Early Preschool Research Articles

La agenda pendiente de la educación inicial y preescolar en México: sexualidad integral

This paper stresses the need to incorporate Comprehensive Sexuality Education(CSE) during the Early Childhood and Preschool school stages in Mexico. Adetailed analysis of the content of strategies, courses of action and policies forearly education was made for both, the local and Latin-American level. Findingsindicate that there remains a need for CSE for 0 to 6-year-old Mexican children.The inclusion of a human rights and a sociocultural perspective of genderedsexuality is strongly recommended. Early life-course interactions between childrenand their caregivers have the potential to influence developmental outcomes in anenduring manner because they become internalized in the form of generalizedmental representations. CSE encompasses the history of care where consistent andcoherent secure base support is needed.

Early Callous-Unemotional Behavior, Theory-of-Mind, and a Fearful/Inhibited Temperament Predict Externalizing Problems in Middle and Late Childhood.

Childhood externalizing problems are more likely to be severe and persistent when combined with high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) behavior. A handful of recent studies have shown that CU behavior can also be reliably measured in the early preschool years, which may help to identify young children who are less likely to desist from early externalizing behaviors. The current study extends previous literature by examining the role of CU behavior in very early childhood in the prediction of externalizing problems in both middle and late childhood, and tests whether other relevant child characteristics, including Theory-of-Mind (ToM) and fearful/inhibited temperament moderate these pathways. Multi-method data, including parent reports of child CU behavior and fearful/inhibited temperament, observations of ToM, and teacher-reported externalizing problems were drawn from a prospective, longitudinal study of children assessed at ages 3, 6, and 10 (N=241; 48% female). Results demonstrated that high levels of CU behavior predicted externalizing problems at ages 6 and 10 over and above the effect of earlier externalizing problems at age 3, but that these main effects were qualified by two interactions. High CU behavior was related to higher levels of externalizing problems specifically for children with low ToM and a low fearful/inhibited temperament. The results show that a multitude of child characteristics likely interact across development to increase or buffer risk for child externalizing problems. These findings can inform the development of targeted early prevention and intervention for children with high CU behavior.

Visuomotor integration and inhibitory control compensate for each other in school readiness.

Visuomotor integration (VMI), or the ability to copy designs, and 2 measures of executive function were examined in a predominantly low-income, typically developing sample of children (n = 467, mean age 4.2 years) from 5 U.S. states. In regression models controlling for age and demographic variables, we tested the interaction between visuomotor integration (design copying) and inhibitory control (pencil-tap) or verbal working memory (digit span) on 4 directly assessed academic skills and teacher-reported approaches to learning. Compared with children with both poor visuomotor integration and low inhibitory control, those on the higher end of the continuum in at least 1 of these 2 skills performed better across several dependent variables. This compensatory pattern was evident for longitudinal improvement in print knowledge on the Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL), with similar though marginally significant findings for improvement in phonological awareness (TOPEL) and teacher-rated approaches to learning on the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS). Of note, the same compensatory pattern emerged for concurrently measured receptive vocabulary on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), expressive vocabulary on the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ), TOPEL phonological awareness, and teacher-rated approaches to learning. The consistent pattern of results suggests that strong visuomotor integration skills are an important part of school readiness, and merit further study.

The association between preschool classroom quality and children's social-emotional problems

ABSTRACTThis study examined the association between early childhood classroom quality and preschool children's social skills and emotional problems. Teachers completed the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) and the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment-Clinical Form (DECA-C). Participants included 141 preschool children from 10 kindergartens and 28 classrooms in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The study used a mixed-methods approach to explore quantitative and qualitative data. For the qualitative data, focus groups were used to interview a group of female preschool teachers in the schools where observations were conducted. The quantitative results of the study indicated that all the ECERS-R subscales were acceptable expect for the parents and staff subscale. For the DECA-C, the Total Protective Factors (TPF) composite score (including the attachment, self-control, and initiative subscales) was above the mean, which indicates acceptable levels of social functioning. The Total Behavioural Concerns (TBC) composite score (including attention problems, aggression problems, emotional-control problems, and withdrawal/depression problems subscales) was below the mean, which refers to low levels of behavioural problems. The hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that two subscales of the ECERS-R, namely space and furnishing, and language and reasoning predicted the TPF composite score. Also, two subscales of the ECERS-R, namely activities and interaction, significantly predicted the TBC composite score, while programme structure and parents and staff negatively predicted the TBC composite score.

Developmental trajectories in 22q11.2 deletion.

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), a neurogenetic condition, is the most common microdeletion syndrome affecting 1 in 2,000-4,000 live births and involving haploinsufficiency of ∼50 genes resulting in a multisystem disorder. Phenotypic expression is highly variable and ranges from severe life-threatening conditions to only a few associated features. Most common medical problems include: congenital heart disease, in particular conotruncal anomalies; palatal abnormalities, most frequently velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI); immunodeficiency; hypocalcemia due to hypoparathyroidism; genitourinary anomalies; severe feeding/gastrointestinal differences; and subtle dysmorphic facial features. The neurocognitive profile is also highly variable, both between individuals and during the course of development. From infancy onward, motor delays (often with hypotonia) and speech/language deficits are commonly observed. During the preschool and primary school ages, learning difficulties are very common. The majority of patients with 22q11.2DS have an intellectual level that falls in the borderline range (IQ 70-84), and about one-third have mild to moderate intellectual disability. More severe levels of intellectual disability are uncommon in children and adolescents but are more frequent in adults. Individuals with 22q11.2DS are at an increased risk for developing several psychiatric disorders including attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), anxiety and mood disorders, and psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. In this review, we will focus on the developmental phenotypic transitions regarding cognitive development in 22q11.2DS from early preschool to adulthood, and on the changing behavioral/psychiatric phenotype across age, on a background of frequently complex medical conditions.

Factor structure of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF-P) at age three years

The preschool period is an important developmental period for the emergence of cognitive self-regulatory skills or executive functions (EF). To date, evidence regarding the structure of EF in preschool children has supported both unitary and multicomponent models. The aim of the present study was to test the factor structure of early EF as measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool version (BRIEF-P). BRIEF-P consists of five subscales and three broader indexes, hypothesized to tap into different subcomponents of EF. Parent ratings of EF from a nonreferred sample of children recruited from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (N = 1134; age range 37–47 months) were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Three theoretically derived models were assessed; the second-order three-factor model originally proposed by the BRIEF-P authors, a “true” first-order one-factor model and a second-order one-factor model. CFA fit statistics supported the original three-factor solution. However, the difference in fit was marginal between this model and the second-order one-factor model. A follow-up exploratory factor analysis (EFA) supported the existence of several factors underlying EF in early preschool years, with a considerable overlap with the five BRIEF-P subscales. Our results suggest that some differentiation in EF has taken place at age 3 years, which is reflected in behavior ratings. The internal consistency of the BRIEF-P five clinical subscales is supported. Subscale interrelations may, however, differ at this age from those observed in the preschool group as a whole.

Early Numeracy Assessment: The Development of the Preschool Early Numeracy Scales

Research Findings: The focus of this study was to construct and validate 12 brief early numeracy assessment tasks that measure the skills and concepts identified as key to early mathematics development by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2006) and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008)—as well as critical developmental precursors to later mathematics skills noted in the Common Core State Standards (2010). Participants were 393 preschool children ages 3 to 5 years old. Measure development and validation occurred through 3 analytic phases designed to ensure that the measures were brief, reliable, and valid. These measures were 1-to-1 counting, cardinality, counting subsets, subitizing, number comparison, set comparison, number order, numeral identification, set-to-numerals, story problems, number combinations, and verbal counting. Practice or Policy: Teachers have extensive demands on their time, yet they are tasked with ensuring that all students’ academic needs are met. To identify individual instructional needs and measure progress, they need to be able to efficiently assess children’s numeracy skills. The measures developed in this study not only are reliable and exhibit evidence of validity but also are easy to use and can be utilized for measuring the effects of targeted instruction on individual numeracy skills.

Cochlear Implants and School Speech-Language Pathologists

School-based speech-language pathologists are providing services for children's cochlear implants (CIs) because of newborn screenings, early amplification and early intervention allowing many of the children with CIs to attend regular educational programs. The CI is explained along with tips to make listening in the classroom better for the CI user. A hierarchy of listening skill development is outlined along with evaluation procedures for assessing listening, speech, and language skills for children with CIs at the early intervention, preschool, elementary school, and high school levels. A detailed therapy program is provided as well to assist the school clinician. Resources are listed to provide information not only for the clinicians and students, but for teachers and parents as well.

Confidence and competence appraisals of early intervention and preschool special education practitioners

More than 1,800 early intervention practitioners serving birth to 3 year old children and preschool special education practitioners serving 3 to 5 year old children made self-judgments of their competence and confidence in using six different kinds of practices (family-centered practices, teaming and collaboration, assessment and evaluation, IFSPs and IEPs, instructional practices, and natural environments and inclusion). The participants include regular and special education teachers, speech, occupation and physical therapists, and psychologists and social workers. Results showed that in nearly all analyses, the practitioners judged themselves as more confident than competent in using the practices with children and families regardless of discipline. The findings taken together constitute the first set of data on the similarities and differences in practitioners' appraisals of their early intervention and preschool special education capabilities. Implications for research and practice are described.

Confidence and competence appraisals of early intervention and preschool special education practitioners

1800'den fazla 0-3 yas cocuklariyla calisan erken mudahale uygulayicilari ve 3-5 yas cocuklarina hizmet saglayan okul oncesi ozel egitim uygulayicilari alti farkli tur uygulamayi kullanmada (aile merkezli uygulamalar, ekip olusturma ve isbirligi, olcme ve degerlendirme, Bireysellestirilmis Aile Hizmet Planlari [IFSPs] ve Bireysellestirilmis Egitim Planlari [IEPs], egitimsel uygulamalar, dogal ortamlar ve kaynastirma) yeterliliklerini ve guvenlerini kendi kendilerine degerlendirmistir. Katilimcilar sinif ve ozel egitim ogretmenleri, konusma, is ve fizyo terapistleri ve psikologlar ve sosyal calismacilardan olusmaktadir. Sonuclar neredeyse tum analizlerde, uygulamacilarin kendilerini aile ve cocuklarla gerceklestirdikleri uygulamalari kullanmada yeterli olmaktan daha fazla emin olarak degerlendirdiklerini gostermistir. Hep birlikte bulgular, uygulamacilarin erken mudahale ve okul oncesi ozel egitim yeterliliklerini degerlendirmedeki benzerlikleri ve farkliliklari uzerine ilk veri setini olusturmaktadir. Arastirma ve uygulama icin yansimalar aciklanmistir.

Early preschool processing abilities predict subsequent reading outcomes in bilingual Spanish–Catalan children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) have severe language difficulties without showing hearing impairments, cognitive deficits, neurological damage or socio-emotional deprivation. However, previous studies have shown that children with SLI show some cognitive and literacy problems. Our study analyses the relationship between preschool cognitive and linguistic abilities and the later development of reading abilities in Spanish–Catalan bilingual children with SLI. The sample consisted of 17 bilingual Spanish–Catalan children with SLI and 17 age-matched controls. We tested eight distinct processes related to phonological, attention, and language processing at the age of 6 years and reading at 8 years of age.Results show that bilingual Spanish–Catalan children with SLI show significantly lower scores, as compared to typically developing peers, in phonological awareness, phonological memory, and rapid automatized naming (RAN), together with a lower outcome in tasks measuring sentence repetition and verbal fluency. Regarding attentional processes, bilingual Spanish–Catalan children with SLI obtained lower scores in auditory attention, but not in visual attention. At the age of 8 years Spanish–Catalan children with SLI had lower scores than their age-matched controls in total reading score, letter identification (decoding), and in semantic task (comprehension). Regression analyses identified both phonological awareness and verbal fluency at the age of 6 years to be the best predictors of subsequent reading performance at the age of 8 years. Our data suggest that language acquisition problems and difficulties in reading acquisition in bilingual children with SLI might be related to the close interdependence between a limitation in cognitive processing and a deficit at the linguistic level.Learning Outcomes: After reading this article, readers will be able to: identify their understanding of the relation between language difficulties and reading outcomes; explain how processing abilities influence reading performance in bilingual Spanish-Catalan children with SLI; and recognize the relation between language and reading via a developmental model in which the phonological system is considered central for the development of decoding abilities and comprehension.

Continuity in features of anxiety and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in young preschool children

Anxiety disorders and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) develop before school age, but little is known about early developmental pathways. Here we test two hypotheses: first, that early signs of anxiety and ADHD at 18 months predict symptoms of anxiety and ADHD at age 3½ years; second, that emotional dysregulation at 18 months predicts the outcome of co-occurring anxiety and ADHD at age 3½ years. The study was part of the prospective Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The 628 participants were clinically assessed at 3½ years. Questionnaire data collected at 18 months were categorized into early behavioural scales of anxiety, ADHD, and emotional dysregulation. We investigated continuity in features of anxiety and ADHD from 18 months to 3½ years of age through logistic regression analyses. Anxiety symptoms at 3½ years were predicted by early signs of anxiety (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.41, CI = 1.15–1.73) and emotional dysregulation (OR = 1.33, CI = 1.15–1.54). ADHD symptoms at 3½ years were predicted by early signs of ADHD (OR = 1.51, CI = 1.30–1.76) and emotional dysregulation (OR = 1.31, CI = 1.13–1.51). Co-occurring anxiety and ADHD symptoms at 3½ years were predicted by early signs of anxiety (OR = 1.43, CI = 1.13–1.84), ADHD (OR = 1.30, CI = 1.11–1.54), and emotional dysregulation (OR = 1.34, CI = 1.13–1.58). We conclude that there were modest continuities in features of anxiety and ADHD through early preschool years, while emotional dysregulation at age 18 months was associated with symptoms of anxiety, ADHD, and co-occurring anxiety and ADHD at age 3½ years.

The Preschool Early Literacy Indicators

Assessment is at the center of a decision-making model within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework. Assessments that can be used for universal screening and progress monitoring in early childhood RTI models are needed that are both psychometrically sound and appropriate to meet developmental needs of young children. The Preschool Early Literacy Indicators (PELI), an assessment tool developed for screening and for progress monitoring, was designed to incorporate psychometrically sound assessment practices within an authentic assessment format. The current study provides data on concurrent and predictive validity of the PELI as well as analyses leading to the development of preliminary benchmark goals on the PELI. The PELI demonstrates significant differences in performance by age and growth in early literacy and language skills across the preschool years. Correlations between the PELI and criterion measures of similar skills are moderate to strong and predictive probabilities with respect to outcome measures are moderate to strong.

Measuring Phonological Awareness in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

This study evaluated psychometric properties of 2 phonological awareness (PA) tests normed for hearing children when used with deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children with functional hearing. It also provides an in-depth description of these children's PA. One hundred and eight DHH children (mean age = 63.3 months) with cochlear implants or hearing aids were assessed in the fall and spring of the school year. Sixty-three percent communicated only with spoken language; 37% communicated with both sign and speech. Examiners administered PA subtests from the Phonological Awareness Test-2 and the Test of Preschool Early Literacy, along with assessments of speech perception and early literacy. Item analyses indicated that both tests showed good psychometric properties (e.g., high item discriminations and internal consistencies). DHH children scored higher on subtests and items that measured words, rhymes, and syllables than those that assessed phonemes. Although subtest difficulty influenced the factor structure in the fall, spring PA was best characterized as a single factor. PA correlated concurrently and predictively with early literacy. This study suggests that these 2 standardized tests are valid for use with DHH children with functional hearing. Although delayed, these children's PA was structurally similar to that of hearing children.

Preschool speech intelligibility and vocabulary skills predict long-term speech and language outcomes following cochlear implantation in early childhood

Speech and language measures during grade school predict adolescent speech-language outcomes in children who receive cochlear implants (CIs), but no research has examined whether speech and language functioning at even younger ages is predictive of long-term outcomes in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine whether early preschool measures of speech and language performance predict speech-language functioning in long-term users of CIs. Early measures of speech intelligibility and receptive vocabulary (obtained during preschool ages of 3–6 years) in a sample of 35 prelingually deaf, early-implanted children predicted speech perception, language, and verbal working memory skills up to 18 years later. Age of onset of deafness and age at implantation added additional variance to preschool speech intelligibility in predicting some long-term outcome scores, but the relationship between preschool speech-language skills and later speech-language outcomes was not significantly attenuated by the addition of these hearing history variables. These findings suggest that speech and language development during the preschool years is predictive of long-term speech and language functioning in early-implanted, prelingually deaf children. As a result, measures of speech-language functioning at preschool ages can be used to identify and adjust interventions for very young CI users who may be at long-term risk for suboptimal speech and language outcomes.

Pedagogers tankar om teknik i förskolan

Dagens samhälle ställer höga krav på den enskilda individen när det gäller förmågan att förstå och tillägna sig färdigheter och kunskap inom teknikområdet (Turja, Endepohls-Ulpe & Chatoney, 2009). Kunskaperna i teknik ska göras tillgängliga tidigt, redan i förskolan, och vara ett viktigt inslag genom hela utbildningsväsendet. I många länder, så även i Sverige, betonas förskoleåldern som en viktig period för att lägga grunden till kunskap om teknik och intresse för teknik. Att ta tillvara barnens naturliga nyfikenhet och upptäckarglädje lyfts fram för att utveckla kunskap om teknik.

Inhibition and working memory in young preschool children with symptoms of ADHD and/or oppositional-defiant disorder

Background: Early symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) are associated with deficits in cognitive self-regulatory processes or executive functions (EF)s. However, the hypothesis that neurocognitive deficits underlying the two disorders are already evident during early preschool years still has limited empirical support. The present study investigated associations between symptoms of ADHD and/or ODD and two core EFs, inhibition and working memory, in a large nonclinical sample of 3-year old children. Method: Participants were 1045 children (554 boys, age 37–47 months), recruited from the population based Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Relations between behavioral symptoms and measures of inhibition and working memory were studied both categorically and dimensionally. Results: Children with co-occurring symptoms of ADHD and ODD performed at a significantly lower level than typically developing children in 4 out of 5 EF measures. Symptoms of ADHD, both alone and in combination with ODD, were associated with reduced performance on tests of inhibition in the group comparisons. Dimensional analyses showed that performance within both EF domains contributed to variance primarily in ADHD symptom load. The associations between test results and behavioral symptoms remained significant after gender and verbal skills had been controlled. Conclusion: Young preschoolers show the same pattern of relations between EF and behavioral symptoms of ADHD and/or ODDas previously described in older children diagnosed with ADHD and/or ODD. Effect sizes were generally small, indicating that measures of EF have limited clinical utility at this stage in development.

Mothers of young children with disabilities: perceived benefits and worries about preschool

A child's move from early intervention (EI) to special education preschool is considered to be a critical transition point for both the child and family. Family concerns during this process are heightened by changes in service delivery systems. Although much has been written about the transition from EI services, little is known about the parents' perceptions of the early preschool experience. Data from a sample of 105 mothers and their children from the Early Intervention Collaborative Study [Hauser-Cram, P., Warfield, M.E., Shonkoff, J.P., & Krauss, M.W. (2001). Children with disabilities: A longitudinal study of child development and parent well-being. Society for Research in Child Development Monographs, 66, 1–131] were used to analyse mothers' reports on a study-developed measure designed to capture their views of children's preschool experiences immediately following transition. Factor analysis indicated two distinct factors, ‘benefits of school’ and ‘worries about school.’ Each of these factors was then regressed on child, family, and preschool classroom characteristics to examine predictors of maternal perceptions about her child's new preschool experience. Implications for the receiving special education programmes and preschool teachers' practices are discussed.

Teachers in early childhood policy

This paper examines teacher accountability and authority in early childhood policy. It reports on data from a study that investigated the influences affecting early childhood teacher decision-making at the preschool level in Victoria, Australia. Using a question raised by Ball ‘Where are the teachers in all this [policy]?’ provided a starting point for the critical discourse analysis into how forms of control, teacher authority, obligation and constraint within policies potentially influenced teachers’ curriculum decisions. The study found that despite no government-mandated curriculum framework at the time, teachers were held accountable for their curricular practice. Yet as professionals, early childhood teachers were denied public acknowledgement of their expertise as they were almost invisible in policy. In the four policies analysed, proprietors of early childhood settings and preschool agencies held authority over curriculum. Subsequently, teachers’ authority as professionals with curricular knowledge was diminished.

The effect of thematically related play on engagement in storybook reading in children with hearing loss

Purpose: This study examined whether theme-related play increased subsequent engagement in storybook reading in preschool children with typical hearing and with hearing loss. Method: This study employed a counterbalanced experimental design. In all sessions, participants engaged in free play first and then were read a storybook. In the experimental condition, the play materials matched the theme of the book, and in the control condition it did not. Conditions were presented in random order. Storybooks had language at the early preschool level and had characters, plots, and illustrations. Twenty-three preschool-aged children participated, 12 with typical hearing and 11 with hearing loss. Engagement during storybook reading was measured using a modified Child Behaviour Rating Scale (CBRS; Mahoney, 1998), consisting of five Items: Attention to Activity, Involvement, Cooperation (Attention subscale), and Affect and Joint Attention (Socio-emotional subscale). Results: Play that matched the theme of the storybook selectively enhanced engagement, particularly the Affect Item and the Socio-emotional Subscale of the CBRS, in participants with hearing loss. Conclusions: Thematically related play prior to reading leads to increased interaction with the reader and more positive emotion during reading for children with hearing loss. Implementing this approach is simple and fun for school and home settings.