Positive Outcomes For Children Research Articles

Efficacy of Homeopathic Higher Dilutions in management of Sleep Disorders: A Review

Background: Sleep disorders, including insomnia, have diverse causes and can significantly impact physical and mental health. Homeopathy is explored as an alternative treatment for these disorders, but its efficacy remains uncertain. Aim/Objective: This study reviews clinical research on the efficacy of homeopathic higher dilutions remedies for sleep disorders. The goal is to provide insights into the progress in clinical and preclinical investigations on homeopathy for sleep disorders. Methodology: We conducted a comprehensive database search for original clinical studies on homeopathy and sleep disorders and its related terminology published until September 2023, applying exclusion criteria to select relevant studies. Results: We identified 11 studies meeting our criteria. These studies explored the use of homeopathic remedies for managing sleep disorders with the help of various assessment tools, like Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), STAI questionnaire, Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Sleep Diary (SD), Sleep Impairment Index (SII), Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), and Trait of Anxiety Scale (TAS). Findings included reduced anxiety and improved sleep quality with Passiflora Compose, potential benefits of individualized homeopathic treatment for insomnia, and positive outcomes in children and young adults with sleep issues. Homeopathy also showed potential effects on sleep patterns in a rat study. Conclusion: The reviewed studies suggest the potential benefits of homeopathic treatments for sleep-related conditions. Passiflora Compose, individualized homeopathic treatment, and homeopathic similimum demonstrated promise in improving sleep quality and reducing anxiety. More research and larger trials are needed for wider acceptance, but these findings highlight their value for diverse populations.

Impact of Divorce on Parent-Child Relationships

Purpose: The general objective of this study was to explore the impact of divorce on parent- child relationships. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the impact of divorce on parent- child relationships. Preliminary empirical review revealed that divorce significantly influenced these dynamics, often leading to challenges in communication, emotional bonding, and co-parenting. Children of divorced parents experienced various emotional and psychological difficulties, such as insecurity and anxiety, with the disruption of family routines exacerbating these issues. However, the consequences varied based on factors like child age, gender, and family functioning. Despite these challenges, many children showed resilience over time, with factors like parental warmth and effective communication buffering the negative effects. Overall, understanding these complexities allowed for the development of strategies to support families during the transition process, promoting positive outcomes for children and families. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Attachment theory, Family Systems theory and Social Learning theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact divorce has on parent- child relationships. By integrating multiple theoretical perspectives such as attachment theory and family systems theory, researchers gained a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding divorce's effects on parent-child relationships. Evidence-based interventions, including parent education programs and family therapy, were recommended to support families during the divorce process. Moreover, policy reforms advocating for the protection of children's rights and access to supportive services were proposed. These recommendations aimed to enhance the well-being of children and families navigating the challenges of divorce, fostering healthier family dynamics and parent-child relationships.

School-Based Integrated Care Within Sydney Local Health District: A Qualitative Study About Partnerships Between the Education and Health Sectors.

The unmet physical and mental health needs of school-aged children (5-18 years) in New South Wales (NSW), stemming from poor access and engagement with healthcare, can be addressed by school-based integrated care (SBIC) models.This research aims to understand why and how partnerships between the health and education sector, in SBIC models, are important in providing care for children, and to identify the facilitating factors and barriers for implementation. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. The principles of the 'Integrated People-Centred Health Service (IPCHS)' framework and Looman et al's (2021) implementation strategies for integrated care were considered. Themes within IPCHS framework: Strategy 1: Engaging and empowering people and communities - community-driven models, improved access to healthcare, positive outcomes for children and families, 'connection', and service provision for marginalised populations; Strategy 2: Strengthening governance and accountability - system integration and developing evidence base; Strategy 3: Reorienting the model of care - shifting healthcare to schools reduces inequity and provides culturally safe practice; Strategy 4: Coordinating services within and across sectors - integrating care and stable workforce; Strategy 5: Creating an enabling environment: leadership, stakeholder commitment, and adequate resourcing. Potential strategies for implementing SBIC models across NSW include community consultation and co-design; building multidisciplinary teams with new competencies and roles e.g. linkers and coordinators; collaborative and shared leadership; and alignment of operational systems while maintaining a balance between structure and flexibility. SBIC models require high-level collaboration across sectors and with communities to provide a shift towards child and family centred care that improves engagement, access and outcomes in health delivery.

The Impact of Stress on Father Involvement in Early Infancy: Examining Risk and Protective Factors in Residential and Nonresidential Fathers

Residential and nonresidential fathers are taking an increasingly greater role in their children’s lives, and father involvement predicts positive child outcomes across development. This study utilized data from a large sample of racially and ethnically diverse fathers of low to middle income (n = 1,112) to test if paternal stress is associated with lower father involvement in early infancy and whether perceived social support is protective. Exploratory analyses examined whether the effects of stress on father involvement differ depending on whether a father lives with his child. Multiple regression analyses tested associations between three different forms of stress (perceived general stress, financial stress, major life events) and father involvement measured as time spent with infant, father confidence, and father provision of tangible support, and to examine whether social support moderated the relation. Controlling for residential status, results showed that perceived and financial stress in fathers were significantly associated with lower father confidence in parenting and lower provision of tangible support. In addition, higher paternal perceived stress related to less time spent with infants. Some patterns differed for residential versus nonresidential fathers. Further, only perceived available affectional social support emerged as protective. These results highlight the importance of identifying the unique types of stress that affect father involvement in the first few months of life, what may be protective, and a possible need to distinguish between residential and nonresidential fathers as they enter parenthood.

Comparative efficacy of an early intervention “parent and me” program for infants showing signs of autism: The Baby JASPER model

Despite important advancements into the early detection of autism, there are still few empirically supported interventions for children under the age of two years who are showing early signs. Caregiver-mediated interventions have gained in popularity as a method for delivering support to the child and family. The current study builds on current work by enrolling a comparatively large cohort of infants (ages 12–22 months of age) displaying early signs of autism into a randomized controlled intervention program. Infants and parents received a group-based program using a standard early childhood curriculum. In addition, all families were randomly assigned to receive parent training in the form of either parent-mediated Joint Attention Symbolic Play Engagement and Regulation (JASPER) training or psychoeducation. Infants in both classrooms made substantial gains in social-communication, play, and cognition during a brief, 8-week period. All infants gained over an average of 10 points in DQ and increased in standardized measures of social-communication and play, with these gains maintaining at a 2-month follow-up visit. The classroom that also received JASPER increased in child initiated joint engagement and play level during dyadic interactions with their parents, while the classroom that received psychoeducation increased in joint attention during a standardized assessment delivered by an independent assessor. Infant familial risk for autism (older sibling with autism) also moderated the effect of treatment on child initiated joint engagement where infants in the JASPER classroom without familial risk made the most gains from baseline to exit of the program. This study highlights the promise of intervening at the earliest stages to promote positive outcomes for children and families.

Using Teacher Prompts to Increase Leadership Skills in Preschool Children

Abstract Background Early childhood leadership leads to positive outcomes for young children, including social competence. Objective The purpose of the present study was to examine the leadership behavior exhibited by three preschool aged children and to determine if teacher prompting could increase the frequency of leadership behaviors exhibited by preschool children. Methods A single case research design was utilized; specifically, we employed a multiple baseline design across preschool children to measure child leadership behaviors and teacher prompting. Results Baseline observations revealed that children engaged in Parten’s original 1933 framework of both directing and following, reciprocally directing or sharing leadership, and directing the group at varying levels. Using Pigors (Leadership and domination among children, 9:140–157, 1933) definition of “guidance of others toward a desired goal,” Leadership Prompting Intervention was used to increase children’s leadership behaviors. Results indicated that both teachers increased their level of leadership prompting, and all three children increased the behaviors of directing the group. Conclusions Teacher prompting is a low cost, low labor-intensive intervention that can be easily integrated into the early childhood classroom routine to increase children’s leadership skills. This study adds to the limited research on early childhood leadership (ECL) by providing insight into how teacher prompts can influence children’s leadership behavior in a specific context and setting.

Associations of neighborhood greenspace, and active living environments with autism spectrum disorders: A matched case-control study in Ontario, Canada

BackgroundIncreasing evidence links early life residential exposure to natural urban environmental attributes and positive health outcomes in children. However, few studies have focused on their protective effects on the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of neighborhood greenspace, and active living environments during pregnancy with ASD in young children (≤6 years). MethodsWe conducted a population-based matched case-control study of singleton term births in Ontario, Canada for 2012–2016. The ASD and environmental data was generated using the Ontario Autism Spectrum Profile, the Better Outcomes Registry & Network Ontario, and Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium. We employed conditional logistic regressions to estimate the odds ratio (OR) between ASD and environmental factors characterizing selected greenspace metrics and neighborhoods conducive to active living (i.e., green view index (GVI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), tree canopy, park proximity and active living environments index (ALE)). ResultsWe linked 8643 mother-child pairs, including 1554 cases (18%). NDVI (OR 1.034, 0.944–1.024, per Inter Quartile Range [IQR] = 0.08), GVI (OR 1.025, 95% CI 0.953–1.087, per IQR = 9.45%), tree canopy (OR 0.992, 95% CI 0.903–1.089, per IQR = 6.24%) and the different categories of ALE were not associated with ASD in adjusted models for air pollution. In contrast, living closer to a park was protective (OR 0.888, 0.833–0.948, per 0.06 increase in park proximity index), when adjusted for air pollution. ConclusionsThis study reported mixed findings showing both null and beneficial effects of green spaces and active living environments on ASD. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the role of exposure to greenspaces and active living environments on the development of ASD.

Parent versus child influences on differential parent warmth and discipline within twin pairs.

Parenting behaviors have long been recognized as crucial to children's healthy development. However, examinations of the etiology of these behaviors are less prevalent. The current study investigated the driving forces behind parental warmth and discipline, particularly whether they are related more to traits within the parent or reactions to characteristics of the child. To explore this question, three robust factors of child temperament-effortful control, negative affectivity, and surgency/extraversion-and five parent personality traits were examined in association with parent behaviors through differential parenting within 185 four-year-old twin pairs (370 children; 56% girls; 90% White; predominantly middle class). Genetic analyses showed that parents tend to treat both children similarly in terms of parental warmth, but they treat children less similarly in terms of discipline, regardless of child zygosity. Multilevel linear regressions showed that within twin pairs, the child with higher effortful control received less discipline from parents than their cotwin. Analyses also showed that parent agreeableness was significantly related to parent warmth above and beyond other personality traits and child temperament. This study clarified the direction of effects and genetic contributions to parenting behaviors, supporting previous literature that discipline acts in reaction to the child, whereas warmth is more driven by parent personality. This research suggests the importance of focusing on child temperament and parent personality as they relate to parenting behaviors, allowing clinicians and parents to more effectively correct maladaptive parenting behaviors and encourage healthy and adaptive parenting behaviors, thus promoting positive outcomes for children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Autism, Stigma, and South Asian Immigrant Families in Canada.

Considerable empirical evidence suggests early recognition of autism and access to support result in long-term positive outcomes for children and youth on the spectrum and their families. However, children of racialized families are often diagnosed at later ages, are more likely to be misdiagnosed, and experience many barriers to service access. There is also a paucity of research exploring the experiences of parents from specific immigrant groups caring for their children on the spectrum in Canada, many of whom identify as members of racialized communities. As such, the main aim of the study was to examine how South Asian immigrant parents in Canada are experiencing available care programs and support. Another aim was to examine their perceptions of social stigma associated with autism. We conducted an inductive thematic analysis of qualitative data from nine interviews with South Asian parents living in Ontario, Canada. Findings confirmed barriers to an autism diagnosis and to service access. Additionally, parents reported pronounced autism stigma, which enacted impediments to timely diagnosis, service access, and health-promoting behaviors. Findings also revealed that parents experience considerable caregiver stress and psychological distress. The generated evidence is anticipated to inform equitable policy, programming, and practices that better support the needs of children on the spectrum and their immigrant families.

Associations of meeting 24-hour movement behavior guidelines with prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses among children and adolescents

BackgroundVision health is crucial for many aspects of life especially in developing populations such as children and adolescents. However, there is a high proportion of children and adolescents who suffer from visual impairments. Notably, accumulating evidence indicates that meeting the 24-hour movement behaviors (24-HMB) guidelines is associated with positive physical and mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. However, the relationship between being prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses and meeting the 24-HMB guidelines has yet to be investigated. Thus, this study aimed to address this gap in the existing literature by using the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) dataset. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, data was retrieved from the 2021 NSCH. A total of 14,193 U.S. children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17 years were included for data analyses. We used items of the NSCH concerning the 24-HMB guidelines (i.e., physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration) and prescription of eyeglasses/contact lenses that were answered by the legal guardian of the children. Binary logistic regression was performed to investigate whether meeting the 24-HMB guidelines is associated with prescription eyeglasses/contact lenses and whether wearing eyeglasses/contact lenses predicts adherence to the 24-HMB guidelines among children and adolescents. ResultsMore than half of the participants (59.53%) wore eyeglasses/contact lenses and only 8.40% of them met all three of the 24-HMB guidelines. Compared to meeting none of the 24-HMB guidelines, meeting one (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62–0.93, p = 0.008), two (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.43–0.67, p < 0.001), and all three 24-HMB guidelines (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.34–0.64, p < 0.001) were associated with a lower risk of being prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses among children and adolescents. ConclusionsThe findings of the current study provided evidence that the prevalence of U.S. children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17 years who wore eyeglasses/contact lenses was relatively high. Furthermore, meeting the 24-HMB guidelines was associated with a lower risk of being prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses. Future studies focusing on the effects of 24-HMB interventions on vision health among children and adolescents are needed to better inform public health actions.

A community-embedded approach to increasing the health literacy of Aboriginal children in a regional area: processes of co-design and local implementation.

This research explores the implementation of a child-centred, co-designed, community-embedded program called 'Young Doctors for Life' (YDFL). YDFL is designed to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal children in the middle childhood years. Focus is given in this paper to the processes of program adaptation of the YDFL to ensure local cultural relevance, drawing on the experiences and perspectives of children, parents, schoolteachers, and the implementation team. Two focus groups with program stakeholders were convened. The first group consisted of three members from the local Aboriginal implementation team, and the second group comprised two members of the program design team. Children (n = 22) and schoolteachers (n = 2) participated in semi-structured interviews. Parent survey data (n = 16) were also collected and included. The data was analysed, guided by the five elements of implementation as outlined in the Hexagon Implementation framework (Capacity; Fit; Need; Usability; Support; and Evidence), which served as a priori themes. YDFL provides a promising example of how programs can be adapted with and for Aboriginal communities to support child health. Successful adaptation and implementation of this program required a co-design approach engaging program designers and the local implementation team. Community collaboration was also essential to identifying and addressing local community goals and aligning new programs with local service and cultural contexts. Health programs to support positive child outcomes are more likely to be successful when they share their focus between the risks and challenges within a community, and the positive, protective factors that can be leveraged to support children to flourish. Stakeholder engagement and community leadership are necessary to achieve meaningful program adaptation and implementation in Aboriginal communities.

The WellComm Toolkit: Impact on Practitioner Skills and Knowledge and Implications for Evaluation Research

The WellComm toolkit is used across many areas of the UK to identify and support early years children with their speech, language and communication. There is some evidence for positive outcomes for children who are assessed and supported using the toolkit. However, wider implications of implementing the toolkit have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to explore the impact of implementing the WellComm toolkit on practitioners, practically and for their knowledge and skills. An additional aim was to reflect on the impact this may have on evaluation research. Early years practitioners (EYPs) in the UK completed an online survey asking about their experiences of using the WellComm toolkit, and a sub-sample participated in interviews. Survey and interview respondents spanned different early years settings. Practitioners described positive ways in which using the WellComm toolkit had impacted their knowledge of speech, language and communication, supported improvements in practice, and the quality and specificity of speech and language referrals. Negative implications, such as time costs and staffing burdens, were also discussed but were found not to outweigh the benefits of use. The positive implications of using the WellComm toolkit on practitioners’ own development and knowledge are likely to support the outcomes of children, though the usefulness of the WellComm toolkit for children who speak English as an additional language (EAL) and children with special educational needs (SEND) is questioned. Such findings have implications for the work of evaluation researchers, who need to be sensitive to the use of such toolkits in settings where interventions are being evaluated.

It's our job to bridge the gap: Perspectives of bilingual autism providers on heritage language care.

In the United States, many people have heritage languages they speak in their homes other than English, such as Chinese or Spanish. Autistic children whose families speak different languages could benefit from support and teaching in their heritage languages. Still, caregivers have reported that it is challenging to do so. Many autism professionals make suggestions that are not based on research. To date, researchers have not examined the perspectives of the small group of bilingual professionals in the United States who provide bilingual support for autistic children. Therefore, this study explored how bilingual autism providers in the United States talked about their work, bilingualism, and the impacts their bilingual work has on autistic children and families. The bilingual providers in this study reported many positive outcomes for autistic children when they can learn and use their heritage languages and some negative outcomes when providers cannot communicate in the same language. Recommendations from this study highlight the need to recruit more bilingual providers in the field of autism.

Is well-becoming important for children and young people? Evidence from in-depth interviews with children and young people and their parents

PurposeThis study explores how important well-becoming factors appear to be to children during childhood. We define well-becoming as the indicators which predict children and young people’s future wellbeing and opportunities. The priority for this work was to explore whether well-becoming might be an important factor to include in outcome measures for children and young people. The inclusion of well-becoming indicators could ensure that opportunities to invest in promoting wellbeing in children’s futures are not missed.MethodsIn-depth, qualitative interviews (N = 70) were undertaken with children and young people aged 6–15 years and their parents. Analysis used constant comparison and framework methods to investigate whether well-becoming factors were considered important by informants to children and young people’s current wellbeing.ResultsThe findings of the interviews suggested that children and young people and their parents are concerned with future well-becoming now, as factors such as future achievement, financial security, health, independence, identity, and relationships were identified as key to future quality of life. Informants suggested that they considered it important during childhood to aspire towards positive outcomes in children and young people’s futures.ConclusionThe study findings, taken alongside relevant literature, have generated evidence to support the notion that future well-becoming is important to current wellbeing. We have drawn on our own work in capability wellbeing measure development to demonstrate how we have incorporated a well-becoming attribute into our measures. The inclusion of well-becoming indicators in measures could aid investment in interventions which more directly improve well-becoming outcomes for children and young people.

Structural interventions to reduce harms & promote the capabilities of girls experiencing multiple complexities: A scoping review

BackgroundStructural interventions have the potential to reduce complexity in the lives of marginalised cis girls/young women and promote their health and well-being so that they have improved chances to reach their potential. However, most interventions available for this group focus on the micro/psychological level of wellness, risks associated with sexualized violence, and behaviour-based interventions which do little to address the root causes of complexity in their lives. Our scoping study was conducted to identify structural interventions, those that improve the environmental contexts within which health is produced and reproduced, that exist and have been evaluated for marginalised girls around the globe. MethodsThe scoping review methodology was based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Six databases were searched up to November 16, 2021. ResultsThe search strategy yielded 2,009 unique articles, of which 45 met the criteria for final inclusion. Studies included were from the United States (34), Canada (2), Australia (1), Italy (1), Norway (1), Portugal (1), Scotland (1), Wales (1), and Sub-Saharan Africa (1; Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana). Twenty family-level, 13 child-level, seven youth-level, and three community-level interventions were identified. Evidence from this scoping review suggest that early interventions, especially for disadvantaged mothers from low socioeconomic and racialized backgrounds, that support their parenting capabilities and empower them through equalizing material supports like housing, food, and clothing, have positive outcomes for children’s development and holistic health across the life course. ConclusionsFew structural interventions were identified that focus specifically on cis girls/young women, suggesting the systems that are in place are currently failing them. Our findings nevertheless contribute to an improved understanding of ways trauma-informed and culturally appropriate structural interventions can address complexity in their lives. This work will inform ways that policy makers can improve access to equitable, inclusive, culturally safe, harmonized, and adaptable services for marginalised girls in Canada and elsewhere.

Passing the torch or breaking a cycle of intergenerational transmission of child labour: Reflections from the lived experiences of children

Child labour is theorized to be influenced by social and cultural norms that legitimise child labour activities. While research has documented the nature of child labour, in terms of what activities children are engaged in as well as the impact it could have on children’s development, not much is known about the pathways that lead to the normalisation of child labour. In this narrative qualitative study, we explored the pathways to normalising child labour among children in Ghana. The experiences of 18 children interviewed leads to an overall consideration of a case of passing the torch or breaking the cycle of intergenerational transmission of child labour. The study reported, continuing the family business, contributing to family income and reasonable earnings, as part of the debate for passing the torch. However, there is also room to break the potential for the intergenerational transmission of child labour which requires efforts from relevant stakeholders such as teachers, parents, and policy makers. With an understanding of how child labour may be legitimised, we can now move to develop programmes and interventions to de-legitimise child labour norms and contribute to positive outcomes for children.

Assessing a Community-Based Maternal Self-Efficacy Intervention in Rural India using a Quasi-Experimental Design

More than 175 million people in India live below the poverty line and are concentrated in rural areas. Families in rural Indian communities may benefit from interventions that support long-term well-being. Maternal self-efficacy (MSE) may be an important target for interventions given prior associations with positive maternal and child outcomes. The present study examined MSE in a pilot community-based group intervention delivered in rural North India. Using convenience sampling recruitment and a quasi-experimental design, 97 mothers (79 self-identified as low-caste) with at least one child between 0–24 months who engaged in the intervention were compared with a matched control group ( n = 219; 114 low-caste). Findings suggest that participation in the intervention was associated with higher MSE (ß = .294, p = .020) and the positive association was stronger amongst mothers from low-caste groups who participated in the intervention (ß = .390, p = .008). MSE may be malleable with the right approach and could be an important target for public health interventions, particularly for low-caste groups in rural India.

Engaging with autistic children and their families: Strategies for effective partnerships

Background: Autism diagnoses for children are becoming more commonplace due to greater understanding and insight concerning neurodiversity and an increased awareness of the importance of inclusion. Consequently, greater numbers of health and social care professionals, educators and practitioners in the community are more likely to find themselves supporting autistic children and their families. Understanding the needs, wishes and hopes of families who you interact with will enable you to plan your professional response to their needs more effectively.&#x0D; Target audience: This presentation is intended for professionals responsible for supporting autistic children and their families within clinical, residential or community settings, in addition to those working in education settings. This presentation will explore the needs of autistic children and their families when they present at appointments or for services, and how you as the professional can make the most positive impact through your interactions.&#x0D; Key messages: Supporting parents to support their children has fast become the mantra of disability support services here in Ireland. But what do parents universally really need from professionals to truly empower and enable them to support their autistic child?&#x0D; A partnership approach between professionals and parents is instrumental in promoting more positive outcomes for autistic children. Yet what parents need more than anything else when they meet you is hope. They need to feel listened to, that their worries and concerns have been heard and they need to have hope that things can improve for their child and their family. You may not always be in a position to provide the level of service an autistic child truly needs. You can however maximise the effectiveness of your intervention with their family by establishing and developing good working relationships with their parents.&#x0D; Learning outcomes: This presentation will provide you with strategies and tangible methods of supporting autistic children, via enabling and empowering parents. Actual case studies will be provided to demonstrate to attendees the effectiveness of active listening, being present and creating a space of hope, within interactions with parents. Examples of both effective and non-effective ways of engaging families will be presented, to maximise understanding and enhance positive outcomes.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Caregiver burden and mental health: Parent perspectives when raising a child with developmental coordination disorder

BackgroundChildren with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are at high risk for mental health disorders, stemming from challenges participating in motor activities. Parents of children with DCD report increased caregiver burden exacerbated by insufficient support and services for their child. A paucity of literature exists on parent and child mental health associated with a DCD diagnosis. AimsTo explore parent perceptions of their child’s mental health, and the impact of DCD on family and parental mental health. Methods and proceduresImplementation of a secondary analysis using the impACT for DCD, a cross-sectional online survey of parents of children with self-reported suspected or confirmed diagnosis of DCD living in British Columbia, Canada. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics and content analysis. Outcomes and resultsOf the 237 participants, more than one third of parents (36%) rated their own mental health to be fair or poor, and the majority (90%) expressed concern for their child’s mental health. Themes emerged on the impact of DCD on child, parent, and family, influenced by access to resources. Conclusions and implicationsStandard of care for DCD needs to include services and supports that address caregiver burden and mental health of children with DCD and their families. What this paper addsThis paper explores parent perceptions of their child(ren)'s and their own mental health when raising a child with DCD in British Columbia (BC). In BC, there is a lack of research on the mental health challenges families face when their child has a diagnosis of DCD. Amongst health care providers, there tends to be a focus on DCD as a motor disorder, with limited understanding and acknowledgement of the mental health component for children and their families. Thus, this study will inform health-care providers, parents, educators, and policy makers on parent-identified mental health needs and the essential services and supports. Unique to this study was the inclusion of a descriptive and exploratory content analysis, providing a holistic understanding of parents’ perceptions regarding the impact of DCD on their children and themselves. Our results revealed that parents perceive significant inter-connected impacts of DCD on the child, parents, and family, leading to poor mental health for parents and their child(ren). Limited access to resources and supports results in a negative trajectory for family mental health and well-being. Study results indicate the critical importance of addressing mental health, in addition to motor challenges. Healthcare providers need to adopt a family-centred approach to address the physical and psychosocial impairments associated with DCD, ensuring positive outcomes for children and their families.

Routines and child development: A systematic review

AbstractResearch has shown the importance of routines for optimal child development. A systematic review can offer a detailed overview of the evidence linking routines to child outcomes, particularly in high‐risk settings. This review aimed to elucidate the association between daily routines and child development and to pinpoint the protective role of routines in high‐risk environments. A search of PubMed and PsycINFO databases yielded literature from 1950 to June 2020. Out of 4297 initial hits, 170 studies met the selection criteria. Findings mainly indicate that routines are associated with positive developmental outcomes in children, covering cognitive, self‐regulation, social–emotional, academic skills, and overall mental and physical health. The results also underline the protective power of routines in challenging environments. The study suggests possible mechanisms through which routines influence child outcomes and recommends avenues for future research, supporting evidence‐based strategies to encourage parental use of routines.