The relationship between sources and functions of social support and dimensions of child- and parent-related stress.

BACKGROUND: In this longitudinal study, we examined the relationship between the sources and functions of social support and dimensions of child- and parent-related stress for mothers of young children with mild developmental delays. METHODS: Sixty-three mothers completed assessments of stress and support at two time points. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses revealed that parenting support during the early childhood period (i.e. advice on problems specific to their child and assistance with child care responsibilities), irrespective of source, consistently predicted most dimensions of parent stress assessed during the early elementary years and contributed unique variance. General support (i.e. primarily emotional support and validation) from various sources had other, less widespread effects on parental stress. CONCLUSIONS: The multidimensional perspective of the construct of social support that emerged suggested mechanisms mediating the relationship between support and stress and provided a framework for intervention.

Involvement with peers: comparisons between young children with and without Down's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: It has been well established that heterogeneous groups of young children with mild intellectual disability are at considerable risk of becoming socially isolated from their peers in school, home and community settings. METHOD: Matched groups of young children with and without Down's syndrome (DS) were compared in terms of the children's involvement with peers, maternal arranging and monitoring of peer play, and maternal beliefs about inclusion. RESULTS: Despite aetiology-specific expectations for children with DS, no differences were found for a variety of measures of peer involvement focusing on the frequency of contacts and the characteristics of children's peer social networks. Maternal arranging of activities with peers was similarly related to peer involvement for both groups of children. Higher ratings of the benefits of inclusion were obtained from mothers of children with DS, but these maternal beliefs were unrelated to maternal arranging or peer involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Parental adaptations to the aetiology-specific behavioural patterns of children and the general influence of children's experiences within a developmental framework are discussed in the context of interpreting aetiology-specific findings.

Effectiveness of early intervention for vulnerable children: a developmental perspective.

An analysis of the current state of our knowledge of the effectiveness of early intervention for children at risk and for those with established disabilities was provided. A model focused on children's cognitive development was presented in which early intervention is placed firmly within a developmental framework. Both short- and long-term effects, the mechanisms through which early intervention exerts its influence, the relation between those mechanisms and the organization of existing service systems, current limits of programs, and prospects for future research were considered in this model.

Peer social networks of young boys with developmental delays.

Community-based peer social networks of young boys with developmental delays and parental arranging and monitoring of their child's peer contacts were examined. Comparisons were made to matched groups of children who were developing typically and to children with communication disorders. Results showed more limited peer social networks for both groups of children with disabilities based primarily on the frequency of contacts with peers and linkages established across school and community settings. All three groups were indistinguishable from one another on numerous measures of peer social networks, including duration and quality of individual relationships and participation in organized group activities with peers. Groups also differed on parental arranging and monitoring, which appeared to be related to children's developmental level.

What should be the focus of emotion regulation in children? A nonlinear dynamic mathematical model of children's peer interaction in groups.

This paper questions the assumption that children's social and emotional competence be placed within the developing child, rather than in the interaction of the child with the range of peer social ecologies in which the children might function. This paper presents a new nonstatistical mathematical approach to modeling children's peer social interaction in small groups using nonlinear difference equations in which both an uninfluenced and an influenced regulatory set point of positive minus negative interaction can be separately estimated. Using this model and the estimation procedure, it is possible to estimate what a focal child and the group initially brings to the group interaction and also how these regulatory set points are influenced by the interaction to determine two influenced regulatory set points. Six-person mainstreamed and specialized groups were established involving three types of unacquainted preschool boys: children with and without developmental delays and a language disordered but intellectually normally functioning group, using a methodology that ensured appropriate matching of child and family characteristics. For each 2-week play group, the social interactions of each child were observed during a designated free play period. Handicapped children were observed in either a specialized or mainstreamed setting. The application made of this modeling process in this paper is generating theory to attempt to understand influence processes. Parameters are introduced that reflect uninfluenced target child and group set points, emotional inertia, and influence functions.

The peer relations of preschool children with communication disorders.

The peer-related social interactions of preschool-age children with communication disorders were compared to those of normally developing chronological age-mates. All children were previously unacquainted with one another and participated in a series of short-term play groups. Differences between the 2 groups emerged primarily in terms of overall social activity, as children with communication disorders engaged in fewer positive social interactions and conversed with peers less often during non-play activities. Children with communication disorders also were less successful in their social bids and appeared to be less directive with their peers. However, both groups of children exhibited similar patterns of socially competent interactions including the ability to sustain play (group play), to minimize conflict, to join others in ongoing activities, and to respond appropriately to the social bids of others. Based on peer sociometric ratings, both groups of children were equally accepted. These general patterns of similarities and differences were found in settings in which play groups consisted of all children with communication disorders (specialized settings) as well as in settings in which the play groups included both children with communication disorders and normally developing children (mainstreamed settings). However, even during the relatively brief acquaintanceship process, an analysis of peer preference patterns revealed that children with communication disorders in mainstreamed settings were less socially integrated in the play groups than normally developing children. The potential for additional difficulties in peer interactions for children with communication disorders when children become more familiar with one another and play becomes more intricate was discussed in light of interaction patterns formed during the short-term play groups.

Immediate effects of mainstreamed settings on the social interactions and social integration of preschool children.

The immediate effects of mainstreamed and specialized settings on the peer interactions of preschool children with and without developmental delays were examined. Mainstreamed and specialized playgroups were established involving unacquainted peers and using a methodology that ensured appropriate matching of child and family characteristics. For each 2-week playgroup, the social and play interactions of each child were observed during a designated free-play period. Peer sociometric ratings also were obtained. Results indicated higher levels of peer interactions in mainstreamed settings for both typically developing children and children with developmental delays. The immediate impact of mainstreamed settings appeared to be attributed to the social demands and higher interaction levels of the former group. Children with developmental delays were not fully accepted nor totally socially integrated based on sociometric measures and behavioral indices of peer preferences. Implications of these findings for developing intervention programs to maximize children's peer-related social competence was discussed.

Parent perspectives of peer relationships and friendships in integrated and specialized programs.

In-depth interviews of a large community-based sample of mothers of preschool-age children with established disabilities and those classified as at-risk were conducted focusing on issues of children's peer relations and friendships. Results revealed that mothers of children enrolled in both integrated and specialized programs perceived their respective settings as valuable for the development of their child's peer relations and friendships. Mothers of children in integrated settings reported that their child played better and was more social due to the participation of children without special needs. A similar pattern was obtained for mothers of children enrolled in specialized programs in response to a hypothetical situation. Nevertheless, both groups of mothers were clearly concerned about peer rejection and noted the importance of having other children with special needs in the program available as a means of promoting tolerance and acceptance.

Effectiveness of developmental intervention in the first five years of life.

Developmental intervention in the first 5 years of life is an expanding, complex enterprise. Documenting efficacy by traditional scientific methods has proven to be elusive for a number of practical reasons, e.g., target population heterogeneity, methodology variability, inadequate outcome measures, and cost of longitudinal cohort designs. Nevertheless, despite these shortcomings, there is accumulating research information as to which types of intervention approaches are likely to be most beneficial to specific groups of infants and children and their families. It is quite clear that preventive strategies for at-risk children and families are different than ameliorative strategies for children with established disabilities. It is also clear that comprehensive evaluation of effectiveness must include consideration of both functional child gains (e.g., social, communication, mobility, and adaptive skills) and enhancement of family function. It is the pediatrician's responsibility to be adequately informed about contemporary developmental interventions in order to balance parental hopes and needs with potential benefits.

The next decade of research on the effectiveness of early intervention.

The effectiveness of early intervention programs for children with developmental disabilities and for children at biologic risk was reviewed and analyzed. A general pattern indicating important effects of early intervention programs was noted, with effect sizes averaging between one-half and three-quarters of a standard deviation. The ability of early intervention programs to minimize declines in development was identified as a significant outcome. The effects of specific program features--age of start and family involvement--were selected for more detailed examination, and the moderating influence of the levels of severity of children's disabilities was also analyzed. Future directions for improving the effectiveness of early intervention include using the emerging knowledge of biobehavioral and child development research, as well as enhancing children's social competence.

The correspondence between temperament and peer interactions for normally developing and mildly delayed preschool children.

The correspondence between temperament characteristics based on the Behavioural Style Questionnaire and the peer relations of normally developing and mildly developmentally delayed preschool-age children was examined in this study. Measures of the peer relations of 64 3- and 4-year-old boys were obtained through an analysis of children's social interactions in a series of specially designed playgroups. Maternal temperament ratings were found to be similar for the younger (3-year-olds) and older (4-year-olds) normally developing children as well as for the mildly delayed group (4-year-olds). Multiple regression analyses indicated that maternal-rated temperament dimensions of persistence and activity level were associated in a logical pattern with both the positive and negative aspects of children's peer relations. Issues related to the construct validity and situation-specificity of the temperament measure were discussed.

Peer-related communicative competence of preschool children: developmental and adaptive characteristics.

The peer-related communicative interactions of nonhandicapped 3- and 4-year-old children as well as a group of 4-year-old mildly developmentally delayed children were investigated in a cross-sectional descriptive study. Adjustments of speakers to companions varying in terms of chronological age and developmental status were of interest, as were comparisons among the three groups. All three groups made adjustments in communicative functions (directives and information statements), interactive style (strong and joint directives), and communications involving affect (disagreements), but only to mildly delayed children. Adjustments to mildly delayed children were more closely related to interpersonal and social status factors than to children's developmental levels. The communicative interactions of mildly delayed children were highly similar to the developmentally matched nonhandicapped group on all measures except for a lower level of speech complexity. Significant differences between 3- and 4-year-old nonhandicapped children were obtained only for measures of speech complexity.

Pediatricians' perceptions of the effectiveness of early invention for at-risk and handicapped children.

To evaluate pediatricians' perceptions of the effectiveness of early intervention for handicapped and at-risk children, all board-certified pediatricians in the state of Ohio were surveyed. A detailed questionnaire was developed which included the use of brief but specific cases identifying eight different children with documented handicaps and two cases of children at developmental risk. Overall, the results indicated that pediatricians judged early intervention to produce at least a modest effect on children's general development and function. A more optimistic perspective was held for families in that involvement in early intervention was viewed as improving substantially the ability of families to cope with the problems of a handicapped or at-risk child and to provide a supportive and stimulating environment. However, perceptions of effectiveness did vary for specific disability and at-risk groups. The correspondence between perceived effectiveness and existing research findings also was discussed.

The peer relations of mildly delayed and nonhandicapped preschool children in mainstreamed playgroups.

Previously unacquainted groups of normally developing and mildly developmentally delayed preschool-age boys (N = 64) were brought together to form a series of 8 mainstreamed playgroups. Each playgroup consisted of 3 normally developing 3-year-olds, 3 normally developing 4-year-olds, and 2 mildly developmentally delayed 4-year-olds. The delayed children were matched with the normally developing older group for chronological age and with the normally developing younger group for developmental level. Each playgroup operated 5 days per week for 2 hours per day for a 4-week period. During that time, the peer-related social and play interactions of each child were videotaped, and peer sociometric ratings were obtained at the completion of each playgroup. Analyses of social participation and individual social behavior measures revealed that the analogue playgroup setting was appropriate for evaluating peer interactions, as expected developmental patterns emerged despite the presence of children heterogeneous with respect to chronological age and developmental status. The existence of a deficit in peer-related social interactions for mildly delayed children was supported in this investigation--a deficit that could not be attributed to reputational factors, the unavailability of responsive peers, inadequate matching procedures, unusual sample characteristics, or similar factors. Selected observational measures, peer preference patterns during free play, and peer sociometric ratings also indicated that the delayed children were perceived to be less competent and of lower social status. However, despite their relative isolation, important developmental opportunities were available for mildly delayed children in the mainstreamed playgroups. Possible processes responsible for these outcomes were discussed.

Training residents in developmental pediatrics: results from a national replication.

This investigation examined the extent to which a structured curriculum in developmental pediatrics could be applied effectively to a wide range of pediatric residency training programs. Residents drawn principally from sites not involved in the original development of a curriculum in developmental pediatrics were assigned randomly to prerotation control or postrotation experimental groups. Based on an objective case management test, residents who had participated in the rotation defined by the curriculum scored significantly higher than those who had not. Differences between experimental and control groups were similar for both the first and second evaluation years and for residents drawn from the original and new sites (total n = 161). Subjective evaluations by residents and faculty preceptors confirmed the utility of curriculum.

Dyadic peer interactions of mildly delayed and nonhandicapped preschool children.

Mildly developmentally delayed and nonhandicapped 3- and 4-year-old children were paired systematically in a series of dyadic play sessions to evaluate the effects of companion status on important aspects of peer-related social and play behavior. Mildly delayed children were paired with younger nonhandicapped children matched in terms of developmental level, with nonhandicapped children matched in terms of CA, and with other mildly delayed companions. Mixed-age and same-age pairings for the nonhandicapped children were also arranged. Results indicated that mildly delayed children's peer interactions improved substantially when paired with nonhandicapped older children in comparison to pairings with other mildly delayed children. Pairings with nonhandicapped younger children, although matched in terms of developmental level, had no influence on the peer interactions of mildly delayed children. Nonhandicapped children appeared to be able to maintain a consistent level of interaction irrespective of companion status. Explanations for these findings in terms of the directive role adopted by nonhandicapped older children and their developmental implications were discussed.

Communicative interactions of mildly delayed and normally developing preschool children: effects of listener's developmental level.

The communicative interactions of mildly delayed and normally developing preschool children were recorded during free play as they interacted with children at different developmental levels in a mainstreamed program. Analyses of syntactic complexity, semantic diversity, functional aspects of speech, and the use of selected discourse devices indicated that mildly delayed children adjusted important characteristics of their speech in accordance with the cognitive and linguistic levels of their companions. Specifically, speech addressed to less developmentally advanced children was less complex, more diverse, and consisted of a greater proportion of behavior requests but contained proportionally fewer information requests or information statements. These adjustments appeared to be well suited for improving communicative effectiveness and were similar in magnitude and direction to those of normally developing children. In addition, both mildly delayed and normally developing groups were generally successful in obtaining responses to their behavior and information requests. The implications of these findings were discussed in relation to the communicative competence of young children and to early childhood mainstreaming.

Correlates of peer-related social competence of developmentally delayed preschool children.

The peer-related social interactions of 33 developmentally delayed preschool children were examined. Measures of social participation and individual social behaviors were obtained during free-play periods and correlated with assessments of language development, MA, and teacher-rated social competence and behavior problems. Results suggested the existence of major deficits in peer-related social interactions for delayed children and the absence of specific individual social behaviors highly associated with peer-related social competence. Mental age was positively correlated with social play but unrelated to not playing at all. Although language comprehension was related to social interaction, expressive language did not correlate with any of the key measures. Teacher-rated behavior problems were associated with not playing, even when MA was controlled. Findings were discussed in terms of the congruence between the developmental processes of normally developing and delayed children as well as their clinical implications.