Older Siblings Research Articles

Parent-child interaction frequency: associations with age, sibling presence, and child health.

Parent-child interaction plays a crucial role in child development. This study investigated associations between the frequency of parent-child-interactions and sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, socio-economic status, family structure, number and age of siblings), physical and psychological symptoms in children, and mental health of parents. The frequencies of 11 different parent-child interactions (shared reading, singing, moving, painting, building, puzzle, playing ball, role games, language games, number games and talking about problems) were assessed in 739 children aged 2-6.5 years-old using a standardised parental questionnaire, within a population-based cohort study in Leipzig, Germany. Physical and psychological symptoms were investigated using the HBSC Symptom-Checklist and parental depression symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire. We applied regression analyses to assess associations between variables. Shared reading was the parent-child interaction reported most frequently, with an average occurrence of several times a week. Number games were reported least frequently, with an average occurrency of every two weeks. Fewer parent-child interactions were significantly associated with higher child age, higher number of siblings, presence of older siblings and a lower level of physical and psychological symptoms. The other variables (sex, SES, living situation, presence of younger siblings or both (younger and older), depression symptoms of parents) were not significantly associated with the frequency of parent-child interactions. The findings show that age of children and number as well as age of siblings at home may shape the frequency of parent-child interaction in preschool children. In addition, the findings suggest that parent-child interaction might be related to the health of children rather than the (mental) health of parents. This study assessed the associations between the frequency of different types of parent-child interactions and sociodemographic as well as health-related parameters in a large sample of children. There still exist sex-specific differences in the frequency of parent-child interactions related to traditional role models of girls and boys. A higher frequency of parent-child interactions is associated with more physical and psychological symptoms in children. Parent-child interactions are less frequent in families with more children, especially when older siblings are present.

Parental warmth and parent-child conflict among U.S. Latinx families in middle childhood.

Grounded in family systems theory and using latent profile analysis, the present study examined (a) patterns of parent-child warmth and parent-child conflict within multiple dyads (mother-older child, mother-younger child, father-older child, father-younger child) among 305 U.S. Latinx families with fifth graders (Mage = 10.6; 46.6% female) and younger siblings (Mage = 8.20; 47.2% female) and (b) tested links of profile membership with child academic competence, negative peer relationships, and depressive symptoms. Two profiles were characterized by differential maternal and paternal warmth toward older versus younger siblings, with one of the profiles characterized by higher levels of conflict than the other, and a third profile included families where parent-child dyads were similar in their levels of moderately high warmth and low conflict. Profile membership was concurrently linked with children's academic competence, peer relationships, and depressive symptoms, with notable within-family differences for older versus younger siblings. Findings underscore the value of studying families as interrelated subsystems by capturing multiple dimensions of two children's relationships with mothers and fathers and provide insights for family-based prevention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sustainable Clothing Practices amongst Maharashtra's Elderly Women: A Cultural Legacy of Resourcefulness and Environmental Respect

Abstract: In the vibrant tapestry of India's cultural heritage, the state of Maharashtra stands as a beacon of sustainable clothing traditions, proudly upheld by its golden-aged women. This research illuminates the timeless and inspiring practices of these women who have seamlessly integrated tradition, sustainability, and environmental consciousness into their way of life. This paper employs qualitative research, including unstructured interviews with senior citizen women from rural Solapur and Nasik districts of Maharashtra. It seeks to document and explore the timeless practices and ingenious techniques these women employ to repurpose and upcycle clothing. To amplify the relevance of these findings, extensive reviews of prior research and existing theories have been conducted. From heirloom Paithani saris to everyday Ilkal saris, the practice of passing down clothing to future generations is customary. Moreover, these women demonstrate a unique penchant for repurposing old garments, often dressing newborns in soft, hand-me-down clothes from older siblings or cousins. One notable practice is the art of crafting vibrant rugs and quilts, known as "Godhadi" in Marathi, by transforming old garments. These women also eschew buying pillows, instead recycling discarded fabrics into hand-stitched cushions. In the face of adversity, the Maharashtra women, particularly those from marginalized communities, have remained resilient, embodying principles of resourcefulness, creativity, and deep respect for the environment. They ingeniously salvaged old Ilkal saris by retaining the undamaged portions and skilfully piecing them together, creating the "Junaari" sari. In Marathi, 'Juni' signifies old, plus 'sari', aptly naming this distinctive creation. This research offers a unique insight into the sustainable clothing practices of Maharashtra's elderly women, showcasing their resourcefulness and respect for the environment. Their practices provide valuable lessons for a world increasingly concerned with sustainable fashion and consumption.

Adaptive language strategies of an older sibling in bilingual German-Russian acquisition: A case study

Abstract In the beginning stages of language acquisition, children primarily learn language from their parents or main caregivers. Studies have shown that adults use a specific way of speaking when talking to young children, called child-directed speech (CDS). This type of speech has distinct characteristics across different aspects of language. Additionally, older siblings also communicate with their younger brothers and sisters. Studies suggest that even three- and four-year-olds change how they talk when interacting with younger children, like their siblings. Studies have shown that children’s speech patterns resemble those of adults, whether they grow up in monolingual or bilingual environments. However, research on bilingual language acquisition often focuses on how siblings influence the language development of younger children. In this study, we explore how children adapt their language in bilingual settings and focus on the older sibling. Specifically, we compare the speech of an older sibling, who speaks both German and Russian, when talking to their younger sibling and when talking to their parents. The study revealed the following: The girl demonstrated linguistic adaptations typical of child-directed speech in both Russian and German when interacting with her younger brother. However, these adaptations were not consistent across all linguistic categories analyzed, revealing some differences between the two languages. Notably, Katharina did not exhibit more child-directed speech features in one language over the other. Adaptive behavior was present in both Russian and German in categories such as MLU, MLU5, question constructions, and imperatives. In Russian, adaptation was also evident in coordinate constructions but not subordinate constructions, while the opposite pattern was observed in German.

The association of schooling, sibling life situation, and dietary habits with the estimated 24-h urinary salt excretion and sodium-to-potassium ratio in 3-year-old children

ABSTRACT Objectives We examined the association of schooling, sibling life situation, and dietary habits with the estimated 24-h urinary salt excretion and the urinary sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio in 3-year-old children. Methods The subjects were 639 children who underwent a health checkup in four cities and towns in Kyoto Prefecture from January to November 2019. The children’s parents answered questionnaires about weekday childcare places, the birth order, and the awareness of reducing the salt intake. The questions on food intake frequency included 10 items. The estimated 24-h salt excretion and Na/K ratio were calculated from the participants’ first voiding urine in the morning. Results Data were available for 294 children. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) of salt excretion (g/day) was 2.6 (1.7–3.4), and urinary Na/K ratio (mmol ratio) was 2.6 (1.6–4.1). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the group with older siblings was significantly associated with high salt (odds ratio 1.89 (95% confidence interval 1.04 to 3.46)). In the urinary Na/K ratio, the nursery group had a significantly lower Na/K (odds ratio 0.32 (0.17 to 0.60)). High processed meat products intake was associated with a higher Na/K (odds ratio 1.96 (1.05–3.66)), whereas high vegetable intake was associated with a lower Na/K (odds ratio 0.45 (0.23–0.87)). Other factors showed no significant associations. Conclusions In Japanese 3-year-old children, the estimated 24-h urinary salt excretion was associated with older siblings, and the urinary Na/K ratios were associated with schooling situation and the intake of processed meat products and vegetables.

The Effectiveness of Heat-Killed Pediococcus acidilactici K15 in Preventing Respiratory Tract Infections in Preterm Infants: A Pilot Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Preterm infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have a risk of severe viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Researchers have recently reported the potential use of postbiotics to decrease RTIs in young children. However, the safety and efficacy of postbiotics for preventing RTIs in preterm infants is not yet established. We conducted a pilot double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the heat-killed lactic acid bacterium Pediococcus acidilactici K15 in 41 preterm infants born at <36 weeks of gestation and discharged from the NICU at Chiba University Hospital. Following once-daily K15 or placebo treatment for one year, no significant differences were found in the mean number of febrile days (4.5 [1.5-7.4] days vs. 6.6 [2.6-10.5] days). The subgroup analysis showed that the effect of treatment on the number of febrile days was more prominent in the K15 group than in the placebo group, among children with older siblings. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples illustrated that the genus Faecalimonas was enriched in the K15 group, potentially promoting butyrate production by butyrate-producing bacteria. No adverse events were found to be associated with K15 intake. There were no clear data to show the effectiveness of K15 in preventing fever and RTIs in preterm babies during infancy. A larger clinical trial is warranted.

Sibling socialization of alcohol use during adolescence: An integrated model of sibling influence processes.

Research demonstrates that siblings, especially older siblings, make unique contributions to adolescents' substance use above and beyond shared genetics and shared parenting. Older siblings' influences on younger adolescent siblings' alcohol use operate through both direct and indirect pathways. Using three waves of longitudinal data, the present study tested an integrated model of sibling influence processes focused on the linkages between older adolescent siblings' earlier alcohol use and younger adolescent siblings' later alcohol use. Longitudinal study using data collected from families on three occasions: Time 1 (March 2019-February 2020), Time 2 (July 2020-February 2021) and Time 3 (November 2021-February 2022) via online surveys. Families resided in five midwestern states in the US (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin). Participants included two adolescent-aged siblings and one parent from 682 families (n = 2046 persons). Alcohol use by adolescents and parents was assessed at Time 1; younger siblings' social alcohol expectancies and perceptions of modeling were measured at Time 2; and younger siblings' alcohol use was measured at Time 3. Older siblings' earlier alcohol use predicted younger siblings' later drinking both directly [b = 0.15, standard error (SE) = 0.04, β = 0.17, P < 0.001] and indirectly through younger siblings' social alcohol expectancies [δ = 0.02, SE = 0.008, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.003, 0.03]. The direct (δ = -0.14, SE = 0.07, 95% CI = -0.27, -0.01) and indirect (δ = 0.03, SE = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.0001, 0.06) links were further moderated by younger siblings' reports of sibling modeling, but not by gender composition of the sibling dyad or the interaction of modeling and gender composition. Older siblings' alcohol use appears to influence younger siblings' later alcohol use directly, as well as indirectly through younger siblings' expectancies about alcohol. The global context of the sibling relationship, in this case sibling modeling, may further amplify or dampen these pathways of influence.

Language choice and code-mixing in a longitudinal study of an Estonian-English bilingual child

The input that bilingual children receive influences their language proportions, language development, and code-mixing. Most studies on these topics have included early bilinguals whose input proportions undergo large changes in early childhood and whose parents use the one-parent-one-language family language policy. This paper examines the input-output proportions of an Estonian-English bilingual child over a period of 2.5 years (2;3-5;01) using recorded spontaneous speech from a situation where the input language proportions did not change and where the family language policy was different from the one-parent-one-language policy that is presented in most studies: the family rotated the language they all spoke by the day of the week. Additionally, the child’s code-mixing rate and her MLU scores are investigated to provide an overview of these factors in an unstudied input situation. Lastly, it is analyzed whether code-mixing by older siblings influences the code-mixing rate of the younger sibling. The results indicate that in the early phases of language development the child uses all the linguistic resources available to her, and as her language develops, she responds more in the language of the conversation and code-mixes less. However, there is also a period where the child unexpectedly almost stops speaking in Estonian regardless of the unchanged input. The data shows that code-mixed utterances are the longest, hence supporting previous research findings and indicating that code-mixing is a tool that helps the child communicate better. Code-mixing by siblings does not show any signs of affecting the younger sibling’s code-mixing rate, though a more thorough analysis is necessary. Hence, the results indicate the importance of input and shed light on input effects in bilingual language acquisition in an understudied input situation.

“My brother teaches me everything”: Sibling mediation of young Israeli children’s media use

ABSTRACT This study sheds light on sibling mediation of young children’s media use, focusing on older brothers and sisters as significant mediators in imparting preferences, skills, and norms of media use in early childhood. The sample included 20 families with two or three children, one of whom was four to seven years of age and had at least one older sibling. In each family, in-depth interviews were conducted with the mothers, younger children, and with the older siblings. The findings indicated that older siblings served as playmates, digital mentors, parental proxies, and shields. These roles were crucial in their younger siblings’ media experiences, and much more significant than were the mediating roles of the parents, especially regarding the use of digital media.

Sibling and best friend conflict resolution strategies among Mexican-origin youth

Sibling relationships evolve into a more egalitarian relationship dynamic resembling friendships during adolescence, potentially facilitating the transfer of interpersonal skills across relationships. This study investigates cross-relationship associations in conflict resolution strategies with siblings and friends. Research on family-peer linkages, largely focused on White populations, often overlook the role of siblings in other ethnoracial contexts. Drawing on social learning theory, we examined mean-level differences on conflict resolution strategy use with siblings versus friends and how conflict resolution strategies with siblings were related to those with friends. Participants were older ( M = 15.48; SD = 1.57) and younger siblings ( M = 12.55; SD = .60) in 246 Mexican-origin families. Adolescents reported on their use of solution-oriented, nonconfrontational, and controlling strategies with one another and their best friends, which reflect varying considerations for oneself, others, and their relationship. Multilevel ANOVAs suggest that adolescents typically use more adaptive strategies with friends than with siblings. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models revealed significant positive associations between actor-reported conflict resolution strategies with siblings and friends, even when accounting for relationship intimacy and conflict, expressive personality characteristics, and familism values, suggesting congruence across relationships. Cross-strategy analyses indicated that controlling strategies with siblings were correlated with all strategies with friends, while nonconfrontational strategies with siblings negatively related to solution-oriented strategies with friends. These findings highlight how sibling and friend experiences shape adolescents’ interpersonal skills and suggest avenues for future research on the enduring impact on social development.

Longitudinal Change in Physical Activity in Children 6 to 36 Months of Age

To describe the developmental pattern for physical activity (PA) in children 6-36 months of age and to identify factors that are longitudinally associated with PA as children transition from infancy to preschool age. The study employed a prospective, longitudinal design with baseline data collected when children were approximately 6 months of age. Mothers and infants (n = 124) were recruited through community and educational settings in South Carolina. Data were collected at 6-month intervals from 6 through 36 months. PA was measured via accelerometry. Mothers completed questionnaires that assessed independent variables, including parent characteristics, the child's sex, race, and ethnicity, birth/delivery type, motor milestones, sleep habits, dietary practices, childcare setting, and home environmental factors. Trained research staff administered anthropometric measures and assessed motor developmental status. Growth curve models described the age-related pattern for PA and evaluated relationships between independent variables and change in PA. PA increased by approximately 45% between 6 and 36 months of age and followed a curvilinear pattern, with most of the increase occurring between 6 and 24 months. The child's exposure to television/electronic media was negatively associated with change in PA, and the presence of older siblings in the home was positively associated with change in PA. As children develop from infancy to early childhood, their PA increases substantially, with most of the increase occurring by 24 months of age.

Daily sibling interactions among latino children in middle childhood: An examination of familism values and sibling roles

Siblings are children’s most frequent daily companions in middle childhood and these relationships are theorized to be dynamic in nature but are rarely studied in a way that captures their day-to-day variation. Guided by cultural-ecological and relationship perspectives, this study examined the role of older siblings’ familism values and caring roles as predictors of average levels of and day-to-day variation in siblings’ positive and negative exchanges across seven days and tested moderation by child sex. Participants were older ( M = 10.6 years; SD = 0.39; 46.6% female) and younger siblings ( M = 8.2 years; SD = 1.07; 47.2% female) in 307 Latino sibling dyads recruited from 11 elementary schools in the southwestern U.S. Data were collected via home visits with parents, and in afterschool sessions and seven nightly phone calls with siblings. Analyses were conducted using a random variability model in a multilevel structural equation modeling approach. Findings revealed consistent associations between older siblings’ familism values and sibling roles and both average levels of and intraindividual variation in older siblings’ positivity and negativity. For younger siblings, some findings were moderated by child sex with more consistent links to younger sisters’ positivity and negativity than younger brothers’. Discussion highlights how older siblings’ cultural values and roles shape both overall levels of and day-to-day fluctuations in siblings’ exchanges and offers future directions of research.

Clinical and Sociodemographic Factors Related to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Spain: A Pilot Study

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease of unknow etiology. Male sex is a well stablished risk factor, but other factors such as early and adult life expositions show contradictory evidence. Aim: to explore the link of clinical, sociodemographic, and occupational factors with ALS patients in Spain and the impact of these factors in functionality. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with ALS patients and healthy controls. Registered variables were smoking, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, previous cancer to reproductive organs or breast, occupational exposure, and early life exposures. Functionality in ALS patients was compared according to each exposure. Results: The ALS group consisted of 59 participants and the control group of 90 participants. ALS patients showed a significant association with previous cancer (p = 0.011), occupational exposure (p &lt; 0.001), and older siblings (p = 0.029). ALS patients presented significant differences in BMI according to hypertension and older-sibling factors. Moreover, respiratory function was affected in patients with previous cancer (p = 0.031). Conclusions: Occupational exposure and previous cancer to reproductive organs or breast could be linked to ALS patients. In addition, hypertension and previous cancer could affect their BMI and respiratory function. Other factors such as longer smoking periods and exposition to older siblings could also characterize ALS patients.

Interpretable machine learning for allergic rhinitis prediction among preschool children in Urumqi, China.

This study aimed to investigate the advantages and applications of machine learning models in predicting the risk of allergic rhinitis (AR) in children aged 2-8, compared to traditional logistic regression. The study analyzed questionnaire data from 7131 children aged 2-8, which was randomly divided into training, validation, and testing sets in a ratio of 55:15:30, repeated 100 times. Predictor variables included parental allergy, medical history during the child's first year (cfy), and early life environmental factors. The time of first onset of AR was restricted to after the age of 1 year to establish a clear temporal relationship between the predictor variables and the outcome. Feature engineering utilized the chi-square test and the Boruta algorithm, refining the dataset for analysis. The construction utilized Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting Tree (XGBoost) as the models. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), and the optimal decision threshold was determined by weighing multiple metrics on the validation sets and reporting results on the testing set. Additionally, the strengths and limitations of the different models were comprehensively analyzed by stratifying gender, mode of birth, and age subgroups, as well as by varying the number of predictor variables. Furthermore, methods such as Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) and purity of node partition in Random Forest were employed to assess feature importance, along with exploring model stability through alterations in the number of features. In this study, 7131 children aged 2-8 were analyzed, with 524 (7.35%) diagnosed with AR, with an onset age ranging from 2 to 8 years. Optimal parameters were refined using the validation set, and a rigorous process of 100 random divisions and repeated training ensured robust evaluation of the models on the testing set. The model construction involved incorporating fourteen variables, including the history of allergy-related diseases during the child's first year, familial genetic factors, and early-life indoor environmental factors. The performance of LR, SVM, RF, and XGBoost on the unstratified data test set was 0.715 (standard deviation = 0.023), 0.723 (0.022), 0.747 (0.015), and 0.733 (0.019), respectively; the performance of each model was stable on the stratified data, and the RF performance was significantly better than that of LR (paired samples t-test: p < 0.001). Different techniques for evaluating the importance of features showed that the top5 variables were father or mother with AR, having older siblings, history of food allergy and father's educational level. Utilizing strategies like stratification and adjusting the number of features, this study constructed a random forest model that outperforms traditional logistic regression. Specifically designed to detect the occurrence of allergic rhinitis (AR) in children aged 2-8, the model incorporates parental allergic history and early life environmental factors. The selection of the optimal cut-off value was determined through a comprehensive evaluation strategy. Additionally, we identified the top 5 crucial features that greatly influence the model's performance. This study serves as a valuable reference for implementing machine learning-based AR prediction in pediatric populations.

Fostering Dialogic Reading Through Older Siblings in Immigrant Latino Families: A Pilot Study

To promote children’s language development through designs that consider familial contexts, the authors explored the effectiveness of a dialogic reading intervention customized for older siblings in immigrant Latino families. The dialogic reading intervention, developed with components of training, modeling, and coaching, systematically supported older siblings’ dialogic reading use while reading with their younger siblings. Using the CROWD mnemonic, older siblings were taught to use a range of dialogic reading prompts, thereby nurturing diverse forms of engagement during shared interactive book reading (SIBR) sessions. Moreover, older siblings were taught the PEER mnemonic to enhance their ability to respond to their younger siblings’ input in manners conducive to promoting the latter’s language development. Effects of the intervention program on three older siblings’ (1) prompting and (2) responsiveness during SIBR were assessed using a multiple-baseline across participants design. Results indicate that two out of three older siblings increased prompt frequency and demonstrated improved responsiveness after receiving coaching and modeling support. Challenges faced by one older sibling are discussed, potentially attributed to individual language and literacy difficulties. Results tentatively indicate that older siblings have the capacity to acquire and apply dialogic reading skills if given appropriate instruction and support. These results illuminate opportunities to enhance SIBR techniques among siblings, underscoring the significant role older siblings in immigrant Latino families can play in providing enriched language input during SIBR.

Sibling-Mediated Early Start Denver Model Support for Young Autistic Children

Young autistic children and their siblings often need support to play and engage with each other. The inclusion of older siblings in the provision of support may improve outcomes for autistic children and strengthen the sibling relationship. This study evaluated the inclusion of older siblings in the delivery of Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) support to autistic children aged between 3 and 4 years. It used a non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of sibling-mediated ESDM for four young autistic children and their older, non-autistic siblings. For most dyads, there were improvements in autistic child engagement and in sibling initiations during the sibling-mediated ESDM, which were generally maintained at follow-up. There was some improvement in sibling responses and minimal improvement in autistic child imitation and functional utterances. Sibling initiations and responses were generally positively correlated with autistic child engagement, functional utterances, and imitation. The parents of children in all four dyads found the sibling-mediated ESDM to be acceptable. These preliminary results suggest that sibling-mediated ESDM may be beneficial for improving the interaction between autistic children and their non-autistic siblings while benefits for teaching additional child skills might be more limited.

The Study of the Inheritance Mechanisms of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1) in Families from the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystem disorder with progressive myopathy and myotonia. The clinical study was conducted in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (RNOA), and in it 39 individuals from 17 unrelated families were identified with DM1. Clinical presentations varied, including muscle weakness, fatigue, intellectual disability, hypersomnia, ophthalmological abnormalities, and alopecia. Using clinical and genotyping data, we confirmed the diagnosis and enabled the study of CTG-repeat anticipation and DM1 prevalence in the Ossetian and Ingush populations. CTG expansion correlated with age of onset, with clinical severity, and with offspring showing more severe symptoms than parents. In many families, the youngest child had a more severe DM1 phenotype than older siblings. The prevalence was 14.17 per 100,000 in Ossetians and 18.74 per 100,000 in Ingush people, aligning with global data. Segregation analysis showed a higher frequency of maternal transmission. The study highlights the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of DM1 and its dependence on repeat expansion and paternal and maternal age.

Association between maternal mRNA covid-19 vaccination in early pregnancy and major congenital anomalies in offspring: population based cohort study with sibling matched analysis

ObjectiveTo examine the association between maternal mRNA covid-19 vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy and the prevalence of major congenital anomalies in offspring.DesignPopulation based cohort study with sibling matched...

Paternal behavior in captive fat-tailed dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus medius) is preserved under socially relevant conditions.

Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus medius), primates endemic to Madagascar, are obligate hibernators that form stable, lifelong pairs in the wild. Given the temporal constraints imposed by seasonal hibernation, infant dwarf lemurs must grow, develop, and wean within the first two months of life. Maternal as well as paternal infant care, observed in the wild, has been deemed critical for infant survival. Given the importance of fathers' involvement in early infant care, we expect this behavior to persist even under captive conditions. At the Duke Lemur Center, in Durham NC, we observed two families of fat-tailed dwarf lemurs and focused on the behavior of adult males within the first two months of the infants' lives. We report evidence of paternal involvement, including babysitting, co-feeding, grooming, accompanying, and leading infants, consistent with observations from the wild. As expected, paternal babysitting decreased as infants gained independence, while co-feeding increased. Supplemental anecdotes, video recorded by observers, also highlight clear cases of involvement by both parents, and even older siblings, in safeguarding and socializing new infants. We argue that maintaining captive fat-tailed dwarf lemur populations under socially and ecologically relevant conditions facilitates the full expression of physiological and behavioral repertoires. Most importantly, it also allows dwarf lemurs to realize their species' potential and become robust proxies of their wild kin.

Exploring the effect of dialogic reading on children with autism spectrum disorder: Do siblings promote their language development?

Most educators engaged in dialogic reading (DR) are adults, whilst less attention is paid to the teaching effect of siblings on the language development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study, which included 1007 Chinese kindergarteners with ASD, aimed to examine the possible effects of siblings' DR involvement on the language development of ASD children in terms of receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, character reading, listening comprehension and reading interest. After a 12-week intervention period, results revealed that, except listening comprehension, ASD children who read with their older siblings demonstrated greater improvements than when they read with their parents in terms of expressive vocabulary, character reading skills and reading interest. These findings demonstrated the positive effects of DR on the language development of ASD children and highlight the importance of involving siblings in home literacy activities to facilitate the language development of ASD children. The effects of gender dyads and age differences between educators and ASD children have also been discussed.