The use of non-verbal repair strategies by children with autism

This study examined possible links between the occurrence of prosodic changes to vocalizations and gestures and the use of problem behaviors by children with autism when attempting to repair communication breakdowns. The repair strategies of six children with autism aged 2-5 years and with fewer than 10 words or signs were analyzed. Mother-child dyads were videotaped at home interacting in naturally occurring contexts. Videotapes were analyzed and coded for communication breakdowns and repair attempts made by the child. Repairs were further analyzed according to the type of repair strategy used, changes in prosidy, and whether the repair mode involved problematic or non-problematic behavior. In most situations, this group of children attempted to repair breakdowns in communication that occurred while interacting with their mothers. Most children used both nonproblematic and problematic behaviors and were less likely to use augmentations as a repair strategy than repetitions and substitutions. Some repetitions and some augmentations involved the use of gestures or vocalizations with increased emphasis or prosidy. Possible links between repair strategies involving increased prosidy and the use of problem behaviors are discussed together with the implications and significance of these finding in relation to early intervention for children with significant communication impairments. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sibling relationships in adolescence: Learning and growing together

fit this article, I discuss the reasons for my interest in sibling relationships, and showcase studies on sibling relationships in adolescence carried out with my colleagues and students, in the context of the broader literature on sibling relationships. Our studies have focused on a number of important issues concerned with sibling relationships. First, I report on the associations between sibling relationships and other family relationships and the ways that the various family relationships affect each other. Second, I report a study of sibling relationships in the context of parental separation and divorce and show that sibling relationships in these families are more likely to be high in both warmth and hostility than is true for relationships in 2-parent families. Third, I report on several data sets showing an association between the quality of sibling relationships and adolescent adjustment and the link between differential parenting, adolescent adjustment, and the quality of the sibling relationship. Fourth, I report on a study of comparison and competition in sibling relationships and the associations between sibling relationship quality and reactions to being outperformed by a sibling. Finally, I discuss possible future directions for research on sibling relationships, including the importance of multimethod studies and a longitudinal perspective.

Theory of mind and mental state discourse during book reading and story-telling tasks

This article presents three studies conducted in Canada and Australia that relate theory of mind (ToM) development to mental state discourse. In Study 1, mental state discourse was examined while parents and their 5-7-year-old children jointly read a storybook which had a surprise ending about the identity of the main character. Comments specific to the mental states of the story characters and discourse after the book had ended were positively related to children's ToM, and this was due to parent elaborations. Studies 2 and 3 examined children's mental state discourse during storytelling tasks, and in both, mental state discourse of children during narrative was concurrently related to ToM performance. While research has shown that mental state discourse of parents is related to children's ToM acquisition, the current research indicates that children's spontaneous use of mental state language examined outside of the interactional context is also a strong correlate.

Constructing literacy: Disadvantaged Irish mothers' attempts at developing literacy with their preschool children during storybook reading and jigsaw puzzle building

Early childhood research beginning in the 1960s has focused on the literacy experiences of preschool children in the home and the contribution of those experiences to later school success. Decades of research since then have investigated learning experiences of preschool children as they interacted with caregivers, siblings or peers prior to formal schooling (Durkin, 1966; Heath, 1983). ^ In this qualitative investigation into early literacy events that occur between disadvantaged Irish mothers and their children, four research questions were investigated. (1) How do disadvantaged Irish mothers engage their preschool children in literacy events such as storybook reading and jigsaw puzzle building? (2) How does the mother's previous school experience affect her role as the child's first teacher? (3) How does the culture of the neighborhood affect the child's developing literacy? (4) What risk factors inhibit literacy development in these Irish children? ^ This study examined the conversational exchanges between three disadvantaged Irish mothers and their preschool children living near Dublin, Ireland, as the mothers read a storybook to their children and assisted them in jigsaw puzzle building. Conversations were recorded, transcribed and analyzed into reading skill and teaching strategy categories for the purpose of determining the mothers' literacy intent during her turn. Journal notes, field notes and interviews with the mothers recorded other information and allowed for triangulation of data. ^ The results of this investigation indicated four findings. The first finding was that these disadvantaged mothers employed many of the same techniques that classroom teachers use during the reading lesson. They attempted high-level and low-level questions, teaching strategies, and other interactions that are so familiar in the classroom. The second finding was that jigsaw puzzle building produced a richer literacy interaction than storybook reading. The third finding was that the environment of the disadvantaged neighborhood posed many risks to children's literacy development. A final finding was that the mothers used thinking out loud behavior to vocalize their inner thoughts during literacy interactions. ^ Future research suggests studying mother/child dyads in other socio-economic environments and cultures to determine if other mothers practice the same skills and strategies as these mothers. ^

Differentiation of self and emerging adulthood

Today's young people are progressing from adolescence into adulthood differently than past generations, including taking a longer time to make this transition. Some believe that the developmental markers and tasks of this transitional period are unique enough to merit the designation of a new life stage--"emerging adulthood." Recently, this new life stage of emerging adulthood has received increasing attention in the developmental literature, including attention to the probable causes for its evolution. However, little is known about specific aspects of intra- and interpersonal development that occur during emerging adulthood. The purpose of this study was to empirically assess hypothesized relations between variables associated with the psychological constructs of attachment, psychosocial maturity, and differentiation of self, in a sample of emerging adults. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated an association between the variables measuring these constructs (anxiety, avoidance, I-position, reactivity, cutoff, fusion, identity, and intimacy). The results from structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses helped to confirmed and extended previous research by demonstrating significant associations between attachment, psychosocial maturity, and differentiation of self through the variables operationalizing these constructs. Psychosocial maturity predicted differentiation of self (with intimacy predicting emotional cutoff and identity predicting cutoff and I-position). Attachment also predicted differentiation of self (with anxiety predicting all differentiation variables, and avoidance predicting emotional reactivity and cutoff). However, associations between anxiety and cutoff and between avoidance and cutoff were mediated by psychosocial identity and intimacy, and associations between anxiety and I-position were mediated by identity. Thus, these results corroborate and elaborate previous research conducted on these constructs. Specifically, relational tendencies thought to be influenced by attachment security impact interpersonal functioning in emerging adulthood, but this association is influenced by the degree of resolution of key psychosocial tasks.

Late adolescents in transition: Social networks, parent relations, and well -being

A two-year longitudinal study was conducted to investigate late adolescents in transition. An initial investigation with senior high school students assessed students prior to leaving home for college and after college entrance. Of the original 131 participants recontacted two years after their graduation, 78 returned surveys. The study (a) explored changes in social network structure and function, (b) determined whether late adolescent-parent-peer relations change over time, and (c) identified prospectively the impact of social support, adolescent-parent-peer relations, and attachment security on well-being and feelings about the transition after high school. Students attending college locally reported an increase in total network support at Time 2. Regardless of location, more support from friends was received after the transition from high school, whereas family support did not vary across time. Parent relations were closer after the transition and were predictive of various well-being measures and feelings about the transition from high school. ^

Atenção à criança no período neonatal: chamada neonatal, Rio Grande do Norte, 2010

The neonatal period, which includes the first 27 da ys postpartum, is a vulnerability phase in child health, making it necessary for a greater mon itoring by health professional through actions that add value to the binomial mother/child and comprehensive care to the newborn. To this end, this study aimed to evaluate the care actions the neonato from the strategies recommended by the Ministry of Health. This is a cr oss-sectional study carried out from the database of the national survey of population base entitled "Call Neonatal: evaluation of prenatal care and to children younger than one year old in the North and Northeast regions". It used as the sample unit the mothers and children yo unger than 1-year-old, costal residents of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil, who attended th e vaccination campaign on June 12, 2010 in nine municipality’s priority for the Pact to Red uce Infant and Neonatal Mortality. To compose the study variables were selected issues/ac tions regarding the neonatal period and socio-demographic factors, followed by a descriptiv e and inferential analysis. A sample of 837 mother/child pairs was obtained, being 57.6% in capital and 42.4% in the whole from the interiors, which was weighted to represent the muni cipalities of the State. It was predominated by mothers aged between 20-29 years, complete high school, not entitled to income transfer program and male children (51.2%). The frequency of the actions of the hospital ranged from 35% to 96% and those performed at the Basic Health Unit (BHU) from 57% to 91.2%. Most actions had an association with hospitals and publi c nature of the state capital (p<0.05). The results for most of the actions are recommended in the care programs and policies for children, and reveal the regional inequities in hea lth and the need for the involvement of services and professionals in search of comprehensi ve care for enabling better care through humanized practices during this increased vulnerabi lity period.

The acquisition of abstract words by young infants.

Young infants' learning of words for abstract concepts like 'all gone' and 'eat,' in contrast to their learning of more concrete words like 'apple' and 'shoe,' may follow a relatively protracted developmental course. We examined whether infants know such abstract words. Parents named one of two events shown in side-by-side videos while their 6-16-month-old infants (n=98) watched. On average, infants successfully looked at the named video by 10 months, but not earlier, and infants' looking at the named referent increased robustly at around 14 months. Six-month-olds already understand concrete words in this task (Bergelson & Swingley, 2012). A video-corpus analysis of unscripted mother-infant interaction showed that mothers used the tested abstract words less often in the presence of their referent events than they used concrete words in the presence of their referent objects. We suggest that referential uncertainty in abstract words' teaching conditions may explain the later acquisition of abstract than concrete words, and we discuss the possible role of changes in social-cognitive abilities over the 6-14 month period.

A Longitudinal Investigation of Infant Gesture Use and Parent Speech: Unique and Dynamic Influences on Infant Vocabulary Acquisition

How do infants learn word meanings? Research has established the impact of both parent and child behaviors on vocabulary development, however the processes and mechanisms underlying these relationships are still not fully understood. Much existing literature focuses on direct paths to word learning, demonstrating that parent speech and child gesture use are powerful predictors of later vocabulary. However, an additional body of research indicates that these relationships don’t always replicate, particularly when assessed in different populations, contexts, or developmental periods.

The current study examines the relationships between infant gesture, parent speech, and infant vocabulary over the course of the second year (10-22 months of age). Through the use of detailed coding of dyadic mother-child play interactions and a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analytic methods, the process of communicative development was explored. Findings reveal non-linear patterns of growth in both parent speech content and child gesture use. Analyses of contingency in dyadic interactions reveal that children are active contributors to communicative engagement through their use of gestures, shaping the type of input they receive from parents, which in turn influences child vocabulary acquisition. Recommendations for future studies and the use of nuanced methodologies to assess changes in the dynamic system of dyadic communication are discussed.

Relations parents-enfant et fonctions exécutives des enfants à l’âge de l’entrée scolaire : l’importance des pères

De nombreuses études empiriques ont démontré que la qualité des relations parent-enfant est importante pour le développement des fonctions exécutives (FE) des enfants. Cependant, la majorité des études ont porté sur des échantillons de mères ou de pères, mais non des deux. Le présent mémoire contient un article empirique qui poursuit deux buts. Premièrement, l’article a examiné la contribution unique de la qualité des interactions mère-enfant et père-enfant avec leur bambin (toddler) à la prédiction des FE en milieu scolaire. Deuxièmement, l’article a investigué les effets d'interactions entre la qualité des relations mère-enfant et père-enfant. L’étude a été menée auprès de 46 familles intactes (mère-père-enfant). Lorsque les enfants avaient 18 mois, la qualité des interactions mère-enfant et père-enfant a été mesurée par observation de séquences indépendantes de jeu avec le Mutually Responsive Orientation scale. À la maternelle, les problèmes exécutifs des enfants furent rapportés par le professeur à l’aide du Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Les résultats indiquent que les enfants qui ont des interactions de meilleure qualité avec leur père à 18 mois sont ensuite considérés par leur professeur de maternelle comme ayant moins de déficits exécutifs. Cela suggère que la relation père-enfant peut être un facteur important à considérer en ce qui concerne le développement des FE des enfants. Les implications théoriques et empiriques ainsi que les implications pratiques, notamment celles concernant les professeurs, sont abordées lors de la conclusion de ce mémoire.

Método mãe-canguru: vivência de mães no alojamento conjunto

DAVIM, Rejane Marie Barbosa;ENDERS, Bertha Cruz; DANTAS, Janmilli da Costa; SILVA, Richardson Augusto Rosendo da; NÓBREGA, Edualeide Jeane Pereira Bulhões da. Método mãe-canguru: vivência de mães no alojamento conjunto. Revista da Rede de Enfermagem do Nordeste, Fortaleza, v. 10, n. 1, p. 37-44, jan./mar.2009.

Pratiques parentales coercitives, anxiété et traitement de la peur chez les jeunes en bonne santé: corrélats neuronaux, biologiques, physiologiques et comportementaux

L’adversité tôt dans la vie est associée au développement de symptômes anxieux pouvant perdurer jusqu’à l’âge adulte (Casey et el, 2010, Pine 2003). Des études chez l’adulte suggèrent que ces liens pourraient être associés à des altérations du « circuit de la peur » qui inclut l’amygdale, l’hippocampe antérieur, l’insula et le cortex préfrontal (Marek, 2013, Etkin & Wager, 2007). Ceci a cependant peu été étudié chez les jeunes. L’objectif principal de cette thèse était de définir les corrélats comportementaux, physiologiques, biologiques et neuronaux du traitement de la peur chez les jeunes en bonne santé, en lien ou non avec un historique d’adversité -- sous la forme de pratiques parentales coercitives -- et d’anxiété. D’abord, puisque nous nous intéressions aux pratiques parentales coercitives chroniques, nous avons examiné leur évolution et facteurs de risque, en nous concentrant sur la période de 17 à 72 mois. Un total de 2045 dyades mère-enfant ont été incluses dans une analyse de courbe de croissance latente. Nous avons démontré que la coercition maternelle suit une évolution non linéaire durant cette période et atteint un sommet à 42 mois. Les facteurs de risque relatifs à l’enfant et à la mère, mesurés à 17 mois, permettent de prédire les niveaux de coercition à 42 mois. Finalement, les prédicteurs relatifs à l’enfant et l’efficacité maternelle prédisent l’évolution des pratiques parentales coercitives entre 17 et 72 mois. Ensuite, afin de définir une méthodologie solide pour étudier le traitement de la peur chez des jeunes, nous avons adapté une tâche développée par Lau et ses collaborateurs (2008), employant des visages féminins comme stimuli. Le sexe des participants et des visages employés comme stimuli pouvant potentiellement moduler le traitement de la peur (Kret & de Gelder, 2012; McClure, 2000), nous avons étudié leurs influences respectives sur les réponses électrodermales et subjectives de peur durant le conditionnement et l’extinction de la peur chez 117 jeunes. Nous avons démontré que les stimuli féminins suscitent des réponses davantage comparables entre les garçons et les filles que les stimuli masculins. De plus, nous avons observé un effet du « même sexe », caractérisé par un conditionnement différentiel uniquement face aux stimuli du même sexe que le participant. Finalement, nous avons exploré les différences individuelles et conjointes associées aux différents niveaux de pratiques parentales coercitives et d’anxiété en termes de réponses de peur et d’activité cérébrale, durant le conditionnement et l’extinction de la peur chez 84 jeunes. Nous avons démontré que la coercition est spécifiquement associée au fonctionnement du lobe temporal médian et aux interactions entre l’amygdale et l’insula, durant le conditionnement. Durant l’extinction, les niveaux d’anxiété étaient associés à des différences spécifiques d’activation du gyrus cingulaire antérieur (GCA) dorsal. Enfin, les pratiques parentales coercitives et l’anxiété interagissent et viennent moduler la connectivité fonctionnelle amygdale - GCA rostral, l’activation d’une sous-région du GCA dorsal et les réponses subjectives de peur. Ces résultats ajoutent une pièce au casse-tête des neurosciences développementales et fournissent des pistes intéressantes pour le développement d’interventions futures.

Childhood Attention Problems and the Development of Comorbid Symptoms at the Transition to High School: The Mediating Role of Parent and Peer Relationships

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for the development of depression and delinquent behavior. Children and adolescents with ADHD also experience difficulty creating/maintaining high quality friendships and parent-child relationships, and these difficulties may contribute to the development of co-morbid internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence. However, there is limited research examining whether high quality friendships and parent-child relationships mediate the relation between ADHD and the emergence of these co-morbid symptoms at the transition to high school. This study examines the mediating role of relationship quality in the association between ADHD and depressive symptoms/delinquent behaviors at this developmentally significant transition point. Results revealed significant indirect effects of grade 6 attention problems on grade 9 depressive symptoms through friendship quality and quality of the mother-child relationship in grade 8. Interventions targeting parent and peer relationships may be valuable for youth with ADHD to promote successful transitions to high school.

Proposta de processo de enfermagem em unidade de internação obstétrica: históricos, diagnósticos e cuidados de enfermagem à luz de horta fundamentada em nanda

O presente estudo teve como objetivo geral elaborar uma proposta de processo de enfermagem contemplando históricos de enfermagem, diagnósticos de enfermagem, prescrição de cuidados de enfermagem para gestantes e puérperas em Unidade de Internação Obstétrica à luz de Horta, fundamentada em NANDA e, como objetivos específicos: identificar os dados clínico-obstétricos mais frequentes das gestantes em Unidade de Internação Obstétrica; identificar os dados clínico-obstétricos mais frequentes das puérperas em Unidade de Internação Obstétrica; identificar os diagnósticos de enfermagem a partir dos dados clínico-obstétricos mais frequentes das gestantes em Unidade de Internação Obstétrica; identificar os diagnósticos de enfermagem a partir dos dados clínico-obstétricos mais frequentes das puérperas em Unidade de Internação Obstétrica; elaborar modelos de histórico de enfermagem e de prescrição de cuidados de enfermagem para os diagnósticos de enfermagem identificados; e obter o consenso dos enfermeiros assistenciais da Unidade de Internação Obstétrica sobre a proposta construída. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa, descritiva e exploratória, realizada em uma Unidade de Internação Obstétrica de um hospital universitário do Sul do Brasil. Realizou-se uma consulta documental em 148 prontuários, com vistas à identificação dos diagnósticos e cuidados de enfermagem, baseados, respectivamente, na taxonomia II da North American Diagnosis Association 2009-2011 e da Nursing Intervention Classification. Desenvolveu-se um modelo de histórico de enfermagem para gestante/puérpera e outro para o recém-nascido. No total, identificaram-se 26 diagnósticos de enfermagem, assim distribuídos: nove direcionados às gestantes; nove, às puérperas; dois, ao binômio mãe/filho; seis, ao recém-nascido. A análise foi realizada por meio da apresentação da proposta construída e discussão com base em autores da área. Com isso, almeja-se contribuir para direcionar o cuidado de enfermagem às necessidades das gestantes, puérperas, binômios mãe/filho e recém-nascidos nesse microcenário, favorecendo a educação em saúde, a identificação precoce e a prevenção de complicações. Permanecem lacunas quanto às necessidades psicoespirituais, visto que elas não foram abordadas nos resultados. Assim, essa proposta de Processo de Enfermagem em Unidade Obstétrica contemplando históricos, diagnósticos e cuidados de enfermagem mantém em aberto o aperfeiçoamento do modelo, visando à inclusão de outros diagnósticos de enfermagem, de forma a aproximar-se de um cuidado mais holístico.

Método mãe-canguru: vivência de mães no alojamento conjunto

DAVIM, Rejane Marie Barbosa;ENDERS, Bertha Cruz; DANTAS, Janmilli da Costa; SILVA, Richardson Augusto Rosendo da; NÓBREGA, Edualeide Jeane Pereira Bulhões da. Método mãe-canguru: vivência de mães no alojamento conjunto. Revista da Rede de Enfermagem do Nordeste, Fortaleza, v. 10, n. 1, p. 37-44, jan./mar.2009.