Early Intervention Approaches to Enhance the Peer-Related Social Competence of Young Children With Developmental Delays: A Historical Perspective

[Inequalities in time to diagnosis of Down Syndrome in Bolivia]

Down Syndrome is the most common genetic condition and a leading cause of intellectual disability. Individuals in rural areas, particularly those with disabilities, often face disparities in healthcare access. Analyzing clinical records of patients diagnosed with Down Syndrome between 2013 and 2022 by the Institute of Genetics at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz, Bolivia, this study examined the time to diagnosis for 250 patients with Down Syndrome. The findings revealed that patients from rural areas with Down Syndrome take an average of five months to receive a diagnosis, compared to two months in urban areas (p<0.001). No significant differences were found in the time to diagnosis based on gender. However, a higher proportion of males from rural areas was observed (p=0.03). The results suggest that individuals in rural areas face challenges in receiving a timely diagnosis. On the other hand, women may not be brought to cities for proper diagnosis and treatment due to gender biases in certain communities. The importance of improving access to early diagnosis and treatment in rural areas is emphasized.

Prenatal and Postnatal Therapies for Down's Syndrome and Associated Developmental Anomalies and Degenerative Deficits: A Systematic Review of Guidelines and Trials

Down's syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic disorder at birth. Multiple developmental abnormalities before birth and early onset of degenerative deficits after birth are features of DS. Early treatment for the manifestations associated with DS in either prenatal or postnatal period may improve clinical outcomes. However, information available from professional bodies and to communities is very limited. We carried out a systematic review and attempted meta-analysis of clinical trials for developmental abnormalities and degenerative deficits in DS. Only 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in 995 (24 days to 65 years old) individuals with DS showed some improvement in cognitive disorders, development and growth, and musculoskeletal problem. However, each trial used different parameters and methods to measure various outcomes. RCTs of prenatal interventions in fetus with DS are lacking. The efficacy and safety of specific interventions in DS are still largely unknown. Proper counseling of the potential treatment for pregnant mothers who wish to continue their pregnancy carrying fetus with DS, and to health care professionals who take care of them are not adequate nowadays.

Newborn screening for neurodevelopmental diseases: Are we there yet?

In the US, newborn screening (NBS) is a unique health program that supports health equity and screens virtually every baby after birth, and has brought timely treatments to babies since the 1960's. With the decreasing cost of sequencing and the improving methods to interpret genetic data, there is an opportunity to add DNA sequencing as a screening method to facilitate the identification of babies with treatable conditions that cannot be identified in any other scalable way, including highly penetrant genetic neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). However, the lack of effective dietary or drug-based treatments has made it nearly impossible to consider NDDs in the current NBS framework, yet it is anticipated that any treatment will be maximally effective if started early. Hence there is a critical need for large scale pilot studies to assess if and how NDDs can be effectively screened at birth, if parents desire that information, and what impact early diagnosis may have. Here we attempt to provide an overview of the recent advances in NDD treatments, explore the possible framework of setting up a pilot study to genetically screen for NDDs, highlight key technical, practical, and ethical considerations and challenges, and examine the policy and health system implications.

An Inclusive Early Childhood Intervention Program for Children With Disabilities: Possible Effects on Children and Nursery Teachers

Inclusive early childhood intervention provides opportunities for children with disabilities to receive education with typically developing children. The present study examined the effects of the AI-AI STEP Program, which is designed to help nursery teachers learn the methods of inclusive early childhood intervention for children with disabilities. This study involved 37 managers of 37 nursery schools in Japan, 48 nursery teachers, and 48 children with disabilities. The school managers, who had previously learned about the program through a seminar we offered, provided the nursery teachers with guidance on the program. The guidance provided to the nursery teachers consisted of combined structured explanations with a manual and on-the-job training. The program was performed for 6 months, and changes in the children's development and behavior and the school nursery teachers' self-efficacy and state-trait anxiety, were examined before and after using the program. Multivariate analysis was used to assess factors that had an effect on the children's developmental gains through the program. The developmental quotient of children significantly improved. In addition, “emotional symptoms” and “peer problems” on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire subscale markedly improved. The self-efficacy of nursery teachers significantly improved, and state anxiety decreased. There was a significant relationship between the improvement of the children's development quotient and a lower development quotient at baseline. The provision of inclusive early childhood intervention using the program promoted the children's development, and improved their behavior. Furthermore, it had a positive effect on the nursery teachers.

Bullying in Students with Special Education Needs and Learning Difficulties: The Role of the Student–Teacher Relationship Quality and Students’ Social Status in the Peer Group

Background

Children with Special Education Needs and Learning Difficulties are at risk of being excluded, or bullied because of their impairments. Within the bullying literature, two variables have been shown to be key in terms of its predictions: student–teacher relationship and students’ social status among peers.

Objective

The aim of this research was to assess the association between the student–teacher relationship and students’ social status in the peer group and bullying dimensions in children with SEN, LD, and typical development.

Method

A total of 320 children—55 with LD, 46 with SEN, and 219 in the control group – participated in the study, with a mean age of 11.04 (SD = 1.42), and 59.7% of whom were male. The model tested showed a good fit: χ2 (40) = 102.395, p < .001, CFI = .940, RMSEA = .070 [90% CI = .054, .088].

Results

Main findings show that children with SEN and LD had more difficulties in social participation and might be at higher risk of being bullied, compared with their classmates.

Conclusions

This study offers evidence on bullying in children with SEN and LD and its association with both relationship with teacher and students’ social status. For teachers, results highlight peculiarities and possible problems of school inclusion of children with SEN and LD. For educational researchers, findings add knowledge on literature focused on bullying in children with difficulties.

Short-term longitudinal participation trajectories related to domestic life and peer relations for adolescents with and without self-reported neurodevelopmental impairments

Background

With maturity and development, complexity in demands and roles change. As participation is often restricted in children with disabilities, this process might be delayed in adolescents. Investigating profiles of participation for adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental impairments could provide an understanding of which factors relate to high level of participation. The aim is to investigate trajectories of participation in everyday activities across clusters based on self-rated participation patterns in frequency of participation and perceived importance of activities related to domestic life and peer-related activities for adolescents with and without self-reported neurodevelopmental impairments.

Methods and procedures

A prospective person-based cohort study design.

Outcomes and results

Five typical trajectories were identified. Trajectories between clusters with high perceived involvement in peer relations were associated with sibling support and family communication. Self-reported neurodevelopmental impairments did not predict participation profiles at certain time points, nor movements between clusters when measuring self-reported attendance and importance in domestic life and in peer-related activities.

Conclusion and implications

Perceived sibling support and family communication are important for predicting typical trajectories across clusters in frequency of attendance and the perceived importance of domestic life and peer relations. Type of impairment was less important in predicting typical trajectories.

Relationship between Clinical Parameters and Chromosomal Microarray Data in Infants with Developmental Delay

Chromosomal microarray (CMA) is considered a first-tier test for genetic analysis as it can be used to examine gene copy number variations (CNVs) throughout the entire genome, with enhanced sensitivity for detecting submicroscopic deletions and duplications. However, its cost can represent a heavy burden. Moreover, the diagnostic yield of CMA in infants with developmental delay (DD) was reported to be less than 10%. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between CMA results and clinical features and risk factors of DD. The study included 59 infants with DD who were recruited between August 2019 and February 2020 during a visit to the outpatient clinic of a rehabilitation department. We reviewed the clinical records of the infants regarding gender, age, body weight at birth, delivery method, brain imaging data, perinatal history, and parent-related clinical parameters, such as mother and father age at birth. The infants were categorized according to CMA results, and differences in clinical parameters were evaluated. Except for brain anomalies, there was no statistically significant differences between infants who had pathogenic and variants of unknown significance (VOUS)-likely pathogenic CNVs groups compared with those within the VOUS-likely no sub-classification, VOUS-likely benign, benign, and normal CNVs groups. The incidence of brain anomalies was significantly higher within infants with pathogenic and VOUS-likely pathogenic CNVs groups (p < 0.05). Our study suggests that infants with DD who present dysmorphism or brain anomaly may benefit from early CMA analysis, for adequate diagnosis and timely treatment. Further studies are warranted to confirm the relationship between DD clinical parameters and CMA results.

Cognitive Functioning in Children with Down Syndrome: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Infants and children with Down syndrome (DS) can look forward toward bright futures, as individuals with DS are living healthier, more productive lives than ever due to medical advances, opportunities for early and continued intervention, and inclusive education. Despite these advances, infants and children with DS experience challenges in specific domains of cognitive functioning relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. Over the long term, individuals with DS are also more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease relative to the general population. Understanding cognitive functioning early in life may be important in charting cognitive decline over time. This chapter synthesizes the literature on cognitive functioning in infants and children with DS specific to general intelligence or IQ, language development, recall memory, and executive functioning, with additional focus on critical issues and future directions. These research findings provide important information for understanding cognitive competencies and intervention opportunities for children with DS and also serves to provide a foundation from which to plan longitudinal studies examining stability and change in cognitive functioning over time.

Bi-stream CNN Down Syndrome screening model based on genotyping array

BACKGROUND

Human Down syndrome (DS) is usually caused by genomic micro-duplications and dosage imbalances of human chromosome 21. It is associated with many genomic and phenotype abnormalities. Even though human DS occurs about 1 per 1,000 births worldwide, which is a very high rate, researchers haven't found any effective method to cure DS. Currently, the most efficient ways of human DS prevention are screening and early detection.

METHODS

In this study, we used deep learning techniques and analyzed a set of Illumina genotyping array data. We built a bi-stream convolutional neural networks model to screen/predict the occurrence of DS. Firstly, we built image input data by converting the intensities of each SNP site into chromosome SNP maps. Next, we proposed a bi-stream convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture with nine layers and two branch models. We further merged two CNN branch models into one model in the fourth convolutional layer, and output the prediction in the last layer.

RESULTS

Our bi-stream CNN model achieved 99.3% average accuracies, and very low false-positive and false-negative rates, which was necessary for further applications in disease prediction and medical practice. We further visualized the feature maps and learned filters from intermediate convolutional layers, which showed the genomic patterns and correlated SNPs variations in human DS genomes. We also compared our methods with other CNN and traditional machine learning models. We further analyzed and discussed the characteristics and strengths of our bi-stream CNN model.

CONCLUSIONS

Our bi-stream model used two branch CNN models to learn the local genome features and regional patterns among adjacent genes and SNP sites from two chromosomes simultaneously. It achieved the best performance in all evaluating metrics when compared with two single-stream CNN models and three traditional machine-learning algorithms. The visualized feature maps also provided opportunities to study the genomic markers and pathway components associated with Human DS, which provided insights for gene therapy and genomic medicine developments.

Analysis of Denver Neurodevelopmental Screening Test Results of Myelomeningocele, Hydrocephalus, and Microcephaly Patients

Context:

Spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and similar congenital central nervous system (CNS) anomalies take origin from embryologic stages weeks before birth, but assessment and follow-up of these patients are important to figure and predict the effects of these anomalies on child's neurodevelopment.

Aims:

To evaluate of multiple groups of congenital CNS anomalies in the neurodevelopment level.

Settings and Design:

The study was conducted at a research and treatment center for spina bifida patients.

Materials and Methods:

The study group included 348 patients with a mean age of 15.4 (±15.1) months, who had spina bifida aperta, hydrocephalus, and microcephaly. Patients with other known intracranial conditions were excluded. The subjects were evaluated into five groups: Group 1, 88 patients with congenital hydrocephalus; Group 2, 48 patients with congenital hydrocephalus and ventriculoperitoneal shunt; Group 3, 148 patients with microcephaly; Group 4, 30 patients who were operated for spina bifida aperta; and Group 5, 39 patients who were operated for spina bifida aperta and also had ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation. Denver Developmental Screening Test II was used to assess patients’ neurodevelopment levels.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for data analysis. Group comparisons were also made in pairs with chi-square test according to Bonferroni corrections. Frequency of abnormal findings was significantly correlated with age (P = 0.014).

Results:

Total score differences of five groups appeared to be statistically significant according to Pearson's chi-square test (P = 0.000). When we compared groups in pairs, abnormal results were significantly frequent in shunted groups (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

Our results suggested that shunt-dependent hydrocephalus caused serious neurodevelopmental impairments in patients.

Cognitive and Psychosocial Functioning of Preschool-Aged Children with Cancer

OBJECTIVE

Most children with cancer are diagnosed in early childhood, potentially resulting in missed developmental opportunities. The most common diagnoses-brain tumors, leukemia-are also associated with increased risk of neurocognitive deficits. Unfortunately, research regarding the functioning of preschool-aged children with cancer is limited. Our objective is to describe the cognitive and psychosocial functioning of preschool-aged children with cancer who completed a clinical evaluation at a hospital-based psychology clinic.

METHODS

Assessment data from 98 preschool-aged children with cancer (M = 5.17 years old, SD = 0.54; 54.1% male) who completed clinically referred evaluations from 2011 to 2015 were abstracted. Because of variability in assessment measures used across clinicians, indicators of cognitive, adaptive, preacademic, and emotional/behavioral functioning were collapsed before analyses.

RESULTS

Children were 2.56 years from diagnosis (SD = 1.46, range 0-5.25 years) and most were off therapy (79.6%). Primary diagnostic categories were represented: brain tumor (68.4%), solid tumor (15.3%), and leukemia (16.3%). Mean IQ scores were significantly below expectations (t[80] = -7.95, p < .001). There were no differences based on diagnostic category, treatment status, or sex. Adaptive functioning (t[73] = -8.42, p < .001) and preacademic skills (t[77] = -6.20, p < .001) were also significantly below expectations. Mean scores on a measure of parent-reported emotional/behavioral functioning were in the average range.

CONCLUSION

Young children with cancer may be at significant risk of deficits in intellectual, adaptive, and preacademic functioning. Although our sample is biased by those who were referred for clinical evaluations, the severity of deficits highlights the potential vulnerability of young patients, even before most have entered formal school. Interventions-such as hospital-based preschool programs to increase preacademic skills-should be designed that explicitly target preschool-aged children and focus on a wide range of domains.

Prediction of Postpartum Weight in Low-Income Mexican-Origin Women From Childhood Experiences of Abuse and Family Conflict

OBJECTIVES

The postpartum period represents a crucial transition period in which weight gain or loss can affect lifetime obesity risk. This study examined the prevalence of obesity and the influence of childhood abuse and family conflict on postpartum weight among low-income Mexican-origin women. Depressive symptoms and partner support were evaluated as mediators.

METHODS

At a prenatal assessment, low-income Mexican-origin women (N = 322; mean [SD] age, 27.8 [6.5]) reported on childhood abuse and family conflict. Weight was measured 7 times between 6 weeks and 2 years postpartum and calculated as body mass index. Regression and growth models were used to estimate the impact of childhood abuse, childhood family conflict, partner support, and depressive symptoms on weight and weight change.

RESULTS

Higher family conflict predicted higher weight across the first (β = .12; p = .037) and second (β = .16; p = .012) postpartum years. Family conflict (β = .17; p = .018) and low partner support (β = -.16; p = .028) also predicted increasing weight in the first year. Partner support partially mediated the effect of childhood abuse on weight change in the first year (p = .031). Depressive symptomatology mediated the effects of childhood abuse and family conflict on weight status in the second year (abuse: p = .005; conflict: p = .023).

CONCLUSIONS

For low-income Mexican-origin women with a history of childhood abuse or high family conflict, depression and low partner support may be important targets for obesity prevention efforts in the postpartum period.

Qualities in friendship - Within an outside perspective - Definitions expressed by adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND

This study examined how adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities define qualities of friendship and discussed the extent to which these definitions adhere to established definitions of close friendship.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was based on qualitative interviews with 11 adolescents in secondary school. The interviews were supplemented with information from six parents. A thematic structural analysis was used to identify themes.

RESULTS

Qualities of friendship were categorized as mutual preference, mutual enjoyment, shared interactions, care, mutual trust and bonding. The criteria for close friendship seem to be fulfilled, albeit to a moderate degree. Closeness and reciprocity appear to be significant in this study, although these features have been considered less relevant within this target group in previous research.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in definitions may explain divergent results compared with other studies, and the need to achieve equivalence in friendship may be another.

Promoting Expressive Language in Young Children with or At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Preschool Classroom

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often demonstrate delays in expressive communication, impacting their ability to independently function in typical environments. Individuals with ASD who develop expressive language during early childhood experience better outcomes later in life; therefore, examination of naturalistic language interventions (NLIs) remain an important area of investigation. The current study used a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effects of a classroom-based NLI on various expressive language targets in three preschool-aged children demonstrating characteristics of ASD. Findings suggest the intervention had positive and maintained effects on trial-based use of language targets, as well as concomitant changes in commenting, requesting, and phrase complexity. Implications regarding implementation of NLIs within typical classroom play activities are discussed.

Denver Developmental Test Findings and their Relationship with Sociodemographic Variables in a Large Community Sample of 0-4-Year-Old Children

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of developmental problems and relationship with sociodemographic variables in a community sample of young children.

METHODS

Participants included 1000 children (558 males, 442 females, age range 1-48 months, mean 18.4 months, SD 7.8 months). Children were referred generally by their parents for developmental evaluation and consultation in response to a public announcement in a district area in Istanbul, Turkey. An interview form and the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST) were used for sociodemographic data and developmental evaluation. The χ² test and Pearson's correlation test were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Seven hundred forty-one out of 1000 children (74.1%) had normal, 140 (14%) had risky, and 119 (11.9%) had abnormal findings on the DDST results. The probability of abnormal findings on the DDST results was significantly higher in males (p=0.003), the 2-4-year-old group (p<0.05), families with more than one child (p=0.001), consanguineous marriages (p<0.01), low parental educational levels and low household income (p<0.01), and in children without a history of breastfeeding (p=0.000). Immigration status and delivery mode did not have a significant effect on the probability of abnormal findings on the DDST results (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Sociodemographic factors have a noteworthy impact on development. Determining these factors is important especially during the first years of life.

Change in prevalence status for children with developmental delay in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based retrospective study

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of children aged 0-6 years with developmental delay (DD) and to examine age-period trends in the prevalence of DD diagnosis in Taiwan. For the study population, we selected children aged <6 years at baseline (in 1997-2002, N=2,308,790) from the National Health Insurance Research Database (a longitudinal database with annual medical records of children in Taiwan) to estimate the prevalence of DD. All study subjects were followed up until they were 5 years old; the study period was from 1997 to 2008. The prevalence of DD by year gradually increased from 0.16% to 3.25% from 1997 to 2008 with an increasing ratio of prevalence of 20% over the 12-year study period. The prevalence of DD in boys was 2.13 times (2.09-2.18 from 1997 to 2008) that in girls. The prevalence of DD increased by year of study. The effect of sex on the prevalence of DD was significant. Understanding the trend of prevalence in the study period and the gap between the rate of early treatment and DD prevalence are critical concerns for future research.

Strategies for inclusion in play among children with physical disabilities in childcare centers: an integrative review

The purpose of this integrative review was to examine strategies that facilitate inclusion in play among children with physical disabilities in childcare centers. Nine databases were systematically searched for peer reviewed empirical studies investigating inclusion strategies for play in childcare settings among preschoolers with physical disabilities. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were appraised using the McMaster Critical Review Forms. The inclusion approaches identified were grouped into relevant strategies during analysis. Two main strategies were identified: role of the adult facilitator and environmental factors. substrategies within the role of the adult facilitator included: customize approach for specific child's needs; adult facilitator self-awareness of presence; prompting and praise; and promote fairness, equity, and play interaction. Substrategies within the environmental factors included: physical setting; type of toys; and type of play activity. The findings suggest play inclusion strategies in the childcare environment. Therapists are encouraged to apply inclusion strategies to improve play opportunities for children with disabilities, but future research is necessary to confirm the effectiveness of these strategies using higher quality study designs.

Systematic review of interventions to promote social-emotional development in young children with or at risk for disability

This systematic review synthesized the research on interventions used by occupational therapy practitioners to promote social-emotional development in young children (birth-5 yr) with or at risk for disabilities. After a comprehensive search of the research literature, 23 studies were reviewed and then synthesized into five themes: (1) touch-based interventions to enhance calming and parent-infant bonding, (2) relationship-based interventions to promote positive caregiver-child interactions, (3) joint attention interventions, (4) naturalistic preschool interventions to promote peer-to-peer engagement, and (5) instruction-based interventions to teach children appropriate social behaviors. The interventions for infants primarily involved coaching parents in specific strategies to promote positive interactions; interventions for preschool-age children typically involved encouraging peer support, instructing children, and applying naturalistic behavioral techniques to develop higher-level social competence. The studies demonstrated low to moderate positive effects for interventions used by occupational therapy practitioners to improve social-emotional development across ages, diagnoses, and settings.

Quality of life and impact of children with unclassified developmental delays

AIMS

The study aims to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) and health of children with unclassified developmental delays and the impacts this had on the family.

METHODS

In total, 60 parents of pre-school children with unclassified developmental delays and 56 parents of age and gender-matched children with typical development were recruited. We administered the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL)-Generic Core Scale and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument to parents to evaluate the QOL and health status of their children. Parents were evaluated by World Health Organization-Quality of Life-Brief Version, PedsQL-Family Impact Module, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and PedsQL-Health satisfaction to assess the impacts of this situation on the family. Variables related to QOL and functions of children with unclassified developmental delays were analysed by stepwise regression analysis.

RESULTS

Comparing children with typical development, children with unclassified developmental delays had a significantly lower QOL (including both psychosocial and physical components) and health status. Their parents had a significantly lower QOL, family function and health satisfaction, and higher psychological distress than parents of children with typical development. Gross-motor delay impacts on QOL of these children (regression coefficient: -9.59, P < 0.05), global functioning is related to cognition delay (regression coefficient: -20.22, P < 0.01) and physical health of their parents (regression coefficient: 0.87, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Children with unclassified developmental delays had lower QOL and health status, and their condition had greater impacts on the family than children with typical development. Gross motor and cognition development related to the QOL and global functioning in these children.

The socioeconomic and biological risk factors for developmental delay in early childhood

To investigate the biological and socioeconomic factors associated with developmental attainment in socioeconomically disadvantaged children. This study was performed at the Dr. Sami Ulus Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, between January and December 2010. The effects of biological, socioeconomic risk factors on developmental delay were investigated in 692 children (3 months-5 years) using the Denver II. Low-level maternal education (odds ratio [OR], 11.118; 95 % CI, 4.211-29.351), low-level paternal education (OR, 2.107; 95 % CI, 1.333-3.331), low-level household income (OR, 2.673; 95 % CI, 1.098-2.549), and ≥ 3 children in the family (OR, 1.871; 95 % CI, 1.206-2.903) were strongly associated with abnormal on Denver II; biological risk factors, including birth weight, gestational age at birth, and maternal age at birth <20 years, were correlated with suspect on Denver II results based on univariate analysis. Low-level maternal education (OR, 6.281; 95 % CI, 2.193-17.989), premature birth (32-36 weeks of gestation; OR, 0.535; 95 % CI, 0.290-0.989) were strongly associated with abnormal on Denver II results, and low-level paternal education (OR, 3.088; 95 % CI, 1.521-6.268), low-level household income (OR, 1.813; 95 % CI, 1.069-3.077), low birth weight (<1,500 g; OR, 3.003; 95 % CI, 1.316-6.854), premature birth (27-31 weeks of gestation; OR, 2.612; 95 % CI, 1.086-6.286), and maternal age at birth <20 years (OR, 3.518; 95 % CI, 1.173-10.547) were strongly associated with suspect on Denver II results based on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

Socioeconomic risk factors were observed to be as important as biological risk factors in the development of children aged 3 months-5 years.

Young Children's Affective Responses to Acceptance and Rejection From Peers: A Computer-based Task Sensitive to Variation in Temperamental Shyness and Gender

This study presents a novel task examining young children's affective responses to evaluative feedback-specifically, social acceptance and rejection-from peers. We aimed to determine (1) whether young children report their affective responses to hypothetical peer evaluation predictably and consistently, and (2) whether young children's responses to peer evaluation vary as a function of temperamental shyness and gender. Four- to seven-year-old children (N = 48) sorted pictures of unknown, similar-aged children into those with whom they wished or did not wish to play. Computerized peer evaluation later noted whether the pictured children were interested in a future playdate with participants. Participants then rated their affective responses to each acceptance or rejection event. Children were happy when accepted by children with whom they wanted to play, and disappointed when these children rejected them. Highly shy boys showed a wider range of responses to acceptance and rejection based on initial social interest, and may be particularly sensitive to both positive and negative evaluation. Overall, the playdate task captures individual differences in affective responses to evaluative peer feedback and is potentially amenable to future applications in research with young children, including pairings with psychophysiological measures.