Beyond language: Impacts of shared reading on parenting stress and early parent-child relational health

Social and joint attention during shared book reading in young autistic children: a potential marker for social development

BACKGROUND

Atypical patterns of social engagement and joint attention behaviors are diagnostic criteria for people with autism spectrum disorder. Experimental tasks using eye-tracking methodologies have, however, shown inconsistent results. The development of tasks with greater ecological validity and relevance for developmentally appropriate social milestones has been identified as important for the field.

METHODS

We developed a novel, dynamic eye-tracking task emulating a shared book reading (SBR) scenario. Four SBR videos of an adult reader engaging with the viewer while reading a children's picture book and including sequenced bids for joint attention were developed. Participants included 90 children (N = 56 autistic children, N = 34 neurotypical children; aged 3-12). Social attention was also measured in a live free play task between participants and an experimenter.

RESULTS

Compared to neurotypical children, autistic children displayed reduced attention to socially salient stimuli including the reader's face and picture book across SBR videos and during joint attention bids specifically. In contrast, they showed increased attention to nonsalient background stimuli compared to their neurotypical peers. These attention patterns in autistic children were associated with reduced verbal and nonverbal cognitive skills and increased symptoms associated with autism. Interestingly, positive correlations in the frequency of eye gaze between SBR and free play suggested a potential predictive value for social attention in live social interactions.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the utility of SBR eye-tracking tasks in understanding underlying divergences in social engagement and joint attention between autistic and neurotypical children. This commonly practiced early childhood activity may provide insights into the relationship between social engagement and learning to reveal how such attentional patterns might influence broader developmental and educational outcomes.

Early Literacy Developmental Activities and Pre-Kindergarten Learning Skills in the Context of Childhood Adversity

OBJECTIVE

School readiness (SR) encompasses a wide range of skills that affect children's ability to succeed in school and later in life. Shared reading is an important strategy that assists children in gaining SR skills, whereas adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) negatively affect a child's SR. This study assessed if early literacy developmental activities (shared reading, singing, or storytelling) were associated with improved SR among children with and without ACEs.

METHODS

2020-2021 National Survey of Children's Health data were used for analysis. We identified children aged 3-5 years to assess their exposure to ACEs, participation in reading/storytelling/singing, and overall SR.

RESULTS

In a sample of 17,545 children, 29% of children were exposed to one or more ACEs. Seventy-seven percent of children with no ACEs received daily early literacy developmental activities compared to 23% of children who experienced any ACE. On ordinal logistic regression, daily early literacy developmental activities were associated with 56% greater odds of higher SR among children not exposed to ACEs (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.29, 1.88; P < .01). Among children exposed to ACEs, daily early literacy developmental activities were also associated with higher SR (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.13; P = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

Shared reading, storytelling, and singing are associated with improved SR in both children who have and have not been exposed to ACEs. However, children exposed to ACEs had fewer experiences with early literacy developmental activities. Future efforts should address the barriers that limit shared reading, singing, or storytelling for children exposed to ACEs.

Modifiable factors influencing attention performance in healthy children: insights from a comprehensive school nutrition study

BACKGROUND

There is inconclusive evidence for the effects of various leisure activities on attention performance in children. The literature reports inconsistent associations between activities such as physical activities or media use. To date, no study has thoroughly examined the various factors influencing attentional performance in a larger cohort of healthy children. This study aims to close this research gap.

METHODS

From 2018 to 2019, the Leipzig School Nutrition Study collected data from 1215 children and their families. The children report their dietary behavior (using CoCu- Questionnaire), especially their participation in school lunch and their breakfast habits, through a paper questionnaire. Furthermore, attention performance was assessed using a validated test (FAIR-2) at school. Data on physical activity, media consumption, family eating habits and socio-economic status (SES) were collected from parents using questionnaires. Associations between attention and influencing factors were estimated using hierarchical linear regression. Analyses were adjusted for age, SES, and school type.

RESULTS

Attending upper secondary schools (ßadj= 23.6, p < 0.001) and having a higher SES (ß= 1.28, p < 0.001) was associated with higher attention performance. Children doing leisure-time sports (ßadj= 4.18, p = 0.046) or reading books for at least one hour/weekday showed better attention performance (ßadj= 3.8, p = 0.040). Attention performance was also better in children having no electronic devices in the bedroom (ßadj= 13.0, p = 0.005) and in children whose parents limited their children's Internet access (ßadj= 5.2, p = 0.012). We did not find any association between nutritional habits and attention performance.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that fostering modifiable habits such as reading and physical activity could enhance attention performance. These findings have substantial implications for the development of prevention and intervention programs that aim to improve attention in schoolchildren. It is important to note, however, that social status as a hardly modifiable factor also impacts attention performance. Therefore, interventions should address personal habits in a systemic approach considering the child's social status.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study is retrospectively registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00017317, registration: 05-29-2019).

Inferential Comprehension Abilities in French-Speaking Preschoolers Exposed to Neglect in the Early Longitudinal Language and Neglect Study

PURPOSE

Using a longitudinal design, this study aimed to describe inferential comprehension abilities of neglected French-speaking preschool children from 42 to 66 months of age in comparison to non-neglected peers, to examine the association with receptive vocabulary, and to determine whether rates of change in inferential abilities over time was stable between the two group conditions.

METHOD

An inferential comprehension task and the French version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition were administered to a group of neglected children (n = 37-40) and to a group of same-age non-neglected children (n = 71-91) at 42, 54, and 66 months old, as part of the Early Longitudinal Language and Neglect study.

RESULTS

Results show that children exposed to neglect obtain significantly lower scores compared to their same-age peers on inferential comprehension and receptive vocabulary measures at all three time points (p < .001) with large to very large effect sizes and indicate moderate to strong correlations between the two variables. Children from the neglected group present difficulties in inferencing compared to same-age non-neglected peers, a disadvantage that remains stable over time.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates the significant gap in inferential comprehension abilities between neglected and non-neglected preschool children. These results reiterate the importance of early detection of language comprehension difficulties in young children coming from vulnerable environments.

Difficult Toddler Temperament - Prevalence and Associated Factors at 18-Month Follow-Up of a Birth Cohort

Purpose

Difficult temperament coupled with other risk factors may lead to mental health problems in childhood and have long-lasting effects in adolescence and adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of parental perception of difficult temperament in toddlers and identify significant factors associated with individual and family-level sociodemographic risk factors.

Patients and Methods

The prevalence of parental perception of difficult temperament was derived from items in the 18-month follow-up questionnaire within the Watch Me Grow (WMG) longitudinal birth cohort study in a multicultural and socioeconomically disadvantaged community in Sydney, Australia. Data was available for 500 children and their parents. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate the participant characteristics and the prevalence of parental perception of difficult temperament, whereas multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess significant risk factors associated with a difficult temperament.

Results

Parental perception of difficult temperament in the cohort was 7.3% (n = 492). Findings of the multivariable logistic regression showed that screen time >2 hours a day (AOR 2.43, 95% CI: 1.2, 4.9), child not being read to (AOR 3.92, 95% CI: 1.8, 8.5), and family history of mental health problems (AOR 2.69, 95% CI: 1.1, 6.5) significantly increased the odds of having a difficult temperament.

Conclusion

Toddlers with difficult temperament were less likely to have received stimulatory experiences, and their families were more likely to be under greater stress. The findings emphasize the importance of parental support and anticipatory guidance in promoting nurturing care to facilitate child health and development, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Development and evaluation of a family-child reading picture book on reducing autism spectrum disorder caregivers' psychological stress: a mixed method study

Introduction

The rapid increasing prevalence of ASD has become a significant global health issue. Caregivers of children with ASD are experiencing higher level of psychological stress and mental disorders. However, interventions to improve the psychological health of caregivers of children with ASD have largely been neglected.

Methods

Based on the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model, we initially did in-depth interviews with 8 caregivers, and conducted field observation in two rehabilitation centers to analyze the daily lives, the empowered components, the emotional moments of the children with autism and their caregivers. Then we designed the outline of the picture book, and developed it by a multi-disciplinary team by 4 rounds. After that, this picture book was sent out to 54 caregivers of children with ASD for family-child reading in one month. A quantitative questionnaire was administered before and after their reading to evaluate the efficacy of reducing their stress and affiliate stigma, and improving self-efficacy, resilience, empowerment capacity; and exit interviews were conducted after their initial reading to assess the acceptability, content appropriateness, perceived benefits and generalizability of this picture book. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive analysis and paired t-tests using IBM SPSS 26.0. Qualitative data were analyzed using template analysis.

Results

In total, 54 caregivers read the picture book with their child, with the total of 149 (an average of 2.76 per family) times reading in one month. Among them, 39 caregivers returned the following-up questionnaires. Although most of the outcome measures did not showed significant changes except the stress level decreased statistically significant (13.38 ± 3.864 to 11.79 ± 3.238, P=0.001), caregivers reported that the picture book echoed their daily lives and gave them a sense of warmth, inspiration, and hope, as well as some insight on family relationships and attitudes towards the disorder. They also expressed a willingness to disseminate the book to other families with children suffering ASD and the public.

Conclusion

This specially designed picture book has been proven to be an acceptable, content-appropriate, and effective family-centered psychological intervention, which could be easily scaled up.

Books before birth: a qualitative multiple case study of mothers reading to babies in utero

BACKGROUND

This study is informed by research connecting parent-child book reading and attachment and by the concept of maternal-foetal attachment.

AIM

To explore experiences of pregnant mothers who read picture books marketed to be read while their babies are in utero.

STUDY DESIGN

This study utilised a qualitative, multiple case study design involving 10 pregnant women from the Midwestern region of the United States. Participants read picture books marketed to be read by expectant families and participated in an interview focused on their experiences and reflections, and completed a follow-up survey 24-27 months later.

RESULTS

Themes identified included (1) Learning and Love; (2) Seeing the Baby as a Person; (3) Natural or Weird?; (4) Fathers' Involvement; (5) Slowing Down: Focusing on Now and Envisioning the Future; and (6) Who is this for?

DISCUSSION

Findings suggest providing books to expectant families may be a promising practice and should be further researched.

The challenge of screen mediated shared reading for children's learning and engagement

Introduction

Screen mediated shared reading (SMSR), which involves an adult reading a child a book through video-chat, is a recent development in shared reading. In this study, we investigated whether, as in in-person shared reading, children could learn new words from SMSR, and whether having a physical copy of the book to follow along with impacted children's novel word retention and engagement in this setting.

Method

Three- to 5-year-old participants (n = 34) were read an 8-page rhyming, "Meet the Friendly Monsters" story by a researcher over Zoom, via screen sharing an e-version of the story used in previous studies. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: SMSR with or without a paper copy of the book to follow along with. The session was recorded to measure children's engagement behaviors during the reading. Novel word learning from the story was measured with both a multiple choice identification test and a monster naming test, both administered immediately after the initial reading, then re-administered 10-14 days later. Engagement during the SMSR sessions was measured every 30-s on a scale of 1 (low engagement) to 5 (high engagement), and then averaged for each child.

Results

Results show that children overall performed slightly above chance on novel monster name retention from the SMSR. However, retention was not as strong as seen in other in-person shared reading studies using the same story. Additionally, while children remembered monster names with equal efficacy regardless of condition and level of engagement, there were still qualitative differences in the reading sessions depending on whether children had their own paper copy of the book to follow along with - in general, the 'with book' condition appeared to increase the challenges posed to children's attention during SMSR, potentially making the word learning task more difficult.

Discussion

The findings of this study have implications for how to approach shared reading with young children in new contexts with the use of emerging technology. We raise future research questions for a better understanding of best practices for screen mediated shared reading.

Using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire to assess later effects of an infant intervention promoting language in primary care

BACKGROUND

Positive relational experiences during infancy have a profound impact on child development and are critical for future health and school readiness. We have been evaluating a simple finger puppet intervention that takes one minute and costs $1USD to deliver in the primary care setting to promote caregiver-infant interactions. We explored using developmental trajectories to determine later outcomes of our early intervention program by comparing trajectories to age 36 months to assess optimal intervention timing when delivered in early versus late infancy.

METHODS

Three cohorts were enrolled and given a puppet at 2 months (early intervention) and 6 or 12 months (late intervention). Child development was assessed using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3), which were independently collected during well visits. Scanned ASQ-3 forms from 2 to 36 months were obtained retrospectively through the electronic medical record. To compare longitudinal scores at different ages, all raw scores were first converted to z-scores. Longitudinal mixed effects models examined the trajectories of participant ASQ-3 scores over time by comparing the average intercepts and slopes.

RESULTS

Of 180 children enrolled, 172 (96%) completed 2 or more ASQ-3 questionnaires and were included in the analysis, with a mean of 4.9 and a total of 843 questionnaires. Most children (85%) were on government-sponsored insurance. There were no statistical differences comparing cohort intercepts, while early intervention had a significant difference in slope compared to late intervention for the Personal-Social domain (0.12, p=0.018), resulting in higher predicted scores at 36 months. Early compared to late intervention had a difference in slope approaching significance for Communication (0.14, p=0.056) and the combined non-motor score (0.33, p=0.052). There were no significant differences in slope for Problem Solving (0.05, p=0.48), Gross Motor (-0.009, p=0.84), Fine Motor (0.06, p=0.22), and total ASQ-3 (0.32, p=0.17) scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Finger puppets may provide a simple and scalable way to encourage responsive caregiver-infant interactions promoting language and social-emotional development, especially when provided in early versus late infancy. Our trajectory analysis also demonstrates a useful and potentially cost-effective approach to evaluating long-term developmental outcomes of an early intervention.

Shared reading with infants: SharePR a novel measure of shared reading quality

BACKGROUND

The AAP recommends "shared" reading from early infancy for healthy development. However, many families are uncertain how to read most enjoyably and effectively with infants, especially from underserved backgrounds. Shared reading quality (interactivity) moderates benefits yet is challenging to measure. SHARE/STEP is a new model of shared reading quality at this age incorporating evidence-based behaviors.

OBJECTIVE

To test the SharePR parent-report measure of caregiver-infant reading quality.

METHODS

This study involved mother-infant dyads in two unrelated trials in an obstetric (0-2 months old) and pediatric (6-9 months old) clinic. SharePR is a 10-item measure based on the SHARE/STEP model. Analyses involved descriptive statistics, measures of psychometric integrity, and correlations with home literacy environment (HLE).

RESULTS

There were 99 dyads in the younger (1.2 + 0.5 months) and 108 dyads in the older groups (6.6 + 1.1 months). A majority were of non-white race (73%, 96%) and low-socioeconomic status (56%, 44% in-poverty). SharePR administration time was under 2 min and scores were normally distributed at each age. Psychometric properties were strong in terms of internal consistency and reliability. Scores were positively correlated with HLE for the older group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

SharePR may be an efficient tool to quantify shared reading quality with infants, warranting further investigation.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Data for these analyses were collected via two unrelated trials led by the lead author (J.S.H.). For the younger cohort, this is registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov website, ID# NCT04031235. For the older cohort, this is registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov website, ID# 2017-6856.

IMPACT

The AAP recommends caregiver-child ("shared") reading beginning in infancy, yet many families are uncertain how to do so. Verbal and social-emotional interactivity during shared reading ("quality") moderates benefits and is often low in families from disadvantaged backgrounds, yet is challenging to measure. SharePR is a 10-item parent-report measure of shared reading quality based on a novel conceptual model incorporating evidence-based behaviors (SHARE/STEP). SharePR exhibited promising psychometric properties in two separate samples of mothers of younger and older infants. SharePR is a potentially useful measure of shared reading quality at this formative age, for research and to frame early reading guidance.

Association between reading and depression in Chinese adults

Qualitative evidences have shown that having the habit of reading might be beneficial for mental health. The present study aims to examine the relationship between reading and depression. National cross-sectional survey data of adults aged >40 years in mainland China were used. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale questionnaire was utilized to detect depression status. Multilevel binary logistic and linear regression models were employed to reveal the association, and restricted cubic spline with 4 knots was adopted to describe the non-linear association of reading quantity and depression. The prevalence of depression was 13.02% in the target population. It was found that the habit of reading was negatively associated with depression, the odds ratio was 0.809 (95% confidence interval: 0.657-0.997). Diverse association between reading and depression was observed in different age groups, and a significant association was identified among the elderly, but not in the middle-aged population. Restricted cubic spline showed several books read per year might lower the risk of depression and 20-items Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score. A lower prevalence of depression was observed in the target population. The habit of reading was negatively associated with depression. Age-specific association was observed. It is worth paying attention to the reading habit that could be beneficial in the elderly for mental health intervention, but it needs to be confirmed by experimental study.

Neighborhood influences on the development of self-regulation among children of color living in historically disinvested neighborhoods: Moderators and mediating mechanisms

We present a conceptual model of the ways in which built and social environments shape the development of self-regulation in early childhood. Importantly, in centering children of color growing up in historically disinvested neighborhoods, we first describe how systemic structures of racism and social stratification have shaped neighborhood built and social environment features. We then present evidence linking these neighborhood features to children's development of self-regulation. Furthermore, we take a multilevel approach to examining three potential pathways linking neighborhood contexts to self-regulation: school environment and resources, home environment and resources, and child health behaviors. Finally, we consider how racial-ethnic-cultural strengths and multilevel interventions have the potential to buffer children's development of self-regulation in disinvested neighborhood contexts. Advancing multilevel approaches to understand the development of self-regulation among children of color living in historically disinvested neighborhoods is an important step in efforts to promote equity in health and education.

Collateral benefits from a school-readiness intervention on breastfeeding: A cross-domain impact evaluation

This study evaluated the collateral, or unanticipated, impacts of Smart Beginnings (SB), a two-site, tiered intervention designed to promote responsive parenting and school readiness, on breastfeeding intensity in a low-income sample. Impact analyses for the SB intervention were conducted using an intent-to-treat design leveraging a two-arm random assignment structure. Mothers assigned to the SB intervention group were more than three times more likely to give breastmilk as the only milk source at infant age 6 months than mothers assigned to the control group at one site, an effect not evident at the other study site. As development and growth are the two most salient domains of child health, understanding how interventions impact subsequent parenting practices across both domains is critical to address long-term economic and racial/ethnic disparities. Implications of the findings are discussed for improving the efficacy of interventions based on paediatric primary care.

Value added: Digital modeling of dialogic questioning promotes positive parenting during shared reading

American parents describe bonding with their child as a primary reason for engaging in shared picture book reading. One prominent reading intervention (dialogic reading) reliably increases language outcomes, but until recently, has not been evaluated for how well it promotes warm parent-child interactions. In this study, a digital application designed to promote parent-child conversation by modeling dialogic questioning also increased mutuality, positivity, and on-task behaviors. Three- and 4-year-old American children (n = 73) and their parents were randomly assigned to read 10 times at home either: (a) an eBook with a character who modeled dialogic questioning (experimental); (b) a version of the same eBook without modeling (control); or (c) to choose between versions for each reading (choice). An adaption of the PARCHISY coding scheme was used to evaluate parent, child, and dyadic behaviors during in-lab readings at the beginning and end of the 2-week home reading period. At the final visit, experimental group families showed significant growth in mutuality (i.e., responsiveness, reciprocity, and cooperation), on-task behaviors, and parent and child positivity, and displayed more of these behaviors than families not exposed to modeling. Some increases in mutuality and positivity also emerged in families in the choice condition, but fewer than in families who only read the eBook with modeling. Parents and children exhibited no significant changes in negativity in any condition. This study suggests that carefully designed digital technology has the potential to foster positive shared reading interactions between parents and young children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study of a Primary Care-Based Intervention Promoting Shared Reading During Infancy

Parent-child "shared" reading can be a rich source of language exposure. Clinic-based programs, notably Reach Out and Read (ROR), are intended to enhance this. However, ROR has been traditionally introduced at 6 months and only recently expanded to younger ages. This study explored efficacy of an intervention delivered during pediatric well visits promoting shared reading prior to 6 months old, in terms of home reading attitudes and routines. The intervention group received children's books and anticipatory guidance about benefits of shared reading, whereas the control group received general age-related anticipatory guidance. Surveys were administered at the child's newborn (pre-intervention) and 6-month (post-intervention) well visits. Significant findings at 6 months included more frequent shared reading (P = .03), greater comfort reading at this age (P = .01), and greater importance attributed to shared reading (P = .04) in the intervention group relative to controls. These support the expansion of early literacy interventions such as ROR into early infancy.

Tender Shoots: Effects of a Preschool Shared Book Reading Preventive Intervention on Parent–Child Reading and Parents’ Involvement in the First Year of School

Parent–child interactive shared reading can benefit young children’s language and emergent literacy skills; however, studies of programs to enhance shared reading often do not evaluate lasting effects after the transition to primary school. In this randomized control study, 69 parents of 3.5–4.5-year-old children participated in one of three conditions for an evaluation of the 6-week Tender Shoots program: Rich Reading and Reminiscing (RRR), Strengthening Sound Sensitivity (SSS), or Activity-Based Control (ABC). Parents in both Tender Shoots conditions, SSS and RRR, were taught to read interactively with their children and were provided with books to support implementation. RRR targeted meaning-related talk likely to enhance vocabulary and comprehension, whereas SSS targeted sound-related talk to enhance phonological awareness. Children in ABC were provided with resources and materials for developmentally appropriate activities. Fifty-three dyads (77%) were followed after children started primary school and formal literacy instruction. Comparisons of shared reading interactions at follow-up indicated that parents and children in the RRR and SSS groups still used more condition-specific targeted talk than those in other groups. Most parents in shared reading groups reported that they continued to use project activities after children had started school, although parents in RRR reported more frequent use of program activities than the active control, ABC. Moreover, parents in RRR sometimes reported higher levels of some broad involvement dimensions. These findings suggest that shared reading programs as delivered here can have long-lasting effects on extratextual talk during shared reading and may enhance aspects of parents’ involvement with children’s education.

Shared Reading and Risk of Social-Emotional Problems

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends literacy promotion as well as routine developmental surveillance during well-child visits to improve academic, relational, and health outcomes. In this study, we examined the possible association between shared reading and social-emotional problems among young children.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of longitudinal records for children aged 30 to 66 months presenting for visits to an academic pediatric primary care center between July 1, 2013, and February 1, 2019. The outcome was evidence of social-emotional problems, defined by an Ages and Stages: Social Emotional Questionnaire (ASQ:SE) score above the established cutoff. The predictor was caregiver-reported frequency of shared reading (most = 5-7 days per week, some = 2-4 days per week, rarely = 0-1 days per week) at a previous visit. Generalized linear models with generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association between the longitudinal outcome and predictor, adjusting for child demographics and needs reported on routine social history questionnaires.

RESULTS

Analyses included 5693 children who completed at least 1 ASQ:SE (total of 7302 assessments) and had shared reading frequency documented before each ASQ:SE assessment. Children were predominantly Black (75%) and publicly insured (80%). Sixteen percent of ASQ:SE scores were suggestive of social-emotional concerns; 6% of caregivers reported sharing reading rarely. Children with rare shared reading had a higher risk of an ASQ:SE above cutoff compared with those with shared reading on most days (adjusted risk ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-1.92).

CONCLUSIONS

Less-frequent caregiver-reported shared reading was associated with higher risk of social-emotional problems in young children presenting for primary care. This highlights potential relational and social-emotional benefits of shared reading.

The Ecology of Youth Psychological Wellbeing in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The consequences of profound disruption to everyday life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will only emerge over time. Guided by ecological systems (Pitchik et al., 2021) and developmental psychopathology (Masten & Cicchetti, 2010) frameworks, I review evidence that points to parents at home with children as particularly vulnerable to increased psychological difficulties, particularly in contexts of poverty. Resultant compromised parenting may reduce children's opportunities for the kinds of everyday interactions that promote cognitive and socioemotional development and expose them to increases in coercive, avoidant, and other problematic caregiving behaviours. I discuss three evidence-based strategies that parents could adopt to buffer their child's mental health: building positive discipline strategies, talking with the child about the pandemic and its consequences, and conversing about the past. I conclude, however, that approaches to supporting parents and their children at this time must also address multisystem factors that compromise caregivers' ability to provide nurturing care.

Shared storybook reading with children at family risk of dyslexia

Background

Shared storybook reading is an important context for language learning and often constitutes young children's first encounter with the printed word. The quality of early shared reading interactions is a known predictor of language and reading development, but few studies have examined these interactions in children at family risk of dyslexia.

Methods

This exploratory study describes the quality of shared storybook reading between mothers and their 3- to 4-year-old children at family risk of dyslexia (FR; n = 18) in comparison with dyads with no known risk (no-FR; n = 13). Mother-child interactions while sharing a familiar and an unfamiliar storybook were coded for type of extra-textual talk (meaning-related talk at the concrete and abstract levels; print-related talk) and affective quality. Maternal and child language and literacy skills were considered as potential correlates of shared reading quality.

Results

The linguistic and affective quality of shared reading was broadly comparable across FR and no-FR dyads, particularly when sharing a book they knew well, with large within-group variation. Mothers contributed more concrete meaning-related talk when introducing an unfamiliar book to their children; children contributed more extra-textual talk overall when sharing a familiar book. Maternal language, but not reading, skills were related to the linguistic quality of shared reading. The affective quality of reading interactions was rated more highly in dyads where mothers and children had stronger language skills.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the quality of shared reading does not vary systematically as a function of children's risk of dyslexia but is related to maternal language skills. This finding needs to be replicated in a larger sample in order to better understand the risk and protective factors associated with dyslexia.

Highlights

What is already known about this topic The quality of extra-textual talk during shared reading between parents and preschoolers predicts later language and literacy outcomes in typically developing children.The affective quality of early shared reading predicts children's motivation to read independently in later childhood.Children at family risk of dyslexia are more likely than their peers with no family risk to have difficulty learning to read and may show weaknesses in oral language skills. What this paper adds The linguistic and affective quality of shared reading between mothers and preschool children is broadly similar when children are at family risk of dyslexia compared with no family risk.The type and quantity of extra-textual talk contributed by mothers and children appears to differ according to the familiarity of the storybook, but replication of the findings in a larger sample is required.The linguistic and affective quality of shared reading is related to maternal language skills. Implications for theory, policy or practice Shared storybook reading offers rich language learning opportunities for children at family risk of dyslexia.Maternal language skills may be an important determinant of the interactional quality of shared reading.The linguistic and affective quality of shared reading is not clearly associated with maternal reading difficulties.

I Feel Less Blue When I Read With You: The Effect of Reading Aloud With a Child on Adult Readers' Affect

This study examined the potential benefits of shared reading with a child on adult readers’ mood. In two experiments, young adults were randomly assigned to either read storybooks with a child or to read the same books aloud alone. In both experiments, readers experienced more positive emotions than those who read the story aloud alone. In Experiment 1, the level of interactivity between the reader and child also positively correlated with readers’ experience of positive emotions. In Experiment 2, participants who read with a child aligned their own book preferences with those of the child. Overall, participants preferred the longer and more complex storybook as it gave more opportunities for the reader and child to interact. These findings support the hypothesis that simple read-aloud experiences are not only positive for children, but have the potential to also positively impact the mood of adult readers who share books with a child.

Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years

Background: After preterm birth, infants are at high risk for delays in language development. A promising intervention to reduce this risk is represented by the exposure to parental voices through book-reading in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). This study investigated the possible advantages of book-reading to preterm neonates during their NICU stay on their subsequent language development. Methods: 100 families of preterm infants were recruited. The parents of 55 preterm infants (Reading Group) received a colored picture-book on NICU admission and were supported to read to their neonate as often as possible and to continue after hospital discharge. Forty-five infants (Control Group) were recruited before the beginning of the intervention. Infant language development was assessed with the Hearing and Language quotients of the Griffith Mental Development Scale at the corrected ages of 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. Results: Regardless of group membership, Hearing and Language mean quotients decreased between 9 and 18 months; nevertheless, this decrease was considerably reduced in the Reading group, compared to the Control Group. Conclusions: Reading in NICUs represents a suitable intervention that could positively influence language development and parent-infant relationships in preterm children. The study findings support its implementation as a preventive measure.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Families' Home Literacy Practices with Young Children

The practice of shared book reading is a nurturing support for early language, literacy, and socio-emotional development within young children's typical care. However, the closures of childcare, early education programs, and centers for family activities in the Spring of 2020 due to COVID-19 brought many sudden changes to the everyday lives of families with young children. In order to explore the impact of COVID-19 on shared reading, we surveyed parents of children between the ages of 2 and 5 (n = 85) about their children's frequency of shared reading engagement in February and October, 2020 as well as the frequency of screen-mediated reading, the number of readers their children read with, and book preferences at both time points. Parents were also asked about changes in their children's regular care and whether and how they had tried new kinds of (virtual) literacy activities during their increased time at home. Findings showed that there were no significant changes in frequency of shared reading from February to October, but there was a significant increase in frequency of screen-mediated reading, especially among families who lost outside-the-home childcare. There was also a significant decrease in the number of adults regularly reading with the children. Caregivers described adapting to virtual options for storytime. Ultimately, while families were still able to provide consistent amounts of shared reading with their children throughout COVID-19, the nature of that shared reading was changed. Future research will investigate whether these changes may have an impact on children's typical learning from shared reading.

Reducing Poverty-Related Disparities in Child Development and School Readiness: The Smart Beginnings Tiered Prevention Strategy that Combines Pediatric Primary Care with Home Visiting

This paper describes the Smart Beginnings Integrated Model, an innovative, tiered approach for addressing school readiness disparities in low-income children from birth to age 3 in the United States through universal engagement of low-income families and primary prevention in pediatric primary care integrated with secondary/tertiary prevention in the home. We build on both public health considerations, in which engagement, cost and scalability are paramount, and a developmental psychopathology framework (Cicchetti & Toth, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines 50:16–25, 2009), in which the child is considered within the context of the proximal caregiving environment. Whereas existing early preventive models have shown promise in promoting children’s school readiness, the Smart Beginnings model addresses three important barriers that have limited impacts at the individual and/or population level: (1) identification and engagement of vulnerable families; (2) the challenges of scalability at low cost within existing service systems; and (3) tailoring interventions to address the heterogeneity of risk among low-income families. Smart Beginnings takes advantage of the existing platform of pediatric primary care to provide a universal primary prevention strategy for all families (Video Interaction Project) and a targeted secondary/tertiary prevention strategy (Family Check-Up) for families with additional contextual factors. We describe the theory underlying the Smart Beginnings model, some initial findings from its recent application in two cities, and implications for changing social policy to promote school readiness beginning during very early childhood.

Adaptive Behavior as an Alternative Outcome to Intelligence Quotient in Studies of Children at Risk: A Study of Preschool-Aged Children in Flint, MI, USA

Intelligence quotient (IQ) is commonly measured in child development studies, while adaptive behavior is less frequently considered. Given its associations with functional outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, adaptive behavior may be a useful outcome in general population samples, as well. This study aimed to compare social and environmental correlates of adaptive behavior vs. IQ in a sample of preschoolers exposed to the Flint water crisis (N = 184). Mother-child dyads were recruited from the community and administered a comprehensive battery to obtain information about child neurodevelopmental functioning, including direct assessment of IQ via the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and assessment of parent-reported adaptive functioning via the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Multiple social environmental factors were explored as potential correlates of child outcomes (i.e., IQ and adaptive behavior), and robust correlates were identified using a data-driven approach [i.e., least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression]. We then examined associations between the LASSO-selected predictors and IQ and adaptive behavior while controlling for child age, child sex, and maternal age. Children in this sample showed relative strength in adaptive behaviors, with scores in the adequate range, while average IQs fell in the low-average range. Adaptive behavior was significantly associated with maternal nurturance practices, while IQ was associated with the maternal education level. Implications for the use of adaptive behavior as an outcome measure in studies of children at an increased risk for neurodevelopmental problems are discussed.