ABSTRACT
Child-driven and transactional models of child-family interactions were tested with 80 children who had developmental delays and their families. Children's cognitive competence, personal-social competence, behavior and communication "hassle," and family accommodations to the children were assessed at child ages 3, 7, and 11. Accommodations were summarized as internal (within the family) and external (use of outside resources) intensity and types. Results indicate that the longitudinal relationships between children's cognitive competence, personal-social competence, behavior and communication hassle, and family accommodations are best explained by a child-driven model. Implications for early intervention and for the need to consider both child and family outcomes are discussed.
Subject(s)
Communication , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Parent-Child Relations , Social Behavior , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/therapy , Child, Preschool , Cost of Illness , Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Developmental Disabilities/therapy , Early Intervention, Educational , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Internal-External Control , Language Development Disorders/diagnosis , Language Development Disorders/psychology , Language Development Disorders/therapy , Male , Parenting/psychologyABSTRACT
Cognitive and family data on 82 children with developmental delays were collected in an 8-year longitudinal study. Child measures included the Gesell and the UCLA Temperament Scale administered at child age 3 and the Stanford Binet, administered at child ages 6 and 11. Family measures included SES, level of maternal education, and factor scores reflecting family accommodation or adaptation at the three time points. Although cognitive scores for the group were stable, use of a random coefficient regression technique documented differences in the decline of cognitive scores over time. Examination of change scores identified increasing, stable, and decreasing patterns of change. There were significant correlations between change in IQ, entering DQ, and Easy and Difficult temperaments.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Child , Child, Preschool , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Cohort Studies , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Female , Humans , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Intelligence , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Personality Assessment , Prospective Studies , Psychometrics , Stanford-Binet Test/statistics & numerical data , TemperamentSubject(s)
Educational Status , Learning Disabilities/etiology , Child , Child Behavior , Child, Preschool , Developmental Disabilities/etiology , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Newborn, Diseases , Learning Disabilities/psychology , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Prognosis , Prospective Studies , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
Home interviews were conducted with 102 families of children with developmental delays to assess ecocultural family resources and constraints, values, and goals as well as proactive adaptive efforts to deal with their circumstances. Interview topics included (a) economic factors; (b) child safety, health, and education; (c) domestic and childcare workloads; (d) familial support networks; and (e) sociocultural influences. Factor analyses performed on the ecocultural measures revealed 12 salient factors. Results indicated that some of the ecocultural factors were unique and statistically independent of the traditional measures of home environment (e.g., child-rearing attitudes, cognitive stimulation of the child, and general psychosocial climate). Significant relations were found between certain ecocultural factors and child's developmental status. Both ecocultural factors and traditional family measures accounted for significant variation in child outcomes.
Subject(s)
Cultural Characteristics , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Social Environment , Adult , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Developmental Disabilities/genetics , Diseases in Twins/genetics , Diseases in Twins/psychology , Female , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Male , Parent-Child Relations , Patient Care Team , Social Support , Socioeconomic Factors , Wechsler ScalesABSTRACT
In this study 680 accommodations or proactive efforts to sustain a family environment in 10 ecocultural domains were reliably scored for 102 Euro-American families of young children with developmental delays. The families reported substantial accommodation activity. Results showed that accommodations (a) in the domains of child care and service access were correlated with children's problems that impact the daily routine; (b) in the domains of subsistence changes, seeking information, and roles of fathers were related to parents' job and career circumstances, with more modest links to socioeconomic status; and (c) were not associated with child developmental test scores. Accommodation to children with delays and disabilities is a family-level variable that complements the more common research focus on individual parent stress and coping.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Attitude to Health , Developmental Disabilities/rehabilitation , Family , Adult , Caregivers/psychology , Child , Child Care , Child Development , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Computer Simulation , Data Collection , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Parents/psychology , Random Allocation , Social ClassABSTRACT
Family ecology theories mislead if they omit a social constructivist perspective. Parents construct an everyday routine to accommodate values and goals and resources and constraints of their proximal and distal ecology. Ecocultural theory suggests that (a) the most powerful ecocultural features affect everyday routines, (b) whether ecocultural features are positive or negative is influenced by family-constructed themes, (c) "sustainability" of everyday activities is a better predictor of child and family outcome than is measured "stimulation level," and (d) comparative studies should include families engaged in different kinds of social construction processes, not only samples matched on child age or developmental level.
Subject(s)
Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Family , Social Environment , Child , Culture , Ecology , Female , Humans , Male , Psychological TheoryABSTRACT
A prospective longitudinal study of the development of children with delays of unknown etiology yielded data on the stability of cognitive performance over a 6-year period. Mean age at entry was 34.2 months; mean age at exit, 109.7 months. Data reported in the present article were based on assessments using the Gesell Developmental Schedules and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. For the group as a whole, the means of the test scores over time were remarkably stable. The stability of test scores appeared to be related to the level of functioning at entry, with those children with the highest development quotients at entry making the most progress over time.
Subject(s)
Cognition , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Female , Humans , Infant , Intelligence , Longitudinal Studies , Male , PrognosisABSTRACT
Qualitative methodology is an appropriate tool for studying children's health care. The present article compares the quantitative and qualitative approaches, describes selected qualitative methodologies, and presents a rational for using these techniques in children's health research. An example is given of a study that combined the two methodologies in order to understand the experiences of well children during routine health care.
Subject(s)
Child Health Services/standards , Research Design , Child , Data Collection , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
Data from three research studies provided information about stress encountered by parents of young handicapped children as they sought services and information regarding diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. In depth interviews were conducted with 115 families of children between the ages of 1 6/12 and 5 9/12 years, with mild to moderate handicaps. Three specific periods were considered: the initial diagnosis of handicapping condition, the first efforts at seeking help or intervention, and the transition from infant to preschool programs. Various child characteristics and community factors which seemed related to stress during these periods were considered. Problems encountered with professionals are identified, and implications for training and practice are offered.
