Social Competence Skills Research Articles

Bystanders in Bullying: Do ToM and Social Competence Skills Play a Role?

The present study aimed at investigating: (a) the direct effects of Theory of Mind (ToM) on elementary school children’s self-reports of participant roles in school bullying, (b) ToM’s indirect effects via self-reported social competence skills. Gender was examined as moderator. A total of 171 elementary school children (Ν = 95 girls) from 3rd to 6thgrade from Greek public schools participated in the study. Participants were examined individually through the administration of advanced ToM stories. Also, they were asked to complete in groups self-report questionnaires as regards their roles as bystanders in bullying situations and their social competence skills. Path analysis indicated significant positive direct effects of ToM on prosocial skills and defending behavior and a negative effect on assisting/reinforcing behavior. Significant indirect effects were found from ToM on bystanding behavior, via its direct effect on prosocial competence skills. Gender was not a significant moderator of the above relations.

An evaluation of police officers in schools as a bullying intervention

Despite existing efforts to prevent bullying, research suggests that bullying remains a serious and common problem across the United States. Therefore, researchers should continuously propose and evaluate alternative policies that may mitigate bullying as a social issue. One such strategy that has been proposed is the use of police officers in schools, best known as School Resource Officers (SROs). The current study evaluated the efficacy of SROs as an intervention against bullying in schools in the United States. Using a longitudinal sample consisting of three years of data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (n = 480), schools that initiated, discontinued, and continued their use of SROs from one time point to another were compared to a control group of schools. The findings indicate that SROs do not have an effect on bullying in schools. Policy implications of these findings suggest that programs that focus on components such as teaching social and emotional competency skills, improving relationships between students and adults, and creating a positive school environment may be more effective in reducing bullying than a security procedure such as the use of SROs. Alternative programs should be explored to mitigate bullying and improve the well-being of students.

Social Competence Treatment After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial of Interactive Group Treatment Versus Noninteractive Treatment

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of a replicable group treatment program for improving social competence after traumatic brain injury (TBI). DesignMulticenter randomized controlled trial comparing 2 methods of conducting a social competency skills program, an interactive group format versus a classroom lecture. SettingCommunity and veteran rehabilitation centers. ParticipantsCivilian, military, and veteran adults with TBI and social competence difficulties (N=179), at least 6 months postinjury. InterventionsThe experimental intervention consisted of 13 weekly group interactive sessions (1.5h) with structured and facilitated group interactions to improve social competence, and the control consisted of 13 traditional classroom sessions using the same curriculum with brief supplemental individual sessions but without structured group interaction. Main Outcome MeasuresProfile of Pragmatic Impairment in Communication (PPIC), an objective behavioral rating of social communication impairments after TBI. LaTrobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ), Goal Attainment Scale (GAS), Satisfaction with Life Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-C (PCL) civilian version, Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18), Scale of Perceived Social Self-Efficacy (PSSE). ResultsSocial competence goals (GAS) were achieved and maintained for most participants regardless of treatment method. Significant improvements in the primary outcome (PPIC) and 2 of the secondary outcomes (LCQ and BSI) were seen immediately posttreatment and at 3 months posttreatment in the alternative treatment arm only; however, these improvements were not significantly different between the group interactive structured treatment and alternative treatment arms. Similar trends were observed for PSSE and PCL-C. ConclusionsSocial competence skills improved for persons with TBI in both treatment conditions. The group interactive format was not found to be a superior method of treatment delivery in this study.

The Importance of Early Identification and Intervention for Children with Developmental Delays

The purpose of the study to examine a)To identity the prevalence of developmental delays involving physical development (specifically gross and fine motor skills); communication skills; and social and personal skills; b)Educate parents about the connection between brain growth and the normal stages of development, and the importance of the first three years of life to the overall development of the brain, c) Provide a means for early detection of children slipping behind in their milestone development d) Provide individualised developmental strategies based on the results of the extensive milestone checking in attempt to facilitate development in areas where the child may be slipping behind. Children (boys & girls) who referred by doctors for early intervention assessment and skill development, referred at NKPSIMS and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital central India Nagpur were included in the study (n=41 boys 20 and21 girls). An Analysis of variance showed early childhood intervention programmes in improving learning capacities for children with developmental delays are positive significant. Conclusion and recommend - Early intervention program parental involvement was significant component. Of particular importance is measures of social competence, motivation, family functioning, and problem-solving skills.

Maternal age and offspring developmental vulnerability at age five: A population-based cohort study of Australian children

BackgroundIn recent decades, there has been a shift to later childbearing in high-income countries. There is limited large-scale evidence of the relationship between maternal age and child outcomes beyond the perinatal period. The objective of this study is to quantify a child’s risk of developmental vulnerability at age five, according to their mother’s age at childbirth.Methods and findingsLinkage of population-level perinatal, hospital, and birth registration datasets to data from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) and school enrolments in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), enabled us to follow a cohort of 99,530 children from birth to their first year of school in 2009 or 2012. The study outcome was teacher-reported child development on five domains measured by the AEDC, including physical health and well-being, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. Developmental vulnerability was defined as domain scores below the 2009 AEDC 10th percentile cut point.The mean maternal age at childbirth was 29.6 years (standard deviation [SD], 5.7), with 4,382 children (4.4%) born to mothers aged <20 years and 20,026 children (20.1%) born to mothers aged ≥35 years. The proportion vulnerable on ≥1 domains was 21% overall and followed a reverse J-shaped distribution according to maternal age: it was highest in children born to mothers aged ≤15 years, at 40% (95% CI, 32–49), and was lowest in children born to mothers aged between 30 years and ≤35 years, at 17%–18%. For maternal ages 36 years to ≥45 years, the proportion vulnerable on ≥1 domains increased to 17%–24%. Adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics significantly attenuated vulnerability risk in children born to younger mothers, while adjustment for potentially modifiable factors, such as antenatal visits, had little additional impact across all ages. Although the multi-agency linkage yielded a broad range of sociodemographic, perinatal, health, and developmental variables at the child’s birth and school entry, the study was necessarily limited to variables available in the source data, which were mostly recorded for administrative purposes.ConclusionsIncreasing maternal age was associated with a lesser risk of developmental vulnerability for children born to mothers aged 15 years to about 30 years. In contrast, increasing maternal age beyond 35 years was generally associated with increasing vulnerability, broadly equivalent to the risk for children born to mothers in their early twenties, which is highly relevant in the international context of later childbearing. That socioeconomic disadvantage explained approximately half of the increased risk of developmental vulnerability associated with younger motherhood suggests there may be scope to improve population-level child development through policies and programs that support disadvantaged mothers and children.

فاعلية التدريب على مهام نظرية العقل لتنمية الکفاءة الاجتماعية وأثره فى تحسين المهارات الحياتية لدى الأطفال ذوى الإعاقة الفکرية البسيطة

هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف على فعالية البرنامج التدريبي القائم على مهام نظرية العقل في تنمية الکفاءة الاجتماعية والمهارات الحياتية لدى الأطفال ذوى الإعاقة الفکرية البسيطة، وقد طبقت الدراسة على عينة قوامها (20) من الأطفال ذوي الإعاقة الفکرية، والذين تم تقسيمهم إلى مجموعتين إحداهما تجريبية وعددها (10) أطفال، والأخرى ضابطة قوامها (10) أطفال، واشتملت أدوات الدراسة على مقياس مهام نظرية العقل، ومقياس الکفاءة الاجتماعية، ومقياس المهارات الحياتية، والبرنامج التدريبي القائم على مهام نظرية العقل وجميعها من إعداد الباحثة، وأسفرت النتائج عن وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا بين القياسين القبلي والبعدي لدي المجموعة التجريبية في الکفاءة الاجتماعية والمهارات الحياتية لصالح القياس البعدي، ووجود فروق دالة إحصائيا بين المجموعة الضابطة والمجموعة التجريبية في الکفاءة الاجتماعية والمهارات الحياتية بعد تطبيق البرنامج لصالح المجموعة التجريبية، ولم توجد فروق بين القياسين البعدي والتتبعي للمجموعة التجريبية مما يدل على استمرارية أثر البرنامج في تحسين الکفاءة الاجتماعية والمهارات الحياتية. الکلمات المفتاحية: مهام نظرية العقل – الکفاءة الاجتماعية – المهارات الحياتية - الإعاقة الفکرية البسيطة. Effectiveness of Training on Theory of Mind Tasks to Develop Social Competence and Its Effect on Improving Life Skills among Children with Mild Mental Retardation Fatma S. A. Barakat Muhammad Khattab Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of training on theory of mind tasks in improving social competency and life skills among children with mild mental retardation. This study was conducted on (20) children with mild mental retardation. They were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control one; each of which consisted of (10) subjects. To collect data, Theory of Mind Tasks, Social Competence and Life Skills Scales were all prepared and further used. Additionally, the theory of mind tasks based program was built and carried out. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores attained by the experimental group on the pre- and post-tests of social competence and life skills in favor of the post one. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores attained by the experimental and control groups on the post-test of social competence and life skills in favor of the experimental group. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores attained by the experimental group on the post- and follow-up tests of social competence and life skills. Hence, support for the durability of intervention effects over time were demonstrated. Limitations of the current research and suggestions for further studies were discussed. Keywords: theory of mind tasks – social competence – life skills – mild mental retardation.

Adaptation of the “Incredible Years Child Training Program” and Investigation of the Effectiveness of the Program

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of the “Incredible Years (IY) Child Training Program” on behavioral problems, social competence, and social problem-solving skills. The research was performed using a pretest-posttest experimental design with a control group to determine the effects of the IY program on the level of behavioral problems among children. The study group comprised children aged 48–66 months, attending early childhood education institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Ankara, recruited through a staged sampling method. To collect data, the study used a personal information form, the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE) scale, the Child Behavior Assessment (CBA) scale and the Wally Social Problem Solving (WSPS) test. The pretest and posttest scores for the experimental and control groups on the SCBE and CBA scales, and the WSPS scale, as well as the permanence measures, were analyzed using the Friedman test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Moreover, for the post hoc test statistics, Bonferroni correction was applied to the comparison test to determine the significance of differences between the groups. Following the experimental study covering 18 sessions, significant differences were determined in the scores for behavioral problems and social problem-solving between children who had and had not participated in the program. When the permanence measurements were examined, significant differences were determined in the social problem- solving scores between the experimental groups and control groups.

A Study on Social Competence of Secondary School Students Residing in Juvenile Homes

The present study examines the social competence of secondary school students residing in Juvenile homes. Studies report that the residents of Juvenile homes are deficient in social adaptation skills. This could be due to lack of resources and support. Schools within Juvenile homes could provide resources to develop social competence skills beneficial for their personal and social development. The study used surveys to measure the level of social competence of the secondary school students residing in the Juvenile homes of Kerala with the sub-samples based on gender, locality, and type of institution. The study reports significant differences in social competence between boys and girls, urban and rural population, and government, aided, and private residents of Juvenile homes.

Parental concern and teachers’ characteristics as determinants of social competence of children with hearing impairment in primary schools in Ibadan Metropolis

This study is on parental concerns and teachers’ characteristics as predictors of social competence of children with hearing impairment in Ibadan metropolis. The study adopted survey research design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select five special primary schools in Ibadan metropolis. A total of twenty teachers, eighty children and eighty parents were purposively selected. Data were collected through social competence skills checklist for children with hearing impairment (r=0.74); teachers personality scale (r=0.75) and parent experience of hearing loss scale (r=0.72). Three research questions were answered. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple regressions. Teachers’ characteristics and parental concerns showed significant relationships with social competence of the children with hearing impairment. There was joint contribution of the independent variables to the dependent variable. Teachers” characteristics showed the higher contribution. Based on findings, it was recommended that parents should be more concerned about social adjustment of their children with hearing impairment rather than dwelling on the hearing loss. Teachers are however required to show more acceptances to students with hearing impairment so as to help them to develop positive self- image of themselves. Keywords: Parental concerns, Teachers” characteristics, Social competence, Children with hearing impairment

Annelerin kabul-red düzeyleri ile okul öncesi dönemdeki çocukların sosyal yetkinlik ve duygu düzenleme becerileri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi

Abstract&#x0D; The purpose of this research is to analyze the relationship between maternal acceptance-rejection levels and preschool children’s social competence and emotional regulation skills. Sample of the research, which was designed according to relational scanning model, consisted of 303 mother-child pairs who were attending a pre-school educational institution during 2014-15 academic years, in Istanbul; they were selected by random sampling and they have participated in the research voluntarily. The tools used for data collection were “Personal Information Form”, “Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire-Mother Form (PARQ)”, “Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation-30 (SCBE-30)” and “Emotion Regulation Checklist”. Maternal acceptance-rejection levels were evaluated by themselves, whereas children’s social competence and emotional regulation skills were evaluated by their teachers. The obtained data were analyzed by Pearson correlation test and t-test, using appropriate statistics software. As a result of the study, it has been found that there is a positive and significant relationship between mother’s acceptance level and children’s “Social Competence” subscale of SCBE-30 and their emotional regulation skills.&#x0D; In addition to this result, it has been found that mother’s acceptance level didn’t differentiated according to age and gender of the child; however the average scores of PARQ’s “warmth/affection” sub-dimension have been differentiated in favor of the daughters. It has been found that “Social Competence” and “Anger-Aggression” subscale of SCBE-30 were significantly differentiated according to gender; “Anger-Aggression” scores of the boys were higher than the girls, whereas “Social Competence” scores of the girls were higher than the boys. Moreover, it has been found that “Lability-Negativity” subscale scores of Emotion Regulation Checklist have been differentiated according to gender; girls showing less labile/negative emotional reactions. Finally, it has been found that child’s social competence and emotional regulation skills increase as the age increases.&#x0D; Keywords: Maternal acceptance-rejection, social competence, emotional regulation.&#x0D;

Message from editor

Message from Editor&#x0D; Dear Readers,&#x0D; It is a great honor for us to publish fourth volume, first issue International Journal of Innovative Research in Education (IJIRE).&#x0D; International Journal of Innovative Research in Education welcomes original empirical investigations and comprehensive literature review articles. The journal aims to promote new innovative ideas in all fields of education.&#x0D; The journal provides an international platform for researchers, managers, scientists, professionals and professors of educational sciences to publish high quality refereed papers comprising comprehensive leading trends of education.&#x0D; Topics on product design education, cultural heritage acquirements in social studies curriculum, teachers’ perspectives on using smart boards and tablet pc in teaching, attitudes of the teachers towards Fatih Project and the relationship between maternal acceptance-rejection levels and preschool children’s social competence and emotional regulation skills are included into this issue. The topics of the next issue will be different. We will be trying to serve you with our journal with a rich knowledge in which different kinds of topics are discussed in the next volume.&#x0D; A total number of fifteen (15) manuscripts were submitted for this issue and each paper has been subjected to double-blind peer review process by the reviewers specialized in the related field. At the end of the review process, a total number of five (5) high quality research papers were selected and accepted for publication for this issue.&#x0D; &#x0D; We present many thanks to all the contributors who helped us to publish this issue.&#x0D; Best regards,&#x0D; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zehra Ozcinar&#x0D; Editor – in Chief&#x0D; &#x0D;

Social competence in children with autism

Objectives: This paper investigates the associations of social competence with cognitive representation and communication skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), by measuring these skills in an expansive way through assessing both mental and internal-state understanding, and verbal and non-verbal communication.Methods: The data were collected from 45 Turkish children (Mage=8.52 years, SD=3.05, min-max=3–14) with a diagnosis of ASD. Individual assessments were used to measure mental- and internal-state understanding. Teacher-rated scales were used to assess child’s verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and social competence.Results: The results showed that social competence, cognitive representation, verbal and non-verbal communication skills were all significantly associated, but over and above cognitive representation skills and verbal communication, non-verbal communication had a salient role in adaptive social relationships of children with ASD.Conclusions: These findings have important applied implications for intervention studies and suggest that improvements of non-verbal communication skills in children with ASD might be important for increasing their positive social relations.

Severe parental mental illness is associated with lower school readiness in offspring: A linked data study

ABSTRACT&#x0D; ObjectivesPrevious research has demonstrated an association between parental mental illness and adverse developmental outcomes in their offspring. If parental mental illness impacts on child development such that their offspring do not optimally develop the skills and abilities required for academic success, the effects may be long lasting. To date, the majority of research in this area has focused on maternal depression, with much less attention paid to other diagnostic groups or mental illness in fathers. It is important that we better understand the impact of parental mental illness on children’s development, so that the child’s needs may be incorporated into treatment alongside interventions for the parent. Data linkage provides us with a unique opportunity to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of this association.&#x0D; ApproachData from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) was used as a measure of early childhood development in five domains (physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge). Data were available for 22,890 Western Australian children aged 5-6 years, whose 2009 AEDC scores were linked to data on parental psychiatric hospitalisations. We identified parents with diagnoses of a range of mental illness diagnoses; parents who had more than one diagnosis; and mental illness in both mothers and fathers. Models were adjusted for child, parent and community socio-demographic characteristics.&#x0D; ResultsA total of 1069 mothers and 656 fathers had an inpatient psychiatric admission during the study period. The most prevalent diagnoses for both mothers and fathers were mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each AEDC domain using logistic regression. Parental mental illness was found to be associated with increased risk of offspring being developmentally vulnerable, compared to outcomes for children of parents without a psychiatric hospitalisation. This effect was equivalent for both parents, and was evident after controlling for socio-demographic factors.&#x0D; ConclusionThese findings add support to recommendations that mental health professionals consider the impact of their patient’s psychiatric symptoms on the developing child when planning treatment. The study also shows that it is important to ensure that fathers are not overlooked in assessment and intervention. Family-based approaches to adult psychiatric care could meet the dual needs of intervention for parents and preventative measures for their offspring. These findings can inform policy regarding the importance of integrating and coordinating services to meet the needs of the family.

Born a bit too early: A study of early planned birth and child development at school age

ABSTRACT&#x0D; ObjectivesFetal growth and development is a continuum with the optimal time of birth at 39-40 weeks gestation. Internationally, significant changes in clinical practice have seen planned birth (labour induction or pre­labour caesarean section) before 40 completed weeks gestation increase. Fetal brain development accelerates rapidly in the later stages of pregnancy from 32 weeks gestation, making it vulnerable to disruption from even slightly shortened gestation. This study aimed to investigate the association of gestational age and mode of birth with early childhood development.&#x0D; ApproachThis study utilised a population-based record-linkage of administrative birth, hospital and development data to obtain a cohort of 153,730 live born infants in New South Wales, Australia. These infants were born between 2002 and 2007, with a gestational age of at least 32 weeks and had an early development assessment in their first year of school in 2009 or 2012. Childhood development was assessed in five main domains (physical health and wellbeing, language and cognitive skills, social competence, emotional maturity, and communication skills and general knowledge) with each comprised of a number of sub-domains. Children with a score below the 10th percentile nationally are considered developmentally vulnerable (DV) in that domain. Children who were DV for two or more of the five main domains are classified as developmentally high risk (DHR) and this was the primary study outcome. Robust multivariable Poisson models were used to obtain individual and combined relative risks for gestational age and mode of birth with DHR, adjusted for maternal demographic, socio-economic, perinatal, and child characteristics.&#x0D; ResultsOverall, 9.6% of children were DHR. The adjusted relative risk (aRR) (95% confidence interval) of being DHR decreased with increasing gestational age (referent: 40 weeks); 32-33 weeks 1.25 (1.08-1.44), 34­-36 weeks 1.26 (1.18-1.34), 37 weeks 1.17 (1.10-1.25), 38 weeks 1.06 (1.01-­1.10), 39 weeks 0.98 (0.94-1.02), 41+ weeks 0.99 (0.94-­1.03) and for planned birth (referent: vaginal birth following spontaneous labour), 1.07 (1.04­-1.11). The aRR for planned birth at 37 weeks was 1.26 (1.18-­1.34) and at 38 weeks 1.13 (1.08-­1.19).&#x0D; ConclusionEarly (&lt;39 weeks gestation) planned birth is associated with an increased risk of poor development in children starting school. Given the timing of planned birth is modifiable, delaying birth for an additional week or more may improve child development. Strategies and interventions to inform more judicious decision making, weighing all the risks and benefits for early planned birth are required to ensure optimal child health and development.

The Relationship between Maternal Acceptance-Rejection Levels and Preschoolers’ Social Competence and Emotion Regulation Skills

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between maternal acceptance-rejection levels and preschool children’s social competence and emotion regulation skills. The study group of the research, which was designed in survey method, consisted of 303 voluntary mother-child dyad. The participant children were attending a preschool in 2014-2015 academic year, in Istanbul and they were selected by random cluster sampling method. The “Personal Information Form”, the “Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire-Mother Form (PARQ)”, the “Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation-30 (SCBE-30)” and the “Emotion Regulation Checklist” were used as data collection tools.As a result of the study, it has been found that there is a positive significant relationship between maternal acceptance level and children’s “Social Competence” subscale of SCBE-30 and their emotional regulation skills. In addition to this result, it has been found that maternal acceptance level didn’t differentiated according to age and gender of the child; however the average scores of PARQ’s “Warmth/Affection” subscale have been differentiated in favor of the girls. It has been found that “Social Competence” and “Anger-Aggression” subscales of SCBE-30 were significantly differentiated according to gender; “Anger-Aggression” scores of the boys were higher than the girls, whereas “Social Competence” scores of the girls were higher than the boys. Moreover, it has been found that “Lability-Negativity” subscale scores of Emotion Regulation Checklist have been differentiated according to gender; girls showing less labile/negative emotional reactions. Finally, it has been found that child’s social competence and emotional regulation skills increase as the age increases.

English

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between communication skills, social competence and emotion regulation skills of preschool children. Children attending public primary schools who were 53 to 80 months old from the middle socio-economic class were chosen randomly from Istanbul City center districts for this study. They were 426 children. The average age of the children was 68.91 months. One of the three data collection tools was “Communication Skills Scale for 5 to 6 Years Old Children” with 4 subscales developed by Onder, DaAŸal and AžallA±. The internal consistency of the scale (Communication Skills Scale for 5 to 6 Years Old Children) was .98. The second data collection tool was named SCBE-30, which evaluates symptoms of problems and quantity of social skills of preschool children, consists of 30 items and has three subscales. The internal consistency of the social competence scale was 0.88. “Emotion Regulation Checklist” was the third data collection tool, which was adapted into Turkish by Batum and YaAŸmurlu to measure children’s ability to regulate their emotions and has two subscales. Internal consistency coefficient of the subscales was 0.73 and 0.75. The study was based on descriptive analysis and multiple regression correlation was examined. As a result of the research, it was concluded that there was not a relationship between communication skills’ total score and social competence and emotion regulation skills. However, when subscales of each concepts were examined separately, it was found out that social competence and anxiety/withdrawal subscale together explained communication skills of preschool children moderately. And social competence, anxiety/withdrawal, anger/aggression and emotion regulation subscales explained active communication skills of preschool children moderately. Key words: Preschool children, communication skills, social competence, emotion regulation.

Educando la competencia social en Perú. Programa de prevención del maltrato escolar

La presente investigación sobre maltrato escolar realizada en Perú, aplicando un enfoque de investigación mixto (cualitativo-cuantitativo), evalúa un programa de prevención basado en la competencia social e interpersonal. El procedimiento incluye un diseño cuasi-experimental que se desarrolló en dos fases: 1) análisis y detección de la situación de maltrato y 2) diseño, aplicación y evaluación del programa. Participaron 176 estudiantes de tres instituciones educativas de Chiclayo, Perú. Las técnicas de recogida de datos fueron cuestionarios, observación participante y fichas de evaluación. Los resultados indican que el programa contribuyó a potenciar aprendizajes enmarcados dentro de la competencia social. Tras la aplicación del programa, los estudiantes mejoraron en actitudes de convivencia con sus iguales, diálogo, expresión de sentimientos, comprensión y empatía con quien sufre, así como en amistad y solidaridad en situaciones de maltrato escolar, lo que pone de manifiesto la importancia de potenciar el aprendizaje de la competencia social.

Being on Your Own or Feeling Lonely? Loneliness and Other Social Variables in Youths with Autism Spectrum Disorders

A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine loneliness and its correlates in children (7 to 11 years) and adolescents (12 to 18 years) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD, n = 73) and control groups of clinically referred (ADHD, n = 76) and non-clinical (n = 106) youths. Youths completed questionnaires on loneliness and desire for social interaction, while parents and teachers filled out scales on other aspects of children’s social functioning. Results indicated that only at an adolescent age, the ASD group reported higher levels of loneliness than the control groups. Further, the ASD group generally expressed relatively low levels of desire for social interaction, although these youths displayed a similar increase in the wish to belong during adolescence as participants in the control groups. Finally, the ASD group exhibited lower levels of social competence and social skills and higher levels of social problems and social anxiety than the control groups, and in all groups these social variables correlated in a theoretically meaningful with loneliness.

Motor Proficiency in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Associations with Cognitive Skills and Symptom Severity

Of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), 45-70% have motor skill problems, which can adversely affect social competence, peer relations, and academic skills. The aim of this study is to assess motor skills in school-aged children with ADHD, and to elucidate if there are any relationships between ADHD symptoms and cognitive function. Included in this study were 58 children (38 ADHD, 20 controls) between 8-11 years of age. Children were diagnosed with ADHD via the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children Present and Lifetime Version. The parents were asked to fill out the Conner's' Parent Rating Scale - Revised Short Turkish Form to determine the symptom domains and the symptom severity. The Wechsler Children's Intelligence Scale-IV was used to assess cognitive skills, and the Bruininks -Oseretsky Motor Proficiency Test was used to assess motor skills. Children with ADHD had impaired performance in many motor skill areas compared to the controls. Impairments in fine motor skills were correlated with problems in attention, working memory, and processing speed. In the ADHD group, age was not correlated with motor skills enhancement. The multistage clinical evaluation of ADHD should include screening for problems in motor skills. If deficiencies are found, the child should be clinically evaluated for motor proficiency and, if necessary, should be referred for appropriate objective assessment and intervention programs.

Altered resting-state functional connectivity in emotion-processing brain regions in adults who were born very preterm.

Very preterm birth (VPT; <32 weeks of gestation) has been associated with impairments in emotion regulation, social competence and communicative skills. However, the neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying such impairments have not been systematically studied. Here we investigated the functional integrity of the amygdala connectivity network in relation to the ability to recognize emotions from facial expressions in VPT adults. Thirty-six VPT-born adults and 38 age-matched controls were scanned at rest in a 3-T MRI scanner. Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-fc) was assessed with SPM8. A seed-based analysis focusing on three amygdalar subregions (centro-medial/latero-basal/superficial) was performed. Participants' ability to recognize emotions was assessed using dynamic stimuli of human faces expressing six emotions at different intensities with the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT). VPT individuals compared to controls showed reduced rs-fc between the superficial subregion of the left amygdala, and the right posterior cingulate cortex (p = 0.017) and the left precuneus (p = 0.002). The VPT group further showed elevated rs-fc between the left superficial amygdala and the superior temporal sulcus (p = 0.008). Performance on the ERT showed that the VPT group was less able than controls to recognize anger at low levels of intensity. Anger scores were significantly associated with rs-fc between the superficial amygdala and the posterior cingulate cortex in controls but not in VPT individuals. These findings suggest that alterations in rs-fc between the amygdala, parietal and temporal cortices could represent the mechanism linking VPT birth and deficits in emotion processing.