Longitudinal Relationship Between Time-Out and Child Emotional and Behavioral Functioning.

OBJECTIVE: Time-out is a widely used child discipline strategy and one of the only strategies currently recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Despite its widespread use and significant evidence to support its effectiveness in decreasing problem behavior, time-out is often suggested to be harmful or ineffective by the popular media and select professional organizations. Empirical evidence regarding possible side effects of time-out is limited. The present study examined the relationship between reported use of time-out and child emotional and behavioral functioning and parent-child relationships using longitudinal, archival data. METHODS: The study used archival, longitudinal data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation study. This study tracked families with children in Early Head Start at 3 different time points as follows: baseline (aged 0-3 years), pre-kindergarten, and fifth grade. Parent interviews, including questions on the use of time-out, were conducted when the children were 36 months old. Indicators of child emotional and behavioral health were measured at 36 months, pre-K, and fifth grade. Statistical analyses were completed to assess for potential side effects of time-out on child behavioral and emotional functioning and parent-child relationships. RESULTS: Analyses for all outcome variables suggest no significant difference for children whose parents reported using time-out versus those who did not. CONCLUSION: Parental reported use of time-out was not associated with long-term negative outcomes. Further research in this area is necessary to continue to address the multitude of concerns related to time-out that are presented by the media.

Objective measures of executive functioning are highly discrepant with parent-report in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between parent-report and objective measures of executive function in children diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The participants were a clinical sample of 551 children who completed 597 evaluations, including initial and re-evaluations. Participants were 6-16 years old, with a mean age of 10. Pearson correlations were used to determine the relationship between performance-based measures and parent-report measures of executive functioning. Relationships among the same types of measures, that is, performance based or parent report, were also evaluated. The data largely demonstrate low nonsignificant correlations between performance-based measures and parental report of executive function. Parent-report measures were internally consistent as were objective measures. It is possible that a third variable, for example, parental frustration, significantly influences parent reports. It is also likely that objective measures, which are administered in a controlled environment, do not fully capture children's day-to-day functioning. That is, a child may have the executive function abilities (i.e., good performance on objective measures) but may be unable to deploy the appropriate skills in their daily lives, as evidenced by parental report. Children with FASD who have executive function abilities but not implementation skills likely require different interventions than children who lack abilities and skills.

Overweight and obesity among children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND: Because prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with growth deficiency, little attention has been paid to the potential for overweight and obesity in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). This study examined the prevalence of overweight/obesity (body mass index [BMI]) in a large clinical sample of children with FASD. METHODS: Children, aged 2 to 19 years, who were evaluated for FASD at University Clinics, included 445 with an FASD diagnosis and 171 with No-FASD diagnosis. Prevalence of overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 85 percentile) was compared to national and state prevalence. BMI was examined in relation to FASD diagnosis, gender, and age. Dietary intake data were examined for a young subsample (n = 42). RESULTS: Thirty-four percent with any FASD diagnosis were overweight or obese, which did not differ from the No-FASD group or U.S. prevalence. Underweight was prevalent in those with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) (17%). However, increased rates of overweight/obesity were seen in those with partial FAS (40%). Among adolescents, those with any FASD diagnosis had increased overweight/obesity (42%), particularly among females (50%). The rate in adolescent females with FASD (50%) was nearly 3 times higher than state prevalence for adolescent females (17 to 18%), p < 0.001. In the young subsample, those who were overweight/obese consumed more calories, protein, and total fat per day than those who were not overweight or obese. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of overweight/obesity are increased in children with partial FAS. In adolescents, rates are increased for any FASD diagnosis (particularly in females). Results are suggestive of possible metabolic/endocrine disruption in FASD-a hypothesis for which there is evidence from animal models. These data suggest that clinicians may consider prenatal alcohol exposure as a risk factor for metabolic/endocrine disruption, should evaluate diet as a risk in this population, and may need to target interventions to females prior to puberty to effect changes in overweight-related outcomes.