Research Findings: Early childhood is a critical period for the development of eating behaviors and novel approaches are needed to promote healthy food acceptance among preschoolers. This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a 6-week mindful eating and yoga intervention targeting children's self-regulation of…

Prior research has shown that social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions offer promise for supporting young children's outcomes, but implementation problems are frequent, especially in low-resource contexts. This study describes the adaptation and efficacy of a new, classroom-based SEL intervention for children aged 3 to 6 years in early…

Research Finding: Traditional fathering programs have missed an opportunity to reflect the unique family patterns and service needs of Hispanic and Latino fathers. In addition, family engagement strategies in early childhood programs have typically focused on mothers. The aim of this study was to adapt, implement, and evaluate a 6-week video…

Research Findings: Children that experience neglect are at risk for maladaptive outcomes. One potential resource for these children is early childhood education (ECE), but there is currently limited evidence which is compounded by data limitations. This study used data from the National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-being II (N = 1,385) to…

Research Findings: Despite it being a widely accepted measure of social, emotional, and behavioral problems among children and young people, the factor structure underlying the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is contested. Recent research has suggested a need to consider methodological bias in the SDQ, associated with the positive…

Research Findings: Preschoolers' sleep patterns were examined related to cognitive and adaptive functioning. The sample consisted of 874 typically developing preschool children with a mean age of 40.01 months. Parent/caregiver reports of children's sleep pattern factors, Stanford-Binet 5 intelligence scale scores, and Behavior Assessment System…

Research Findings: Children's early academic achievement is supported by positive social and behavioral skills, and difficulties with these skills frequently gives way to underachievement. Social and behavioral problems often arise as a product of parent-child interactional patterns and environmental influences. Few studies have examined the role…

Research Findings: Family conflict is known to be associated with poor development for young children, but many children appear resilient. This study examined the extent to which high-quality center care during early childhood protects children from these negative consequences. Children participating in center-based sites of the Early Head Start…

Examined goal-directed behaviors for a group of children with Down's syndrome and a control group of children. Maternal and child behaviors were recorded during joint play. Found that children with Down's syndrome are less likely than normal children to show increases in independent goal-directed play behaviors following a joint play session with…

This study examined the psychometric and normative properties of the ADHD-Symptoms Rating Scale with preschool children. Results shed light on normative levels of ADHD behaviors and preschool children and suggested that preschoolers may present with a somewhat different symptom pattern than school-age children. Parents were more likely to endorse…

Compared stress levels in families of children with Down syndrome (DS), Williams syndrome (WS), or Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS). Found that DS families experienced less Pessimism than others and less Parent and Family Problems than SMS families. Strongest predictors of Parent and Family Problems were maladaptive behavior in SMS, younger age in DS,…

Tested a proposed developmental pathway for toddlers' mastery of skills in generating non-ritualized forms of cooperative coordinated action with peers. Studied nonverbal imitative acts among U.S. toddlers and toddlers of the Seltaman people of Papua New Guinea. Found that ready imitation of one another emerged during the same developmental period…

The patterns of cognitive play of 28 African-American and Euro-American preschool children with intellectual disabilities are reported. Fourteen children representing each group, matched on developmental age and family variables, were observed playing independently at home. The pattern of African-American children's play was more reflective of…

Compared children retained in kindergarten with matched samples of age and grade mates, using teacher ratings as an index of their social and academic skills. Found that retained children showed a reduction in behavior problems, specifically acting-out and shy-anxious behaviors, but only slightly increased competence for task orientation across…