Parent Report Research Articles

Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the First Year Inventory for Early ASD Screening in China.

The First Year Inventory (FYI) is a parent report screening measure, aimed at identifying the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 12-month-old infants. This study aimed to investigate the utility of FYI within the Chinese community and develop a short version, encompassing both a low-risk sample and a high-risk sample comprising infants with older siblings diagnosed with ASD. Parents of 53 high-risk (HR) infants and 519 low-risk (LR) infants, aged 11 to 13 months, were recruited. After comparing response distributions across Chinese and American samples, a new factorial structure was developed according to the factor analyses. The construct validity and internal consistency of the two FYI versions were examined. The implementation of FYI in the HR sample was also assessed. Noteworthy disparities in response distribution were observed between the Chinese and American samples. Both FYI 2.0 and the FYI short version demonstrated moderate construct validity and internal consistency, with the FYI short version exhibiting better predictive ability in the HR sample. Significant lower risk scores was observed in the HR sample compared to the LR sample. These findings substantiate the applicability and validity of the Chinese short version of FYI. Future research should include follow-up assessments with the Chinese sample to evaluate cutoff scores, considering the cutoff between sensitivity and specificity and the sample?s characteristics.

The Global Temperament Project: Parent-reported temperament in infants, toddlers, and children from 59 nations.

Data from 83,423 parent reports of temperament (surgency, negative affectivity, and regulatory capacity) in infants, toddlers, and children from 341 samples gathered in 59 countries were used to investigate the relations among culture, gender, and temperament. Between-nation differences in temperament were larger than those obtained in similar studies of adult personality, and most pronounced for negative affectivity. Nation-level patterns of negative affectivity were consistent across infancy, toddlerhood, and childhood, and patterns of regulatory capacity were consistent between infancy and toddlerhood. Nations that previously reported high extraversion, high conscientiousness, and low neuroticism in adults were found to demonstrate high surgency in infants and children, and countries reporting low adult openness and high adult neuroticism reported high temperamental negative affectivity. Negative affectivity was high in Southern Asia, Western Asia, and South America and low in Northern and Western Europe. Countries in which children were rated as high in negative affectivity had cultural orientations reflecting collectivism, high power distance, and short-term orientation. Surgency was high in Southeastern and Southern Asia and Southern Europe and low in Eastern Asian countries characterized by philosophies of long-term orientation. Low personal income was associated with high negative affectivity. Gender differences in temperament were largely consistent in direction with prior studies, revealing higher regulatory capacity in females than males and higher surgency in males than females, with these differences becoming more pronounced at later ages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Home Musical Activities Boost Premature Infants' Language Development.

Infants born prematurely are considered at risk for language development delay and impairments. Using online parental reports, the present study investigated the influence of early musical experience in the home environment (Music@Home Infant Questionnaire) on language development (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory) while controlling for general enrichment at home (Stim-Q Cognitive Home Environment Questionnaire) and perinatal post-traumatic stress disorder (Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire). Caregivers of 117 infants between 8 and 18 months of age (corrected age) without reported developmental difficulties completed an online survey. Results revealed that the musical home environment significantly predicted outcomes in reported infants' receptive vocabulary and gestural communication, independently from infants' corrected age and general enrichment of home activities. These findings constitute the first evidence that an enriched musical experience can enhance the development of early communication skills in a population at risk for language delays, namely infants born prematurely, opening the path for future intervention research in home and/or early childcare settings. Given that the majority of participants in this study were highly educated and from socioeconomically stable backgrounds, considerations regarding the generalizability of these results are discussed.

Emotion Regulation Mediates Functional Impairment in Thai Children with Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The study investigated the potential mediating effects of emotion regulation and emotion lability/negativity in the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and functional impairment while also examining the associations between ADHD symptoms, emotion regulation, and impaired functioning in different life domains among children with ADHD. Materials and Methods: The clinical sample comprised 118 children diagnosed with ADHD aged 6–12 years. Primary caregivers completed parent reports on symptom severity using the Thai ADHD Screening Scale–Parent Version, assessed emotion regulation and lability/ negativity via the Emotion Regulation Checklist, and evaluated functional impairment using the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale–Parent Version. Results: ADHD symptoms correlated negatively with overall emotion regulation (r = −0.515, p < 0.01) and positively with lability/negativity (r = 0.583, p < 0.01). Functional impairment exhibited a negative correlation with emotion regulation (r = −0.649, p < 0.01) and a positive correlation with lability/negativity (r = 0.701, p < 0.01). Elevated ADHD symptoms were linked with increased functional impairment (r = 0.639, p < 0.01). The parallel mediational model showed that emotion lability/negativity partially mediated the association between ADHD symptoms and functional impairment (β = 0.282, p < 0.001), suggesting that ADHD symptoms and emotion lability/negativity indirectly accentuate functional impairment. Thus, heightened ADHD symptoms may exacerbate emotion lability/negativity, contributing to increased functional impairments. Conclusion: Emotion regulation difficulties, particularly emotion lability/negativity, may serve as significant risk factors. Regular monitoring and targeting these challenges hold promise in alleviating adverse functional outcomes co-occurring with elevated ADHD symptoms.

Quality of Life of Children with Short Bowel Syndrome from Patients' and Parents' Points of View.

Despite limited research, existing studies using generic quality of life (QOL) tools indicate decreased physical health and compromised emotional functioning in children with IF. This study investigates QOL in children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) and its determinants. The study included 57 pediatric patients with SBS treated at Mannheim's University Hospital between 1998 and 2014. To evaluate QOL, the KINDL questionnaire was used. Three age-specific questionnaire variants were employed, and parental proxy reports were collected. Most patients underwent intestinal lengthening procedures, with varying primary diagnoses. A comparison with healthy children from the patient's perspective revealed no difference but from the parent's perspective showed lower QOL in SBS patients, especially regarding physical and mental well-being. QOL varied with age, with 7-10-year-olds reporting the lowest scores. Several factors, including independence from parenteral nutrition and the presence of a complete colon, positively influenced QOL. The independence of parenteral nutrition and the presence of a complete colon positively influenced QOL. The Bianchi technique for intestinal lengthening has also shown promise but needs further research. The observation sample in this study is too small to generalize about the whole population of SBS patients. However, this study shows that many health and treatment factors affect QOL, and a large multicenter study is necessary. Our findings underline the importance of appropriate psychological support for children with SBS and their families.

Demographic differences in access to health/therapeutic services over first year of the pandemic: a SPARK COVID-19 impact survey analysis.

This analysis examined changes in services received and service recovery one-year post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels in children with ASD aged between 19 months and 17 years in various subgroups based on factors such as age, income, race/ethnicity, geographic location, and sex. An online, parent report survey was completed by the parents of children with ASD in the SPARK study cohort (N = 6,393). Descriptive statistics, chi-square analyses, and Spearman correlations were performed to study associations between various factors and service access, pre-pandemic and one-year, post-pandemic. One year after pandemic, the lag in service recovery in children with ASD was greatest for PT/OT services followed by SLT. ABA services only recovered in half of the subgroups. In contrast, SES fully recovered and MH and MED services superseded pre-pandemic levels. Across majority of the timepoints, younger children received more SLT, PT/OT, and ABA services whereas older children received more SES, MH, and MED services. Higher income families accessed more SES, SLT, and ABA whereas lower income families received more MH services. White families received less SLT compared to non-white families. Hispanic families received more SLT services compared to non-Hispanic families. Compared to rural families, urban families received more ABA services at baseline which also recovered one year after the pandemic. Certain counterintuitive findings may be attributed to home/remote schooling leading to reduced access to related services. Future research and policy changes are needed to address the American healthcare vulnerabilities when serving children with ASD by enhancing the diversity of healthcare formats for continued service access during future pandemics and other similar crises.

An examination of early socioeconomic status and neighborhood disadvantage as independent predictors of antisocial behavior: A longitudinal adoption study.

The present study examined early socioeconomic status (SES) and neighborhood disadvantage (ND) as independent predictors of antisocial behavior (ASB) and addressed the etiology of the associations (i.e., genes versus the environment) using a longitudinal adoption design. Prospective data from the Colorado Adoption Project (435 adoptees, 598 nonadopted children, 526 biological grandparents of adoptees, 481 adoptive parents, and 617 nonadoptive parents including biological parents of unrelated siblings of adoptees) were examined. SES and ND were assessed during infancy and ASB was evaluated from ages four through 16 using parent and teacher report. Associations between predictors and ASB were compared across adoptive and nonadoptive families and sex. Early SES was a nominally significant, independent predictor of antisocial ASB, such that lower SES predicted higher levels of ASB in nonadoptive families only. ND was not associated with ASB. Associations were consistent across aggression and delinquency, and neither SES nor ND was associated with change in ASB over time. Nominally significant associations did not remain significant after controlling for multiple testing. As such, despite nonsignificant differences in associations across sex or adoptive status, we were unable to make definitive conclusions regarding the genetic versus environmental etiology of or sex differences in the influence of SES and ND on ASB. Despite inconclusive findings, in nonadoptees, results were consistent-in effect size and direction-with previous studies in the literature indicating that lower SES is associated with increased risk for ASB.

Influence of parental nativity and perceived neighborhood environment on physical activity and screen time of United States youth

ObjectiveThis study assessed how parental nativity and perceived environment are associated with physical activity and screen time of U.S. children and adolescents. MethodsData originated from the 2020–21 U.S. National Survey of Children's Health. We conducted multivariable Poisson regression to assess the cross-sectional association of parental nativity and perceived neighborhood environment variables on parental reports of youth meeting national physical activity and screen time guidelines. We tested interactions of parental nativity and neighborhood environment variables on both outcomes. Analyses were conducted using STATA v17 and p < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. ResultsThe sample of 24,928 children and 30,951 adolescents was 11.6 years of age, on average, with approximately 39% under 200% of the federal poverty level. About one-third of the sample (27.5%) had foreign-born parents. In adjusted models, we found that compared to youth with U.S.-born parents, those with foreign-born parents had a lower prevalence of meeting physical activity guidelines. Youth whose parents reported living in safe neighborhoods had a higher prevalence of meeting guidelines for physical activity (children: PR = 1.20, 95%CI 1.14, 1.27; adolescents: PR = 1.23, 95%CI 1.14, 1.32) and screen time (children: PR = 1.19, 95%CI 1.13, 1.26; adolescents: PR = 1.16, 95%CI 1.06, 1.28) than youth whose parents reported unsafe neighborhoods. We found similar associations between neighborhoods considered supportive or with many amenities and meeting physical activity and screen time guidelines. ConclusionsYouth whose parents are foreign-born have a lower prevalence of sufficient activity, and perceived parental neighborhood safety and support may be significant influences on youth physical activity and screen time.

Caution is Indicated When Interpreting Behavioral Rating Scales From Stressed Parents

Parent rating scales are used at increasing rates across disciplines to track child development and determine diagnoses/needs. This study explored relationships among parental stress and the validity of parents’ ratings of their child’s behaviors. Participants include children who were referred for assessment of behavioral, social-emotional, and development difficulties at a major metropolitan hospital in the United States. Parents completed rating scales regarding their own stress (PSI-4-SF) and child behaviors (BASC-3). Present findings indicate caution is warranted when interpreting parent report data of their child’s behavior in the context of significant parenting stress. Relying exclusively on parent-report information to assess young children in clinical setting appears contraindicated. Family/situational factors beyond the individual child are important to assess.

An adaptation of the KidCOPE: the KidCOPE-parent (KidCOPE-P) – a parent-report measure of child coping strategies

ABSTRACT Objective Understanding how children cope is an important factor in investigating the impact of adversity on child development. With children increasingly experiencing adverse situations – such as the COVID-19 pandemic – having methods of assessing coping strategies is an essential step in supporting self-regulation development. Parent report is a common method of measuring child outcomes, as parents observe children across a range of settings. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the KidCOPE-Parent form – an adaptation of the original KidCOPE self-report. Methods A sample of 253 children, aged 6–7 years old, across 19 government and catholic schools in Melbourne, Victoria. Results Findings indicate that a two-factor model best fits the data, with the KidCOPE-P demonstrating moderately acceptable reliability and validity. There were some differences in mean scores reported between males and females for items relating to problem-solving, social support, and resignation coping strategies. Conclusion Overall, the KidCOPE-P is moderately suitable for assessing children’s coping strategies, as observed by a parent. Future research is needed to replicate these findings and continue to explore the KidCOPE-P’s reliability as a parent-report measure of child coping strategies.

Longitudinal relations of screen time duration and content with executive function difficulties in South Korean children

ABSTRACT Research has consistently shown that excessive screen time (ST) is harmful to children’s cognitive development including executive function (EF). Most studies have investigated the long-term consequences of excessive ST and have not explored how content impacts cognitive development. Thus, the current study aimed to examine (1) the associations among the duration and content of ST and EF difficulties and (2) the interaction effect of ST duration and content on EF difficulties. A total of 1,484 third-grade children participated in the study and were followed up one year later. ST duration was measured by the average daily hours on smart devices and computers, and ST content was assessed by the extent to which children engaged in educational or recreational ST. EF difficulties were measured by parental reports of their child’s EF-related behaviors. The results showed ST duration did not predict EF difficulties one year later. However, higher levels of educational ST predicted fewer EF difficulties. A significant interaction effect between ST duration and educational ST demonstrated the benefits of educational ST were not present in children with higher levels of duration. These findings provide a foundation to develop more practical, efficient, and specific ST guidelines considering both ST content and duration.

Are Children with Autistic Traits More or Less Creative? Links between Autistic Traits and Creative Attributes in Children

ABSTRACTAutistic traits are found throughout the general population, but their link to creative attributes has received little attention in childhood populations. In adults, autistic traits are linked to both creative benefits and disadvantages, moderated by the autistic trait and the creative domain under investigation. The current study investigates the link between autistic traits and creative attributes (creative personality traits, creative talent, creative artistic choices) in children aged 10–14 years. Autistic traits were measured using the Adolescent‐AQ, both globally (AQ‐Total) and for individual subscales (AQ‐Attention to detail, AQ‐Imagination, and “AQ‐Core”, i.e., combining AQ‐Social skills, AQ‐Attention switching, AQ‐Communication). Using child and parent reports, data from 149 children revealed an association between autistic traits and creative personality traits (both positive and negative) while also showing a (weaker) relationship with creative artistic choices. Global and core autistic symptoms negatively predicted creative personality traits. At the same time, AQ‐Imagination predicted lower creative attributes across nearly all creative domains. Finally, and in contrast, AQ‐Attention to detail positively predicted a number of creative attributes (i.e., creative personality traits, creative talent). Our results show how autistic traits map to a range of creative attributes, across children in the general population.

Machiavellian behavior and social-emotional functioning in middle childhood and early adolescence.

Machiavellianism is an antisocial interpersonal style involving the use of manipulative, deceptive, and coercive behaviors in the pursuit of self-interest. Although widely studied as a "dark" personality trait in adults, relatively little is known about the developmental correlates of Machiavellian tendencies earlier in life. The present study addressed this knowledge gap by examining associations between Machiavellian behavior and three theoretically relevant social-emotional domains-prosocial emotions, emotion recognition skills, and self-control-in a community sample of 7- and 11-year-old Canadian children (N = 300, 50% female). Of particular interest was the extent to which individual differences in social-emotional capacities were uniquely associated with Machiavellian behavior after controlling for aggression, a relatively well-studied antisocial behavior in childhood. Parents reported on children's Machiavellian behavior and aggression. Social-emotional correlates were assessed via parent and child reports, behavioral tasks, and physiological assessments. Machiavellian behavior and aggression were similarly associated with lower parent-reported prosocial emotions and self-control. Machiavellian (but not aggressive) behavior was associated with lower child-reported guilt (a prosocial emotion), higher resting skin conductance levels (reflecting a general tendency for higher arousal), and better anger recognition. Semipartial correlational analyses indicated that these patterns of association with Machiavellian behaviors held independent of aggression. These findings indicate that, by middle childhood, Machiavellian behavior constitutes a distinct form of antisocial conduct that is associated with a unique social-emotional risk profile. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Behavior problems 7 years after severe childhood traumatic brain injury: Results of the Traumatisme Grave de L'Enfant study.

To investigate the occurrence of behavioral problems 7 years after severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), and their evolution from 3 months to 7 years postinjury. Thirty-four participants, 38% girls, M (SD) age at injury 7.6 (4.7) years, age at assessment 15 (4.6) years, underwent comprehensive assessments 7 years after severe TBI from March 2014 to March 2016 and were matched to a control group by age, gender, and parental education. A subgroup of 20 participants had available behavioral assessments at 3, 12, and 24 months postinjury. Internalizing, externalizing, and total behavioral problems were assessed with self- and parent reports of the Achenbach's Behavioral Checklist. Additional data included sociodemographic background, initial injury severity, and specific outcomes assessed concurrently 7 years postinjury. Compared to controls: (a) a significant proportion of participants with severe TBI fell above the clinical cutoff for self- (42%) and parent-reported (36%) externalizing problems, but not for self- (33%) or parent-reported (45%) internalizing problems; (b) withdrawn/depressed, intrusive behavior, and somatic complaints were significantly higher in self-reports; and (c) rule-breaking behavior, attention, and social problems were significantly higher in parent reports. Parent-reported internalizing problems were associated with older age at injury, whereas externalizing problems correlated with greater injury severity and concurrent levels of greater overall disability, lower intellectual ability, and poorer family functioning. In multiple hierarchical regression analyses, overall disability and worse family functioning significantly predicted externalizing problems. Parent-reported internalizing and externalizing problems persisted over time. These results highlight the importance of long-term follow-up and individualized behavioral interventions for children who sustained severe TBI. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Utilising online paradigms to explore the effect of boredom and sadness on children's snack choice: The role of parental feeding practices and child temperament

Emotional eating (EE) is defined as eating in response to negative emotions (e.g., sadness and boredom). Child temperament and parental feeding practices are predictive of child EE and may interact to shape child EE. Previous research has demonstrated that children eat more when they are experiencing sadness, however, boredom-EE (despite how common boredom is in children) has yet to be explored experimentally using remote methodologies. The current study explores whether feeding practices and child temperament interact with mood to predict children's snack selection in an online hypothetical food choice task. Using online experimental methods, children aged 6-9-years (N = 347) were randomised to watch a mood-inducing video clip (control, sadness, or boredom). Children completed a hypothetical food choice task from images of four snacks in varying portion sizes. The kilocalories in children's online snack choices were measured. Parents reported their feeding practices and child's temperament. Results indicated that the online paradigm successfully induced feelings of boredom and sadness, but these induced feelings of boredom and sadness did not significantly shape children's online food selection. Parental reports of use of restriction for health reasons (F = 8.64, p = .004, n2 = 0.25) and children's negative emotionality (F = 6.81, p = .009, n2 = 0.020) were significantly related to greater total kilocalorie selection by children. Three-way ANCOVAs found no evidence of any three-way interactions between temperament, feeding practices, and mood in predicting children's online snack food selection. These findings suggest that children's hypothetical snack food selection may be shaped by non-responsive feeding practices and child temperament. This study's findings also highlight different methods that can be successfully used to stimulate emotional experiences in children by using novel online paradigms, and also discusses the challenges around using online methods to measure children's intended food choice.

The Sibling Effect on Theory of Mind Among Chinese Preschoolers: Considering the Role of Parenting Style and Peer Interaction

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study extends the understanding of the sibling effect on children’s theory of mind (ToM) among Chinese preschoolers by adopting an ecological perspective. The participants were 225 Chinese preschoolers, comprising 100 children with siblings (M age = 4.54 years, SD = 1.11, 55 boys) and 125 children without siblings (M age = 4.52 years, SD = 0.99, 60 boys). We assessed children’s ToM through a child measurement task, and peer interaction time on the weekend and parenting style (i.e. authoritarian and authoritative parenting style) through parent reports. This study revealed that the role of siblings in children’s development of ToM did not have a main effect among Chinese preschoolers, regardless of their birth order or siblings’ ages. However, when considering the influence of parents and peers in addition to siblings, the sibling effect is only noticeable for children with low interaction levels with their peers. Practice or Policy: In conclusion, this study demonstrates that in China, child-aged siblings positively influence the ToM development in children who have limited interactions with peers. These findings underscore the value of siblings as a developmental resource and offer parents critical insights into fostering ToM, especially under the two-child policy.

Neural Correlates of Novelty-Evoked Distress in 4-Month-Old Infants: A Synthetic Cohort Study

BackgroundObservational assessments of infant temperament have provided unparalleled insight into prediction of risk for social anxiety. However, it is challenging to administer and score these assessments alongside high-quality infant neuroimaging data. In the current study, we aimed to identify infant resting-state functional connectivity associated with both parent report and observed behavioral estimates of infant novelty-evoked distress. MethodsUsing data from the OIT (Origins of Infant Temperament) study, which includes deep phenotyping of infant temperament, we identified parent-report measures that were associated with observed novelty-evoked distress. These parent-report measures were then summarized into a composite score used for imaging analysis. Our infant magnetic resonance imaging sample was a synthetic cohort, harmonizing data from 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of 4-month-old infants (OIT and BCP [Baby Connectome Project]; n = 101), both of which included measures of parent-reported temperament. Brain-behavior associations were evaluated using enrichment, a statistical approach that quantifies the clustering of brain-behavior associations within network pairs. ResultsResults demonstrated that parent-report composites of novelty-evoked distress were significantly associated with 3 network pairs: dorsal attention–salience/ventral attention, dorsal attention–default mode, and dorsal attention–control. These network pairs demonstrated negative associations with novelty-evoked distress, indicating that less connectivity between these network pairs was associated with greater novelty-evoked distress. Additional analyses demonstrated that dorsal attention–control network connectivity was associated with observed novelty-evoked distress in the OIT sample (n = 38). ConclusionsOverall, this work is broadly consistent with existing work and implicates dorsal attention network connectivity in novelty-evoked distress. This study provides novel data on the neural basis of infant novelty-evoked distress.

Evaluation of the Prime Diet Quality Score from Early Childhood Through Mid-Adolescence

BackgroundFew diet quality indices have been developed and validated for use among children and adolescents. Additionally, many available indices require completion of burdensome dietary assessments. ObjectivesWe aimed to calculate and evaluate the performance of a modified version of the food-based Prime Diet Quality Score (PDQS) derived from different diet assessment methods conducted at 4 time points in a single study population from childhood through adolescence. MethodsAmong 1460 child participants in the Project Viva cohort, we calculated the PDQS in early and mid-childhood and early and mid-adolescence using dietary data obtained from food frequency questionnaire (early childhood: parent report), PrimeScreen (mid-childhood: parent report; early adolescence: self-report) and 24-h recall (mid-adolescence: self-report). We evaluated construct and relative validity and internal reliability of the score in each life stage. ResultsThe PDQS showed a range of scores at all life stages and higher scores were associated with intake of many health-promoting macronutrients and micronutrients (e.g., protein, fiber, and vitamins) in early childhood and mid-adolescence. The PDQS performed similarly to the Youth Healthy Eating Index/Healthy Eating Index (Spearman r = 0.63–0.85) in various assessments. Higher PDQS was associated with expected characteristics including more frequent breakfast eating, family dinners, and vigorous physical activity; with less frequent TV viewing and fast food intake; and with more sleep and higher maternal diet scores during pregnancy. Cross-sectional associations of the PDQS with various anthropometric measurements and biomarkers were inconsistent but generally in the expected directions (e.g., higher PDQS associated with lower triglycerides and insulin and higher HDL cholesterol). Internal reliability was consistent with what has been found for other diet quality indices. ConclusionsThe PDQS can be calculated from data collected using different and brief dietary assessment methods and appears to be a valid and useful measure of overall diet quality in children and adolescents.Project Viva was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02820402.

Parental perceptions of body weight and appetite in infants and toddlers with cystic fibrosis

Nutritional status has clinical relevance and is a target of guidance to parents of children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Growth is routinely monitored in CF clinics but there is no standardized way of assessing appetitive behaviors or parents' perceptions of their children's appetite. Greater understanding of these factors could improve clinical guidance regarding parent feeding behaviors. We therefore aimed to assess parent perceptions of child weight, and parent reports of child appetite using the Baby Eating Behavior Questionnaire (BEBQ), in a sample of infants and toddlers with CF, compared with a community sample. We additionally assessed relationships of parent perceptions of child weight with parent feeding behaviors in the sample with CF. Anthropometric and questionnaire data were collected for 32 infants and toddlers with CF, as well as 193 infants and toddlers drawn from RESONANCE, a community cohort study. Parents perceived children with CF to be lower in weight than their actual weight, to a greater extent than was evident in the community sample. Parents who perceived their children with CF to be underweight vs. right weight reported greater slowness in eating on the BEBQ. Parents perceived children with CF to have greater slowness in eating and lower enjoyment of food, compared to parents of children in the community sample, independent of sample differences in child weight, age, and sex. Our results demonstrate the potential utility of the BEBQ in a clinical sample and suggest it may be helpful for clinicians to assess parents' perceptions of their child's weight and appetite to promote a fuller understanding of the child's nutritional status, facilitate appropriate feeding behaviors and alleviate unnecessary concerns.

From the lab to the classroom: Improving children's prospective memory in a natural setting.

Laboratory-based studies have shown that children's ability to remember intentions (i.e., prospective memory; PM) can be improved by asking them to imagine performing the PM task beforehand (i.e., episodic future thinking; EFT) or to predict their PM performance. Moreover, combining the two strategies resulted in an additional improvement in children's PM performance. However, the effectiveness of these encoding strategies on real-life PM tasks is still unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of EFT instructions, performance predictions, and of their combination on children's PM in a natural setting, namely in the classroom. Twelve classes composed by a total of 121 children (53% females) aged between seven and 9 years participated to the study. As a PM task, children were asked by their teachers to deliver a letter to their parents and to bring it back to school the next day. Children were divided into four groups: control, prediction, EFT, and the EFT + prediction group. Parent reports on children's everyday prospective and retrospective memory failures were also collected. Results showed that encoding strategies were effective in enhancing children's PM performance. However, differences compared to previous laboratory-based findings emerged since predicting PM performance resulted to be most effective in enhancing real-life PM performance. Moreover, parent reports were related to children's PM performance. These novel findings highlight the importance of studying PM interventions in natural settings in order to increase their ecological validity and inform educational practices.