This study investigated the extent to which sensory responsivity in infancy contributes to adaptive behavior development among toddlers at high-familial likelihood for autism. Prospective, longitudinal data were analyzed for 218 children, 58 of whom received an autism diagnosis. Results indicated that sensory profiles at age one year…

While negative associations between behavioral inhibition/shyness and social competence are well established for children from Western cultures, the directions of these associations have been inconsistent for Chinese children, partly due to the ongoing social-cultural changes in China. Drawing from three samples of young Chinese children (born…

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies with adults provide evidence that functional brain networks, including the default mode network and frontoparietal network, underlie executive functioning (EF). However, given the challenges of using fMRI with infants and young children, little work has assessed the developmental trajectories of…

This paper presents findings from a study investigating the multiple perspectives of attachment theory and practice through the voices of early childhood educators. Attachment theory has influenced research, policy and practice over the last six decades, offering a framework for understanding risk and protective factors in early childhood. Despite…

Psychometric and utility studies on Social Emotional Assessment Measure (SEAM), an innovative tool for assessing and monitoring social-emotional and behavioral development in infants and toddlers with disabilities, were conducted. The Infant and Toddler SEAM intervals were the study focus, using mixed methods, including item response theory…

Approximately 20,000 children are adopted from foreign countries each year. Of these children, approximately 46% are adopted before they are 12 months old and 43% are adopted between 1 and 4 years of age. The development of children adopted from abroad before or by 2 years of age is the focus of this article. Given the impoverished language input…

Quantitatively describes the gait development of a group of African children to determine how pattern changes would relate to growth and maturation. A total of 65 children from the Gusii tribe of southwestern Kenya, ranging in age from 13 to 69 months, were selected for study. (Author/RH)

Describes various types of play typical of infants and toddlers. Includes discussion of the developmental benefits of object play, social play, motor play, and imitation. Focuses on the concept of causality, toddler-invented games, repeated movement to gain mastery, and the beginnings of dramatic play. (KB)

Examined the effectiveness of pre-bedtime massages for infants and toddlers with sleep onset problems. Found that, compared to bedtime stories, massages produced fewer sleep delays and a shortened latency to sleep onset. (Author/DLH)

Tests the ability of 43 children, ranging in age from 20 months to 40 months, to discriminate between pictures of boys and girls and male and female adults. Compares children who passed this gender-task with those who failed it on three behaviors most often categorized as sex-typed: toy choice, aggression, and peer playmate selection. (HOD)

This booklet for parents offers examples of key aspects of children's behavior and learning as they develop from birth through the fifth year of age. It provides characteristics of behavior that is likely to occur, of appropriate responses by parents, and of developmental irregularities that need professional attention. Supplemental material…

Mothers and infants were observed in the laboratory when the infants were 12, 18, and 24 months. Mothers reported their child's behavior at 36 months. Predictors of boys' externalizing behavior at two and three years were maternal unresponsiveness and infant attention seeking, aggression, and noncompliance. For girls, infant noncompliance was…

Tests the validity and reliability of a scale (Mental Development Scales: Birth to Three Years) designed to assess developmental levels of children from birth to three years. (HOD)

Resilience is the ability to thrive, mature, and increase competence in the face of adverse circumstances. Recent research has uncovered personal and environmental characteristics that contribute to resilience during infancy and toddlerhood, as well as characteristics that predict resilience in later years. Resilient infants and toddlers are…

Considers the bases of criticism of parent report as an index of their children's behavioral development and ways in which problems associated with parent report were addressed in the construction of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs). Examines the nature of responses elicited from parents as they complete the CDIs. (BC)