Children's Skills Research Articles

Refugee Caregivers’ Perceptions of Using Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Support Coping Skills in Children with Disability in Jordan

Background: Refugee children with disabilities are vulnerable to developing dysfunctional coping skills due to barriers in accessing health care services, including occupational therapy (OT). This study investigated the perceptions of refugee caregivers regarding the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) as a treatment for coping skills among their children with disabilities. Methods: A qualitative survey was used to analyse the coping mechanisms and access to services among refugee children with disabilities, as well as their caregivers’ perceptions regarding the use of MBIs. The caregivers were recruited using convenience sampling from a database of individuals at the Al-Baqa’a refugee camp in Jordan via their community-based rehabilitation (CBR) centre. A demographic survey was sent to 156 refugees using WhatsApp. Refugees above the age of 18 years identifying as the caregivers of children with disabilities were eligible. Twenty-eight individuals completed the survey, and twenty-six were eligible. Open-ended questions asked about their child’s struggles, supports, barriers to support, and perceptions of MBIs. The data were collected via Google Sheets. Three researchers coded the responses using a descriptive coding method and line-by-line analysis. Results: Five themes were derived from the responses: “Daily Challenges”, “Support and Strategies”, “barriers to accessing support”, “MBIs: Caregiver Perceptions”, and “MBIs: Barriers”. The participants identified the behavioural, emotional, and cognitive challenges impacting their child’s participation. Financial and environmental constraints, stigma, and timing were the reported barriers to services. The participants felt positive about the potential of MBIs to support their children. Conclusions: Overall, this study obtained foundational data to establish accessible mental health programmes for refugees with disabilities. Further research is needed to transcend the barriers and maintain MBI programmes in the community and the home settings.

Level of Physical and Psychomotor Skills in Children Practising Climbing in their Extracurricular Activities

Our study examines physical and psychomotor development in 12-13-year-olds engaged in climbing extracurricular activities. 24 children from Brașov and Bacău were evaluated in 2023, by using Pearson correlation coefficients to analyse relationships between indicators. Strong linear correlations were revealed at the somatic development level, at the mental ability level as well as at the level of the motor capacity testing back, abdominal and limb strength. These outcomes can give insights into the integrated development of adolescents engaged in climbing activities.

Effect of Life Kinetic exercises on fundamental motor skills with the MOBAK-3 test battery

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of regular Life Kinetic (LK) exercises on the development of basic motor skills in 3rd grade primary school children (age group 8-9 years). . Randomly selected participants were divided into two groups as experimental group (n= 112) and control group (n= 106). In the pre-test day, object movements (throwing, throwing and catching, bouncing, dribbling) and self-movements (balancing, rolling, rope skipping, moving variably) of all participants were measured with MOBAK-3 test battery. Experimental group performed LK exercises for 12 weeks, while the control group did not participate in these exercises. At the end of 12-weeks programme, on the post-test day, the MOBAK-3 test battery was re-applied to all participants to measure changes in fundamental movements skills and the results were compared with the results of the pre-test day. Significant differences were found between the bouncing scores of the control and experimental group before and after the LK exercises (p<0.05). Additionally statistically significant differences were found between the self-movement scores of the control and experimental groups after the LK exercises (p<0.05). However, there were not statistically significant difference in object and self movement between the control and experimental group according to gender (p>0.05). It was concluded that LK exercises had a positive effect on the total change scores of subject and object movements. This shows that LK exercises may improve children's motor competence and skill tendencies.

The Role of Singing in Piano Teaching: Issues and Solutions

Background and Aim: For coordination and singing abilities, students should practice with children's books, connect sight and feel to piano pitches, use simple accompaniments, and receive feedback. This article explores the role of singing in piano teaching, discussing strategies for improvement, textbook selection, classroom fun, parent communication, sight singing, ear training, and enriching children's music lives. Methodology: This paper is a documentary study that combines descriptive content analysis with goals-oriented thinking. Results: The issues with pitch, coordination, song familiarity, and self-assurance. Solutions include helping students with basic vocalizations, focusing on correct breathing techniques, using children's piano books, and providing motivation and constructive criticism. Sustained instruction and practice can improve coordination and vocal capabilities. Pedagogical approaches should be refined, and tailored to students' age, gender, and individuality, and teachers should enhance their expertise and establish clear teaching objectives. Time allocation and textbook selection should be based on the course schedule, and novel pedagogical approaches like role exchange can enhance student engagement. Consistent communication with parents is crucial for children's piano skills development. Sight singing and ear training can develop children's ability to perceive and use music. Conclusion: The document review addresses issues with the role of singing in piano teaching, focusing on pitch, coordination, song familiarity, and self-assurance. Solutions include basic vocalizations, breathing techniques, using children's books, motivation, and teacher training.

Educational Mobile Apps Enhancing Communication Skills in Children With Autism in Arab Countries

This exploratory literature review investigates the landscape of educational mobile applications designed for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Arab countries, with a specific focus on their efficacy in improving communication skills. After a comprehensive search of academic databases and digital libraries, nine studies were reviewed. These studies discussed seven Arabic-language applications designed for ASD children. Consistent with previous research findings, these applications were found to be effective in enhancing communication skills among ASD individuals. By shedding light on the few existing Arabic-language educational mobile applications for ASD children in Arab countries, this comprehensive review contributes significantly to the discourse surrounding ASD interventions. Additionally, it highlights the immediate need for linguistically and culturally sensitive educational applications, designed for a specific population of Arab children with ASD.

The Impact of Turkish Cypriot Folktales on Middle School Students' Social Skills

Folktales, as products of oral culture, play a significant role in supporting children's language development during their preschool and primary school years. They facilitate children's adaptation to social and cultural environments and contribute significantly to their cultural and educational lives. Additionally, folktales enhance children's social skills, including critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, planning, analysis, and coping with stress. This study aims to investigate how Turkish Cypriot folktales influence the social skills of middle school students. This research highlights the potential of folktales in enhancing children's social skills. A mixed-methods research design was employed to measure the impact of Turkish Cypriot folktales on middle school students' social skills. The study group consists of 56 students attending a private school in the Northern Cyprus. The quantitative data collection tool used was the "Matson Evaluation of Social Skills in Children (MESSY)" scale, and two open-ended interview questions created by the researchers were administered. According to the quantitative data, the intervention of teaching social skills with Cyprus Turkish folktales did not statistically make a difference on the experimental group students. However, the qualitative data revealed that according to the expressions of the participating students, Cyprus Turkish folktales have increased their awareness of social skills such as problem-solving, planning, analysis, and coping with stress.

Influence of track placement and teachers' perceptions of children's academic schoolwork skills on the development of children's motivational self-beliefs and achievement

In this study, we analyzed longitudinal data from 1065 Finnish elementary school students to examine how teachers' perceptions of students' academic schoolwork skills and track placement influence children's motivational self-beliefs and achievement. Our findings indicate, that teachers' perceptions of students, which varied notably based on the students' gender, their mothers' education level, and their class types, significantly affected children's motivation and achievement. Teachers viewed girls, children of more educated mothers, and students in classes with a special emphasis more positively. Moreover, studying in a class with a special emphasis was associated with more positive developments in achievement and ability beliefs.

Challenges Of Obtaining Reliable Eyewitness Testimony from Children and Practical Implications

The reliability of eyewitness testimony provided by children has always been a controversial area in research. This paper addresses the challenges of obtaining reliable eyewitness testimony from children and explores its practical implications. The research background highlights the importance of understanding children's developmental stage, memory and language skills, and how these factors influence their ability to provide accurate testimony. The review explores the different aspects that influence the reliability of children's testimony, including verbal and non-verbal factors, cognitive instructions, and how to build trust. As children have high emotional needs, it is important to provide support while obtaining eyewitness testimony. The final section summarizes the main findings, highlighting the effectiveness of multiple interviews, flexible questioning strategies and the importance of parent and interviewer support. Disadvantages include differences in children's anxiety levels and the need to adapt interview techniques to children. Future research should focus on refining these techniques and studying the impact of different support systems on children from different backgrounds.

From mind to mind: Understanding the role of mothers in children’s theory of mind

Theory of mind (ToM) enables children to comprehend mental states of themselves and others. In this first study investigating the mediating role of mothers' mental state talk between mothers' sociocognitive skills (i.e., mothers' ToM and parental reflective functioning) and children's ToM, 89 children (M(SD)age = 57.0 months (5.49)) and their mothers from Türkiye participated. Results revealed that mothers with higher prementalization scores used fewer affective and desire words. Mothers exhibiting greater interest and curiosity in mental states used more cognitive words, while those with more proficient ToM skills tended to use more mental state terms indicating certainty (e.g., ‘perhaps’). Furthermore, mothers' use of certainty words mediated the relationship between mothers' ToM and children's ToM. These cross-sectional findings underscore the significant role of mothers' socio-cognitive abilities in mother-child interactions regarding mental states and the development of children's ToM skills, and call for a longitudinal investigation into these relationships.

Tapping into family power: Enhancing English learning for Chinese children in Banda Aceh through parental involvement

Learning English at an early age is believed to lead to a significant improvement in children's language skills. Parental involvement is thought to have a positive influence on children's development in learning English as a second/foreign language. A preliminary study found that Chinese parents are actively involved in helping their children learn English. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the types of parental involvement of Chinese parents and their roles in helping their children learn English in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The focus of this study is on six types of parental involvement (parenting, communicating, volunteering, supervising children's learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community) and five roles of parents (motivators, models, facilitators, sources of knowledge, and coordinators) in children's education as proposed by Epstein (2011). The participants of this study are ten Chinese parents, seven mothers and three fathers, who have enrolled their children for early English language learning in one of the private courses in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This study used a qualitative approach and was conducted through interviews. The findings show that Chinese parents engage in four types of parental involvement: parenting, communication, monitoring children's learning at home, and decision making. They also fulfil five parental roles in their children's language learning: motivators, models, facilitators, knowledge sources and coordinators. As this study focuses on parental involvement in children's English learning at primary school level, it is suggested that further research should aim to examine parental involvement in children's English learning at different levels of education, such as middle school or senior high school.

Mathematical Thinking and Learning in Early Childhood: A Consolidated Qualitative Synthesis of Cutting-Edge Research Literature

This study aims to synthesize current research on early childhood mathematical thinking and learning, focusing on cognitive development, instructional strategies, and environmental influences. The study provides a comprehensive qualitative analysis, integrating diverse theoretical frameworks and recent empirical findings for a nuanced understanding of early math education. Methodologically, it employs a thematic synthesis of qualitative studies, systematically reviewing literature from various academic databases to identify key patterns and themes. The research design involves coding text, developing descriptive themes, and generating analytical themes from peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024. The primary outcomes highlight the significant impact of play-based learning, interdisciplinary approaches, and parental involvement on early mathematical development. Additionally, the study underscores the role of technology and supportive learning environments in enhancing children's math skills. Conclusions emphasize the importance of holistic and culturally responsive educational practices. The practical implications provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers, researchers, and parents aiming to improve early childhood math education.

Maternal Question Use Relates to Syntactic Skills in 5- to 7-Year-Old Children.

This study examined how mothers' question-asking behavior relates to their child's syntactic skills. One important aspect of maternal question-asking behavior is the use of complex questions when speaking with children. These questions can differ based on both their purpose and structure. The purpose may be to seek out information, to teach, or to get a simple yes/no response. Questions may even be rhetorical, with no answer intended at all. Structurally, questions can include a wh-word (who, what, when, where, why, and how) or not; however, these wh-questions are important because they elicit utterances from the child and support vocabulary development. Despite wh-questions eliciting a response from children, it remains unknown how these questions relate to children's syntactic skills. Thirty-four mother-child dyads participated in a 15-min seminaturalistic play session. Children were between the ages of 5 and 7 years (M = 6.26 years, SD = 1.04 years; 20 girls/14 boys). The Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation (DELV) assessment was used to measure syntactic skills in children. Using the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts, questions were categorized based on structure (wh-questions vs. non-wh-questions) and purpose (information-seeking, pedagogical, or yes/no and rhetorical questions). A repeated-measures analysis of covariance and a linear regression model were implemented to address the frequency of different questions asked by mothers, as well as what types of questions are most related to children's concurrent syntactic skills. When controlling for total maternal utterances, results revealed that non-wh-questions and rhetorical/yes and no questions were the most frequent types of questions produced by mothers, in terms of structure and purpose, respectively. However, wh-questions were predominantly information-seeking questions. This is important, as the use of information-seeking wh-questions was positively associated with children's syntactic skills, as measured by the DELV, and resulted in children producing longer utterances in response to these questions, as determined by child mean length of utterance in words. Taken together, these findings suggest maternal use of wh-questions aids syntactic skills in children ages 5-7 years, likely because they require a more syntactically complex response on the child's behalf. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27276891.

Parents' use of sustained shared thinking during joint mathematics activities with young children: Aninvestigation of its measurement, antecedents, and outcomes.

There is currently a dearth of tools to assess parents' use of effective interactive strategies for supporting early mathematics learning. One potential such strategy is sustained shared thinking. This study therefore constructed and validated a scale for measuring parents' use of sustained shared thinking during joint mathematics activities with young children, and examined its antecedents and outcomes. Four hundred and sixty-six parents completed a questionnaire about their conceptions of mathematics teaching and learning, home practices, as well as their kindergarten children's approach and avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Additionally, the children were tested on numeration skills. Results showed that our new scale has three factors: exchanging ideas with children about mathematical problem-solving processes, creating a child-centred atmosphere for mathematics learning, and engaging children in mathematical thinking. Parents' uses of these three strategies were predicted by their constructivist conception of mathematics teaching and learning, and were differentially associated with the children's numeration skills, approach, and avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Potential uses of our new scale in future home mathematics environment research are discussed.

Persepsi Pengasuh dalam Pola Asuh dan Pemberian Makan pada Anak dengan Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that affects a child's motor skills and motor skills, which often causes difficulties in parenting and feeding. This study aims to explore the perception of caregivers related to parenting and feeding in children with CP at the Jakarta Disabled Children Development Foundation (YPAC). The research uses a qualitative method with in-depth interviews with caregivers and educators at YPAC. The results of the study show that caregivers tend to apply a responsive parenting style aimed at increasing children's independence, although this process takes a long time. In feeding, caregivers face challenges such as food rejection, physical limitations in chewing and swallowing, and proper feeding positioning. In conclusion, caregiver support plays a very important role in improving the quality of life of CP children, both in terms of independence and proper nutritional intake. Training and support for caregivers is important to deal with these challenges more effectively.

Relationships across the elementary years: Association with children's social-behavioral skills

Students' social-behavioral competencies are foundational to development. This longitudinal study identified associations between parent-teacher and student-teacher relationships, and children's social skills and problem behaviors at a single timepoint and over time. It involved 316 students and their parents and teachers across Grades 1 through 4. Several significant associations were uncovered, generally consistent with hypotheses. Parents' and teachers' reports of the parent-teacher relationship at one point in time were associated with their own ratings of students' social-behavioral outcomes. Across grades, parents' reports of the parent-teacher relationship were associated with their own ratings of students' outcomes. Teachers' reports of parent-teacher relationships were associated with children's overall social-behavioral outcomes as reported by parents and teachers. Teacher-rated student-teacher relationships at one timepoint were associated with their own ratings but not parents' ratings of student behaviors. Teacher-reported student-teacher relationships over time were associated with students' outcomes as rated by parents and teachers. Implications are discussed.

İBTİDAİ SİNİFLƏRDƏ RİYAZİYYAT DƏRSLƏRİNDƏ DİDAKTİK OYUNLARIN ROLU

Didactic games play a big role in education and upbringing of primary school students. Thanks to such games, it is possible to focus students' attention and attract their interest. Gradually, children become interested in the mathematics lesson itself, which is a necessary condition for successful learning. Game activity ensures the development of children's personal qualities, abilities and skills.

Development of gross motor skills in children under the age of 3 years: a decision tree approach.

The early years of life are critical for gross motor development (GMD). This study utilized decision tree modeling to examine the influences on gross motor development in children under the age of 3 years and to rank the key factors affecting their development. Based on randomized stratified sampling, 9,507 children aged 0-3 years in Shenzhen were included in this study. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) were utilized for the assessment of gross motor development. The chi-square test was used to compare groups, and variables were screened using univariable and multivariable regression analyses. Decision tree modeling was employed to rank the importance of statistically significant variables. The research found a prevalence of gross motor developmental delay of 1.41% among the respondents. The accuracy of the decision tree model is 70.96%. The results demonstrated a strong correlation between seven variables affecting the gross motor development of children, which were ranked based on importance: age, whether to provide supplementary food, average time spent interacting with children, family type, feeding method, mode of delivery, and birth order. The risk of gross motor developmental delay increases with age. Furthermore, supplementary food and interacting with other children are critical factors in improving children's GMD delay. It is therefore imperative to enhance the monitoring of children's gross motor skills through regular developmental assessments that detect potential GMD delays. Moreover, family type, feeding method, mode of delivery, and birth order were also predictive factors of GMD delay.

Clinical case of a live-born child with triploidy

Theoretical data on etiopathogenesis, clinical manifestations of triploidy, life expectancy of children in case of live-birth with this chromosomal anomaly are presented. A clinical case of a triploidy in a child is described. The girl was born from the first pregnancy from young healthy parents. Parents are not close relatives. Pregnancy was complicated with anemia, recurrent threats of miscarriage, progressive lack of water, progressive violation of uteroplacental blood flow and delay in fetal development. A congenital heart defect was diagnosed prenatally. The girl was born at 38 weeks of pregnancy with low indicators of physical development by caesarean section. Multiple developmental anomalies and malformations were revealed after birth. Combined congenital heart disease was confirmed by instrumental examination. Karyotyping revealed karyotype 69, ХХХ. Dynamic observation revealed that the child's age-related skills were not formed. Epileptic seizures occurred from the age of 4 months. The seizures had a status course. Surgical correction of congenital heart disease was performed in two stages: at 4.5 months and at 9.5 months in this patient. A fatal outcome occurred with an increase in multiple organ failure at the age of 10 months. The features of the clinical case, the possibilities of prenatal diagnosis of triploidy are analyzed.

Socioeconomic status, linguistic skills and language background differentially relate to preschoolers' emotional and behavioural profile.

Proximal and distal factors interact to shape children's development and well-being. The present study aimed to examine socioeconomic status (SES), linguistic skills, and language background as concurrent predictors of socio-emotional and behavioural outcomes in heritage bilingual and monolingual children attending preschool. Parents of 1810 children (mean age = 63.42 months ± 7.36), attending preschool in Italy, completed the Four Factor Index of SES and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Teachers (n = 99) completed a questionnaire on children's linguistic skills and emotional and behavioural profiles. A subsample of 995 children was administered an expressive vocabulary task in Italian. Regression analyses showed that linguistic skills were the only concurrent predictor of conduct problems, as well as the dominant predictor of hyperactivity/impulsivity, peer problems, and better prosocial behaviour. SES was negatively related to ADHD traits, peer problems, and prosocial behaviour. Finally, heritage bilingualism background was associated, although not as a primary predictor, with increased emotional problems, peer relationship problems, and lower teacher-rated emotional and behavioural skills. However, it was the main factor positively associated with prosocial behaviour. The implications of these findings for research in this area and for educational policy are discussed, highlighting the need for a multidimensional perspective that includes linguistic skills and SES in the assessment of children's emotional and behavioural outcomes.

MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN MENGENAL ANGKA MELALUI PERMAINAN EDUKATIF BALOK ANGKA ADAPTIF KELOMPOK A KB AL AMIN 2

Most children have not been able to understand number symbols, children still feel confused when asked to show the number symbols. As for other factors, The educational resources that instructors frequently utilize are whiteboards, picture / poster media and explaining to children only verbally so that students feel bored and uninterested. The purpose of this study is to improve the ability to recognize numbers 1-10 in children aged 3-4 years through educational games of even semester playgroup number blocks at KB AL AMIN 2 Karang Semanding. number blocks are one of the visual media made of square wood consisting of 10 block units with different colors and numbers each block represents the number 1 block. While adaptive shaped embossed like braille. Class action research (PTK) is this research methodology. Six boys and ten girls made up the 16 children that participated in this study. In this study, documentation and observation were the methods used to acquire data. The study included quantitative-descriptive analysis methodologies to test the classical completeness of children's number recognition skills, ranging from 1 to 10. The findings demonstrated that learning activities using Adaptive Number Blocks media improved children's recognition of numbers 1–10. Specifically, in the pre-cycle, children's classical completeness in recognizing numbers 1–10 was only 37.5%; in cycle 1, it remained at 37.5%; and in cycle 2, it increased to 100%.