Preschool Period Research Articles

Effect of the timing of initial exposure to maternal depression on children's school readiness

This study investigates the impact of the timing of initial exposure to maternal depression on a comprehensive measure of children's school readiness that incorporates multidimensional developmental domains underlying school adaptation and later success. The Early Development Instrument scores of 59,413 children were linked to their mothers, who were observed from five years before the child's birth to the child's fifth birthday. Exposure to maternal depression was associated with developmental vulnerability in emotional, physical, social, and cognitive domains, and the effects were strongest if the child was first exposed during pregnancy or the preschool period. When controlling for health at birth, health of the child during early childhood, mother's health prior to pregnancy, and the family environment however, the effects of exposure to maternal depression were attenuated. Thus, although maternal depression is a risk factor for children's school readiness, their health and environment compound this effect. A number of different stratifications, variable definitions and robustness checks support the reliability of the findings. The results suggest that mitigating the effects of maternal depression on school readiness is important at any age, and that the programs to address this are likely to lead to improvements far beyond those for maternal depression alone.

Hidden in plain sight: Using administrative data to conduct a longitudinal cohort study of children exposed to opioids in pregnancy

ObjectivesChildren of women who use substances are difficult to research at a population-level using traditional research methods due to the complexity of their lives. Resultingly, we have little robust evidence on their outcomes. This study developed an administrative data cohort of children exposed to opioids and explored health outcomes.
 MethodsUsing data from birth records, antenatal records, prescription data, hospital/psychiatric hospital admissions, and drug and alcohol service data, we identified 6,408 children (born 2009-2019) in Scotland who were exposed to opioids through illicit use and/or medication assisted treatment (i.e. methadone/buprenorphine). A control group (n. 19,089) of children not exposed to opioids were matched on age of mother and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Data were described and linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between risk factors (such as drug and alcohol use in pregnancy, gestation at booking and at birth), and key early outcomes.
 ResultsAlthough the majority of women had their substance use recorded in antenatal records, 28.9\% did not, demonstrating the importance of using multiple administrative datasets to form the cohort. Children in the cohort were more likely to experience a range of adverse outcomes including being born early (17\% born prematurely, compared with 6.5\% in control group), having a below normal Apgar score (the scoring system used to assess newborns shortly after birth) (2.9\% in cohort vs. 1.5\% in controls), having significantly lower birthweight, length and head circumference, and more likely to be removed from their mother prior hospital discharge. Differences between the cohorts remained after controlling for other risk factors including alcohol use, and gestation.
 ConclusionThis feasibility study brought together a cohort of children usually excluded from traditional forms of research. The research demonstrated early differences in outcomes between exposed children and others from similar socio-economic groups. The next stage of this research is exploring health and development outcomes in the preschool period.

PENYULUHAN GAMSTING (GERAKAN MEMASYARAKATKAN MAKAN IKAN UNTUK MENCEGAH STUNTING) DI PAUD RINJANI DARMA WANITA UNIVERSITAS MATARAM

Stunting is a condition of nutritional status in children under five years of age with low height compare to age. The data from the National Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) of 2022 shows that one out of every five children in Indonesia is stunted. The Movement to Popularize Eating Fish to Prevent Stunting (GAMSTING) is an effort to reduce stunting prevalence in Indonesia. Children, especially those in the pre-school period such as in day care, early childhood education and kindergarten, are an important target in stunting prevention education. This service activity aims to provide education to teachers, parents and students at Kindergarten DW Rinjani University of Mataram about the importance of nutrition fulfillment from an early age to prevent stunting, one of which is by consuming fish. This service uses the counseling method with material on the introduction of types of sea fish and fresh fish, as well as the importance of eating fish for the health and fulfillment of children's nutrition. The second counseling material is the hands-on practice of cooking tuna. Students and parents who attended the activity were enthusiastic in participating in the activity both in material presentation and in tasting the fish dishes from the cooking demonstration. Collaboration among children, parents and teachers at school in introducing and increasing fish consumption is expected to be an important measure to prevent stunting. Diet is very influential on the growth and development of children so that the toddler period is most appropriate for parents to introduce and get used to their children consuming fish.

Behavior problems of preschoolers with Developmental Language Disorder

Objective: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are prone to numerous adverse outcomes throughout their lives. The aim of the study was to investigate risk factors and behavior problems in children aged 1.5 to 5 years with DLD in a low/middle-income country. Material and Methods: This case-control study included 101 preschoolers (54 children with DLD and 47 children with typical development (TD)). A developmental pediatrician evaluated each child’s development using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Children Behavior Checklist and Beck Depression Inventory were completed by mothers. Socio-demographic information and screen parameters were obtained using a researcher-developed form. Results: Risk factors for DLD were identified as less frequent reading books with parents, consanguineous marriage, and having a family member with language disorders. Preschoolers with DLD had more behavior problems (except sleep and somatic problems) than preschoolers with TD (p<0.050). The risk factors for behavior problems of preschooler with DLD in the multivariable regression model included: ages of parents and children, paternal education, lack of having their own room, and maternal depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Consistent with the findings of this study, consanguineous marriage, family history of language disorders, and infrequent reading of books with parents were associated with the development of DLD. Attention should be given to behavioral problems in preschool children with DLD. Maternal depressive symptoms, lower paternal education, younger father, and lack of having their own room can be highlighted factors for behavior problems of children with DLD. Parents play a crucial role in shaping behavior and language development during the preschool period.

An In-Depth Investigation of Parents' Experiences about the Developmental and Diagnosis Process of Children with Specific Learning

This study examines the developmental processes, diagnosis processes, and needs of children with specific learning disabilities based on their parents' experiences. The research was conducted with a qualitative research methodology. The study group in the research was formed by the typical sampling method. The study group comprises the parents of 12 students with specific learning disabilities educated in mainstream classrooms. The researchers developed a semi-structured interview form in the context of literature. Content analysis of the transcribed voice recordings was made. As a result, four main themes emerged “Developmental Process, Social Relations, Diagnosis Process, and Strengths and Weaknesses.” The parents have difficulties in their children's self-care skills, motor development, social development, cognitive development, and language development compared to their peers in preschool. The parents noticed their children's development needs during the homework process and pointed out the low level of knowledge of the teachers in both preschool and school periods. It was stated that the children had developmental needs in all developmental areas, especially language development in the preschool period. Also, parents expressed that their children have difficulties with often drawing attention to the difficulties experienced by their children in social relations.

Early life stress, prenatal secondhand smoke exposure, and the development of internalizing symptoms across childhood

BackgroundPrior findings relating secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure and internalizing problems, characterized by heightened anxiety and depression symptoms, have been equivocal; effects of SHS on neurodevelopment may depend on the presence of other neurotoxicants. Early life stress (ELS) is a known risk factor for internalizing symptoms and is also often concurrent with SHS exposure. To date the interactive effects of ELS and SHS on children’s internalizing symptoms are unknown. We hypothesize that children with higher exposure to both prenatal SHS and ELS will have the most internalizing symptoms during the preschool period and the slowest reductions in symptoms over time.MethodsThe present study leveraged a prospective, longitudinal birth cohort of 564 Black and Latinx mothers and their children, recruited between 1998 and 2006. Cotinine extracted from cord and maternal blood at birth served as a biomarker of prenatal SHS exposure. Parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores were examined at four timepoints between preschool and eleven years-old. ELS exposure was measured as a composite of six domains of maternal stress reported at child age five. Latent growth models examined associations between SHS, ELS, and their interaction term with trajectories of children’s internalizing symptoms. In follow-up analyses, weighted quintile sum regression examined contributions of components of the ELS mixture to children’s internalizing symptoms at each time point.ResultsELS interacted with SHS exposure such that higher levels of ELS and SHS exposure were associated with more internalizing symptoms during the preschool period (β = 0.14, p = 0.03). The interaction between ELS and SHS was also associated with a less negative rate of change in internalizing symptoms over time (β=-0.02, p = 0.01). Weighted quintile sum regression revealed significant contributions of maternal demoralization and other components of the stress mixture to children’s internalizing problems at each age point (e.g., age 11 WQS β = 0.26, p < 0.01).ConclusionsOur results suggest that prior inconsistencies in studies of SHS on behavior may derive from unmeasured factors that also influence behavior and co-occur with exposure, specifically maternal stress during children’s early life. Findings point to modifiable targets for personalized prevention.

Thyroid function test abnormalities-isolated TPOAb+, SCH and hypothyroxinemiaand preschool children's neurodevelopment.

Thyroid function test abnormalities are frequent and associated with the offspring's adverse neurodevelopment. This study aimed to examine the relationship between maternal thyroid function test abnormalities before 20 gestational weeks and children's cognitive, emotional and behavioural development at 3-6 years of age. A total of 2243 mother-child pairs were included in the final analysis. Maternal thyroid function was evaluated retrospectively during the children's preschool period. The serum thyrotrophin, free thyroxine and thyroid peroxidase antibodies(TPOAb) were detected by chemiluminescence immunoassay during the follow-up period. The neurodevelopmental status of preschoolers aged 3-6 years was evaluated by parental versions of The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool and The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires. The associations between maternal thyroid function test abnormalities and preschoolers'neurodevelopment were examined using Poisson regression models. After adjusting for potential confounders in Poisson regression analyses, it showed that maternal isolated TPOAb positivity before 20 gestational weeks may be associated with the increased risk of abnormalities in peer problems (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval[CI]: 1.26, 287). Maternal isolated SCH before 20 gestational weeks was observed to be related with increased risk of abnormalities in inhibition (OR = 2.73, 95%CI: 1.37, 5.41), working memory (OR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.04, 2.70), conduct problems (OR = 1.80, 95%CI: 1.05, 3.09), hyperactivity (OR = 1.94, 95% CI:1.08, 3.49)and total difficulties (OR = 1.94, 95%CI: 1.13, 3.34). Maternal isolated hypothyroxinemia before 20 gestational was observed to be related with increased risk of abnormalities in peer problems (OR = 2.71, 95%CI: 1.17, 6.27). Thyroid function test abnormalities before 20 gestational weeks may be associated with children's neurodevelopment at 3-6 years of age.

An Examination of the Social Skills of Preschool-Age Children with Cochlear Implants

Introduction: The preschool period is the most critical time for the development of social skills. Children with cochlear implants experience challenges in many domains, particularly including communication skills. This study aimed to compare the social skills (initiation, academic support, friendship, and emotion regulation skills) of preschool-age children with cochlear implants to those of their hearing peers. The second aim was investigate the influence of unilateral/bilateral cochlear implant use and preschool attendance on social skills. Method: Thirty-four children (16 girls, 18 boys) with cochlear implants with a mean age of 53.18 months and 36 hearing children (21 girls, 15 boys) with a mean age of 53.92 months were included in this study. The social skills of the hearing children and the children with cochlear implants were compared using the Preschool Social Skills Evaluation Scale. The influence of unilateral/bilateral cochlear implant use and the effect of preschool attendance on social skills were also investigated. Findings: The performances of children with cochlear implants were significantly lower than those of their hearing peers in terms of initiation skills, academic support skills, friendship skills, and emotion regulation skills (p &amp;lt; .05). Bilateral cochlear implant users had significantly higher initiation skills than unilateral cochlear implant users, and cochlear implant users who attended preschool had significantly higher academic support skills than cochlear implant users who did not attend preschool. Discussion: Preschool-age children with cochlear implants were behind their hearing age-mates in social skills and required increased educational support to promote their social skills. Being a bilateral cochlear implant user and attending preschool education had positive effects on social skills.

UPAYA DAN PERAN ORANG TUA DALAM MENSTIMULASI PERKEMBANGAN ANAK PRA SEKOLAH

The pre-school period is an important period for children because the stimulation given will have a big influence on their development. It is the family environment that is the starting point for providing stimulation for children. There are still many mothers in Karangharja Village who do not understand that the responsibility of providing stimulation to children is not only the teacher's, but parents must also help. The impact of this is that children's development becomes slower than other children. The service method implements community education by carrying out outreach activities to parents, especially mothers, about the importance of the role of parents in stimulating children's development and what efforts can be made by mothers to create fun learning at home by conducting training activities on making tree learning media read from junk. The result of the service is to make parents aware of the important role in stimulating the development of their children, increasing the development of preschoolers, and increasing children's interest in learning.

Measuring categorisation in pre-school children: new toolkit, new insights

Introduction: whilst recent years have witnessed considerable research into infant categorisation, its development during the pre-school period has garnered far less interest and innovation. Objective: this paper documents the development of a valid and reliable new toolkit for measuring categorisation in children, designed to allow fine-grained differentiation through four short tasks. Methods: the paper outlines how a pilot study with 55 children reduced confounding variables, ruled out several explanations for performance variations and enabled procedural refinements. It then documents a study conducted with 190 children aged 30-60 months. Results: this more sophisticated testing mechanism challenges previously accepted developmental norms and suggests both sex and socio-economic status (and their interaction) influence categorisational abilities in pre-schoolers. Conclusion: the results indicate that preschool children’s ability to categorise varies markedly, with implications for their capacity to access formal education.

Health Promotion in Preschool Children.

The key for individuals to live in health and well-being is the development of healthy living habits. In order for a healthy life habit to be formed, the relevant behaviors must be acquired in the preschool period. This study aimed to promote health knowledge among children attending preschool through health education. The study was designed using the qualitative case study design. The Personal Information Form and Health Hunter Children Follow Health Interview Form were used as data collection tools in the study. Health education activities were implemented in order to improve children's knowledge about health. Activities consisted of physical activity, personal hygiene, injury prevention, sleeping habits, healthy nutrition, healthy life, and paramedic and treatment services categories. Activities were applied to children twice a week for eight weeks. As a result of the study, an improvement was observed in children's knowledge about health. The answers given by the children before and after the Health Education Activities were collected in the categories of nutrition, safe life, illness status, well-being, hygiene, environmental health, and sports.

Hubungan Pola Asuh Orang Tua Dengan Perkembangan Anak Usia Pra Sekolah (3-5) Tahun Di Taman Kanak - Kanak Baiturohman Desa Pondok Waluh Kabupaten Jember

Children in the pre-school period need to achieve developments that include; motor, social and language skills. Early childhood education will help in achieving this development. This study aims to determine the relationship between parenting style and the development of 3-5 year old preschool children in Baiturohman Kindergarten, Pondok Waluh Village, Jember Regency. The design of this study was Correlational Analysis with a population of 40 children and parents at Baiturohmah Kindergarten, Kencong Village, Jember Regency. The sample used in this study were 40 respondents taken by the Total Sampling method, the measuring instrument in this study used a questionnaire and KPSP, Spearman rank correlation test. The results of this study are that two variables obtained a p value of 0.001 which means &lt;0.05 which indicates that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted, meaning that there is a relationship between parenting parents and the development of 3-5 year old preschool children in Baiturohmah Kindergarten, Pondok Waluh Village, Jember Regency . Therefore, parents need to choose the right parenting style so that the child's development is optimal.

The Use of Educative Game Tools (Meronce Lego) to Support the Motor Development of Preschool Children at TA Pesan Ibu

Pre-school period is the stage of development of children aged 3-6 years where at this age children will learn to interact with other people. Educational Game Tools (APE) are all forms of games designed to provide educational experiences or learning experiences to the players. Message Mother Kindergarten is one of the places to stimulate the development of preschool-aged children, however APE in the form of Meronce Lego available at schools is still not optimal where the availability of educational game tools itself does not match the number of children so there is a need for additions and understanding to improve children's development and Children feel bored with monotonous games. The solution that will be provided is to provide training in the Selection of Educational Game Tools (APE), Assistance explaining the uses and functions of Educational Game Tools (APE) and Promotion of Educational Game Tools (APE). The output target to be produced is in the form of activity videos which are published via YouTube with the link: https://youtu.be/ZISk0JYROWE. All students can play Meronce Lego happily with their friends. Thus the TA teacher, especially the TA Pesan Ibu, can introduce educational game tools such as lego meronce which is appropriate for one of the lessons in the classroom so that children don't feel bored with this type of game. Students play the lego meronce game so that it can improve children's motor development.

Analysis of Postgraduate Studies on Learning Disability in Preschool Period

Analysis of Postgraduate Studies on Learning Disability in Preschool Period

Early and stable difficulties of everyday executive functions predict autism symptoms and emotional/behavioral problems in preschool age children with autism: a 2-year longitudinal study.

Longitudinal studies of autistic children show that autism symptoms and emotional/behavioral problems vary and change over time. However, the factors that affect this variability remain far from certain and very little is known about what take place in the preschool period and the role of executive functions (EF). Here, we test the influence of stable difficulties in everyday executive functioning (EEF) during early childhood across 2 years on autistic symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems. Twenty-nine autistic children (24 males and 5 females) were assessed twice within the space of 2 years. At baseline (M = 29 months, SD =5.6 months), participants were assessed for EEF, cognitive development, autistic symptoms, and emotional/behavioral problems. At follow-up, we repeated the same assessment except for cognitive development. The group with stable difficulties (across 2 years) in EEF during early childhood showed a worsening in the severity of autistic symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems compared with children without EEF difficulties (p < 0.05), and these effects cannot be attributable to cognitive development. Our results suggest that early and stable EEF plays the role of a modifier by interacting with the core domains of autism, in particular with the social affect domain (SA CSS), influencing social cognition and exacerbating or lessening symptom expression and emotional behavioral problems. These short-term longitudinal and preliminary findings underscore the importance of EEF as necessary target for early intervention in children with autism.

INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF THE CARTOONS ON THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN FROM PARENTS’ VIEWS

In the preschool period, children can identify with the cartoon characters. In the preschool period, children want to have the abilities of the movie heroes they watch and they identify themselves with them. Cartoons are in the position of exemplary educators for the child at the age of learning right-wrong, beauty-ugly. The study group of the research consists of 2 primary schools in Karaman City Center with a kindergarten and 15 parents in these schools in the 2020-2021 academic year. The study group of the research was determined by using the easily accessible case sampling method, which is one of the purposive sampling methods used in qualitative research.

THE EFFECTS OF INTERACTIVE BOOK READING ACTIVITIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Early childhood is one of the irreversible periods of life. Especially this period is the foundation of the learning future of the child. The first years of childhood are a period when cognitive, physical and language development is faster than other years. For this reason, it is very important to determine the achievements of interactive book reading activities to be done with children in the preschool period and to manage the process accordingly. The purpose of this research is to determine the effects of interactive storybook reading activities in and out of school on the developmental areas of children, according to the opinions of preschool teachers, preschool teacher candidates and parents. The study group of the research is affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Konya City Center in the 2020-2021 academic year; It consists of an independent kindergarten, 5 preschool teachers in this school, and 15 pre-school teacher candidates, a total of 20 people. Qualitative research method was used in this study.

Validation of the StimQ2: A parent-report measure of cognitive stimulation in the home.

Considerable evidence demonstrates the importance of the cognitive home environment in supporting children's language, cognition, and school readiness more broadly. This is particularly important for children from low-income backgrounds, as cognitive stimulation is a key area of resilience that mediates the impact of poverty on child development. Researchers and clinicians have therefore highlighted the need to quantify cognitive stimulation; however existing methodological approaches frequently utilize home visits and/or labor-intensive observations and coding. Here, we examined the reliability and validity of the StimQ2, a parent-report measure of the cognitive home environment that can be delivered efficiently and at low cost. StimQ2 improves upon earlier versions of the instrument by removing outdated items, assessing additional domains of cognitive stimulation and providing new scoring systems. Findings suggest that the StimQ2 is a reliable and valid measure of the cognitive home environment for children from infancy through the preschool period.

Исследование отношения родителей детей с аутизмом к дошкольному образованию

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives&lt;/strong&gt;. The preschool age has its crucial importance in the upbringing and education of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The plasticity of psychological organization at this age makes the psycho-educational work the most effective. The aim of presented work is the analysis of characteristics of parents&amp;rsquo; attitude of children with autism to preschool education with the follow-up identification of factors that influence this attitude of parents to preschool education and determination of the trajectories for optimizing this attitude in order to increase the ef&amp;shy;fectiveness of accompanying children with ASD in the preschool period.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods&lt;/strong&gt;. A survey of 629 parents or legal representatives of individuals with autism from 43 regions of Russia and the Republic of Belarus was conducted. The age of the respondents&amp;rsquo; children varies from 3 to 38 years.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results&lt;/strong&gt;. Reported that 86.6% of the children attended preschool educational organizations; 12.3% &amp;mdash; did not at&amp;shy;tended; 0.6% preferred not to answer this type of questions. In the period from the second half of the 1980s to 2022, the percentage of children attending preschools increased from 7.8% to 97.0%. However, regardless of age, at least a quarter of families (24&amp;mdash;28%) asked for help in other institutions or appealed to the private specialists, which directly indicates dissatisfaction with the support provided by the preschool educational system. Respondents whose children attended preschools mark the general preschool education effects at 3.2+0.1 on a five-point scale. In comparison, all families who assessed preschool have a significantly lower result (P&amp;lt;0.01) &amp;mdash; 2.8+0.1. The respondents noted the insufficient level of qualifications of the staff of the preschool educational institution and problems of organizational and methodological support.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions&lt;/strong&gt;. Despite the subjective character of the survey, the assessments and comments of parents reflect the real problems of preschool education of children with ASD. In order to develop cooperation between representatives of the preschool system and families raising children with autism, two equivalent areas of work are proposed: raising awareness of parents about autism and the basic supports of children with autism and improving the skills of special&amp;shy;ists working with such children.&lt;/p&gt;

Using a Koppitz Human Draw Test for Guidance in Preschool Period

This study is based on the limited number of studies on recognizing and evaluating preschool children; It aims to be a guide for families and teachers regarding the developmental problems and social and emotional maturity levels of children who continue their preschool education online during the pandemic process and to evaluate the results in terms of children and turn them into opportunities. This qualitative study is carried out in a case study pattern using the “Koppitz Draw a Person Test” for 5-year-old preschool children. The Working group consists of children a total of 100 students, 50 girls and 50 boys, attend official and independent kindergartens through distance education in Akdeniz, Mezitli, Toroslar and Yenişehir districts in the center of Mersin, affiliated to the Ministry of National Education (MEB) in the 2020-2021 academic year. Pictures obtained by the “Koppitz Draw a Human Test” were used as data tools. The data were coded and analyzed by the “Koppitz Draw a Human Test.” The data obtained in the study were interpreted in tables according to Koppitz (1968). In the study, the participant children drew the indicators for academic failures as 8%; and 98% of the indicators expressing social and emotional inadequacy and representing at least one or more anxiety states in the child were drawn. In addition, this study determined that children with self-confidence problems, showing emotional weakness, recessive, and lack of motivation develop negative attitudes when faced with obstacles and rules in response to their expectations during the pandemic process.