Background: With opioid misuse rates increasing dramatically over the past two decades, an entire generation of children faces a heightened risk of adverse physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based intervention for children aged 2-to-7 years and their caregivers that improves…

Diminished response to name, a potential early marker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may also indicate risk for other disorders characterized by attention problems, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using a familial risk design, we examined whether response to name ability at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months of age…

This study examined gender differences in the early mathematical skills of children at risk of developing mathematical difficulties. Of a total sample of 1091 children (49% girls and 51% boys), we observed authentic children who scored low at 33 months with the assessment material MIO (Mathematics, Individual and Environment). Cut-off for low…

Background: Previous work has documented lower vocalization rate and consonant acquisition delays in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated differences in these variables at 12, 18, and 24 months in toddlers at high and low risk for ASD. Method: Vocalization rate and number of different consonants were obtained from speech…

Two independent cohorts (N = 155, N = 126) of infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were followed prospectively between 6 and 36 months of age, when n = 46 were diagnosed with ASD. Gaze to adult faces was coded--during a developmental assessment (Cohort 1) or a play interaction (Cohort 2). Across both cohorts, most…

Individuals with sex chromosome trisomies (SCTs) have an increased risk of language delays and impairments. However, there are only a few data relative to their language development in early childhood. The present study aimed to investigate the preverbal skills shown by a group of 8-month-old children with SCTs to assess the presence of a possible…

Background: The aim of this project was to examine parent perceptions of potential communicative acts (PCAs) of children with, or at risk for, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Participants were 6 males ranging from 17 to 30 months of age. Behaviours of interest were compared using parent report taken from the Inventory of Potential…

The importance of early detection of autism spectrum disorder followed by early intervention is increasingly recognized. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the long-term effects of a program for the early detection of autism spectrum disorder (consisting of training of professionals and use of a referral protocol and screening instrument), to…

Research evidence suggests children experiencing adversity are at risk of language disparities in early childhood. This puts these children at risk of poor language outcomes, perpetuating disadvantage in later development and academic life. This study aimed to investigate associations between Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) attendance,…

Data-driven decision making (DDDM) helps educators identify children not responding to intervention, individualize instruction, and monitor response to intervention in multitiered systems of support (MTSS). More prevalent in K-12 special education, MTSS practices are emerging in early childhood. In previous reports, we described the Making Online…

Data-driven decision making (DDDM) helps educators identify children not responding to intervention, individualize instruction, and monitor response to intervention in multitiered systems of support (MTSS). More prevalent in K-12 special education, MTSS practices are emerging in early childhood. In previous reports, we described the Making Online…

Background: Late language emergence is a risk indicator for developmental language disorder. Parent-implemented early language intervention programmes (parent programmes) have been shown to have positive effects on children's receptive and expressive language skills. However, long-term effectiveness has rarely been studied. Additionally, little is…

This study examined whether a novel parent-report questionnaire, the Autism Parent Screen for Infants, could differentiate infants subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder from a high-risk cohort (siblings of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (n = 66)) from high-risk and low-risk comparison infants (no family history of…

To explore how being at high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based on having an older sibling diagnosed with ASD, affects word comprehension and language processing speed, 18-, 24- and 36-month-old children, at high and low risk for ASD were tested in a cross-sectional study, on an eye gaze measure of receptive language that measured how…

Temperament atypicalities have been documented in infancy and early development in children who develop autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The current study investigates whether there are differences in developmental trajectories of temperament between infants and toddlers with and without ASD. Parents of infant siblings of children with autism…