Fear of darkness is prevalent in childhood, yet how children explain it remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate how preschoolers make sense of fear of darkness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted through Zoom with 4- to 5-year-old Russian children (n = 31; 13 girls). Reflexive thematic analysis revealed that…

Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often report higher rates of depression and the related negative thought patterns that may precede a clinical diagnosis. These negative thought patterns are referred to as depressive cognitions. Depressive cognitions are exacerbated by child problem behaviors (CPB) but may be impacted by…

This study sheds light on sibling mediation of young children's media use, focusing on older brothers and sisters as significant mediators in imparting preferences, skills, and norms of media use in early childhood. The sample included 20 families with two or three children, one of whom was four to seven years of age and had at least one older…

Given that autistic children are hospitalized at higher rates than neurotypical peers, it is important to understand the autism-specific preparedness of healthcare providers. Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) play a crucial role in pediatric hospitalizations by providing socioemotional support and coping strategies. The present study…

Previous studies suggest that child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of parenting stress and depressive symptoms in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents' coping strategies have been found to provide potential buffering effects. Thus, this study investigated the mediation effect of coping strategies…

Caregivers play an important role in the development of talent in high-potential children, however, limited research exists on their observations and perceptions of their child's development. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine caregivers' perceptions of the social and emotional characteristics of gifted children in grades K-3.…

We studied the associations between childhood-identified learning disabilities and adult-age mental health and whether adult-age reading and math skills, coping styles, or resilience influenced the associations. The participants were 159 Finnish adults (60.4% males). Of them, 48 (30%) had a reading disability (RD), 22 (14%) had a math disability…

Coping Power (CP) is a preventive intervention that focuses on reducing child externalizing problems. Although it is typically delivered in a group format (GCP), individually-delivered CP (ICP) has produced greater mean reductions in externalizing problems. However, standard analysis of randomized trials loses individual-level information…

This study explored the changes in routine and emotional themes experienced by families of children with learning differences or disabilities due to mandatory school closures during COVID-19 in Québec, Canada. A questionnaire was used to compare the family routines of 21 participants before and after the school closures. The study's findings…

Children with complex congenital heart defects often show delays and deficits in cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional functioning. As such, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Associated recommend ongoing monitoring and support of development. In conjunction with the formal therapeutic supports frequently…

This study examined the relationship between enrollment in structured and semi-structured support programming and the adjustment, stress, and coping among a sample of 186 undergraduate college students with learning disabilities. Participants aged 18 to 25 completed an online questionnaire composed of the items from the Student Adaptation to…

Background: Limited data exist on problematic sexual behaviour (PSB) in youth with developmental disabilities in South Korea. Method: Sixty-one parents of children with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder (aged 13-30) reported children's PSB and emotional, behavioural, cognitive, and interpersonal factors. The frequency of PSB in…

Early childhood educator's emotional socialization may contribute crucially to young children's social-emotional competence. Here, we examined the contributions of self-reported reactions to children's emotions and beliefs about emotional socialization of 90 teachers to the social-emotional competence of 334 pre-schoolers. Teacher-reported emotion…

Middle schoolers with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically have a trajectory of difficult outcomes (e.g., school dropout, incarceration). Growing evidence suggests that the continuum of behavioral competence to challenges is closely linked to students' neurocognitive executive function (EF) capacities, perceived stress…