Heightened sour preferences during childhood

Basic research has revealed that the chemical sensory world of children is different from that of adults, as evidenced by their heightened preferences for sweet and salty tastes. However, little is known about the ontogeny of sour taste preferences, despite the growing market of extreme sour candies. The present study investigated whether the level of sourness most preferred in a food matrix and the ability to discriminate differences in sour intensity differed between 5- to 9-year-old children and their mothers, by using a rank-by-elimination procedure embedded in the context of a game. Mothers also completed a variety of questionnaires and children were asked several questions to assess whether children's temperament and food preferences and habits related to sour preferences. The results indicated that, although every mother and all but two of the children (92%) were able to rank the gelatins from most to least sour, more than one-third (35%) of the children, but virtually none of the adults, preferred the high levels of sour taste (0.25 M citric acid) in gelatin. Those children who preferred the extreme sour tastes were significantly less food neophobic (P < 0.05) and tended to experience a greater variety of fruits when compared with the remaining children (P = 0.11). Moreover, the children's preference for sour tastes generalized to other foods, such as candies and lemons, as reported by both children and mothers. These findings are the first experimental evidence to demonstrate that sour taste preferences are heightened during childhood and that such preferences are related to children's food habits and preferences. Further research is needed to unfold the relationship between the level of sour taste preferred and the actual consumption of sour-tasting foods and flavors in children.

Sweet and sour preferences during childhood : role of early experiences

We investigated the effects of early experience on sweet and sour preferences in children. Eighty-three children were divided into four groups based on the type of formula fed during infancy and age. By using a forced-choice, sip-and-swallow procedure, we determined the level of sweetness and sourness preferred in juice. Children who were fed protein hydrolysate formulas, which have a distinctive sour and bitter taste and unpleasant odor, preferred higher levels of citric acid in juice when compared to older children who were fed similar formulas. No such difference was observed between the groups for sweet preference. However, the level of sweetness preferred in juice was related to the sugar content of the child's favorite cereal and whether the mother routinely added sugar to their foods. These data illustrate the wide variety of experiential factors that can influence flavor preferences during childhood.

Relationship between childhood abuse and psychosexual adjustment in adult women

Study 1 found that poor attachment relationships, dysfunctional family environments, re-victimisation experiences and poor coping skills contibute towards mental health problems as well as the child abuse experiences. Study 2 implemented a therapy program that demonstrated an improvement in the sexual response of women who experienced childhood sexual assault.

Evaluation of an early intervention program for childhood conduct problems

Treatment outcomes of an early intervention program for childhood conduct problems were evaluated. Results provided support for the longitudinal effectiveness of the program in reducing conduct problems, social difficulties, and psychosocial impairment for young primary school aged children. Children's experience and expression of anger also reduced across the program's duration. The portfolio presents four case studies whose results provide further support for Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) as an effective and clinically useful treatment for paediatric OCD in everyday clinical contexts.

State of play in early childhood teacher training in Victoria

The study explores the varying changes in emphasis on play within early childhood teacher training. Differing interpretations as to the importance of play are identified as well as the factors impacting on the future of a play-based curriculum.

Social skills training and childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

This study implemented social skills training as an adjunctive to psychostimulant medication with a sample of 14 boys with ADHD, compared to a control group of 14 ADHD boys whose treatment consisted of psychostimulant medication only. Results indicated that social skills training provides additive effects on some aspects of social functioning, over and above those of medication only. Findings are discussed in terms of their contributions to the understanding and treatment of the social difficulties in childhood ADHD. Costs and benefits of this approach to treatment are also considered.

Socioeconomic position and the tracking of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness from childhood to adulthood

This study examined the influence of childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and social mobility on activity and fitness tracking from childhood into adulthood. In a prospective cohort of 2,185 Australian adults (aged 26–36 years), first examined in 1985 (at ages 7–15 years), self-reported physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness (subsample only) were measured. SEP measures included retrospectively reported parental education (baseline) and own education (follow-up). There was little evidence of a relation between childhood SEP and activity tracking, but high childhood SEP (maternal education) was associated with a 59% increased likelihood of persistent fitness, and medium childhood SEP (paternal and parental education) was associated with a 33%–36% decreased likelihood of persistent fitness. Upward social mobility was associated with a greater likelihood of increasing activity (38%–49%) and fitness (90%), and persistently high SEP was associated with a greater likelihood of increasing activity (males: 58%) and fitness (males and females combined: 89%). In conclusion, persistently high SEP and upward social mobility were associated with increases in activity and fitness from childhood to adulthood. Findings highlight socioeconomic differentials in activity and fitness patterns and suggest that improvements in education may represent a pathway through which physical activity levels can be increased and health benefits achieved