The current study was a first step towards planning the implementation of tele-practice in a South Indian state's public-sector services for childhood hearing and speech, language disorders. The aim was to understand the perceptions of public-sector health care providers (HCPs) regarding their need and readiness to accept and implement tele-practice-based diagnostics and rehabilitation services. A cross-sectional study design was used, which included focus group discussions (FGDs), semi-structured interviews (SSIs) and geo-spatial analysis. Participants in the qualitative component included various cadres of health HCPs in public-sector services. Theoretical saturation and cross-case variance were used to assess the data's sufficiency. A hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analytical approach was used to analyse the data. Geo-tags and geo-locations of addresses of all children with disabilities and all the public-sector service providers were used to generate geospatial maps. The HCPs considered the currently available services for childhood hearing and speech-language disorders to be insufficient and reported shortage of professionals to meet current demands. There was inconsistent availability of suitable equipment and professionals in the existing district-level facilities. HCPs were comfortable using technology, and were willing to investigate tele-practice, but they required training in tele-practice [Q2].

Headspace sorptive extraction technique using silicone based sorptive media coated stir bars is used for the first time here to extract, identify, and quantify heavy volatile organic compounds present in Escherichia coli culture headspace. Detection of infection presence is largely accomplished in laboratories through physical sampling and subsequent growth of cultures for biochemical testing. The use of volatile biomarkers released from pathogens as indicators for pathogenic presence can vastly reduce the time needed whilst improving the success rates for infection detection. To validate this, by using a contactless headspace sorptive extraction technique, the volatile compounds released from E. coli, grown in vitro, have been extracted and identified. Two different sorptive media for extracting these headspace volatiles were compared in this study and the identified volatiles were quantified. The large phase volume and wider retention of this sorptive technique compared to traditional sampling approach enabled preconcentration and collection of wider range of volatiles towards developing an extensive database of such heavy volatiles associated with E. coli. This supplements the existing data of potential bacterial markers and use of internal standards in these tests allows semi-quantitative estimation of these compounds towards the development and optimization of novel pathogen sensing devices.

Phloridzin is one of the major phenolic compounds in apple and has been widely used in medicine for a long time due to its significant biomedical activities. In this article, macroporous resin was used for purification of phloridzin from apple leaves. The HPD-300 resin was selected for the enrichement of phloridzin according to its high adsorption and desorption capacities. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were constructed on the HPD-300 resin and fitted well to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, respectively. Dynamic adsorption and desorption tests were performed on the column packed with HPD-300 resin to optimize the operating parameters. After one round treatment with HPD-300 resin, the purity of phloridzin in the product increased from 11.4 to 50.1% with a recovery yield of 79.3%. Subsequently, preparative high-performance liquid chromatography was employed for the purification of phloridzin. The purity of phloridzin could reach above 98% after further recrystallization with a recovery yield of 75.8%.

Early years science education is not science, but a curricular construction designed to induct young children into a range of ideas and practices related to the natural world. While inquiry-based learning is an important approach to this, it is not of itself unique to science and there are a range of logico-mathematical constructions that come closer to the essence of science. In this paper we discuss just three: empirical question-asking, transgressive play, and good thinking. The challenge, of course is to induct early years practitioners to a different way of shaping early science.

We explored longitudinal effects of a two-generation preschool programme on receptive language scores in children ( = 78) at age 10 years, living with low income. Scores at four time-points, programme intake, exit, age 7, and age 10 years were measured using the (3rd ed.). Effects of culture (Aboriginal, other Canadian-born, and recent immigrant), and gender of the children were explored. Between programme intake and age 10, scores improved significantly, (3, 75) = 21.11,  < .0005. There were significant differences among cultural groups at all time-points except age 10. Scores differed significantly for girls, but not boys, at age 10,  = 5.11,  = .01. Recent immigrant boys reached the Canadian average, while girls were two-thirds of the standard deviation below average. Early intervention programmes must include a focus on the unique circumstances of recent immigrant girls; supportive transition workers in schools are one recommendation.

The last 30 years have seen a significant increase in babies attending nursery, with corresponding questions about the aims and organisation of practice. Research broadly agrees on the importance of emotionally consistent, sensitive and responsive interactions between staff and babies. Policy objectives for nursery and expectations of parents and staff give rise to different and sometimes conflicting aims for such interactions; for example attachments to staff, peer interactions or early learning. Research shows marked variations of pedagogy aims and organisation with babies in nurseries in different national and cultural contexts. It also demonstrates variation between nurseries in similar contexts and between staff in their beliefs and values about work with babies. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the beliefs, aspirations and approaches of eight managers concerning pedagogy with babies in two similar English local authorities. These managers spoke of the importance of being responsive to the concerns and priorities of parents, whilst being sensitive to the demands of the work on their staff. The main finding was of the contradictions and confusions managers felt were inherent in the work, arising from both conflicting policy objectives and personal beliefs and aspirations; sometimes their own and sometimes those of individual staff and parents. Urban, Vandenbroeck, Van Laere, Lazzari, and Peeters' [(2012). Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. Implications for policy and practice. , (4), 508-526.] concept of the 'competent system' is used to recommend a grounded approach to the development of a more culturally, socially and individually responsive pedagogy with babies than appears to exist at present.

To better understand young children's ability to communicate about their bodies, toddlers' comprehension and production of 27 common body part words was assessed using parental report at 20 and 30 months (n = 64), and self-awareness was assessed using mirror self-recognition. Children at both ages comprehended more body part words that referred to themselves than to others' bodies, and more words referring to locations that they could see on themselves than to those they could not see. Children with more advanced mirror self-recognition comprehended and produced more body part words. These findings suggest that with age and better understanding of the self, children also possess a better understanding of the body, and they provide new information about factors that affect how young children begin to talk about their own and others' bodies. They should be useful for practitioners who need to ask children about their bodies and body parts.

In the first longitudinal, population-based study of full-day kindergarten (FDK) outcomes beyond primary school in Canada, we used linked administrative data to follow 15 kindergarten cohorts ( ranging from 112 to 736) up to grade 9. Provincial assessments conducted in grades 3, 7, and 8 and course marks and credits earned in grade 9 were compared between FDK and half-day kindergarten (HDK) students in both targeted and universal FDK programmes. Propensity score matched cohort and stepped-wedge designs allowed for stronger causal inferences than previous research on FDK. We found limited long-term benefits of FDK, specific to the type of programme, outcomes examined, and subpopulations. FDK programmes targeted at low-income areas showed long-term improvements in numeracy for lower income girls. Our results suggest that expectations for wide-ranging long-term academic benefits of FDK are unwarranted.

Preschool classrooms with varying levels of structural quality requirements across the state of West Virginia were investigated for differences in measured structural and process quality. Quality was measured using group size, child-to-teacher/staff ratio, teacher education, and the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R; Harms, T., Clifford, R. M., & Cryer, D. (2005). . New York, NY: Teachers College Press). Thirty-six classrooms with less structural quality requirements and 136 with more structural quality requirements were measured. There were significant differences between classroom type, with classrooms with more structural quality requirements having significantly higher teacher education levels and higher environmental rating scores on the ECERS-R subscales of Space and Furnishings, Activities, and Program Structure. Results support previous research that stricter structural state regulations are correlated with higher measured structural and process quality in preschool classrooms. Implications for preschool state quality standards are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between language skills and behavioural problems and the potential moderating role of the quality of classroom emotional support in this relationship among 242 preschool children from low-income families. The was administered individually to each child. The quality of classroom emotional support was measured using the Emotional Support domain of the . Teachers and parents completed the 1½-5. Results indicated the inverse relationship between language skills and behaviour problems varied by the level of classroom emotional support provided by teachers. Specifically, children with lower language skills exhibited higher levels of behaviour problems in classrooms where teachers provided lower levels of emotional support. Findings from this study have important implications for enhancing teachers' emotional support aimed at children with lower language skills and for future research.

The present study examined Swedish mothers' and fathers' warmth towards their children in relation to their children´s agency. It also examined the longitudinal relation between agency and children's externalizing, internalizing, and school achievement.

Adverse health events within families can harm children's development, including their early literacy. Using data from a longitudinal Wisconsin birth cohort, we estimated the spillover effect of younger siblings' gestational ages on older siblings' kindergarten-level literacy. We sampled 20,014 sibling pairs born during 2007-2010 who took Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-Kindergarten tests during 2012-2016. Exposures were gestational age (completed weeks), preterm birth (gestational age <37 weeks), and very preterm birth (gestational age <32 weeks). We used gain-score regression-a fixed effects strategy-to estimate spillover effect. A one-week increase in younger siblings' gestational age improved the older siblings' test score by 0.011 SD (95% confidence interval: 0.001, 0.021 SD). The estimated spillover effect was larger among siblings whose mothers reported having a high school diploma/equivalent only (0.024 SD; 95% CI: 0.004, 0.044 SD). The finding underscores the networked effects of one individual's early-life health shocks on their family members.

Previous research assessing consequences of interpregnancy intervals (IPIs) on child development is mixed. Utilizing a population-based US sample (n=5,339), we first estimated the associations between background characteristics (e.g., sociodemographic and maternal characteristics) and short (≤ 1 year) and long (> 3 years) IPI. Then, we estimated associations between IPI and birth outcomes, infant temperament, cognitive ability, and externalizing symptoms. Several background characteristics, such as maternal age at childbearing and previous pregnancy loss, were associated with IPI, indicating research on the putative effects of IPI must account for background characteristics. After covariate adjustment, short IPI was associated with poorer fetal growth and long IPI was associated with lower infant activity level; however, associations between short and long IPI and the other outcomes were neither large nor statistically significant. These findings indicate that rather than intervening to modify IPI, at-risk families may benefit from interventions aimed at other modifiable risk factors.

Educators recognize children's social competence as an indicator of school readiness. Children's social competence may be promoted prior to kindergarten through parents' discipline; however, prior research largely focused on parenting and social competence in older children or only focused on children's problem behaviours. We assessed parent discipline as a predictor of 37 low-income pre-schoolers' social skills over four months. Parents answered open-ended questions about how they would respond to child behaviours; children's pre-school teachers rated their social skills. In a hierarchical regression controlling for children's age and initial social skills, parents' inductions significantly predicted children's later social skills. Although children's social skills were correlated with parents' pairing of consequences and inductions, this relation was no longer significant when controlling for age and initial social skills. Power assertive discipline and time-outs were not significantly correlated with children's social skills. The results suggest that parents' inductions may be beneficial for children's social skills by focusing the child's attention on the reasons the behaviour was inappropriate.

A growing literature provides evidence of long-term effects of childhood sexual trauma (CST), however the intergenerational consequences of CST are not well understood. In the current study we examine the adjustment of children whose mothers reported a history of CST compared to children whose mothers did not report childhood trauma across multiple domains of functioning. Data for these analyses were obtained from a longitudinal study of low-income, rural families. Propensity score matching (PSM) methodology was used to create a contrast group matched on maternal family of origin variables in an effort to isolate and examine the long-term associations of maternal CST history beyond the effects of other childhood adversities such as poverty (total = 204). After controlling for numerous child and primary caregiver covariates, findings indicate that a maternal history of CST is related to higher levels of teacher reports of behavioral problems and academic skills in the classroom setting in Kindergarten and First grade. This study adds to the growing literature on the effects of maternal CST on offspring development. Implications for interventions with children with mothers reporting a history of CST and directions for future study are proposed.

The home environment has a critical influence on an infant's development and well-being. The Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) is an instrument that has been developed to assess the home environment. This article illustrates the translation, validation and cultural adaptation process of the AHEMD-IS from English to Spanish.

Gross motor and physical activity opportunities in early childhood are important for promoting health and development. We conducted two studies with the following aims: 1) to describe the quality of gross motor/physical activity early learning environments in Washington (WA) state, USA and 2) to study the relationship between the quality of gross motor/physical activity environments and various early learning outcomes. We used state-wide classroom quality measures related to gross motor activities from the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale- Revised (N=1335 centers). For Aim 2, individual early learning assessments were conducted on 495 children from 72 centers in the fall and spring. We found considerable room for improvement in the space, equipment, schedule and supervision related to gross motor activities in child care centers. The quality of the gross motor environments was found to be related to desirable early learning outcomes including preschoolers' executive functions and behavior.

As part of a larger longitudinal project on the assessment of preschoolers' social-emotional development, children's social information processing (SIP) responses to unambiguous hypothetical situations of peer provocation were assessed for 239 preschoolers from Head Start and private childcare settings. SIP measurement focused on emotions children would feel during these situations, and their behavior response decisions. The aims of the study were to examine foundations of these SIP responses in self-regulation and emotion knowledge, as well as to consider how adaptive SIP responding predicted concurrent classroom adjustment and pre-academic preacademic literacy. Using a PLS modeling procedure, results showed that both self-regulation and emotion knowledge were associated with adaptive SIP responding. Moreover, adaptive SIP responding predicted classroom adjustment and pre-academic preacademic literacy. Discussion centers on the contribution of social-emotional competence to preacademic literacy.

Research linking postpartum depression (PPD) with negative child outcomes has predominantly examined PPD at six weeks postpartum or later, and has not controlled for depression during pregnancy. The present study examined associations between PPD at three weeks postpartum and temperament in 6-month-old infants in a sample of women who were not depressed during pregnancy. Depression was assessed at three weeks and six months postpartum using the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS). Observed and maternal report of infant temperament was assessed when infants were 6-months-old. PPD symptoms significantly predicted observed temperament behaviour and marginally explained maternal report of infant temperament. Symptoms of PPD at three weeks postpartum were a stronger predictor than at six months. Findings suggest that early depressive symptoms may be particularly problematic, and have implications for early assessment and treatment of PPD even in women who were not depressed during pregnancy or are otherwise considered low risk.

Adults' behaviour in interactions with children is assumed to influence children's playfulness. However, little is known about how the quality of teacher-child interaction in early childhood education and care affects the development of children's playfulness, although the interaction quality has been identified as a strong predictor of children's development in various domains. The present study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between children's multidimensional playfulness and the quality of teacher-child interactions. At first measurement, 62 teachers in early childhood education and care (ECEC) were observed to assess the quality of their interactions with children using the standardized CLASS Toddler scale. The playfulness of 393 children was assessed using the children's playfulness scale at the same time and one year later. No significant effects were found cross-sectionally. Longitudinally, high interaction quality in learning support was marginally negatively related to children's total score of playfulness and significantly negatively to the playfulness dimensions of cognitive and physical spontaneity. We discuss which teaching styles might hamper or promote children's playfulness.