Project R.A.I.C.E.S. ("Reaching All Individuals and Communities to Establish Success in Language Learning") is a National Professional Development grant initiative operating at Stephen F. Austin State University. Grant objectives were designed to enhance school readiness, English acquisition, and literacy outcomes for emergent bilinguals…

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth face elevated mental health risks. However, insights from minority stress theory and prevention science suggest that this disparity may result from increased exposure to minority stressors rather than their minoritized identities and that there are protective factors that can mitigate these higher risks. At…

Oral health care is a significant unmet need among children, including those with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD face notable challenges during dental procedures, resulting in fewer routine dental visits and increased oral disease risks. Furthermore, children with intellectual and developmental…

Social problem solving (SPS) represents a social cognitive reasoning process that gives way to behavior when individuals are navigating challenging social situations. Autistic individuals have been shown to struggle with specific aspects of SPS, which, in turn, has been related to social difficulties in children. However, no previous work has…

Universal and selective preventive interventions targeting youth behavioral problems have shown crossover effects on suicide risk, the second leading cause of death among youth. However, the mechanisms that explain this long-term unanticipated benefit are understudied and unclear. The current study examines the crossover effects of PROSPER, a…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the determinants of academic performance in armed forces basic schools from the perspectives of teachers in Ghana Armed Forces basic schools. The study was underpinned by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and McGregor's Theories X and Y. A concurrent mixed method approach was used, allowing the authors to…

Although social and academic integration are considered significant predictors of academic success, little is known about their longitudinal development. In addition, cross-sectional research indicates differences in the integration process based on the sociodemographic background of students, but lacks longitudinal confirmation, especially in…

Guided by the family investment model, family process model, and componential model of reading, this study examined underlying mechanisms linking family socioeconomic status (SES) to reading comprehension. Participants were 682 Chinese third graders (Wave 1, M[subscript age] = 9.31 years, 338 girls) randomly recruited, and they were followed up…

Family literacy interventions, encompassing both meaning- and code-based activities, have generally demonstrated positive outcomes in fostering children's literacy and oral language skills. Despite the overall positive impact, the effectiveness of these interventions varies, and the distinction between the specific mechanisms underlying each…

The post-secondary transition for autistic youth is a complex process, with hopes and expectations serving as malleable mediators often overlooked in research and practice. Career awareness, exploration, and counseling services play a critical role in facilitating vocational transition, but the vocational hopes and expectations of autistic youth…

The purpose of this project was to investigate potential correlates of family life impairment in families of young autistic children. This project incorporated measures of specific child and parent challenges in addition to a commonly used unidimensional measure of autism characteristics. In this way, we could assess whether such challenges…

Studies have shown that there are differences between the presentations of males and females diagnosed with autism. There remains a developing understanding about how the presentation of autism differs between boys (hereafter referred to as 'assigned males at birth') and girls (assigned females at birth). This study sought to investigate the…

This study examined the impact of the Head Start Research-based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) preschool intervention on high school outcomes and explored longitudinal mediation. 356 children (58% White, 25% Black, 17% Latinx; 54% female, 46% male; M[subscript age] = 4.49 years) were recruited from Head Start classrooms which were randomized to…

In places where in-person applied behavior analysis (ABA) services are not available to those in need, distance approaches may be needed. However, in the Czech Republic and surrounding countries, ABA and telehealth practices are just emerging. Therefore, minimal systems are guiding ABA-based telehealth for children with autism and their…

The OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) highlights critical patterns in students' social-emotional development, particularly during early adolescence. It underscores the decline in competencies among 10- to 15-year-olds, with pronounced differences influenced by gender, socioeconomic status, and regional factors. These insights…