Infancy is a pivotal time in the development of a human's cognitive ability. There is a lack of research in this area, specifically on mothers and their beliefs about literacy practices and the home learning environment. By utilizing Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework, this study explores the beliefs of mothers and how they impact the infants'…

The problem addressed by this study was children's impeded oral language development when parents do not engage them in frequent conversational exchanges during the infant and toddler years. The purpose of the study was to explore parent behaviors and perceptions. Two questions guided the study: when do parents talk with their children? and how do…

From a perceptual learning perspective, infants use social information (like gaze direction) in a similar way as other information in our physical environment (like object movements) to specify action possibilities. In the current study, we assumed that infants are able to learn an affordance upon observing an adult failing to act out that…

Now in a second edition, this popular resource shows teachers and childcare providers how to work with young children based on current neuroscience research. Revised and expanded, it contains a wealth of practical and specific activities and materials to use with infants and toddlers to enhance growth and development. For each activity presented,…

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children with cochlear implants (CwCIs) constitute a heterogeneous population. A multitude of factors influence their spoken language development. There is evidence that CwCIs follow similar trajectories in language development as typically developing (TD) children but there is a lack of research on specific types of…

This review aimed to investigate the use of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Testing Battery (CANTAB) for people at risk of cognitive impairment, especially those born with Down syndrome and those born preterm. Six databases were searched according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards,…

This study aims to determine the effects of kangaroo care at birth on exclusively breastfeeding, infant growth and development according to attachment theory. The study is a randomized controlled trial. The sample of the study consisted of 132 pregnant women between 36 and 38 gestational weeks. Kangaroo care group received 'kangaroo care and…

In order to understand Latina mothers' choices of childcare for their children ages birth to five, a qualitative study of 42 Latina mothers (ages 18 to 43) from Southern California was conducted. Research has found that work status, school status, mother's level of education, acculturation, household composition, income level, and neighborhood…

In the first year of life, infants' speech perception becomes attuned to the sounds of their native language. This process of early phonetic learning has traditionally been framed as phonetic category acquisition. However, recent studies have hypothesized that the attunement may instead reflect a perceptual space learning process that does not…

In South Africa, many infants spend more time with carers other than their parents due to socio-economic demands on mothers. Carers thus play an important role in the infants' lives. This qualitative study explored child carers' knowledge and understanding of the 'first 1000 days' initiative and their perception of themselves as attachment…

This article examines the professional identities of early years educators who develop their professional activity in baby rooms, in a nursery school context. In addition to conceptualising professional identities, it outlines the political, legislative, training and professional practice contexts in Portugal, where the research was conducted.…

There is increasing concern about the ways in which neoliberalism is impacting Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), particularly in relation to infants and toddlers. The neoliberal agenda positions the outdoors as risky and a place to be physically active, potentially excluding the youngest children from these spaces. Drawing upon case study…

Insufficient referral and participation in Part C Early Intervention (EI) services are common among children aged birth to 3 years, including those automatically eligible due to diagnosed medical conditions. States have established lists of diagnosed medical conditions to streamline eligibility determination for these children. However, there is…

What aspects of infants' prelinguistic communication are most valuable for learning to speak, and why? We test whether early vocalizations and gestures drive the transition to word use because, in addition to indicating motoric readiness, they (a) are early instances of intentional communication and (b) elicit verbal responses from caregivers. In…

The primary objective of this study was to describe cognitive and pre-academic skills of children born preterm (< 30 weeks gestational age) at preschool age. A secondary objective was to relate cognitive functioning at preschool age to developmental scores obtained using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley…