale are very different and the problems are far more severe in developing countries. In addition, new risks are now evident and new policy responses are emerging. Attention to the new risks is increasing, with growing investment in services and policies facilitating the reconciliation of work and family life and non‐traditional families. The citizens of many developing countries experience new risks as well, but their capacity to confront and address these risks is also more limited.

Anticipatory concern: a study in autism

There has been substantial research on children's empathic responsiveness towards distressed people, and on the limited responsiveness of children with autism. To date, however, there have not been experimental studies to test how far children show concern towards someone who might be expected to feel badly, when that person has not (yet) expressed any negative feelings. We tested matched groups of children with autism and learning disability, and typically developing children of similar verbal mental age (approximately 6 years), with a novel procedure in which participants witnessed one person (E1) tearing the drawing of another (E2). In a comparison condition, a blank card was torn. In the torn-drawing condition, as predicted, fewer participants with autism orientated towards E2 with an immediate look, and as a group, they were rated as showing less concern for, and fewer concerned looks towards, E2. We discuss possible implications for theoretical perspectives on the early development of empathy in typically as well as atypically developing children.

The FEF25–75 and its Decline as a Predictor of Methacholine Responsiveness in Children

Background. Methacholine challenge (MCC) is an important diagnostic tool for asthma, especially in patients in whom routine pulmonary function testing (PFT) is normal or equivocal. The basis for a positive test per American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines is a methacholine concentration ≤ 16 mg/mL that causes a 20% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (termed the PC20 for FEV1). There is little information in the medical literature that utilizes other flow rates during MCC, including small airway function parameters such as the forced expiratory flow rate 25–75% (FEF25 −75). We question whether the FEF25 −75 may be a useful parameter to monitor during MCC and whether it may be predictive of a positive MCC. Hypothesis. The baseline FEF25 −75 and its decline during a MCC are useful in the interpretation of a MCC. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed all MCC performed at this institution between December 1998 and December 2006. Parameters reviewed included age, gender, race, weight, height, baseline PFT data including FVC, FEV1, FEF25 −75, and forced expiratory time, methacholine PC20 for FEV1, the relative changes from baseline for FEV1 and FEF25 −75 during the MCC, and clinical symptoms during the MCC. Results. A total of 532 MCC were completed during the 8-year study period in children 4 to 18 years of age. A total of 203 MCC (38%) were positive (defined by a PC20 ≤ 16 mg/mL) and 329 studies were negative (62%). The baseline % predicted FEF25 −75 in positive MCC was 82.4 ± 21.9 vs. 98.7 ± 21.3 in the negative studies (p < 0.001). The FEF25 −75/FVC ratio in positive MCC was 0.82 ± 0.21 vs. 0.97 ± 0.23 in negative studies (p < 0.001). In the positive MCC, the decrease in FEF25 −75 was much faster and of much greater degree than in the negative challenges. When a significant reduction in FEF25 −75 was defined as greater than 10% by the second concentration of methacholine (0.25 mg/mL), the sensitivity for a positive MCC was 63%, the specificity was 71%, the positive predictive value was 57%, and the negative predictive value was 76%. A comparison of the baseline FEF25 −75 to the PC20 for the positive MCCs revealed no statistical significance. Conclusions. The FEF25 −75 and its decline during a MCC appear to be useful information and potentially predictive of a positive MCC. We suggest that the forced expiratory flow rate 25–75% (FEF25 −75) be considered as an adjunct to the FEV1 to define a positive study.

Culture and the socialization of child cardiovascular regulation at school entry in the US

The measurement of cardiovascular functioning targets an important bridge between social conditions and differential well-being. Nevertheless, the biocultural, psychosocial processes that link human ecology to cardiovascular function in children remain inadequately characterized. Childrearing practices shaped by parents' cultural beliefs should moderate children's affective responses to daily experience, and hence their psychophysiology. The present study concerns interactions among family ecology, the normative social challenge of entry into kindergarten, and parasympathetic (vagal) cardiac regulation in US middle-class children (N = 30). Although parents believed children must be protected from overscheduling to reduce stress and improve socio-emotional adaptation, maternal rather than child schedules predicted parasympathetic regulation during a nonthreatening social engagement task following school entry. Children of busier married mothers, but less busy single mothers, showed the context-appropriate pattern of parasympathetic regulation, low respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). These findings are expected if: maternal and family functioning, rather than the scheduling of the child's daily life, principally drive young children's cardiovascular responsiveness to a normative challenge; and busy schedules represent high family functioning with married mothers, but not under single-parent conditions wherein adult staffing is uniquely constrained. Family ecology is shaped by culture, and in turn shapes the development of children's cardiovascular responses. Appropriately fine-grained analysis of daily experience can illustrate how culturally driven parenting practices may have unintended consequences for child biological outcomes that vary by family structure.

Modeling longitudinal change in the language abilities of children with autism: Parent behaviors and child characteristics as predictors of change.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the patterns of longitudinal change in the language abilities of 28 children with autism during early and middle childhood. Results from fitting a series of multilevel models showed that children's rate of language growth was independently predicted by (a) children's responsiveness to others' bids for joint attention and (b) parents' responsiveness to their children's attention and activity during play. Both predictive relations could not be explained by initial variation in global developmental characteristics, such as IQ, mental age, or language abilities. These findings support a social?pragmatic view on language acquisition, which emphasizes the collaborative process through which children and their parents negotiate shared meaning.

English Language Learners and Response to Intervention: Introduction to Special Issue

Recent changes in federal law have led to a rush for establishing response-to-intervention (RTI) models in schools. Public Law 108-466, Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), includes a provision that sets stage for widespread changes in process for identifying students with learning disabilities. According to IDEA 2004, states must allow local education agencies (LEAs) to use RTI procedures for (a) determining if a child has a specific learning disability, (b) determining eligibility to receive special education, and (c) as a process of examining child's responsiveness to scientific, research-based ([section] 300.307 (a) (2). If LEAs choose to use RTI procedures, federal regulations provide specific guidance for process. Thus, Section 300.311 (a) (7) states that RTI procedures must include documentation of the instructional strategies used and student-centered data collected. Because majority of students with learning disabilities have reading-related disorders, two reading-related issues arise in implementing RTI, (a) use of intervention strategies that are validated by research and (b) use of valid and reliable assessments for identifying students in need of intervention and measuring their responsiveness to intervention. The purpose of this special issue of Learning Disability Quarterly is to highlight research that addresses issues and concerns that result from implementing RTI procedures in schools with students whose first language is not English and who are considered English language learners (ELLs). The studies in this issue focus on specific instructional and assessment issues surrounding implementation of RTI with ELLs. Do intervention practices that have been validated with monolingual English speakers also work with ELLs? Are there special considerations that would make RTI more appropriate for ELLs? What is best approach to determining ELLs' responsiveness to interventions? The first article, by Kamps, Abbott, Greenwood, Arreaga-Mayer, Wills, Longstaff, Culpepper, and Walton, reports on an experimental study involving 318 first- and second-grade students involved in tier-two, small-group instruction. A little over half of sample were classified as ELLs. The socioeconomic status and school context (urban/rural) varied across six schools included in study. The experimental schools used a three-tier approach, with second tier implementing a direct approach for groups of 3 to 6 students. The reading curricula for experimental second tier included in foundational skills of early reading: phonological awareness, letter-sound recognition, alphabetic decoding, reading fluency and comprehension. The comparison schools used no tiered approach to reading instruction; however, ELL students received supplemental balanced literacy instruction emphasizing word study, group and individual story reading, and writing activities in groups of 6 to 15 students. The authors discuss importance of direct for ELLs in a second tier of intervention. The next article, by Calhoon, A10taiba, Cihak, King, and Avalos, examines peer-mediated as an intervention approach for ELLs. Six teachers who taught a 50/50 two-way immersion program in first-grade classrooms were randomly assigned to peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) or a contrast condition. The PALS intervention was a supplemental tier-one instructional program conducted three times a week for 20 weeks. The authors explored impact of intervention on different aspects of reading, including phonological awareness, decoding, and oral reading fluency. …

Steroid Responsiveness of Children with Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome in Southeastern Region of Turkey

Background. Our aim was to determine the prognostic factors effective in the response to steroid treatment and relapse frequency. Patients and Methods. In this study, we evaluated 84 children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome followed-up from 1997–2002. The variables were analyzed with respect to medical history, physical examination, laboratory findings, response to treatment, and factors associated with remissions and relapses. Our study group consisted of 62 children with minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS), 11 children with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and 11 children with diffuse mesangial proliferation (DMP). Results. According to response to steroids; 57.1% were steroid-sensitive with infrequent relapses, 22.6% were steroid-dependent with frequent relapses, and 20.2% were steroid-non-responders. Significantly high non-responder ratios to steroids were found in children with initial hypertension and hematuria (p < 0.05). Although patients older than six years were found to be associated with steroid non-response (p < 0.05), the number of relapses were found to be increased with an increasing number of infections (p < 0.05). The time period for the first relapse was found to be statistically correlated with relapse numbers of the first 6 (p = 0.001) and 12 (p = 0.01) months. Conclusion. The time span between initial presentation and remission and the number of infections were significant for relapse frequency. The existence of hematuria and hypertension and age greater than 6 years at initial presentation were associated with steroid non-responsiveness. The likelihood of developing resistance to the treatment should be emphasized early to the parents of patients bearing these risk factors, and hence the possible disappointment in the family should be prevented.

When three is not a crowd: Mother-triplet interaction during individual memory conversations and group book reading

Consistency in maternal support and children's involvement in conversations was examined in this case study by observing the interaction of one mother and her triplet sons individually in conversations about past experiences and during group book reading. The mother demonstrated consistent use of elaborations and affirmations across memory conversations, but she varied in her use of utterances that gained the boys' involvement. Although the children were similar in the content of their memory reports, they varied in their need for repeated queries and their responsiveness to questions. The children's responsiveness to questions when reminiscing was mirrored by the questions they responded to during reading. Results of this exploratory study indicate the consistency of the narrative model to which children in a family are exposed and suggest children's participation may evidence stability across contexts.

The Role of Child Emotional Responsiveness and Maternal Negative Emotion Expression in Children's Coping Strategy Use

AbstractThis study examined the additive and interactive effects of children's trait vicarious emotional responsiveness and maternal negative emotion expression on children's use of coping strategies. Ninety‐five children (mean age = 5.87 years) and their mothers and teachers participated in the study. The mothers reported on their own negative emotion expression and the children's empathic concern and personal distress tendencies. The mothers and teachers reported on the children's use of avoidant, support‐seeking, and aggressive‐venting coping strategies. Empathic concern was positively associated with the children's use of support seeking and negatively associated with the children's use of aggressive venting, whereas personal distress showed the opposite pattern of associations. Maternal negative emotion expression moderated some associations between the children's emotional responsiveness and coping. These findings support the hypothesis that children's tendencies to experience empathic concern or personal distress indicate functionally distinct styles of emotional arousal that may have broader consequences for socially competent behavior in response to normative stressors.

Emotional Responsivity in Children with Autism, Children with Other Developmental Disabilities, and Children with Typical Development

Twenty six children with autism, 24 children with developmental disabilities, and 15 typically developing children participated in tasks in which an adult displayed emotions. Child focus of attention, change in facial tone (i.e., hedonic tone), and latency to changes in tone were measured and summary scores of emotional contagion were created. Group differences existed in the ratio of episodes that resulted in emotional contagion. Correlations existed between measures of emotional contagion, measures of joint attention, and indices of severity of autism. Children with autism demonstrated muted changes in affect, but these responses occurred much less frequently than in comparison groups. The findings suggest directions for early identification and early treatment of autism.

Effect of Inhaled Steroid Therapy on Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Bronchial Responsiveness in Children with Asthma

Inhaled steroid therapy is reported to reduce the level of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), but the effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) have been controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ICS on the relationship between eNO and BHR. Twenty-six children with asthma were recruited, including 14 children who were receiving ICS (ICS group) and 12 who were not (ICS-naive group). The fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentration (FENO) was examined by the recommended online method. To evaluate BHR, an acetylcholine challenge test was performed. In the ICS-naive group, FENO was significantly correlated with PC20 (p < 0.05, r = −0.70), but not in the ICS group. In conclusion, FENO was significantly correlated with BHR in the ICS-naive group, but this relationship was not present in the ICS group. Our results suggest that the use of ICS should be taken into consideration when evaluating the relation between BHR and airway inflammation.

Hitting the Moving Target Known as Reading Development

Attention to growth may net more accurate screening results than have been apparent in the long history of early identification research. Instead of relying solely on measures administered at one time point, including a measure of children's growth or responsiveness may add an important dimension to the screening equation and provide a clearer view of who may require secondary intervention. Several possibilities were examined that led to suggestions for further research. It was recommended that screening for secondary interventions be viewed as a three-legged stool that incorporates not only individual differences at the screen and outcome but also development conceptualized as rate of learning.