Strength In Children Research Articles

A Family Education Intervention for Parents Having Children with Multiple Disabilities during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been observed that the education stakeholders including families are caught unprepared. For this reason, it is thought that determining families’ educational needs regarding their children with multiple disabilities in the quarantine period are essential. In this study, it was aimed to determine the contribution of “Family Education Intervention in Pandemic” (FEIP) Training to families and their multiple disabled children. In the research, a multiple case study approach was used. Four mothers participated in the study. Online training in the study was carried out in 8 sessions. The data from the research were collected from multiple sources and analysed inductively by the triangulation method. In the research, it was revealed that FEIP supported mothers to realize their children's strengths, to increase their positive parenting skills, and to feel themselves competent in the daily routines of their child during the COVID-19 period.

Designing Culturally Responsive Literacy Centers to Include and Go Beyond Skills

AbstractThis article describes an approach to designing culturally responsive literacy centers. Aligned with Gholdy Muhammad's (2020) Historically Responsive Literacy model, we reimagine literacy centers as responsive to children from historically marginalized backgrounds. We present a five‐question tool that teachers can use as they plan for literacy centers that offer not only opportunities to build skills, but also to build upon children's cultural experiences, strengths, and interests. We describe our approach, offer an example of a cycle of culturally responsive literacy centers and lessons learned from our experience developing and revising these centers to maximize their effectiveness in early elementary classrooms.

Asthma Severity and Mental Well-being Among Children with Asthma in Kosovo

Background: Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease recognized as an important public health issue worldwide, causing a major global health burden. Due to its complex nature and varying characteristics, asthma has been a great challenge for public health. Objective: This article aims to determine the relationship between asthma severity and mental well-being among children with asthma in Kosovo. Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted in 13 hospitals and outpatient clinics covering all areas of Kosovo, children with asthma aged 7 to 16 years were enrolled. Children and parents answered a questionnaire about socio-demographic characteristics and the Children Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Asthma severity was assessed according to the GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma) guidelines and categorized into two levels (IMPA, intermittent and mild persistent asthma; MSPA, moderate and severe persistent asthma). Results: Overall, 161 children with asthma and their caregivers were included. Strengths and difficulties questionnaire showed borderline or abnormal scores in about ¼ of children. A comparison of asthma severity groups for the different scales of the SDQ showed a statistically significant increase in emotional problems (p=0.009). Conclusion: Diminished mental health and emotional problems are relevant in children with a more severe course of the disease and should be taken into account in counseling parents and patients.

Using genetic designs to identify likely causal environmental contributions to psychopathology.

The multifactorial nature of psychopathology, whereby both genetic and environmental factors contribute risk, has long been established. In this paper, we provide an update on genetically informative designs that are utilized to disentangle genetic and environmental contributions to psychopathology. We provide a brief reminder of quantitative behavioral genetic research designs that have been used to identify potentially causal environmental processes, accounting for genetic contributions. We also provide an overview of recent molecular genetic approaches that utilize genome-wide association study data which are increasingly being applied to questions relevant to psychopathology research. While genetically informative designs typically have been applied to investigate the origins of psychopathology, we highlight how these approaches can also be used to elucidate potential causal environmental processes that contribute to developmental course and outcomes. We highlight the need to use genetically sensitive designs that align with intervention and prevention science efforts, by considering strengths-based environments to investigate how positive environments can mitigate risk and promote children's strengths.

Physical Exercises in Combination with Botulinum Toxin in Treating Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Literature Review.

Botulinum Toxin type-A (BoNT-A) is a safe and effective treatment for reducing spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). BoNT-A injection into the muscles alleviate spasticity by interrupting neurotransmission at motor endplate (MEP). Physical activities combined with botulinum injections can help children with CP to become physically independent and improve their health-related quality of life. 'Botulinum toxin' and 'Physical exercises' for children and adolescents, were searched in three major online databases (PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus). Through the inclusion and exclusion processes from total 1,233, nine articles were selected for review. All studies included were experimental trials including various interventions. Botulinum toxins when paired with physical exercises to treat hypertonia, a condition in which a little change in tone can affect a child's balance, strength and motor function, as well as secondary concerns such as malalignment and repair contractures. BoNT and physical exercises are two promising therapeutic techniques for treating children with CP that enable them for enhancing use and function of their afflicted limb.

The effects of physical activities centered in basic motor skill on young children’s basic physical strength and self-efficacy

본 연구는 기본운동능력 중심의 신체활동이 유아의 기초체력과 자기효능감에 미치는 영향을 알아보고, 유아교육현장에서 활용 가능한 효과적인 신체활동 운영 방안을 제안하고자 하는데 그 목적이 있다. 본 연구의 대상은 강원도 소재의 공립 유치원에 재원 중인 4세 유아 28명이다. 실험집단은 기본운동능력 중심 신체활동 전후에, 통제집단은 자유놀이 중심 바깥놀이 전후에 기초체력과 자기효능감을 측정하여 비교하였다. 본 연구의 결과, 첫째, 기본운동능력 중심 신체활동을 실시한 실험집단의 유아들이 통제집단의 유아들에 비해 기초체력 요소인 유연성, 지구력, 평형성, 민첩성에서 통계적으로 유의미한 향상을 보였다. 둘째, 기본운동능력 중심 신체활동을 실시한 실험집단의 유아들이 통제집단의 유아들에 비해 자기효능감의 하위요소인 인지적 자기효능감과 신체적 자기효능감에서 통계적으로 유의미한 향상을 보였다. 따라서 본 연구 결과를 통해 기본운동능력 중심의 신체활동이 유아의 기초체력과 자기효능감에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타나 교육 현장에서 의미 있는 교수 방법의 하나로활용해 볼 가치가 있음을 시사한다.The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of physical activities centered on basic motor skill on young children’s basic physical strength and self-efficacy, and to propose an effective method of operating physical activity that can be used in the field of early childhood education. The subjects of this study were 28 4-year-old children enrolled in a public kindergarten in Gangwon-do. The basic physical strength and self-efficacy were measured and compared before and after physical activity centered on basic motor skill for the experimental group, and before and after free play centered outside play for the control group. The results of this study are summarized as follows. Firstly, the children in the experimental group who participated basic motor skill-centered physical activities showed statistically significant improvement in basic physical strength factors such as flexibility, endurance, balance, and agility compared to the children in the control group. Secondly, the children in the experimental group who participated basic motor skill-centered physical activity showed statistically significant improvement in cognitive and physical self-efficacy, which are sub-factors of self-efficacy, compared to the children in the control group. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that physical activity centered on basic motor skill has a positive effect on children's basic physical strength and self-efficacy, implying that it is one of the meaningful teaching methods in the educational field.

The Role of Latent Iron Deficiency and Its Subsequent Correction in Adolescent Boys' Functional Performance

Background. Iron deficiency remains the most frequent nutrient deficiency in the world. Its negative impact on the physical and psychomotor development determines the importance of its timely, fast, and complete correction. Thus, the clinical efficacy of iron supplementation and its effect on body function, especially in latent iron deficiency (LID), is still insufficiently studied.Objective. The aim of the study is to identify the effect of iron supplementation in various dosages on functional performance of healthy adolescent boys but considering the initial iron levels.Methods. The study covered teenage boys 12–17 years old from I and II health groups studying in Samara Cadet Corps. All children were divided into groups according to the examination results (CBC, serum ferritin level): study group — 20 children with iron deficiency (3 children with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) were not included in this analysis), and the control group — 99 children. All children received iron supplements for 30 days: children with LID — 2.5 mg/kg/day, healthy children — 15 mg/day.Results. Normalization of serum ferritin was achieved only in 75% (16) of children after 30 days of iron intake. The mean timed expiratory capacity was 20" (16 ± 25) in healthy and 17.5" (11.25 ± 21.75) in iron deficiency (p = 0.081) group. There is a tendency to prolong the breath retention time on exhalation after supplementation in LID group (p = 0.068). The recovery time of heart rate before supplementation was 118.8 ± 71.7" in study group and 168.0 ± 98.5" in control group (p = 0.045) according to the results of the Martin – Kushelevsky test. After supplementation it has decreased only in study group (p = 0.009). The children's muscle strength in compared groups did not differ before (p = 0.486) and after (p = 0.567) supplementation, however, it has increased in the control group regarding the initial values (p = 0.003). Physical fitness indicators in both groups did not differ before supplementation. Study group significantly improved the running time by 60 m (p = 0.038) after supplementation. Control group has shown positive dynamics for three indicators: pulling out from suspension on high bar (p = 0.019), long jump (p = 0.026), and running at 60 m (0.018). Moreover, there were no differences between study and control groups after supplementation.Conclusion. Iron deficiency has moderate negative effect on adaptive respiratory and cardiovascular capabilities and fatigue. Iron supplementation mainly improves the indicators of cardiovascular system in case of iron deficiency, and indicators of muscle strength and physical fitness in case of normal iron levels.

A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties of the Vocabulary Tests for Iranian Persian-Speaking Children: Current Status and Future Directions

Context: One aspect of spoken language skills is vocabulary, which provides a basis for acquiring other language aspects. Assessing a child's vocabulary knowledge aids in identifying the child's language strengths and weaknesses and predicts reading ability and academic success. Speech-language pathologists frequently employ various procedures in clinical and research settings to assess the children's language skills and help make decisions about diagnosis, eligibility for services, and intervention. Objectives: This systematic review investigated currently available vocabulary tests developed or adapted for Iranian Persian-speaking children. Data Sources: Based on the PRISMA guideline, electronic searches of three national (SID, Irandoc, and Magiran) and four international (ScienceDirect, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google scholar) databases were carried out from 2000 to 2022 to identify Persian vocabulary assessment tools. Study Selection: Search in the reference lists of papers, unpublished theses, and content of related journals also supplemented the database searches. Data Extraction: The psychometric properties of these tests were reviewed based on specific criteria used in the literature. The papers and test manuals were examined according to these criteria. Results: Eight tools have been developed or adapted for assessing vocabulary knowledge in Iranian Persian-speaking children. Reviewing the content and psychometric properties of the included tools indicated that the Test of Language Development- Primary:3 (TOLD-P:3) is the only accessible published tool with the most reported psychometric evidence. It measures language development in children; however, it is a multi-modal test that includes vocabulary subtests. Conclusions: This review revealed that most of the reviewed tools were in the primitive stages of test development or adaptation procedures and did not examine many psychometric properties. As a result, vocabulary is a field that requires more attention because there is no accessible, standardized tool with adequate psychometric properties.

Early strengths in science: Young children's conversations about nature in Latine families

Young children's science understanding begins in everyday observations and conversations with their parents. While research on STEM learning in Latine children often suggests deficits, we used diary report methods to identify conversations as indicators of 3–5-year-old children's early strengths in science. Twenty-one Latine families from coastal California, with parent schooling averaging 9 years (range 0–16), reported family conversations about nature for 2 weeks. Families reported on average 6.95 conversations (range 1–14). Frequent topics were animals (26%), plants (21%), weather (17%), and astronomy (16%). Partial correlations (controlling for age and parent schooling) revealed that children's question-initiated conversations correlated with families' science-related home activities, and conversations about animals and astronomy. Three case studies illustrate rich conversations where children and parents engaged in science practices during everyday talk. Our study provides evidence of Latine children's early interest in a broad array of science topics and their parents' support of their interests.

The Strengths and Positive Influences of Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

People with disabilities have not been adequately represented in strengths-based research. This study is the first to examine strengths and positive influences of young children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Thirty adoptive and relative caregivers of children with FASD reported their children's strengths and positive influences and completed measures on family functioning. Using a conversion mixed design, we described themes in strengths and influences, degree of caregiver positivity and relationships with child and family functioning. Caregivers reported wide-ranging strengths and positive influences. Frequency of adaptive strengths correlated with measures of family functioning, but thematic strengths and positive influences did not. Strengths and positive influences are distinct from measures of functioning and are not well captured in deficit-focused research.

Effects of a Whole-body General Movement Intervention on Functional Muscle Strength of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results From a Comparison of Face-to-face Versus Telehealth-Based Intervention Delivery

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate impairments in postural strength and control, both of which are important for activities of daily living. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more focus has been placed on telehealth interventions. Objective Our randomized controlled trial assessed the effects of a general movement (GM) intervention compared to a standard-of-care seated play (SP) intervention delivered via face-to-face (F2F) and telehealth (TH)-based modes of intervention delivery in children with ASD. Methods Thirty 5- to 14-year-old children were matched at baseline and randomly assigned to the GM or SP groups. Children participated in a 10-week study with pretests and posttests conducted during the first and last weeks and training in the intermediate 8 weeks (2 sessions/week at 1.5 hours/session). The strength subtest of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2) and a custom-developed functional strength test were administered at pretest and posttest. In addition, we assessed functional strength using 15 upper and lower body exercises that were administered during early and late training sessions. All strength tests were coded for errors in movement form and movement quality during execution. Results On the BOT-2, the GM group (pretest: mean 8.3, SE 1.1; posttest: mean 10.31, SE 1.3; P=.007) but not the SP group showed improvements in scaled scores on the strength subtest. There were no differences in the amount of change for children seen F2F versus TH in the GM group (F2F: mean 2.3, SE 0.8; TH: mean 1.8, SE 0.9; P=.70). In the GM group, 77% of participants showed improvement in front raises and 50% improved on both sumo squats and donkey kicks. Of the 15 upper and lower body functional strength exercises performed, 7 provided significant results at a significance level of P=.05. For the upper body, these included back row (early: mean 81.3, SE 4.6; late: mean 57.0, SE 7.8; P=.01), spread your wings (early: mean 55.5, SE 6.0; late: mean 32.1, SE 5.4; P=.008), press ups (early: mean 72.1, SE 5.3; late: mean 46.8, SE 8.0; P=.01), and superman reach (early: mean 74.4, SE 2.8; late: mean 58.9, SE 6.8; P=.009). For the lower body, these included donkey kicks (early: mean 69.2, SE 2.9; late: mean 40.2, SE 6.0; P<.001), do-a-dot (early: mean 77.4, SE 3.3; late: mean 56.3, SE 6.3; P=.008), and superman kick (early: mean 71.9, SE 2.9; late: mean 49.8, SE 6.8; P=.008). Across all 7 moves, a comparable or higher proportion of children seen via TH showed improvement in movement performance scores compared to children seen F2F. For 6 of 7 movements, the mean reduction in percent movement performance errors (early vs late) was greater for children seen via TH compared to children seen via F2F. In addition, for superman kick (sk), donkey kick (dk), press ups (pu), and superman reach (sr) exercises, a higher proportion of children seen via TH compared to F2F improved movement performance error scores with training (sk: 80% TH vs 50% F2F; dk: 90% TH vs 60% F2F; pu: 100% TH vs 50% F2F; sr: 90% TH vs 25% F2F). Conclusions Although preliminary, our data suggest that TH is an effective mode of delivery of gross motor interventions and can be used to promote functional upper and lower body muscle strength in children with ASD.

Fine Motor Stimulation of Children Through Coloring Activities in Early Childhood

This study examines the stimulation of children's fine motor skills through image coloring activities in group B of Dharma Wanita Majauleng Kindergarten, Wajo Regency. This research uses a quantitative approach with the type of research, the one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample in this study was 11 children. The data collection technique uses Pretest–Posttest Design, and the results are analyzed using descriptive quantitative. The results of the image coloring activity on the improvement of children's delicate motor stimulation showed that the measurement data from the pretest, the fine motor ability of students in the learning completion value of the low category. The results of post-test scores show that the average value of students' fine motor skills is very high, with classical learning completion scores achieved by all children. This study shows that the activity of coloring children's drawings can train children's strength in holding writing stationery so that students are trained to develop their fine motor skills.

Test-Retest Reliability of a Static and Dynamic Motor Fatigability Protocol Using Grip and Pinch Strength in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability, measurement error, and interpretability of new motor fatigability outcomes of grip and pinch strength for children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). Motor fatigability during grip and pinch strength was measured twice (within 48hours) in both hands of 50 children (mean age = 11years 2months; 14, 31, and 5 children with Manual Ability Classification System levels I, II, and III, respectively) using a 30-second static and dynamic maximum exertion protocol. For static motor fatigability, the Static Fatigue Index (SFI) and mean force (Fmean) in the first (Fmean1) and last (Fmean3) 10seconds were calculated. For dynamic motor fatigability, Fmean1, Fmean3, and the number of peaks in the first and last 10seconds were calculated. For static motor fatigability, the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were moderate to high for Fmean1 and Fmean3 (0.56-0.88), and the SFI showed low to moderate reliability (ICC = 0.32-0.72). For dynamic motor fatigability, the ICCs were moderate to high for all outcomes (0.54-0.91). The standard error of measurement agreement and the smallest detectable difference agreement were large in all outcomes, except for the SFI in static motor fatigability. Details per age group are provided. In general, younger children (6-11years old) showed lower reliability than older children (12-18years old). Most outcome measures for static and dynamic motor fatigability of grip and pinch strength show moderate to high reliability in children with UCP, indicating that these tests can be used reliably to investigate the presence of motor fatigability in UCP, especially in older children. Standard error of measurement agreement and smallest detectable difference agreement indicated that these outcome measures should be interpreted with caution when evaluating change. Most of the proposed outcome measures for static and dynamic motor fatigability of grip and pinch are reliable in children with UCP and can be used for discriminative purposes.

‘I just want my parenting to be able to be better than what it is’: A qualitative exploration of parenting strengths and needs of mothers experiencing homelessness

AbstractPerspectives of parents themselves should be central in framing services delivered to families experiencing homelessness. We explored the strengths and positive features of mother–child relationships and insight into mothers' views of the impact of living in shelters. We conducted qualitative coding of the Five‐Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) of 41 mothers of young children. Results revealed a wide variety of strategies that mothers used to promote their children's resilient functioning. This included focusing on their children's strengths, providing unconditional love and engaging in positive activities together. Mothers also voiced varied approaches to parenting, including many positive practices. Mothers' FMSS included ways that living in the shelter had a negative impact on their child's functioning, and they reported negative changes in their relationship with their child since moving into the shelter. Finally, mothers discussed ways in which living in the shelter had influenced their parenting styles and approaches to discipline. We discuss implications of the findings for supporting families residing in shelters, and we provide recommendations for further research.

Exposure to mixture of heavy metals and muscle strength in children and adolescents: a population-based study

Human beings are exposed to heavy metals through various ways in daily life. However, the effect of heavy metal mixtures on muscle strength in children and adolescents remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the relationship of exposure to heavy metal mixtures (barium, cadmium, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, lead, antimony, strontium, tin, thallium, tungsten, uranium, and cesium) with muscle strength in children and adolescents. A total of 1357 (boys, 50.8%) participants aged between 8 and 17 were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2011-2014. Urine metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Muscle strength was measured through a grip test using a handgrip dynamometer. Weighted quantile sum regression was performed to estimate the mixture effect of urinary metals on muscle strength. After adjusting for potential confounders, comparing participants in the highest versus lowest quartiles of cobalt, molybdenum, lead, antimony, strontium, thallium, and cesium, the handgrip strength decreased by - 4.48kg (95% CI: - 6.93, - 2.03), - 6.13kg (- 8.76, - 3.51), - 2.26kg (- 4.22, - 0.30), - 2.38kg (- 4.68, - 0.08), - 2.29kg (- 4.45, - 0.13), - 4.78kg (- 7.13, - 2.44), and - 5.68kg (- 9.20, - 2.17), respectively. Furthermore, exposure to a mixture of metals were also significantly associated with decreased muscle strength (β: - 2.62kg; 95% CI: - 3.71, - 1.54). Findings from the present study suggest that higher heavy metal exposure and the exposure levels of a mixture of metals in urine are inversely related to handgrip strength, implying that children's grip strength is not entirely explained by energy intake or lack of exercise, but may be related to environmental pollutants.

Preliminary evidence supporting the clinical utility of an Analog Task of Prosocial Helping.

Prosocial helping is a fundamental communication behaviour that supports successful social relationships. This study investigated the clinical utility of the Analog Task of Prosocial Helping (AToP-H): a tool for assessing how helping is influenced by the communicative function it serves and the cues used to elicit helping in young children with and without a social communication disorder. To present evidence of the AToP-H's reliability, validity and clinical utility. The AToP-H examines three communicative functions expressed through helping-instrumental (request-based), informative (information-based) and empathic (emotion-based) helping-within a naturalistic context. Prosocial helping is elicited using semi-structured interactions in which increasingly explicit cues are provided to scaffold child responses. To gather reliability and validity evidence, the AToP-H was administered to 20 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (49-79 months) and 20 with typical development (37-77 months). Procedural reliability and inter-observer agreement for the AToP-H were high. Item-level codes were consistent with overall task performance, showing strong internal consistency. Supporting construct validity, higher scores were observed in older children with ASD, consistent with an expectedly protracted developmental period for prosocial helping. Children with ASD required more cues to elicit helping overall and informative and empathic helping in particular. Furthermore, more children with ASD did not respond or required explicit cues to respond with informative and empathic helping. Supporting criterion-related validity, total helping cue scores were significantly correlated with measures of social cognition, social abilities and receptive language, but were only weakly correlated with general language. The AToP-H shows promise in measuring helping performance as an indicator of young children's social communication strengths and weaknesses as well as scaffolding cues to facilitate intervention planning. What is already known on the subject Prosocial helping is critical for successful relationships, which can be difficult for children with social communication disorders such as ASD. Two factors that influence helping are the communicative function of the helping behaviour and the cues used to elicit helping. Existing helping tasks have been developed for research purposes, focusing on internal validity with little attention to applying or generalizing results to clinical settings or groups. Thus, assessing factors that influence helping behaviours in naturalistic, ecologically valid contexts could provide clinicians with critical information to improve prosocial helping in children with social communication disorders. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This paper presents preliminary psychometric evidence for a naturalistic clinical task: the AToP-H, which assesses instrumental (request-based), informative (information-based) and empathic (emotion-based) helping elicited with increasingly explicit cues. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Evidence from samples of young children with and without ASD supports the reliability and validity of AToP-H scores. The AToP-H shows promise as a clinical tool to effectively assess and plan interventions targeting social communication, prosocial helping and associated interactions.

Quantile Mixed Hidden Markov Models for Multivariate Longitudinal Data: An Application to Children's Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Scores

AbstractThe identification of factors associated with mental and behavioural disorders in early childhood is critical both for psychopathology research and the support of primary health care practices. Motivated by the Millennium Cohort Study, in this paper we study the effect of a comprehensive set of covariates on children's emotional and behavioural trajectories in England. To this end, we develop a quantile mixed hidden Markov model for joint estimation of multiple quantiles in a linear regression setting for multivariate longitudinal data. The novelty of the proposed approach is based on the multivariate asymmetric Laplace distribution which allows to jointly estimate the quantiles of the univariate conditional distributions of a multivariate response, accounting for possible correlation between the outcomes. Sources of unobserved heterogeneity and serial dependency due to repeated measures are modelled through the introduction of individual-specific, time-constant random coefficients and time-varying parameters evolving over time with a Markovian structure respectively. The inferential approach is carried out through the construction of a suitable expectation–maximization algorithm without parametric assumptions on the random effects distribution.

Working Memory Predicts New Word Learning Over and Above Existing Vocabulary and Nonverbal IQ.

The purpose of this study was to use an established model of working memory in children to predict an established model of word learning to determine whether working memory explained word learning variance over and above the contributions of expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ. One hundred sixty-seven English-speaking second graders (7- to 8-year-olds) with typical development from two states participated. They completed a comprehensive battery of working memory assessments and six word learning tasks that assessed the creation, storage, retrieval, and production of phonological and semantic representations of novel nouns and verbs and the ability to link those representations. A structural equation model with expressive vocabulary, nonverbal IQ, and three working memory factors predicting two word learning factors fit the data well. When working memory factors were entered as predictors after expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ, they explained 45% of the variance in the phonological word learning factor and 17% of the variance in the semantic word learning factor. Thus, working memory explained a significant amount of word learning variance over and above expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ. Results show that working memory is a significant predictor of dynamic word learning over and above the contributions of expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ, suggesting that a comprehensive working memory assessment has the potential to identify sources of word learning difficulties and to tailor word learning interventions to a child's working memory strengths and weaknesses. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19125911.

Parents' school-related concerns and perceived strengths in youth with spina bifida.

BackgroundAlthough the academic difficulties of children with spina bifida (SB) are well‐documented, there is limited literature on parents' views of their children's school experiences and school‐related supportive services. Thus, the current study examined parents' school‐related concerns, as well as perceived areas of strength, among children with SB.MethodsUsing a mixed‐methods approach, 30 families (29 mothers and 19 fathers) of children with SB (ages 8–15 years) completed questionnaires and interviews. Content analysis was used to generate themes from interview data about parents' school‐related concerns and perceptions of their child's strengths.ResultsOverall, six themes emerged when assessing both parents' concerns and perceived strengths. Some parents did not endorse school concerns or strengths for their child. However, other parents described concerns related to academic performance, cognitive abilities, lack of school support, missed school and/or class time and disengagement, as well as strengths such as academic skills, cognitive abilities, persistence, self‐advocacy and agreeableness. Despite parents' concerns about their children's academic performance, quantitative data revealed that less than 50% of children had received a neuropsychological evaluation and/or academic accommodations; additional quantitative data supported the qualitative findings.ConclusionsThe mixed‐methods approach used in this study provides a richer understanding of parents' experiences in the school setting when they have a child with SB. Results can inform clinical practice, identifying a need to improve academic support for children with SB and help parents manage education‐related stressors.

Analyzing dynamic change in children’s socioemotional development using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire in a large United Kingdom longitudinal study.

Many children who suffer from one mental health issue also suffer from at least one co-occurring disorder and a range of developmental psychopathology theories, including developmental cascade and network models, have been proposed to explain this widespread co-occurrence. Autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals (ALT-SR) and multilevel graphical vector autoregression (GVAR) are recently proposed complementary approaches that can help operationalize and test these theories and provide new insights into the reciprocal relations between multiple mental health domains to advance the understanding of the development of co-occurring mental health problems. This study uses ALT-SR and multilevel GVAR models to analyze the temporal, contemporaneous, and between-person relations between key dimensions of child mental health: emotional problems, peer problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and prosociality as measured by the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in 17,478 children from the U.K. Millennium Cohort study at ages 3, 5, 7, 11, 14, and 17 years. Children's strengths and difficulties in different domains of psychosocial functioning were dynamically associated with each other over- and within-time. The ALT-SR highlighted that hyperactivity/inattention plays a central role in affecting other domains over developmental time, while the GVAR model highlighted comparably strong bidirectional relations between conduct problems and prosociality as well as between emotional problems and peer problems. This study confirms that mental health difficulties influence one another dynamically over time. The complementary techniques of ALT-SR and GVAR models offer different insights into co-occurring mental health problems and hold promise for supporting the building of more comprehensive developmental psychopathological theories that acknowledge the interconnectedness of different domains of mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).