Children's Competence Research Articles

Features of health competencies of preschool children with intellectual disabilities

An important aspect in teaching children with intellectual disabilities of preschool age is the development of healthy lifestyle skills in them. This article conducted a study of the degree of formation of the cognitive component of health-preserving competence of preschool children with intellectual disabilities. Children aged 5-7 years took part in the study. For the study, a task was selected based on children identifying among various items exactly those things that are used for personal hygiene purposes. Based on the results obtained, conclusions were drawn about the need to carry out correctional and developmental work with preschool children with intellectual disabilities to improve their health-preserving competence.

METHODS OF FORMING THE SOCIAL COMPETENCE OF CHILDREN WITH COMPLEX DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

The article is devoted to the problem of studying methods of forming social competence of children with complex developmental disorders and autism spectrum disorder. The characteristic of the concept of social competence of a child with complex developmental disorders and autism is defined. The main difficulties of forming the social competence of children with complex developmental disorders are outlined. The importance of using group therapy methods, interactive online games, SST, complex strategies and socio-dramatic games, fairy tales, project activities is revealed. The author's own methods of forming social competence of children with complex developmental disorders and autism are highlighted. They are associative sketches, social larping, social cards, friendships, shopping stories.

The Effects of a 6-Week Swimming Intervention on Gross Motor Development in Primary School Children.

(1) Background: This study examines the effects of a 6-week swimming intervention on motor competence in children. (2) Methods: A total of 107 children (n = 52 boys, n = 55 girls) aged 7.8 ± 0.63 years that were recruited from five primary schools in central England participated in this study, undertaking either an aquatic intervention once a week for six weeks or acting as a control group completing their usual physical education program. Participants underwent pre- and post-assessments of general motor competence using the Test of Gross Motor Development, Third Edition (TGMD-3) (a process measure) and a composite of 10 m running sprint time and standing long jump distance (product measures). Aquatic motor competence was assessed via the Aquatic Movement Protocol (AMP). Fear of drowning and swimming opportunities were also assessed by implementing a questionnaire. (3) Results: Following a mixed-model ANOVA, an overall main effect was found from pre (40.05 ± 13.6) to post (48.3 ± 18.6) for TGMD-3 scores (p < 0.05) and pre (38.7 ± 31.7) to post (50.6 ± 36.8) for AMP scores (p = 0.001). A negative significant relationship was found between AMP scores with both fear of water (p = 0.01) and fear of drowning (p < 0.05). A positive significant relationship was found between swimming opportunities and AMP score (p = 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The aquatic-based intervention improves not only aquatic motor competence but also transfers improvements in dryland movement competencies. Future research should look to implement control groupings which do not participate in swimming to further investigate the difference between swimmers and non-swimmers; however, due to swimming being a part of the national curriculum in England, this may not be feasible.

Configurations of actual and perceived motor competence among elementary school children in China: differences in physical activity.

Actual motor competence (AMC) and perceived motor competence (PMC), as determinants of children's active participation in physical activity (PA), were important for children's healthy development. The correlation between the two had been confirmed. To further understand this relationship, this study investigated the current status of AMC, PMC, and PA in Chinese school-age children, used a person-centered approach to reveal the characteristics of the development of motor competence (MC) in Chinese school-age children and the differences in the level of PA among different MC profiles of children. A total of 532 children (age: M = 9.37, SD = 1.80 years-old) from grades 1 to 6 participated in this cross-sectional study (male, n = 284, 53.4%; female, n = 248, 46.6%). The Test of Gross Motor Development-3 (TGMD-3) was used to measure children's AMC, the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC) to measure children's PMC, and the revised Chinese version of Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) to assess children's PA levels. There were some gender differences in AMC but no significant gender differences in PMC and PA in children. AMC and PA levels increased as the children aged, while PMC showed some decline. Cluster analysis identified four groups of children with different MC profiles. Two groups of children had corresponding AMC and PMC levels (the "high-high" cluster, N = 200, 38.91%; the "low-low" cluster, N = 63, 12.26%), and the other two groups were inconsistent in AMC and PMC (the "high-low" cluster, N = 100, 19.46%; the "low-high" cluster, N = 151, 29.38%). Significant differences in PA levels were found between children with different MC profiles. The "high-high" cluster children had the highest PA levels, whereas the "low-low" cluster children demonstrated the lowest PA levels. AMC, PMC, and PA in Chinese school-age children were consistent with the pattern of child growth and development. Children with high AMC and high PMC usually had high levels of PA. Therefore, it was recommended to seize the best opportunity to intervene with children, and family, school, and community should synergize to help children improve AMC and PMC, and then actively participate in PA.

PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN’S SOCIAL COMPETENCE FORMATION

The article defines the essence of the category “social competence”, and characterizes its structural components. Thus, the structure of social competence includes motivational, cognitive, activity, and reflective components. Various approaches to defining the social competence of children of primary school age are represented. The peculiarities of primary school children’s social competence formation are analyzed, and its place in the system of key competencies of a modern personality is determined. Primary school children’s social competence formation is considered in the context not only of social education but also of socialization itself, as its final result.&#x0D; It has been proven that the primary school age is a sensitive period for social competence formation and active development, in particular through the implementation of socially significant activities. The role of primary school children’s socially significant activities in the development of their social competence is revealed, in particular, it is confirmed that joint collective activity and interpersonal relationships in the team significantly affect the level of social competence formation of the personality of the primary school children; therefore it is important to form a positive experience of cooperation.&#x0D; Pedagogical conditions for primary school children’s social competence formation in the conditions of the new Ukrainian school are outlined. Thus, one of the key conditions for primary school children’s social competence formation is the clear structuring of the teacher’s activities content, which will make it possible to develop a complete system of pedagogical actions and influences to increase the effectiveness of all components of social competence formation. A significant condition is also an open, integral, emotionally comfortable, subject-oriented, and ergonomic educational space. An equally important role in this process is played by the involvement of primary school children in public life and joint project activities.&#x0D; Based on the results of the research, a characteristic of a primary school child with a high level of social competence development, which is ensured by alternating different types of social activities, has been developed. The future direction of further research is defined in the implementation of the ideas of partner pedagogy during primary school children’s social competence formation.

The ‘role’ of improvisational theater in learning family therapy

Mastering family therapy is a core competence in the Brown child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program. To acuminate our skills, in addition to working doing a half day per week of family therapy for the duration of our training, we have weekly family therapy seminars led by Dr. Michelle Rickerby. Most of the time, we spend the hour discussing one or two challenging cases among our class, and if there is time, allot the last 5 to 10 minutes of class to play out a particularly arduous interaction. However, once or twice a year, Dr. Rickerby invites improvisational “improv” actors from a local theater for an extended workshop on family therapy. I was fortunate that my case was chosen as a prompt for this year's workshop.

Guidelines for Improving Educational Personnel Competencies in The Digital Age to Elevate the Quality of Life and Underprivileged Children Competencies in Urban Communities, Chiang Mai Province

Objectives: This study aims to explore categories, quality of life, and underprivileged children competencies, and study guidelines for improving educational personnel competencies in the digital age to elevate the quality of life and underprivileged children competencies in urban communities, Chiang Mai province. Methods: Exploring categories, quality of life, and underprivileged children’s competencies was conducted through in-depth interviews and public hearings with 180 school administrators, teachers, representatives of underprivileged children's parents, and experts obtained by Purposive Sampling. Studying guidelines for improving educational personnel competencies was conducted through competency assessment and workshops with 162 school administrators, teachers, supervisors, and experts, selected through Purposive Sampling. Results: The findings revealed 10 categories of the underprivileged children, 11 factors affecting the their quality of life. The underprivileged children had a low level of threshold competencies and core competencies. The educational staff has high communication skills, learning management development, and health understanding in the digital age. Conclusions: The guidelines to improve educational personnel competencies include to develop digital literacy curriculum, smartphone-based media production curriculum, curricula for advanced thinking and innovation skills, foreign language learning management skills, communication skills in foreign and local languages, cultivation and maintenance of medicinal plants skills, modern urban community agriculture skills, product development skills for schools, online distribution, special education curricula for disabilities and children with developmental delays, health knowledge in the digital age for educational personnel, digital-era school administrations, and the competencies development of supervisors.

Agency in Children’s Gothic

The twenty-first century has seen an increase in Gothic fiction for children. The child in contemporary Gothic is portrayed as a capable agent, successful in their attempt to defeat the threats emanating from the Gothic netherworld. This portrayal is in keeping with the general tendency to date to emphasise child agency and competence as positive traits in the representation of childhood subjectivity. However, recent Nordic Gothic fiction – particularly from Sweden, Denmark and Norway – challenges this discourse on child agency and competence. The aim of this article is to show how images of child agency and competence are problematised in contemporary Gothic fiction for children published in the Scandinavian countries. Gothic fiction for children utilises a generic ambivalence of the Gothic in its portrayal of child subjectivity, which resonates with tensions in the contemporary understanding of childhood. In this genre, agency is not foremost a positive trait but rather a compulsory feature. To act in accordance with continuously changing circumstances is shown to demand specific kinds of competencies: adaptability and flexibility. But depictions of the competent child are frequently haunted by its counterpart – the incompetent child – which problematises the very notion of child competence as understood within a contemporary context. Gothic ambivalence therefore throws a light on darker discourses of child agency and competence in the Nordic countries today.

CERTAIN BARRIERS IN TEACHING LANGUAGE SKILLS

This article tries to explain various concepts of communication barriers and communicative competence of children with speech disorders. These concepts are binary in nature and pertain to the development of all aspects of communicative competence, including phonemic hearing, memory, attention, thinking, and perception in children with speech disorders.

Can a web application foster emotional competence in children and adolescents? The case of PandHEMOT®.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had many traumatic consequences for the physical and psychological functioning of children and adolescents. Internet-based interventions can reach a large audience and be a potentially powerful resource for promoting well-being among young people. We tested the efficacy of the web application PandHEMOT®, developed ad hoc for increasing knowledge about pandemics, emotions, and emotion regulation. We involved a sample of 147 Italian third and seventh graders. The sample was assigned to an experimental (participating in the training) and a waitlist condition (who participated following a waitlist design). All the participants completed pretest and posttest measures. The intervention was structured into three units. The training took place between November and December 2021. Generalized linear mixed models and linear mixed models revealed that knowledge about pandemics, emotions, emotion regulation, and metacognitive awareness increased for the experimental condition. Moreover, adolescents performed better than children. The findings supported the efficacy of an Internet-based training for increasing children and adolescents' resilience, according to the standards of evidence-based research.

Children Use Teachers' Beliefs About Their Abilities to Calibrate Explore-Exploit Decisions.

Models of the explore-exploit problem have explained how children's decision making is weighed by a bias for information (directed exploration), randomness, and generalization. These behaviors are often tested in domains where a choice to explore (or exploit) is guaranteed to reveal an outcome. An often overlooked but critical component of the assessment of explore-exploit decisions lies in the expected success of taking actions in the first place-and, crucially, how such decisions might be carried out when learning from others. Here, we examine how children consider an informal teacher's beliefs about the child's competence when deciding how difficult a task they want to pursue. We present a simple model of this problem that predicts that while learners should follow the recommendation of an accurate teacher, they should exploit easier games when a teacher overestimates their abilities, and explore harder games when she underestimates them. We tested these predictions in two experiments with adults (Experiment 1) and 6- to 8-year-old children (Experiment 2). In our task, participants' performance on a picture-matching game was either overestimated, underestimated, or accurately represented by a confederate (the "Teacher"), who then presented three new matching games of varying assessed difficulty (too easy, too hard, just right) at varying potential reward (low, medium, high). In line with our model's predictions, we found that both adults and children calibrated their choices to the teacher's representation of their competence. That is, to maximize expected reward, when she underestimated them, participants chose games the teacher evaluated as being too hard for them; when she overestimated them, they chose games she evaluated as being too easy; and when she was accurate, they chose games she assessed as being just right. This work provides insight into the early-emerging ability to calibrate explore-exploit decisions to others' knowledge when learning in informal pedagogicalcontexts.

A social-competence group intervention featuring didactic teaching and practice in play contexts for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders

BackgroundRelatively few intervention programs of social competence have been specifically designed for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated the effectiveness of the social-competence group intervention (SCGI), which features a combination of didactic teaching and practice in play contexts for preschool children with ASD. MethodsA single-blind design was used with 34 preschool children with ASD, who were randomly allocated to either the SCGI group (n = 17) or the control group (n = 16). The SCGI group received 16 weekly group-based sessions with specific social topics, while the control group participated in their regular occupational therapy. Outcomes included measures of children’s social competence, children’s adaptive behaviors, and caregivers’ parental stress. ResultsA total of 25 children (12 in the SCGI and 13 in the control groups) completed the intervention and the pre- and post-intervention assessments. Compared with the control group, children in the SCGI group showed significantly greater enhancement of social competence (all p < .05, effect size η2 = 0.26–0.41). Additionally, caregivers’ parental stress decreased in the SCGI group but not in the control group (p < .05, effect size η2 = 0.25) after the intervention. However, the two groups did not show significant differences in adaptive behaviors (p = .06–.94). ConclusionsThe SCGI was effective in improving children’s social competence and reducing caregivers’ parental stress in preschool children with ASD. This RCT provides evidence of the effectiveness of the SCGI and guidance for clinicians to improve the social competence of preschool children with ASD.

어머니의 양육효능감과 정서표현성이 유아의 정서지능과 또래유능성에 미치는 영향

Objectives This study is to investigate the impact of maternal parental efficacy and emotional expressiveness on the emotional intelligence and peer competence of young children.&#x0D; Methods The subjects were 291 young children aged 3 to 5 years old and 291 mothers enrolled in a daycare center located in G city, and the collected data were analyzed by Pearson's method to analyze the correlation between each variable using the SPSS 21.0 program. Correlation analysis was conducted, and multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the influence relationship of variables.&#x0D; Results Firstly, as a result of examining the correlation of each variable, a significant positive correlation was found between mother's parenting efficacy and young children's emotional intelligence and peer competency. Positive emotional expression among mothers' emotional expressiveness was found to have positive correlations with young children's emotional intelligence and peer competence. Secondly, as a result of examining the effect of mother's parenting efficacy and emotional expression on iyoung children's emotional intelligence, it was found to have a significant effect. Thirdly, as a result of examining the effect of mother's parenting efficacy and emotional expression on young children's peer competency, it was found to have a significant effect.&#x0D; Conclusions Through this study, it was confirmed that mothers' parenting efficacy and emotional expressiveness had an effect on young children's emotional intelligence and peer competence. Therefore, in order to improve young children's emotional intelligence and peer competence, it is necessary to enhance mothers' parenting efficacy and emotional expression, suggesting the need for education and programs for this purpose.

PHENOMENOLOGICAL AND OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS&#x0D; OF THE SPEECH COMPETENCE OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Based on a retrospective analysis of the academic discourse of several decades, the article shows that the term&#x0D; “speech competence” has not received a commonly accepted definition, especially when it comes to the preschool age.&#x0D; The study conducted by the authors has made it possible to determine the phenomenological characteristics of the preschoolers’&#x0D; speech competence, considering it as a dynamic integral personal quality, manifested in the ability and willingness&#x0D; to successfully listen, perceive and reproduce information, be engaged in conversation, express personal opinions&#x0D; and points of view in the oral form in accordance with the age norm. Its lexical, phonological, grammatical, dialogical&#x0D; and monological functional components have been identified and defined subject to pedagogical impact. These components&#x0D; contain operational characteristics of the speech competence of preschoolers. The speech competence of preschool&#x0D; children includes also the following meta-components: awareness of the ways and means of speech interaction; adequacy&#x0D; of selection of available speech skills, their application in speech activity; orientation in a communication situation;&#x0D; complex, variable and creative application of speech and non-speech means in accordance with the set goal. Following&#x0D; the internal structure of the speech competence of preschool children in the educational process should make it more&#x0D; systematic and the results of this process easier to measure in their complex, integrative wholeness.

Parenting Competences Among Migrant Families Living at Psychosocial Risk in Spain

The impact of parenting competences on child well-being is well-established. During the last years, parenting support initiatives have increased in several countries, namely in Spain, offering support to promote parents’ childcare resources and competences, particularly for families at psychosocial risk. Recognizing the specificities of different subgroups of families, such as migrant families, allows the development of more tailored and effective interventions in the field of family support. However, there is a gap in the literature about parenting competences in migrant families. This article explores differences and similarities in parenting competences among 492 migrant and non-migrant parents involved in family preservation services in Spain, as well as examines the impact of these competences on children’s well-being. Our findings revealed that migrant and non-migrant vulnerable families face similar needs in terms of parenting competences in domains covered by the existing family support interventions. However, we found a few differences in parenting competences between both populations, as well as in the impact of several parenting competences in children’s well-being. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Child biological stress and maternal caregiving style are associated with school readiness

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is a risk factor for unpreparedness for formal school entry. However, it is unclear how specific SES domains or factors related to SES, such as maternal caregiving style or child biological stress regulation, uniquely contribute to a child's academic competency. We examined the relation between early biological stress, SES, and caregiving style with the academic competency domain of school readiness in a preschool-age sample (N = 91) using multidimensional measures of SES, measures of maternal behavior, child hair cortisol concentrations, and diurnal salivary cortisol. We also investigated which correlates uniquely contribute to academic competency as indexed by the Bracken School Readiness Assessment and the NIH Picture Vocabulary Test. Higher cumulative biological stress, indexed through hair cortisol concentrations, was related to lower scores on both measures. Poor biological stress regulation, indexed by a flatter diurnal cortisol slope, was related to lower receptive vocabulary. More sensitive maternal behaviors and measures indicating higher SES were related to better performance in both academic competency measures. Of these significant associations, maternal intrusion and parental education uniquely contributed to pre-academic skills beyond other measures, whereas maternal structuring and parental education uniquely contributed to receptive vocabulary. These results provide new evidence that biological stress is related to academic competency in early childhood and demonstrate the importance of structured, non-intrusive parenting when preparing children for long-term academic success.

Linking Language Skills and Social Competence in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the association between language skills and social competence in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and to assess the potential moderators of these associations. The study was reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies were identified according to a search strategy carried out in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Scopus, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global databases. A total of 15,069 articles were independently double screened in the title and abstract phases, with 250 articles proceeding to a full-text review. Inclusion criteria comprised (a) a sample of children with DLD between the ages of 2 and 12 years, (b) a language measure, (c) a social competence measure, and (d) an appropriate statistic. Exclusion criteria were (a) intervention studies with no baseline data, (b) language measures based on preverbal abilities, (c) samples of children with DLD and other clinical conditions, and (d) studies without useable statistics. Data were extracted from 21 studies that met the eligibility criteria for the meta-analysis. Pooled estimates across 21 studies (Mage = 7.52 years; 64% male) and 6,830 children indicated a significant association between language skills and social competence in children with DLD (r = .18, 95% confidence interval [.12, .24], p < .001), which was small in magnitude. The effect sizes were stronger in studies that assessed overall language skills than in those that specifically measured receptive or expressive language skills. Findings from this study support a subtle and reliable relationship between language and social competence in children with DLD. The implications and limitations of this study and its future directions are also discussed. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24514564.

유아의 사회·정서적 유능감 평가척도 개발

Objectives The purpose of this study is to develop an evaluation scale to identify Social-Emotional Competence in young children. Methods To this end, 110 preliminary questions were developed through analysis of prior studies, Delphi survey by experts, and field survey. Validity was verified by analyzing item discrimination, validity, and reliability for the final draft. Results As a result of the study, the test results for each item, validity, and reliability of the children's social and emotional competence evaluation scale items were all found to be good, and the final result was 7 items for emo-tional recognition and understanding, 7 items for emotional expression, 9 items for emotion regulation, and social knowledge. An evaluation scale of 67 questions in a total of 6 areas was developed, including 6 questions on un-derstanding, 9 questions on interpersonal skills, and 9 questions on social problem solving. Conclusions The evaluation scale developed through this study was developed to evaluate Young Children's so-cial and emotional competency, which is the ability of young children to understand their own and others' emo-tions, establish amicable relationships in social relationships, express them appropriately, and solve problems effectively.

The structural and convergent validity of the FMS2 assessment tool among 8- to 12-year-old children

Although there is a plethora of tools available to assess children's movement competence (MC), the literature suggests that many have significant limitations (e.g. not being practical for use in many ‘real-world’ settings). The FMS2 assessment tool has recently been developed as a targeted solution to many of the existing barriers preventing practitioners from utilising MC assessments. The aim of this study was to investigate the structural and convergent validity of this new tool among 8- to 12-year-old Irish primary school children. As part of this study, 102 children (56.8% female, mean = 9.8 years) were assessed using the FMS2, the Test of Gross Motor Development (3rd edition) (TGMD-3) (short version) and the Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™). Structural validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The convergent validity between the FMS2, the TGMD-3 (short version) and the FMS™ was investigated using the Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient. Results of CFA for the FMS2 indicate a good fit model, supporting a three-factor structure (locomotor, object manipulation, and stability). Additional findings indicate a moderate, positive correlation between the FMS2 and the TGMD-3 (short version) ( r = 0.66), with a low, positive correlation between the FMS2 and the FMS™ ( r = 0.48). This study presents the first preliminary findings to suggest that the FMS2 may be a versatile, time-efficient, and ecologically valid tool to measure children's MC in multiple settings (e.g. research, education, sport, athletic therapy, and physiotherapy). Future research should also seek to continue to implement this solution, consolidate the existing validity findings with a larger and more diverse sample, and further explore the feasibility of the tool in ‘real-world’ settings.

Children can rate perceived effort but do not follow intensity instructions during soccer training.

The perception of effort is elementary for the self-regulation of exercise intensity in sports. The competence for rating perceived effort (RPE) seems to be related to physical and cognitive development. Children accurately rate perceived effort during incremental exercise tests when loads progressively increase, but it remains unclear how children perform when they participate in sports games, which are characterized by complex tasks with varying intensity profiles. The present study investigates children's competencies for rating perceived effort and producing predetermined intensities during soccer training. Twenty-five children aged 11-13 years performed two similar training sessions. In the first session, the children trained without intensity instructions and continuously rated their effort. In the second session, the children were instructed to produce predefined intensities. Before the first training session, executive functions were assessed by cognitive performance tests and a self-report measure. RPE correlated significantly with heart rate measures (R2 = 0.27, p < 0.001). As confirmed by factor analysis, individual differences in these correlations were related to the outcomes of the cognitive tests and the self-report measure. RPE in training session 2 differed from RPE in training session 1 (d = 1.22, p < 0.001), although the heart rate data did not differ significantly between training sessions (d = -0.19, p = 0.780). Thirteen-year-old children performed significantly better than eleven-year-old children (d = 1.69, p = 0.027). The results suggest that children are able to rate perceived effort during soccer training and that this ability is related to executive functions. Conversely, children may not be able to alter their intensities in response to instructions, although their ratings suggest that they have largely succeeded in doing so.