Background: Language development is critical for children's life chances. Promoting parent-child interactions is suggested as one mechanism to support language development in the early years. However, limited evidence exists for a causal effect of parent-child interactions on children's language development. Methods: Data from the Language in…

Over the past several decades, the early intervention (EI) model for families of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children has evolved from deficit-based and child-centered to strengths-based and family-centered. The family-centered early intervention (FCEI) model is based on family-systems theory, which emphasizes the central role parents play in…

An emerging body of literature suggests that early motor skills may be a key predictor of language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, characteristics of subject groups, targeted skill areas and their assessment tools, and methodological approaches significantly vary across existing studies. This scoping review…

The Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children, 3rd Edition (AEPS-3), is a curriculum-based criterion-referenced assessment that is effectively used in early childhood programs because it links assessment, intervention, and evaluation. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the AEPS-3 in Kosovo, a…

Many autistic children require support to meet their learning needs. Given the heterogeneity within the autism spectrum it is plausible that different types of support might be better suited to different children. However, knowledge on what interventions work best for which children is limited. We examined the outcomes of autistic preschool-aged…

The importance of parent-child relationships for child developmental outcomes suggests a need to incorporate a relationship focus into early intervention programs for children with developmental delays. Nevertheless, confusion exists about the definition and application of relationship-focussed interventions, and occupational therapists remain…

Reading and literacy skills are essential to fostering a child's development and academic success. Research has consistently highlighted the importance of early literacy proficiency as a strong indicator of later academic achievement, cognitive ability, and social-emotional well-being (Espinosa, 2002; Gottlieb et al., 2022). Unfortunately, reading…

Children typically learn by attending to other people. Autism traits may impact access to social stimuli fundamental to early learning, increasing children's likelihood of a learning disability. Recent reports have highlighted that Autistic children from minority backgrounds have a higher likelihood of co-occurring intellectual disability. This…

In this article, we consider the academic literature regarding how racial discrimination is prefigured in societal norms and habits in early learning and childcare in Scotland and England. Specifically, we outline what we see as a salient opportunity to strengthen the existing knowledge base, namely how race and racism are understood in young…

Many children with developmental delays need early intervention services but do not receive them. Developmental screening provides the impetus for identification of delays and service referrals but is not used consistently across all early childhood education settings. We used an implementation science framework to examine attitudes and engagement…

Background: Children with motor delays are at increased risk for delayed means-end problem-solving (MEPS) performance. Objectives: To evaluate children with motor delays: 1) the impact of motor delay severity and MEPS mastery timing on developmental trajectories of MEPS; and 2) the effectiveness of Sitting Together And Reaching To Play…

There is a great demand for quality early intervention services for autistic children and their families. Caregiver-mediated interventions are critical components of evidence-based early intervention. However, their implementation in publicly funded systems is often done with poor fidelity. Qualitative evidence suggests that family characteristics…

Background: As autistic children are being diagnosed at a younger age, the need to identify appropriate early supports has increased. Therapist-delivered and parent-mediated autism intervention may benefit children and parents. Objective: This pilot study examined developmental outcomes for autistic pre-schoolers and mental health and wellbeing…

This essay entails a critical review of the origins, discourses and contemporary manifestations of NAEYC's enduring commitment to 'developmentally appropriate practice' (DAP); and proposes a reconceptualisation of DAP as an open question and incentive for place-based collaborative inquiry. Brief discussion of ECE's early history highlights…

Infancy, a formative period for development, has been identified as an advantageous time to provide family-centered support for children with delays. Families should be included as stakeholders during development of such interventions to ensure social value. We describe a preliminary randomized controlled trial evaluating Infant Achievements (IA),…