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Chavez AE, Troxel M, Sheldrick RC, Eisenhower A, Brunt S, Carter AS. Child social-emotional and behavioral problems and competencies contribute to changes in developmental functioning during Early Intervention. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY 2023; 66:245-254. [PMID: 38495084 PMCID: PMC10938922 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
This study examined how social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) problems and competencies contribute to changes in developmental functioning among children enrolled in Part C Early Intervention (EI), a U.S. program supporting young children with developmental delays and disabilities. The sample included 1,055 children enrolled in EI from 2011-2019 (mean age at EI entry = 17 months; 64% male; 72% marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds). Standardized developmental assessments, drawn from administrative records, characterized developmental functioning at EI entry and exit and parents reported SEB functioning. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that SEB problems and competencies interacted in predicting change in developmental functioning from EI entry to exit. Monitoring, identifying, and addressing SEB problems and competencies may optimize developmental outcomes for young children with developmental delays and disabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E. Chavez
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mary Troxel
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - R. Christopher Sheldrick
- Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Abbey Eisenhower
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sophie Brunt
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alice S. Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
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Nili AN, Miller M, Zhang Y, Sherlock PR, Burns JL, Zola A, Kaat A, Wakschlag LS, Krogh-Jespersen S. What is typical: Atypical in young children's attention regulation?: Characterizing the developmental spectrum with the Multidimensional Assessment Profiles-Attention Regulation Infant-Toddler (MAPS-AR-IT) Scale. Infant Ment Health J 2023; 44:781-793. [PMID: 37919260 PMCID: PMC10947604 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.22087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
While attention dysregulation is a promising early indicator of neurodevelopmental risk, in particular attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is difficult to characterize clinical concern due to its developmental expectability at the transition to toddlerhood. Thus, explicating the typical:atypical continuum of risk indicators is among the key future directions for research to promote early identification and intervention, and prevent decrements in the attainment of developmental milestones into early childhood. In this paper, we present the Multidimensional Assessment Profiles-Attention Regulation Infant-Toddler (MAPS-AR-IT) Scale, a novel parent-report survey of dimensional, developmentally specified indicators of attention (dys)regulation. Item Response Theory was employed to characterize the typical:atypical spectrum of both normative and more concerning dysregulation (including the contexts in which behavior occurs). We provide evidence of the validity of this measure in capturing the full typical:atypical spectrum via a longitudinal sample of typically developing children at 12-18 months of age (baseline) via concurrent scores on well-validated temperament and clinical measures. We also examine longitudinal stability and predictive validity if the MAPS-AR-IT via a clinical interview of ADHD symptoms at 24-30 months (follow-up). While not diagnostic, we present evidence of the utility of the MAPS-AR-IT in explicating individual neurodevelopmental risk and elucidating the broader typicality of behaviors related to attention (dys)regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N Nili
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Meghan Miller
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Yudong Zhang
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Philip R Sherlock
- Ringgold Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - James L Burns
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Anne Zola
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Aaron Kaat
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lauren S Wakschlag
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Sheila Krogh-Jespersen
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Wagner JB, Keehn B, Tager-Flusberg H, Nelson CA. Associations between attentional biases to fearful faces and social-emotional development in infants with and without an older sibling with autism. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 71:101811. [PMID: 36933374 PMCID: PMC10257765 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
During the first year of life, infants become increasingly attuned to facial emotion, with heightened sensitivity to faces conveying threat observed by age seven months as illustrated through attentional biases (e.g., slower shifting away from fearful faces). Individual differences in these cognitive attentional biases have been discussed in relation to broader social-emotional functioning, and the current study examines these associations in infants with an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group with an elevated likelihood of a subsequent ASD diagnosis (ELA; n = 33), and a group of infants with no family history of ASD who are at low likelihood of ASD (LLA; n = 24). All infants completed a task measuring disengagement of attention from faces at 12 months (fearful, happy, neutral), and caregivers completed the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment at 12, 18, and/or 24 months. For the full sample, greater fear bias in attention disengagement at 12 months related to more internalizing behaviors at 18 months, and this was driven by the LLA infants. When examining groups separately, findings revealed that LLA with a greater fear bias had more difficult behaviors at 12, 18, and 24 months; in contrast, ELA showed the opposite pattern, and this was most pronounced for ELA who later received an ASD diagnosis. These preliminary group-level findings suggest that heightened sensitivity to fearful faces might serve an adaptive function in children who later receive an ASD diagnosis, but in infants with no family history of ASD, increased biases might reflect a marker of social-emotional difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer B Wagner
- College of Staten Island, City University of New York, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Brandon Keehn
- Purdue University, Lyles-Porter Hall, 715 Clinic Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | | | - Charles A Nelson
- Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 2 Brookline Place, Brookline, MA 02445, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Zappella M. Autism: a diagnostic dilemma. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2022; 122:71-76. [DOI: 10.17116/jnevro202212206171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Rautakoski P, Ursin PA, Carter AS, Kaljonen A, Nylund A, Pihlaja P. Communication skills predict social-emotional competencies. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2021; 93:106138. [PMID: 34182379 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Studies have shown that many children with early language difficulties also have delays in social-emotional competencies as well as social-emotional and behavioral problems. It is unclear if these conditions are causally related, if they share a common underlying etiology, or if there are bidirectional effects. Studies investigating these associations have mostly involved children who are already using words to communicate, but it is important to know whether delays in preverbal communication and language development have any effects on these associations. The aim of the present study was to examine associations between preverbal communication and early verbal skills in infancy and subsequent social-emotional competencies and ensuing social-emotional and behavioral problems in early toddlerhood. The role of background factors known to influence early language development was also examined. METHODS The sample consisted of 395 children (51.6% boys) from the Finnish Steps Study cohort. Language was assessed at age 13 months (+ 1 month) with the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory for Infants (CDI-I), and the social-emotional domain was assessed at age < 17 months with the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA). RESULTS Infants with lower preverbal gestural communication and receptive language skills had a higher risk of delays in social-emotional competencies in toddlerhood than children with better communication skills, but not of elevated social-emotional and behavioral problems. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that lower early communication skills can predict delays in the development of social-emotional competencies, which has been found to be a risk factor for later development of social-emotional and behavioral problems. It is important to monitor early communication skills to provide guidance to parents in supporting early pragmatic communication and language development in infancy, if needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pirkko Rautakoski
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
| | - Piia Af Ursin
- Department of Education, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | - Alice S Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, USA.
| | - Anne Kaljonen
- Statistics of the STEPS study (Steps to the Healthy Development and Well-being of Children), University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | - Annette Nylund
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
| | - Päivi Pihlaja
- Department of Education, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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Developmental Outcomes in Early-Identified Children Who Are Hard of Hearing at 2 to 3 Years of Age. Ear Hear 2021; 42:1238-1252. [PMID: 33625056 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study examined the psychosocial, adaptive behavior, and language outcomes of young children who are hard of hearing (HH) without additional disabilities or neurocognitive impairments. Relations between early developmental outcomes and child and parent demographic variables, and parenting stress and self-efficacy were also explored. DESIGN Participants were 39 children with early identified, permanent mild to severe hearing loss, between the ages of 2 and 3 years, and a comparison group of 47 children with normal hearing (NH). Developmental outcomes were measured using clinician-administered standardized tests and parent-completed behavior rating instruments specific to language, psychosocial functioning, and adaptive behavior. Mothers completed self-report measures that assess parenting stress and maternal self-efficacy. RESULTS The children who are HH were similar to the children with NH in terms of their psychosocial functioning and adaptive behavior, with the exception of their socialization skills. As a group, the children who are HH performed significantly worse than their peers with NH on all measures of language ability. Among the children who are HH, maternal self-efficacy showed a strong positive correlation with adaptive behavior outcomes; however, it failed to contribute unique variance above that explained by language ability and gender. Maternal self-efficacy was also significantly correlated with better psychosocial outcomes, but only parenting stress proved to be a significant predictor of child behavioral problems once other variables considered were in the model. CONCLUSIONS Early-identified young children who are HH can demonstrate age-appropriate development in multiple domains, including language, psychosocial, and adaptive behavior. However, mild to severe hearing loss places young children with no additional disabilities or neurocognitive impairments at risk for language delays. Although the children who are HH demonstrated no more emotional or behavioral problems than their same-age peers with NH, results suggest that language delays increase their vulnerability for delays in various aspects of social competence.
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Rantalainen K, Paavola-Ruotsalainen L, Alakortes J, Carter AS, Ebeling HE, Kunnari S. Early vocabulary development: Relationships with prelinguistic skills and early social-emotional/behavioral problems and competencies. Infant Behav Dev 2021; 62:101525. [PMID: 33472097 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate early vocabulary development and its relationships with prelinguistic communication skills and social-emotional/behavioral (SEB1) problems and competencies. The participants were 58 healthy Finnish-speaking children (30 girls, 28 boys). First, the concurrent relationships were investigated at the age of 18 months. Second, the relationships between prelinguistic communication skills and SEB problems and competencies at 18 months, and subsequent vocabulary scores at 24 and 30 months, were examined. Parental reports on early vocabulary (MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventories; MCDI), prelinguistic communication skills (The Infant-Toddler Checklist of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile; ITC), SEB problems and competencies (Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment; BITSEA) were gathered. Compared to boys, girls scored significantly higher on ITC Speech Composite at 18 months and expressive vocabulary measures at 18, 24, and 30 months. Vocabulary, as well as prelinguistic communication measures, correlated with SEB competencies at 18 months. Furthermore, vocabulary, as well as ITC Symbolic Composite and Total Score, correlated negatively with externalizing problem and SEB Total Problem scores. With regard to subsequent vocabulary development, all of the prelinguistic communication measures at 18 months correlated with vocabulary at 24 and 30 months. However, when accounted for gender and earlier vocabulary, only the associations with ITC Speech Composite and Total Score at 24 months remained significant. SEB Competencies at 18 months correlated positively, while externalizing problems at 18 months correlated negatively with vocabulary at 24 and 30 months, however, these associations did not remain significant, when accounted for gender and earlier vocabulary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katariina Rantalainen
- Faculty of Humanities, Logopedics, Child Language Research Center, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Sanapolku Oy, Therapy Center, Kouvola, Finland.
| | - Leila Paavola-Ruotsalainen
- Faculty of Humanities, Logopedics, Child Language Research Center, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Attentio Oy, Therapy Center, Oulu, Finland
| | - Jaana Alakortes
- Unit of Child Psychiatry, Health Care Services for Families with Children, Family Services, Kainuu Social and Health Care Joint Authority, Kajaani, Finland; PEDEGO Research Unit, Clinic of Child Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Alice S Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA
| | - Hanna E Ebeling
- PEDEGO Research Unit, Clinic of Child Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Sari Kunnari
- Faculty of Humanities, Logopedics, Child Language Research Center, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
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