The objective of this study was to verify the effects on 4- to 18-month-old babies' NPMD after the family-centered Kids Intervention Therapy -- Aquatic Environment (KITE) programme. This quasi-experimental study involved 61 families. The NPMD was assessed with Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), Denver II Developmental Screening Test, context…

This case study focuses on the journey and progress to date within the Irish education system to redevelop the national primary school curriculum. While the redevelopment process focuses on all aspects of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, a particular focus is placed on elements relating to whole-child development. Central to this is an…

School models have been slow to evolve, however, expectations of students in terms of schoolwork and homework have increased year over year. These increased demands require a high level of Executive Functioning (EF). However, a disconnect between the demands of schools and children's developing EF system have led to increased incidences of…

Despite changes in laws and access to education, individuals with disabilities continue to have fewer positive postsecondary outcomes than their non-disabled peers (Shogren et al., 2015). Negative secondary and postsecondary outcomes for individuals with disabilities include failure to graduate from high school, lack of postsecondary education,…

The current study investigated the effects of metacognitive and executive function (EF) training on childhood EF (inhibition, working memory [WM], cognitive flexibility, and proactive/reactive control) and academic skills (reading, reasoning, and math) among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children (N = 134, M[subscript age] = 8.70 years)…

The Parents Plus Early Years (PPEY) Programme was conceptualised as an early group intervention for parents of preschool children with behavioural, emotional and developmental difficulties. This systematic review sought to examine and critically evaluate the existing literature in which the PPEY Programme has been implemented. A number of…

Baseline child characteristics may predict treatment outcomes in children with or at elevated likelihood of developing autism (EL-ASD). Little is known about the role of child sensory and language features on treatment outcome. Participants were randomly assigned to a parent-mediated intervention or control condition. Analyses explored the…

The parent-child relationship has been presented as one of the most important contexts in the early stages of life, but not all caregivers provide an optimal environment for development. Some parental and environmental factors exert a particularly strong influence on development. Parental practices and socioeconomic status are the factors most…

Economic difficulties in early childhood are associated with significant adverse long-term socioemotional and cognitive outcomes. In this study, we examine an understudied financial stressor that is often observed during periods of high unemployment--transient familial financial stress (TFS). We use the early childhood longitudinal study--(birth)…

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has the potential to address a range of goals, yet delivering on the potential of ECEC requires a workforce that is equipped and motivated to meet the unique demands of facilitating young children's development, learning and well-being. The OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey…

Young children often struggle to answer the question "what would have happened?" particularly in cases where the adult-like "correct" answer has the same outcome as the event that actually occurred. Previous work has assumed that children fail because they cannot engage in accurate counterfactual simulations. Children have…

Are young children just random explorers who learn serendipitously? Or are even young children guided by uncertainty-directed sampling, seeking to explore in a systematic fashion? We study how children between the ages of 4 and 9 search in an explore-exploit task with spatially correlated rewards, where exhaustive exploration is infeasible and not…

The current study is the first to examine the role of exploration in play milestones development using a multi-measure micro-analytic approach. Fifteen infants, between the ages of 8 and 17 months, were observed in their natural home environment once a month for a one--hour session; their spontaneous mouthing and fingering and their play level…

Whether schools help or hinder creativity is a topic of vibrant, international debate. Some contend that the focus on structure, rote learning and standardised assessments associated with formal education stifles children's creativity. Others argue that creativity, much like numeracy or literacy, is a skill that can be taught, and educational…

Poor mental health in childhood and adolescence has a significant impact on both physical and mental health throughout life. However, growing evidence suggests that current levels of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) care are insufficient to meet the needs of many children and adolescents in the United States as evidenced by increasing…