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Synchronous positive affect (SPA) is a key element of parent-child interaction quality which is related to favorable developmental outcomes. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents tend to show less SPA compared to other populations. The current study explored changes in SPA made by parents and their children with ASD following the Preschool-Based Early Start Denver Model (PB-ESDM) intervention. Thirty children receiving PB-ESDM and 23 receiving treatment-as-usual (TAU) were assessed pre- and post- intervention using microanalysis of video-recorded parent-child interactions, in which SPA was quantified. Results showed a significant increase in SPA among children receiving PB-ESDM who had lower pre-treatment adaptive functioning. These findings suggest that SPA may serve as a sensitive treatment outcome measure for children with poorer adaptive functioning, who often struggle to show significant changes on standardized measures. The study's modest sample and non-randomized design are noted as limitations.

The aim of this study is to compare the neurological status, developmental parameters and physical fitness of children who engage in regular physical activity in the preschool period versus those who do not. The study included 305 healthy children aged 4-6 years, consisting of 154 girls and 151 boys. In addition to evaluating the demographic characteristics of children; Touwen Neurological Examination, Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) II, and Preschool Physical Fitness (PREFIT) test battery were used to assess neurological status, developmental parameters, and physical fitness, respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between neurological status (p = 0.046), developmental parameters (p = 0.000) and physical fitness (Standing Long Jump (p = 0.008), handgrip (p = 0.006)) of preschool children who engaged in regular physical activity compared to those who did not. Preschool children who participated in regular physical activity had no neurological problems and exhibited better developmental parameters and physical fitness than their inactive peers.

Perceptual development which depends on ability of learning and maturity, is the most important process of mental development. It is commonly believed that the mental development of children is limited due to city life. Children can learn perceptual elements through movement participation. This improves the cognitive development, which triggers kinesthetic, vestibular, balance and tactile input stimuli that contribute to the integration processes in the central nervous system. Children become ready to learn when they develop perceptual and motor skills adequately during maturation and learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the training program implemented with developed educational material (a maze-balance board) for perceptual and motor skills of preschool children. This study used a pre-post experimental design. Seventeen preschool children from a primary public school in the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey participated in the study. Random assignment of preschool children to the intervention and control group was done. The children in the intervention group attended a perceptual-training program of 17 to 22 sessions implemented with the maze-balance board. Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST II) was used to perform the developmental assessment of children. Mixed Model ANOVA was conducted for statistical analyses. A significant interaction was found in language development and gross motor development, showing that supporting perceptual motor skills in preschool children has significantly contributed to the development of language and gross motor skills in this study.

The objective of this study was to verify the effects on 4- to 18-month-old babies' NPMD after the family-centered Kids Intervention Therapy -- Aquatic Environment (KITE) programme. This quasi-experimental study involved 61 families. The NPMD was assessed with Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), Denver II Developmental Screening Test, context assessment with questionnaire and Affordance in the Home Environment for Motor Development -- Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS), and quality of life (QOL) assessment with Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Infant Scales (PedsQL™). 24 babies in the intervention group (IG) participated in the KITE session twice a week for 4 weeks. 37 children participated in the control group. The IG sample had improved NPMD in post-intervention (p = 0.001) and retention (p = 0.002), with a large intervention effect ([eta] = 0.178/0.156). The IG improved in the QOL physical capacity domain (p = 0.023), with a medium effect (d = 0.573). There were no differences between the groups regarding the stimulation received at home, which reinforces the effects of the KITE. It is concluded that the KITE had positive effects on the NPMD and QOL physical capacity domain in the participating.

The Developmental Screening, Monitoring, and Enrichment (DSME) program for low-income children and families is an initiative developed to support the goal of the Healthy People 2020 and 2030 that aims to increase the number of healthy young children to be ready for school. The 8-week DSME program focuses on reducing health disparities and improving the health of low-income children. A quasi-experimental research study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the DSME program in 43 children enrolled in three Head Start programs. The children received weekly enrichment activities for 8 weeks. Each child was administered with Denver Developmental Screening Test-II at three intervals (week 1, week 4, and week 8) to identify their developmental levels and monitor their progress in four areas including personal-social, fine-motor, language, and gross-motor. Additionally, the parents received two 1-hour educational trainings to learn about children's developmental milestones and strategies used to monitor and address their children's developmental concerns. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and paired t-test. The DSME program was found to be effective and can be easily implemented to any Head Start programs. The DSME program can help to increase the proportion of young children who are ready for school.

We examined the effects of the least-to-most prompting (LTM) procedure with contingent imitation (CI) on increasing the frequency and diversity of pretend play in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a multiple probe across toy sets single-case research design. Three children with ASD ages 5 to 6 years took part in the study. LTM was functionally related to increases in the frequency and diversity of children's pretend play. Novel pretend play behaviors, sequences, and vocalizations also increased for all children. Importantly, all children maintained the target skills 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the intervention and generalized them across their homes, mothers, and different toys.

We estimated risk factors associated with suspected neuropsychomotor developmental delay at age 2 years, in a birth cohort in the Brazilian Amazon. The Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition in Acre (MINA-Brasil) study is a population-based birth cohort involving children born between July 2015 and June 2016 in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, in the Brazilian state of Acre. We assessed neuropsychomotor development in 735 and 819 children at one and 2 years of age, respectively, using the Denver II screening test. Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to investigate the factors associated with suspected developmental delay at age 2 years. The frequency of suspected developmental delay was 29.5 and 51.0% at one and 2 years of age, respectively, with a cumulative incidence of 41.6% and a persistence of 60.6% between the first and second years of life. After adjustment, the risk of developmental delay at 2 years of age was found to be higher for children born to women with fewer years of education and whose mothers had urinary tract infection during pregnancy. Other risk factors included male sex, low height for age at 2 years, malaria at childhood, pacifier use and limited child stimulation at age 2 years.

Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the neurological/psychomotor development of children aged 0-5 years attending Child Education Centers in Brazil. Method: This developmental assessment included a screening test to identify which variables could be associated with risks for developmental delays. A total of 444 children were evaluated using the Denver II, which examines the personal-social, language, fine motor-adaptive, and gross motor domains. To demonstrate associations between variables, the chi-square test for k-proportions was used, followed by a logistic regression model. Results: The evaluation indicated a risk for developmental delay in 45.9% of the children, with the personal-social and language domains being the most affected. The influence of the school environment and age group on child development was noted. Conclusions: These data are of great importance in that they serve to provide a basis for the identification and monitoring of the achievements of children.

There are previous studies in the literature conducted on the effect of play-based math activities on the mathematical skills, language, and cognitive development of preschool children. However, the number of studies conducted to determine the effect of play-based math activities on different areas of development in preschool children was too few. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of play-based math activities on different developmental areas (personal-social, fine motor, language, and gross motor development) of children 48 to 60 months of age. The pretest/posttest quasi-experimental research design with control and experimental groups was employed in this study. The research group of this study is composed of 45 children 22 of whom (10 girls and 12 boys) were in the experimental group and 23 (10 girls and 13 boys) in the control group. Denver II Developmental Screening Test was used as the data collection tool. As a result, it was determined that there was a significant difference between the subscales and pretest-posttest total scores concerning personal-social, fine motor, and language areas in the experimental group, while there was no statistically significant difference in the gross motor subscale. In addition, it was observed that there was statistically no significant difference between pretest--posttest scores concerning personal-social, fine motor, language, gross motor subscales and total scores of the control group. The result revealed that play-based math activities have a positive effect on personal-social, fine motor, language, and gross motor developments of children. Further studies can be planned to investigate the effects of play-based mathematics education integrated with different activities where children can have fun and be physically active on children's developmental areas.

This study is a systematic review designed to identify the instruments most frequently used to evaluate children's development, describe their operational and psychometric characteristics and determine which are the most accurate. We carried out a systematic search of the online databases PsycINFO and PubMed Central using the descriptors 'developmental milestones', 'developmental delay', 'test', 'scale', 'screening' and 'inventory'. We selected multidimensional instruments for assessing the development of children cited in 10 or more studies. Seven of the 278 instruments identified met the inclusion criteria. There were differences between the instruments with respect to the number and content of dimensions, target age range, administration mode and time. We scored the psychometric quality of the instruments to identify the most robust amongst the seven analysed. This study identified the most frequently used instruments for assessing child development and evaluated their quality. The findings may help researchers and clinicians to choose suitable instruments.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility and reliability of screening semi-urban preschool children with Denver II, developmental and neurological status was examined in relation with one-year outcome. Methodology: Denver II developmental screening test was applied to 583 children who visited family physicians or other health centers in a province of Turkey. Children with abnormal and suspect results were evaluated by neurological examination, Development Profile-3 (DP-3), repeat Denver II or Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-Revised (WISC-R) depending on the age of the child, and teacher's perception of school performance and behavior within one year of the first screening. Relationships were investigated between the initial Denver II screening test results and neurological examination findings, neurological risk factors, DP-3, repeat Denver II test results for children < 6 years old, WISC-R results for children > 6 years old; domains of failure in the first and second Denver II tests; and data obtained from families and teachers regarding school performance, behavior and attention. No intervention but routine schooling was given. Results: DP-3 results were average or above (4/6) or low average (2/6) in the abnormal Denver II group and average (9/12) or below average (3/12) in the suspect Denver II group (p: n.s.), both different from the "normal Denver II" sample who rated average or above. Children with abnormal and suspect Denver II results had similar rates of abnormality or neurological risk factor in their histories. They were more likely to score "under average classroom level" compared to a children attending the same schools who had normal initial Denver II. WISC-R results were average or below average in children with abnormal initial screening with Denver II, and average or above in those with suspect Denver II. Conclusions: In this population with high mobility, more than half (56%) of the target population could be reached for follow-up. Suspect or abnormal initial screening results persisted after 1 year but a small group (2/12 and 2/6 respectively) improved to normal, possibly due to "catching-up", adverse factors being corrected in the interim period, or just a false-positive initial result. Recommendations: Early screening followed by further evaluation within one year is feasible even in a region with high population mobility. Preschool screening with Denver II and re-evaluation of children with abnormal and suspect test results for global development and school performance appears useful. The administration of the test is practical for workers in health care and education, and various degrees of school problems can be detected early.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of Outdoor Education (OE) on different areas of development in 1-3-year-old children attending Italian nursery schools. The sample was composed of 160 children (1-3-year-old) divided into a first group (Traditional), with 76 children attending nursery schools with traditional educational activities; and a second group (Outdoor) of 84 children following a continuous OE programme at school. In January (T1) and in June (T2), the quality of child development was assessed by teachers, appropriately trained, through Kuno Beller Developmental Scales. Comparing the two groups, the results showed that, in most of the developmental areas (cognitive, emotional, social, fine motor skills), significant improvements at T2 were detected for the Outdoor group compared to the Traditional group. The findings highlight that OE, compared to indoor activities, offers greater opportunities for the child development -- playing, therefore, a crucial role as a protective developmental factor since early childhood.

Mediational analyses were conducted with data from two small randomized control trials of the Responsive Teaching (RT) parent-mediated developmental intervention which used nearly identical intervention and control procedures. The purpose of these analyses was to determine whether or how the changes in maternal responsiveness and children's engagement that occurred during these interventions contributed to child development outcomes. To conduct these analyses, regression procedures described by Baron and Kenny were used to test for mediation. RT, which focuses on enhancing mother's responsiveness with their children, was found to be more effective than the control condition at promoting not only children's development but also both mothers' responsiveness and children's engagement (i.e., pivotal behavior). Intervention changes in mothers' responsiveness were highly associated with changes in children's pivotal behavior. However, intervention changes in children's language and personal social development were mediated by changes in children's pivotal behavior but not by changes in mothers' responsiveness. Results are discussed in terms of both mechanisms for developmental change and the nature of children's early intervention objectives.

Objective: To chart the emergence of precursors and early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autistic traits in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of the surviving offspring of 14,541 pregnant women from southwestern England with an expected delivery date between April 1991 and December 1992. Method: Parents' contemporaneous reports of their infant's development (241 questionnaire responses collected up to 30 months of age) were examined in relation to the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder by age 11 years (n = 86) and a measure of autistic traits, derived by factor analysis. Results: Among the children later diagnosed with ASD, concerns about vision and hearing were more often reported in the first year, and differences in social, communication, and fine motor skills were evident from 6 months of age. Repetitive behaviors and differences in play, imitation, and feeding habits were reported in the second year. Differences in temperament emerged at 24 months of age and bowel habit by 30 months. All of these early signs were strongly associated with the presence of autistic traits in the rest of the population and these differences were often evident in the first year of development. Over the first 30 months of development, the best predictors of both later ASD and autistic traits included the Social Achievement and Communication scores from the Denver Developmental Screening Test, measures of communicative skills (Vocabulary and Combines Words) from the MacArthur Infant Communicative Development Inventories, and a repetitive behavior score. Conclusions: Precursors, early signs, and other developmental differences were reported in the first year of development among children from the general population who later developed autism spectrum disorder and subtler autistic traits. Other differences emerged and unfolded as development progressed. The findings confirm the long-held suspicion that early differences underscore the multifaceted nature of autism spectrum disorder and the broader autism phenotype, and highlight the centrality of impairments in social communication skills. (Contains 16 tables.)

The MOM Program is a randomized, controlled trial of an intervention to promote mothers' care for the health and development of their children, including accessing early intervention (EI) services. Study aims were to determine whether, relative to controls, this intervention increased receipt of and referral to EI services. Mothers (N = 302) living in high-poverty regions were recruited after having given birth to healthy infants and were randomized to the intervention (n = 152) or control (n = 150) group. Those in the intervention group received up to 11 home visits to promote well-child visits and referral to EI. Children in the intervention group were referred to and received EI services significantly more often than those in the control group. Maternal depression and age of the mother were significantly associated with referral to, and receipt of, EI. (Contains 2 figures and 5 tables.)

A new method for a quantitative and objective description of drawing and for the quantification of drawing ability in children with learning disabilities (LD) is hereby presented. Twenty-four normally developing children (N) (age 10.6 [plus or minus] 0.5) and 18 children with learning disabilities (LD) (age 10.3 [plus or minus] 2.4) took part to the study. The drawing tasks were chosen among those already used in clinical daily experience (Denver Developmental Screening Test). Some parameters were defined in order to quantitatively describe the features of the children's drawings, introducing new objective measurements beside the subjective standard clinical evaluation. The experimental set-up revealed to be valid for clinical application with LD children. The parameters highlighted the presence of differences in the drawing features of N and LD children. This paper suggests the applicability of this protocol to other fields of motor and cognitive valuation, as well as the possibility to study the upper limbs position and muscle activation during drawing.

This monograph is concerned with the mid adolescent follow-up of a group of adoptees from Romania and from within the United Kingdom who were first assessed at the age of 4 years (or 6 years in the case of the oldest children). After describing the structure of this monograph, this chapter provides the background as it applied at the time that the study began, and then goes on to outline the overall research strategy and the measures relevant for the first assessment at age 4 years. The research literature with respect to other studies is considered here only in relation to the state of knowledge at the time the research began. Research findings since then are discussed separately in later chapters according to the topics considered in each individual chapter. This chapter then goes on to summarize, briefly, some of the key findings from the follow-ups undertaken up to the age of 11 years.

In chapter IV, the authors focused on their findings on the developmental course of deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs). The authors rediscussed the syndrome concept in the light of two main considerations. First, the findings indicated substantial overlap among the four postulated DSPs at 15 years including CI and I/O before requiring cooccurrence with Q-A or DA. Second, they realized that, ordinarily, syndromes are defined on the basis of a unifying pathophysiology rather than a mere clustering together of symptoms. Although they have not identified the nature of such pathophysiology, the strong continuing association with institutional deprivation extending up to at least 6 months of age, plus the findings from the pilot brain imaging study points to the likelihood that there is a unifying pathophysiology. Accordingly, they conclude that, on balance, a coherent syndrome remains a strong possibility. (Contains 6 tables.)

This chapter covers the methods and measures used in the ERA study, with a special focus on age 15 outcomes. First, the authors outline the sample participation rate for the 15-year follow-up--the percentages in all cases referring to the numbers at the time of initial sample contact. They then describe the measures used in this monograph, starting with those obtained at first contact with respect to functioning at the time of leaving institutional care. Because the group definitions relevant to the follow-up at age 15 are based on assessments at 6 and 11 years of age, they deal with the measures in those assessments first. At 11 years of age, they used a range of specific cognitive tests that might be of predictive value and those are detailed next. Then they discuss measures employed at the 15-year follow-up and those relevant to possible autism as used by Rutter in the separate assessment at 18-20 years. (Contains 10 tables.)

This pilot study reports on data drawn from migrant Hispanic families enrolled in a 4-year Migrant Education Even Start project and a comparison group of nonmigrant Hispanic families. The study was designed to examine child- and family-based risk factors known to imperil literacy outcomes. Four notable findings emerged from this study. First, compared to nonmigrants, migrant preschoolers come from homes with less adult and child exposure to home-based literacy materials with existing parent-child literacy activities primarily in Spanish. Second, migrant preschoolers demonstrated marked deficits in oral language development even when tested in Spanish, their home language. Third, the disparities between migrant and nonmigrant preschoolers were also present in preliteracy and prereading skills. Finally, partial support was found for the comprehensive language approach to understanding early literacy development. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed as well as suggestions for further research. (Contains 4 endnotes and 6 tables.)

Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects over 30,000 students in the United States. Central nervous system complications are widespread among students with SCD and include stroke, silent cerebral infarction, and cognitive impairment. The effects of these complications may lead to academic failure, limited career options, and for some, total disability. Despite studies describing the significant academic and cognitive impact of sickle cell disease, reports describing interventions are limited. There is a lack of awareness among educators of the academic risks associated with sickle cell disease and a lack of appropriate resource allocation. The school nurse, as community health advocate, will be called upon to bridge the gap among healthcare providers, parents, students, and educators. This article provides a review of both recent and landmark studies describing the cognitive and academic impact of sickle cell disease and discusses the role of the school nurse as an advocate, liaison, and educator.

This article describes standardized instruments designed to measure physical and emotional health outcomes among children for a statewide implementation of community- and school-based family resource centers. It includes descriptive and psychometric information, strengths and weaknesses of two measures of physical well-being, and four measures of emotional and behavioral well-being, based on criteria selected by the evaluation team. The authors conclude by recommending those instruments that accommodated the evaluation goals of the family support programs.

The McDenver at McDonald's project provided a nontraditional, community-based teaching and learning environment for faculty and students in a health, physical education, and recreation (HPER) department and a school of nursing. Children and parents come to McDonald's, children received developmental screenings, and parents completed conferences with HPER and nursing students on screening results. (SM)

The Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) was administered to 2569 children prior to starting kindergarten. At the end of the school year, teachers rated each child. Results suggest that because of its low sensitivity and modest predictive value, the DDST is relatively inefficient for a school entry screening program in a general population. (GC)

Ten psychometric criteria (such as item analysis, concurrent validity, and interexaminer reliability) were used to compare four preschool screening tests: "Comprehensive Identification Process", "Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning--Revised" (Dial--R), "Denver Developmental Screening Test", and "Miller Assessment for Preschoolers" (MAP). The DIAL--R and MAP met most of the criteria. (Author/DB)

The Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) and an expressive language measure were administered to 114 children (aged 24 to 74 months) suspected of developmental difficulties. The DDST did not identify the majority of children who failed the expressive language screening, even after cutoff scores were made more rigorous. (Author/JDD)

Four hundred eighty-six preschool children were screened with the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) and the Preschool Language Scale (PLS). Children who failed the screening were referred for a formal language assessment. Results indicated that the DDST is slightly more effective than the PLS in identifying preschool children who need remedial language services. (Author)

Correlations between the two screening tests and between the screening and criterion measures were inconsistent with prediction rates based on classificational screening test scores. On the basis of correlational validity coefficients, relationships between measures in this study would have been overestimated. (Author/SBH)