The mechanisms that support infant action processing are thought to be involved in the development of later social cognition. While a growing body of research demonstrates longitudinal links between action processing and explicit theory of mind (TOM), it remains unclear why this link emerges in some measures of action encoding and not others. In…

The relation between maternal behavior and neurocognitive development is complex and may depend on the task context. We examined 5-month-old infant frontal electroencephalogram (EEG), maternal intrusiveness (MI) evaluated during two play contexts at 5 and 10 months, and a battery of executive function (EF) tasks completed at 48 months to evaluate…

Prenatal folate and vitamin B[subscript 12] status have been linked to child neuropsychological development, but less is known about maternal genetic influences on this association. We conducted an exploratory longitudinal study of 181 mother--child pairs to assess whether maternal MTHFR 677C>T genotype modifies the association between maternal…

The highly anticipated follow-up to "Unpacking the Pyramid Model," this one-of-a-kind book is the first to provide a comprehensive, step-by-step overview of the widely used Pyramid Model Practices for infants and toddlers from birth to three. With this accessible training guide, teachers and providers will use research-based practices to…

This scoping review analyzes empirical research studies focused on Early Intervention (EI) services, covered under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the United States, for children birth-to-3 years old with significant support needs (SSNs). The purposes were to gauge the landscape of literature in this area, understand…

Background: Fetal life and infancy might be critical periods for brain development leading to increased risks of neurocognitive disorders and psychopathology later in life. We examined the associations of fetal and infant weight growth patterns and birth characteristics with behavior and cognitive outcomes at the age of 13 years. Methods:…

Background: Early-language skills vary and are among the best predictors of later social and academic outcomes. High-quality early interaction supports strong early-language skills. Identifying modifiable sources of variability in early interaction quality is critical to determining intervention need, developing effective caregiver coaching, and…

This scoping review examines the literature on infant and toddler giftedness from 1982 to 2024, exploring characteristics, early identifiers, and interactive strategies that support giftedness in infancy. The review highlights the complexity of defining and researching early giftedness, along with the influence of various paradigms and the…

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a noninvasive neuroimaging technique that could be uniquely effective for investigating cortical function in human infants. However, prior efforts have been hampered by the difficulty of aligning arrays of fNIRS optodes placed on the scalp to anatomical or functional regions of underlying cortex.…

A growing body of research has found a relationship between parenting and the development of executive function in young children; however, fewer studies have examined how parenting is related specifically to the development of working memory. Using data from the Family Life Project, this study examined whether attention was a pathway through…

Previous work indicates mutual exclusivity in word learning in monolingual, but not bilingual toddlers. We asked whether this difference indicates distinct conceptual biases, or instead reflects best-guess heuristic use in the absence of context. We altered word-learning contexts by manipulating whether a familiar- or unfamiliar-race speaker…

Look at your baby or toddler. They are still learning to eat from a spoon, roll over, stack blocks, walk a few steps, or say their first words. It's hard to imagine that even in these early years, young children are being shaped by the biases that surround them in the world. This is why parenting for social justice begins at birth. Get started…

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) clearly outlined recommended practices for the provision of Part C services. However, there may be challenges in rural areas associated with services aligning with these recommended practices. Therefore, this study focuses on how families experience Part C services and the extent to which services align with…

Developmental research, like many fields, is plagued by low sample sizes and inconclusive findings. The problem is amplified by the difficulties associated with recruiting infant participants for research as well as the increased variability in infant responses. With sequential testing designs providing a viable alternative to paradigms facing…

Introduction: Children born prematurely often score lower on standardized tests of language in early childhood. Less is known about longer term outcomes. This investigation considered language outcomes in pre-adolescent children born very preterm/very low birthweight, as assessed by both standardized test scores and language sample measures, and…