Early Childhood Development For Children Research Articles

Trajectories of early childhood development in children experiencing homelessness

IntroductionThe experience of homelessness early in life can potentially disrupt childhood development. Enrollment in early education has been identified as a buffer to promote adequate development. Nevertheless, there has not yet been a quantitative assessment of the developmental trajectories of children experiencing homelessness receiving early education. MethodsWe compared the development of children from birth to 6 years old enrolled at a high-quality early education center, against a US representative sample and the acceptable ranges of developmental indicators. Further, we studied predictors of developmental trajectories in children exposed to homelessness. A total of 459 children enrolled at an early education center, Horizons for Homeless Children (HHC), between 2017 and 2022, between birth to 6 years old, were included in the analysis, with an average follow-up time of 22 months. We assessed the development in six domains, including Socio-emotional, Motor, Language, Literacy, Cognitive, and Mathematics, using the scaled scores from the Teaching Strategies GOLD system. The scores of children at HHC were compared with the norm scores from a US representative sample and the expected scores for different ages. We assessed developmental trajectories and included child and family covariates in a linear mixed model to examine developmental differences over time. ResultsThe scores of HHC students on Teaching Strategies GOLD assessments were lower than those of a US representative sample and frequently did not meet age group expectations. Within the HHC cohort, boys scored lower than girls. Socioeconomic characteristics remained a factor associated with development; specifically, having older primary caregivers and having parental education below High School were associated with worse developmental trajectories. Earlier enrollment into HHC was associated with higher scores for all domains and faster developmental progress for the Literacy domain over time. Discussion and conclusionEven in the context of a high-quality early education program, the developmental delays of children who experienced homelessness did not attenuate in the first six years of life compared with a normative sample. Furthermore, within a population experiencing homelessness, there are developmental differences associated with socioeconomic status, including parental education. Early enrollment in education centers may reduce the developmental delays of children experiencing homelessness. This actionable determinant of development supports enrollment into schooling as early as possible.

Global progress towards early childhood development for children with disabilities, 2013–2023

Global progress towards early childhood development for children with disabilities, 2013–2023

Global leadership is needed to optimize early childhood development for children with disabilities.

Global leadership is needed to optimize early childhood development for children with disabilities.

Lead Exposure Can Affect Early Childhood Development and Could Be Aggravated by Stunted Growth: Perspectives from Mexico.

Lead can affect early childhood development (ECD) differentially due to nutritional deficiencies that lead to stunted growth, defined as being at least two standard deviations below the average height-for-age. These deficiencies are more frequent among children living in rural locations or with lower socioeconomic status (SES); however, studies at a population level are scarce worldwide. Early childhood development plays a crucial role in influencing a child's health and wellbeing throughout life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze how stunted growth can modify the association between lead exposure and ECD in children from disadvantaged communities. Data were analyzed from the 2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey in localities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants in Mexico (ENSANUT-100K). Capillary blood lead (BPb) levels were measured using a LeadCare II device and dichotomized as detectable (cutoff point ≥ 3.3 µg/dL) and non-detectable. As a measure of ECD, language development was assessed in n = 1394 children, representing 2,415,000 children aged 12-59 months. To assess the association between lead exposure and language z-scores, a linear model was generated adjusted by age, sex, stunted growth, maternal education, socioeconomic status, area, region (north, center, south), and family care characteristics; afterwards, the model was stratified by stunted growth. Fifty percent of children had detectable BPb and 15.3% had stunted growth. BPb showed a marginal inverse association with language z-scores (β: -0.08, 95% CI: -0.53, 0.36). Children with detectable BPb and stunted growth had significantly lower language z-scores (β: -0.40, 95% CI: -0.71, -0.10) than those without stunted growth (β: -0.15, 95% CI: -0.36, 0.06). Children with stunted growth are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of lead exposure. These results add to previous research calling for action to reduce lead exposure, particularly in children with chronic undernutrition.

Promoting school readiness in children with developmental disabilities in LMICs.

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly acknowledge inclusive and equitable quality education as the primary goal of any global initiatives for early childhood development for children under 5 years with developmental delays and disabilities. Primary education provides the foundation for lifelong learning, vocational attainment, and economically independent living. Globally, the majority (over 90%) of children with developmental disabilities reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These children are significantly less likely to have foundational reading and numeracy skills, more likely to have never attended school and more likely to be out of primary school, compared to children without disabilities. Concerted and well-coordinated efforts to prepare these children in early childhood for inclusive education constitute a moral and ethical priority for all countries. This paper sets out to examine the concept and dimensions of school readiness for children under 5 years from an extensive narrative review of the literature. It identifies the barriers and challenges for school readiness for children with disabilities and the limitations of the available tools for evaluating school readiness. It concludes by emphasizing the critical role of inter-disciplinary engagement among pediatric caregivers in promoting school readiness in partnership with the families and community where the children reside. Overall, the paper highlights the need for appropriate policy initiatives at the global and national levels to promote school readiness specifically for children under 5 years with developmental disabilities in LMICs, if the aspirational goal of inclusive education by 2030 under the SDGs is to be realized.

Effect of Schistosoma haematobium infection on the cognitive functions of preschool age children and benefits of treatment from an endemic area in Zimbabwe

BackgroundSchistosomiasis is known to affect the cognitive functions of children, however, but there is paucity of information on its impact on early childhood development in developing countries where the disease is endemic. This study aimed at determining the effects of schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma haematobium on early childhood development in children below 5 years old from Murewa District, Zimbabwe, including the benefits of treatment.MethodsPreschool age children (PSAC) under the age of 5 years were screened at baseline and at 6 months post-treatment for S. haematobium infections diagnosed using the urine filtration method. Cognitive domains were assessed using the Griffith Mental Developmental Scales III on 136 PSAC. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the level of association between S. haematobium infection and performance in the cognitive domains adjusting for confounding factors (i.e. nutrition, hemoglobin levels, gender and age). Median Development Quotient scores of each cognitive domain at baseline and at 6 months post-treatment were compared and quantified.ResultsAfter adjusting for confounding factors, PSAC infected with S. haematobium had greater odds of having lower scores in the Foundation of Learning Domain (OR = 3.9, p = 0.008), Language and Communication Domain (OR = 3.2, p = 0.017), Eye-Hand Coordination Domains (OR = 10.7, p = 0.001), Personal-Social-Emotional Domain (19.3, p = 0.001) and in the Overall General Development Domain (7.2, p = 0.011). Improvement of cognitive performance was observed at 6 months post treatment in the following Domains; Language and Communication Domain (p = 0.003), Eye-Hand Coordination Domain (p = 0.02) and General Development Domain (p = 0.006).ConclusionThe study showed that S. haematobium infection in PSAC is associated with lower cognitive scores in the Foundation of Learning, Language and Communication, Eye-Hand Coordination, Personal-Social-Emotional and in the Overall General Development domains. Our results strengthen the call for inclusion of PSAC in routine deworming programs for the control of urinary schistosomiasis and the need to develop locally validated tools to monitor early child development in endemic areas where resources are limited.

Prioritising rehabilitation in early childhood for inclusive education: a call to action

Purpose This commentary examines the provisions for early childhood development (ECD) in the global action plan for rehabilitation published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) within the context of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for inclusive education. Methods The meeting reports of the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 for 2017 and 2019 and the related documents were reviewed along with ECD policy documents from WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank. Results The importance of a life-course approach to rehabilitation for the health and wellbeing of persons with disabilities was highlighted in the Rehabilitation 2030. However, the critical and foundational role of rehabilitation in ECD for children with disabilities to facilitate inclusive education, especially in low- and middle-income countries as envisioned by the SDG 4.2, was not clearly addressed. Children under 5 years with developmental delays and disabilities who are not developmentally on track in health and psychosocial wellbeing require timely rehabilitation to ensure that they benefit from inclusive education. Conclusions The culture and practice of rehabilitation should be nurtured from infancy as an indispensable component of ECD to adequately prepare children with developmental disabilities for inclusive education and ensure effective rehabilitation services over the life course. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Rehabilitation is an integral and critical component of early childhood development to optimise school readiness for children with developmental disabilities. Routine newborn screening, developmental assessment, and surveillance of children from birth are foundational to any effective rehabilitation in early childhood. Global investment to promote and support rehabilitation services from early childhood within the health systems and across all levels of service delivery including community settings is warranted to achieve the sustainable development goals for children with disabilities.

Association Between Screen Time Trajectory and Early Childhood Development in Children in China

Screen time has become an integral part of children's daily lives. Nevertheless, the developmental consequences of screen exposure in young children remain unclear. To investigate the screen time trajectory from 6 to 72 months of age and its association with children's development at age 72 months in a prospective birth cohort. Women in Shanghai, China, who were at 34 to 36 gestational weeks and had an expected delivery date between May 2012 and July 2013 were recruited for this cohort study. Their children were followed up at 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 72 months of age. Children's screen time was classified into 3 groups at age 6 months: continued low (ie, stable amount of screen time), late increasing (ie, sharp increase in screen time at age 36 months), and early increasing (ie, large amount of screen time in early stages that remained stable after age 36 months). Cognitive development was assessed by specially trained research staff in a research clinic. Of 262 eligible mother-offspring pairs, 152 dyads had complete data regarding all variables of interest and were included in the analyses. Data were analyzed from September 2019 to November 2021. Mothers reported screen times of children at 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 72 months of age. The cognitive development of children was evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition, at age 72 months. Social-emotional development was measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, which was completed by the child's mother. The study described demographic characteristics, maternal mental health, child's temperament at age 6 months, and mental development at age 12 months by subgroups clustered by a group-based trajectory model. Group difference was examined by analysis of variance. A total of 152 mother-offspring dyads were included in this study, including 77 girls (50.7%) and 75 boys (49.3%) (mean [SD] age of the mothers was 29.7 [3.3] years). Children's screen time trajectory from age 6 to 72 months was classified into 3 groups: continued low (110 [72.4%]), late increasing (17 [11.2%]), and early increasing (25 [16.4%]). Compared with the continued low group, the late increasing group had lower scores on the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (β coefficient, -8.23; 95% CI, -15.16 to -1.30; P < .05) and the General Ability Index (β coefficient, -6.42; 95% CI, -13.70 to 0.86; P = .08); the early increasing group presented with lower scores on the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (β coefficient, -6.68; 95% CI, -12.35 to -1.02; P < .05) and the Cognitive Proficiency Index (β coefficient, -10.56; 95% CI, -17.23 to -3.90; P < .01) and a higher total difficulties score (β coefficient, 2.62; 95% CI, 0.49-4.76; P < .05). This cohort study found that excessive screen time in early years was associated with poor cognitive and social-emotional development. This finding may be helpful in encouraging awareness among parents of the importance of onset and duration of children's screen time.

Reliability and validity of the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI) in impoverished regions of China

BackgroundThere is a great need in low- and middle- income countries for sound qualitative and monitoring tools assessing early childhood development outcomes. Although there are many instruments to measure the developmental status of infants and toddlers, their use in large scale studies is still limited because of high costs in both time and money. The Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI), however, were designed to serve as a population-level measure of early childhood development for children from birth to age three, and have been used in 17 low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the CREDI in China, which is still unknown.MethodsThe CREDI and the ASQ-3 was administered to a sample of 946 children aged 5–36 months from urban and rural communities, in which 248 children was administered with Bayley-III.ResultsThe internal consistency of the CREDI was high, which indicates that the scale internal consistency reliability is quite good. The results also indicated that the concurrent validity of the CREDI with the Bayley-III scale was high in general. Ordinary least squares regression showed that the CREDI is highly consistent with previous widely used instruments in some key predictors (such as the home stimulation) of early childhood development level.ConclusionsAll the results in the current study indicate that the CREDI may be considered an appropriate instrument to measure early childhood development status on a large scale in impoverished regions of China.

Household food insecurity and early childhood development: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Household food insecurity (HFI) is a powerful stressor negatively associated with early childhood development (ECD). However, no comprehensive review has examined the association of HFI and ECD. Therefore, this systematic review and meta‐analysis investigated the association between HFI and ECD domains and subdomains in children under 5 years old. Peer‐reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched in electronic databases with no year or language restrictions. Studies were eligible if they assessed the association between HFI and one or more ECD domains. Data were extracted using a standard predefined protocol. Meta‐analysis was performed, and the heterogeneity across studies was explored. Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review and 14 in the meta‐analysis. Of the studies, 15 were from high income countries (HICs) and four from low–middle income countries (LMICs). For developmental risk and the cognitive/math and cognitive/school readiness and reading subdomains, the only studies available were conducted in HICs. The meta‐analysis showed that HFI was associated with developmental risk (OR 1.28; 95% CI [1.14, 1.45]), cognitive/vocabulary (OR 0.94; 95% CI [0.90, 0.98]), and cognitive/math (OR 0.84; 95% CI [0.73, 0.96]). HFI was marginally associated with cognitive/school readiness and reading (OR 0.91; 95% CI [0.82, 1.00]) and motor development (OR; 0.91, 95% CI [0.80, 1.04]). HFI was associated with poor ECD in children under 5 years old. Specifically, HFI was associated with developmental risk and poor math skills in studies conducted in HICs and with poor vocabulary skills in studies conducted in both HICs and LMICs. Prospective studies examining HFI and ECD are needed in LMICs.

Measuring early childhood development in Brazil: validation of the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI)

ObjectiveThe present study aims to analyze the psychometric properties and general validity of the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI) short form for the population‐level assessment of early childhood development for Brazilian children under age 3. MethodThe study analyzed the acceptability, test‐retest reliability, internal consistency and discriminant validity of the CREDI short‐form tool. The study also analyzed the concurrent validity of the CREDI with a direct observational measure (Inter‐American Development Bank's Regional Project on Child Development Indicators; PRIDI). The full sample includes 1,265 Brazilian caregivers of children from 0 to 35 months (678 of which comprising an in‐person sample and 587 an online sample). ResultsResults from qualitative interviews suggest overall high rates of acceptability. Most of the items showed adequate test‐retest reliability, with an average agreement of 84%. Cronbach's alpha suggested adequate internal consistency/inter‐item reliability (α>0.80) for the CREDI within each of the six age groups (0–5, 6–11, 12–17, 18–23, 24–29 and 30–35 months of age). Multivariate analyses of construct validity showed that a significant proportion of the variance in CREDI scores could be explained by child gender and family characteristics, most importantly caregiver‐reported cognitive stimulation in the home (p<0.0001). Regarding concurrent validity, scores on the CREDI were significantly correlated with overall PRIDI scores within the in‐person sample at r=0.46 (p<0.001). ConclusionsThe results suggested that the CREDI short form is a valid, reliable, and acceptable measure of early childhood development for children under the age of 3 years in Brazil.

Measuring early childhood development in Brazil: validation of the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI)

ObjectiveThe present study aims to analyze the psychometric properties and general validity of the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI) short form for the population-level assessment of early childhood development for Brazilian children under age 3. MethodThe study analyzed the acceptability, test-retest reliability, internal consistency and discriminant validity of the CREDI short-form tool. The study also analyzed the concurrent validity of the CREDI with a direct observational measure (Inter-American Development Bank's Regional Project on Child Development Indicators; PRIDI). The full sample includes 1,265 Brazilian caregivers of children from 0 to 35 months (678 of which comprising an in-person sample and 587 an online sample). ResultsResults from qualitative interviews suggest overall high rates of acceptability. Most of the items showed adequate test-retest reliability, with an average agreement of 84%. Cronbach's alpha suggested adequate internal consistency/inter-item reliability (α>0.80) for the CREDI within each of the six age groups (0–5, 6–11, 12–17, 18–23, 24–29 and 30–35 months of age). Multivariate analyses of construct validity showed that a significant proportion of the variance in CREDI scores could be explained by child gender and family characteristics, most importantly caregiver-reported cognitive stimulation in the home (p<0.0001). Regarding concurrent validity, scores on the CREDI were significantly correlated with overall PRIDI scores within the in-person sample at r=0.46 (p<0.001). ConclusionsThe results suggested that the CREDI short form is a valid, reliable, and acceptable measure of early childhood development for children under the age of 3 years in Brazil.

Establishing a protocol for building a pan-Canadian population-based monitoring system for early childhood development for children with health disorders: Canadian Children’s Health in Context Study (CCHICS)

IntroductionHealth disorders early in life have tremendous impact on children’s developmental trajectories. Almost 80% of children with health disorders lack the developmental skills to take full advantage of school-based education...

Infancy and Early Childhood Development in Children Raised by Foster Parents in Romania

Infancy and Early Childhood Development in Children Raised by Foster Parents in Romania

Association of Early Nutrition Deficit with Early Childhood Development in Children 36 to 59 Months within and across Populations in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

Despite improved child nutritional status over the past 20 years, many children do not reach their developmental potential in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC). Inadequate nutrition, particularly during the first 1000 days of life, compromises early childhood development (ECD), which in turn poses many challenges in a child's life, including limiting upward‐mobility opportunities throughout the life course, and consequentially perpetuates an intergenerational cycle of poverty, inadequate nutrition, and suboptimal development. On a population basis, little is known about the relationship of early nutritional deficit and subsequent ECD. We examined this relationship in 26 LMIC.We used data from 31 UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, round 4, accounting for 26 countries and 5 sub‐populations within these countries. The surveys assessed 75,731 children aged 36–59 months. Nutritional status was measured by height‐for‐age z‐scores (HAZ) based on the 2006 WHO growth standards. ECD was assessed from ten items in four domains: literacy‐numeracy, learning, physical, and social‐emotional development. We calculated the weighted mean HAZ and prevalence of each ECD indicator. We conducted linear, three‐level, mixed‐model regression analysis with random coefficients, regressing each ECD indicator on the explanatory variable HAZ while controlling for child gender and age.The mean HAZ was −0.96, with standard deviation (SD) of 0.74. The mean prevalence of literacy‐numeracy was 27.5%, while prevalence of learning and physical development was each above 90%. The mean prevalence of social‐emotional indicators ranged from 60–92%. In the random‐coefficient model assessing the relationship between HAZ and each ECD indicator, children with a one z‐score higher HAZ had a 3.64, 1.39, and 0.654 percentage‐point higher prevalence of meeting the target for literacy‐numeracy, learning, and physical development, respectively, when 36–59 months of age (all p &lt; 0.0001). We also observed significant variability in these associations across populations with the SD of the regression coefficients being 2.27 for literacy‐numeracy, 1.16 for learning development, and 0.73 for physical development. Only one indicator of social‐emotional development had a significant small association with HAZ, (0.41, SD: 0.73).Child nutritional status, as captured in HAZ, provides a snapshot of the cumulative effect that has been imprinted on the child from the time of conception. In these populations, where on average HAZ was about one z‐score below the global standard, children with higher HAZ were more likely to meet the target for literacy‐numeracy, learning, and physical development when 36–59 months of age. Social‐emotional development was weakly associated with HAZ, but this domain is difficult to assess through a questionnaire and might be linked to other social and environmental factors. The magnitude of the associations of HAZ and ECD indicators varied substantially among the populations studied. Understanding why HAZ was strongly associated with ECD in some populations and not others requires further investigation.Support or Funding InformationFunding support from the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences.

Antioxidants do not improve early childhood development in children with Down's syndrome

Main Results Children randomized to antioxidant supplements attained similar developmental outcomes to those without antioxidants (mean Griffiths developmental quotient 57.3 v 56.1; adjusted mean difference 1.2 points, 95% confidence interval 2.2 to 4.6). Comparison of children randomized to folinic acid supplements or no folinic acid also showed no significant differences in Griffiths developmental quotient (mean 57.6 v 55.9; adjusted mean difference 1.7, 1.7 to 5.1). No between group differences were seen in the mean numbers of words said or signed: for antioxidants versus none, the ratio of means was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.6 to 1.2), and, for folinic acid versus none, it was 1.24 (0.87 to 1.77). No significant differences were found between any of the groups in the biochemical outcomes measured. Adjustment for potential confounders did not appreciably change the results.

EHDI Africa:Advocating for infants with hearing loss in Africa

Children with hearing loss who happen to reside in Africa deserve the chance to develop according to their potential as much as their peers living in more affluent regions. This leaves a moral obligation to pursue ways of initiating, developing,and growing early hearing detection and intervention services in Africa. For these reasons, the first EHDI Africa international conference was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2007 (13–14 August). The theme was ‘Building bridges in Africa: Early childhood development for children with hearing loss’. This special issue contains several reports from the EHDI Africa conference.