Background: Building 'key skills' may help prevent the development of challenging behaviour in children with an intellectual disability. The aim of this paper was to extend the current limited evidence in this area. Method: We undertook two studies with children with an intellectual disability in school settings: (1) a cross-sectional replication…

Maternal depression is a well-established risk factor for the development of depression in offspring. As such, reducing maternal depression may be key to effective prevention efforts to reduce offspring's depression. Based on the broad risk represented by maternal depression, examining cross-over effects of parent-focused interventions on maternal…

This study is a secondary data analysis that extends knowledge about the effects of the early childhood Family Check-Up (FCU) intervention to trajectories of general psychopathology problems (p factor) across early and middle childhood, and effects on adolescent psychopathology and polydrug use. The Early Steps Multisite study (ClinicalTrials.gov…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to experience emotional hypo/hypersensitivity, aside from exhibiting restricted and repetitive behaviors. These behaviors prevent them from perceiving and simultaneously responding to environmental stimuli, meaning that they may not notice potential hazards. Children with ASD are in the risk…

The current study evaluates the concurrent relationship between parent ratings of executive functioning and maladaptive behavior among children and adolescents with Down syndrome and then repeats this evaluation using teacher reports. Parents and teachers of 63 school-age children with Down syndrome rated the child's executive functioning…

School dropout can be an ongoing process of academic failure and disengagement starting as early as elementary school. Given the importance of early identification of risk factors, the present study examines (a) whether early conduct problems and depressive symptoms predict a higher risk of school dropout, (b) whether depressive symptoms moderate…

The goal of this study was to test nonverbal intelligence and neighborhood social capital as protective factors against future delinquency in early adolescent youth placed at risk by virtue of their involvement in childhood conduct problems. Analyzing longitudinal data from 3,028 youth (1,565 boys, 1,463 girls) in one cohort of the Longitudinal…

The rapid growth of various types of addiction and deviance among children and adolescents has led to the necessity of psychological follow-up of children in the educational environment. Another high-priority task is to create a safe environment for childhood. The purpose of this article is to present the results of monitoring the state of work on…

The United States and the World Health Organization have worked to decrease lead exposure in children, but despite these efforts lead poisoning continues to exist in industrialized and developing countries. Prevention is the only way to preclude the health, academic and behavioral problems that occur due to the effects of lead. Public awareness…

The joint, longitudinal trajectories of symptoms of disruptive behavior problems and of depression were examined in a community sample drawn from neighborhoods with elevated rates of delinquency. Growth mixture modeling was applied to a 6 year transition period from childhood to adolescence, age 10 to 16 years, to identify latent classes of…

Background: Antisocial children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits appear to be disconnected from other people's emotions; although little is known about their experience of the parent-child emotional bond. This study examined parent-child attachment relationships and levels of CU traits in conduct-problem children. Method: Attachment…

The current study examined temperament characteristics as risk factors for restraint and seclusion (R/S) events in psychiatrically hospitalized youth, extending work that has sought to identify R/S risk factors and research examining temperament-behavior problem associations that has largely relied upon community samples. It was anticipated that…

Each year, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) releases its annual list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field. The 20 studies selected have given new insight into the underlying biology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and potential risk factors, examined the state of the science in early…

This three-wave longitudinal study explored developmental trajectories for various types of childhood anxiety symptoms (i.e., specific fears, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and separation anxiety) and examined how these trajectories were associated with several factors thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of anxiety. Parents of a…

The high prevalence and early onset of anxiety disorders have inspired innovative prevention efforts targeting young at-risk children. With parent-child prevention models showing success for older children and adolescents, the goal of this study was to evaluate a parent-child indicated preventive intervention for preschoolers with mild to moderate…