The purpose of this pilot study was to explore cognitive performance and visual motor integration, and investigate the relationship between them in preschool children in a community. Forty-nine participants were selected by stratified random sampling from a local community school and community child development center in Thailand. The instruments…

The World Health Organization-Caregiver Skills Training Program, a parent-mediated early intervention facilitated by non-specialist providers piloted in urban India was evaluated using mixed-methods for feasibility and effects on child and caregiver outcomes. Caregivers (n = 22) of children (2-9 years) with social-communication delays participated…

Interactions between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex are fundamental to human emotion. Despite the central role of frontoamygdala communication in adult emotional learning and regulation, little is known about how top-down control emerges during human development. In the present cross-sectional pilot study, we experimentally manipulated…

India is home to the largest population of adolescents in the world, of which nearly half experience one or more adverse childhood experiences. Despite rising interest in building trauma-sensitive school systems globally, such initiatives are limited in India. This paper presents the development, implementation, and acceptability of the Fostering…

Although many young children face risk factors for academic failure, most research about family interventions do not focus on at-risk children. For example, although Parents Interacting with Infants Model (i.e. PIWI) and Baby TALK programmes are widely used family interventions, no empirical research has been conducted about PIWI or Baby TALK…

Peruvian children's sub-optimal results on international and national assessments underscore the need for enhanced investments in early childhood development (ECD) such as shared reading between caregivers and young children. We conducted a qualitative study with 13 mothers of young children ages 11-25 months old that: used focus groups to explore…

Social-emotional skills are equally as crucial for school success as cognitive and academic skills (Webster-Stratton and Reid in "Infants and Young Children" 17:96-113, 2004), yet many young children lack these skills (Lavigne et al. in "Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry" 35:204-214, 1996).…

There is no gainsaying the fact that Early Childhood Education generally, and preschool education in particular, is faced with myriad of problems in Nigeria. Scholars, government agencies and nongovernmental organisations have been struggling to find lasting solutions to these problems but the successes recorded have been quite insignificant. This…

This research evaluated the effectiveness of training and educating preservice teachers to understand and implement developmentally appropriate practices for children birth to age 5. Data from 803 participants were collected over a 3-year period at a university with a laboratory child care program associated with an undergraduate degree in child…

Background and Context: Vygotsky's sociocultural theory emphasises the importance of language, mediation, and the transfer of skills and knowledge from the social into the cognitive plane. This perspective has influenced the development of PRIMM (Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify, Make), a structured approach to teaching programming. Objective:…

Purpose: The Expository Scoring Scheme (ESS) is designed to analyze the macrostructure of descriptions of a favorite game or sport. This pilot study examined inter- and intrarater reliability of the ESS and use of the scale to capture developmental change in elementary school children. Method: Twenty-four children in 2 language groups (monolingual…

This paper explores the meaning of childhood within the realms of play and attachment. Are parental attitudes and expectations, with the use of technology and prescriptive toys, limiting development in children today? Children's play in homes in the United Arab Emirates is examined to explore how children in this region play and whether the…

There is a definite need for effective intervention programmes that address the social-emotional, character and healthy development of preschool children. Strong social-emotional skills are necessary for successful transitions to formal schooling and for healthy developmental trajectories. The "Positive Action" ("PA") programme…

Early years education has received considerable attention in recent years, particularly as a result of longitudinal studies that demonstrate the importance of the first few years in a child's development and educational experience. In 2004, a new approach to early years education, the Foundation Phase, was introduced in Wales. This is a major…

The current project examined school readiness outcomes of children participating in a preschool professional development initiative, "Winning Beginnings Learning Circles," which focused on school readiness and teacher professional development. Children were assessed on knowledge and understanding of school readiness concepts in the fall…