Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to investigate how neighborhoods and neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage impact school readiness over time. School readiness was measured using the Early Development Instrument (EDI) for 3 populations of kindergartners in 2001, 2003, and 2005 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. EDI results…

While well-established attachment measures have been developed for infancy, early childhood, and adulthood, a "measurement gap" has been identified in middle childhood, where behavioral or representational measures are not yet sufficiently robust. This article documents the development of a new measure--the Child Attachment Interview…

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the association between circadian rhythms of cortisol and physical and relational aggression. Morning arrival, prelunch, and afternoon predeparture salivary cortisol were assessed among 418 maltreated and nonmaltreated children (52% maltreated; 49% female) attending a summer day camp.…

Increasing numbers of young children are being expelled from child care settings because of their problem behavior. Access to mental health consultation is related to lower rates of expulsion, but additional data are needed to document the pathways through which mental health consultation reduces the risk of expulsion. We report on outcomes from a…

We examined the extent to which infant attachment status is directly related to child conduct problems 6 years later, and assessed the potential mediating roles of hostile parenting and maternal depression. The sample included 84 adolescent mothers and their children (45 girls, 39 boys). Infant attachment status was assessed using the Strange…

Youth mentoring has become a key element of UK youth policy in recent years and is now integrated into a range of policy initiatives aiming to tackle social exclusion. It is claimed by proponents of planned mentoring that the introduction of a mentor enhances resilience through the provision of a consistent, caring relationship that transcends…

Objective: To describe Head Start teachers' perceptions of mealtime, feeding, and overweight risk in Head Start students. Design: Qualitative focus group study. Setting: Five Head Starts in a greater metropolitan area in the Northeast. Participants: Thirty-five teachers in 5 focus groups. Intervention: Two experienced focus group facilitators…

In planning interventions it is essential to understand how adverse risk factors in early childhood are associated with child mental health problems, whether some types of problems can be better explained by the specific risk factors, and whether early risk factors are differently related to different types of child behavior problems. A community…

This booklet is intended to provide parents with some critical information to help monitor and control their child's behavior on the Internet. Highlights include: the need for ground rules; how to gain knowledge about the Internet; what the Internet is; the World Wide Web; Internet Relay Chat (IRC); Usenet groups and e-mail; some red flags;…

This study examined gender differences in the correlates of different types of nonsocial play behaviors. Seventy-seven kindergarten children (38 males, 39 females) were observed during free play. Behaviors were categorized according to three subtypes of nonsocial play: reticent, solitary-passive, and solitary-active. Additional measures included…

Studies children (grades 1-6) recalling watching television with someone who became scared--they described how they comforted the individual, rated aspects of viewing situation, described how they would comfort a hypothetical friend, and completed a self-report measure of empathy. Finds empathy related to comforting level in both…

An inventory was constructed of social situations in which day care children may display problem behaviors. Child care workers using the inventory rate how often a child experiences difficulties in 38 social situations and identify children's usual reaction in each situation. A validation study indicated that the inventory has adequate…

Compares the effects of instructional art projects on children's behavioral responses and creativity in a sample of children residing in an emergency shelter. Results reveal that children produced more formed expressions and creative/design elements and less chaotic discharge and stereotypic art through the art project that involved few…

This column summarizes recent ERIC documents and journal articles, and highlights some World Wide Web resources, that discuss issues related to the problem of children biting in preschool. (Contains 13 annotated summaries.) (SD)

Examined how children behave differently with friends and non-friends. Engaged 123 triads of target children, friends, and unacquainted peers in free-play and planning tasks. Found that children behaved more positively but also exhibited more negative behavior with friends than with non-friends. (KK)