Striking weight biases emerge early in development, yet cognitive-developmental research has largely ignored weight as a social characteristic of interest. How do children conceive of weight? In particular, do children hold essentialist views of weight (i.e. do they view weight as natural, stable, inductively meaningful, and reflective of people's…

Literature on the relationship between childhood cancer and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) is mixed. Research has shown that other factors (i.e., family problems, treatment intensity, stressful life events) impact this relationship. Researchers have examined the relationship between post-traumatic growth and experiencing cancer. We examined…

Body neutrality is a concept wherein individuals embody a neutral attitude toward the body that is realistic and flexible, appreciate and care for the function of the body, and acknowledge that self-worth is not defined by one's outward appearance. Family behavior regarding body image has been related to higher levels of body dissatisfaction and…

Parent-mediated interventions for infants and young children with an increased likelihood of autism may help ameliorate developmental concerns; however, generalization of parents' teaching strategies to novel child target skills has not been consistently demonstrated. This study expanded our parent training program, Parent Intervention for…

This study examines the value priorities of Chinese parents regarding their children's education in globally competitive context. Although Chinese parents are often viewed as being excessively controlling of their children and preoccupied with their academic performance, research indicates that contemporary Chinese families hold diverse beliefs…

Research Findings: Measuring toddlers' cortisol levels both in childcare and at home and their relation to child- and childcare-related factors may help to identify stress-inducing childcare practices and children who are more vulnerable to stress in childcare. Accordingly, toddlers' (n = 320, 51.2% female, mean age = 26.8 months) cortisol levels…

Prevention-focused parenting education programs (P-FPEPs) provide knowledge and support to parents to strengthen parent-child relationships, enhance parental and family well-being, and promote healthy child development. The positive impact of such programs on child health and development is well documented. Yet, how P-FPEPs influence parents…

Early intervention (EI) services--including but not limited to speech, physical, occupational, and mental health therapies--have been proven to significantly benefit young children's development, shaping their readiness for school and offering pivotal support for caregivers. However, racial disparities persist in identification for and access to…

This study aimed to replicate and extend findings from the only known study that has conducted latent profile analysis of developmental profiles, measured by the Battelle Developmental Inventory, for children in Early Intervention (EI). Children (N = 57,966) who were enrolled in Massachusetts EI sites between 2011 and 2019 and completed a Battelle…

This study aimed to examine the relationships between the screen time of children with special needs and of their parents with their home participation, occupational performance, and parent-child relationships according to sex and diagnosis. Parents of 150 children with special needs (age range, 4 to 6 years) such as autism spectrum disorder,…

Research Findings: Multiple factors likely influence the language development of young children growing up in low-income homes, potentially including stressors experienced by parents. Here, we ask: (1) What is the association between stress (i.e., economic hardship and parenting stress) and toddlers' language development? and (2) Does number of…

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience challenges with social skill interactions that may affect their quality of life. Given that parents are often the most frequent and constant presence in their child's life, parents serve a vital role in their child's social and behavioral development. For this reason, children may…

Aim: To investigate developmental trajectories in early childhood and predictors of class assignment. Methods: Data were available for Gen2 infants at 12 (n = 2275), 24 (n = 1845) and 36 (n = 2110) months of age in the Raine Study. Latent growth class analysis was used to identify developmental trajectories based on the Ages and Stages…

The Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being focused on identifying and nurturing promising doctoral students from multiple disciplines to address intractable challenges in the child well-being field. With the support of a national advisory board comprised of child well-being research experts, the program engaged 120 fellows,…

Given the importance of writing for academic achievement, this study aimed to understand how early oral language contributes to later writing skills. The first objective was to determine if preschool language skills were associated with high school writing, and if so, whether they contributed directly or indirectly through school age language. The…