THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TREATMENT-RESEARCH PROJECT FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED AND AUTISTIC CHILDREN

This paper describes the development and main results over the last 30 years from the treatment-research project with developmentally disabled (autistic) children in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Three important dimensions in treatment research are addressed. The first pertains to the role of serendipity or accidental discoveries, the second to the importance of pursuing inductive rather than theory-driven research, and the third to the importance of adding in a cumulative and step-wise manner to improve treatment adequacy. Data from various areas of treatment research have been used to illustrate new directions for the project. These illustrations center on early and successful attempts to isolate experimentally the environmental variables that control self-injury, failure to observe response and stimulus generalization with subsequent loss of treatment gains, and the main results of intensive and early behavioral intervention in the child's natural environment. Effective treatment for severe behavioral disorders is seen to require early intervention carried out during all or most of the child's waking hours, addressing all significant behaviors in all of the child's environments, by all significant persons, for many years.     

Videoconference to supervise early intensive behavioral intervention: A preliminary evaluation of acceptability

At present, early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorders is the intervention that has the strongest empirical support. EIBI requires frequent supervision by qualified professionals. Norway, like many other countries, has a shortage of qualified supervisors, particularly in rural regions. This study used a reversal design to investigate how supervisors and supervisees perceive the quality of EIBI supervision and the local team's preparedness when supervision was provided either on-site or via videoconference. Calculations were made on how much time could be saved on travel when part of the supervision was provided via videoconference. There were no significant differences in the supervisors' and supervisees' ratings of on-site and videoconference supervision. Moreover, the supervisors found the local EIBI teams to be better prepared when supervision was provided via videoconference, and the videoconference supervision meetings were shorter. The study discusses the implications of these findings for the accessibility of EIBI and case capacity and proposes some areas for further research.     

Effects of foster care intervention and caregiving quality on the bidirectional development of executive functions and social skills following institutional rearing

Institutional rearing negatively impacts the development of children's social skills and executive functions (EF). However, little is known about whether childhood social skills mediate the effects of the foster care intervention (FCG) and foster caregiving quality following early institutional rearing on EF and social skills in adolescence. We examined (a) whether children's social skills at 8 years mediate the impact of the FCG on the development of EF at ages 12 and 16 years, and (b) whether social skills and EF at ages 8 and 12 mediate the relation between caregiving quality in foster care at 42 months and subsequent social skills and EF at age 16. Participants included abandoned children from Romanian institutions, who were randomly assigned to a FCG (n = 68) or care as usual (n = 68), and a never-institutionalized group (n = 135). At ages 8, 12, and 16, social skills were assessed via caregiver and teacher reports and EF were assessed via the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Caregiving quality of foster caregivers was observed at 42 months. FCG predicted better social skills at 8 years, which in turn predicted better EF in adolescence. Higher caregiver quality in foster care at 42 months predicted better social skills at 8 and 12 years, and better EF at 12 years, which in turn predicted 16-year EF and social skills. These findings suggest that interventions targeting caregiving quality within foster care home environments may have long-lasting positive effects on children's social skills and EF.     

Temperament and behaviour problems in children: A multilevel analysis of cross-cultural differences

Early temperament attributes have been linked to emerging behaviour problems and significant long-term consequences; however, these relations are rarely examined cross-culturally. The present study addresses this gap, employing multilevel modelling to explain within- and between-culture variances with respect to temperament predicting a spectrum of behaviour problems across 14 nations from the Joint Effort Toddler Temperament Consortium (JETTC). A total of 865 children between 17 and 40 months, with approximately equal age distribution across this developmental period and about equivalent representation of genders, were recruited from 14 nations. Greater negative emotionality was associated with more internalizing problems, whereas higher surgency and effortful control predicted fewer internalizing difficulties. Controlling for age and gender, temperament explained significant within- and between-culture variances in internalizing and externalizing problems (at the broad-band and fine-grained levels), as well as sleep problems. For internalizing difficulties, temperament accounted for more between-culture variance. In contrast, for externalizing difficulties, temperament accounted more for how individuals within the same culture differed from their same-culture counterparts. The within-culture findings suggest universal patterns of temperament-problem relations, informing cultural adaptation of interventions; between-culture findings enhance understanding of the implications of the cultural niche for normative behaviour and adjustment.     

A developmental understanding of the self may provide valuable insight into the experience of selfhood in dementia

The self is a complex and multidimensional construct with both reflective and experiential aspects. The experience of selfhood has been well documented in both developmental psychology and dementia research. However, these research fields have rarely come together. This is unfortunate since a lack of sensitive measurement of self in adults with dementia has historically led to erroneous assumptions that people diagnosed with dementia experience total loss of self. Dementia causes profound self-alterations, particularly associated with gaps in autobiographical and semantic self-knowledge. However, important experiential manifestations of self may remain intact. Focusing on the emergence of different levels of self-processes in early childhood, and reflecting on conceptual similarities as well as methodological perspectives, the aim of this article is to explore how developmental approaches may be applied to provide a promising new direction into the experience of selfhood in dementia.     

Examining the Efficacy of Online Administration of a Time-Limited School Readiness Intervention in the Face of COVID-19

Although the efficacy of online administration of behavioral parent training (BPT) programs is well-established, such programs address a single risk factor (behavioral functioning) for school readiness difficulties (comprised of academics, cognitive skills, and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning). The current study aims to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a telemedicine delivery of the School Readiness Parenting Program (SRPP), an integrative adaptation of PCIT designed to address the behavioral and academic domains of school readiness. The present study takes the first step towards validating an online administration of the SRPP as a treatment for early childhood disruptive behavior. Data were collected for 64 children ages 2–6 years (M^age = 4.63, SD = 0.86; 78.1% Hispanic/Latinx) and their families, who received either in-person administration of time-limited PCIT (PCIT-TL; n=30) or online administration of SRPP (n=34). A series of repeated measures ANOVAS were conducted to examine within and between group effects. Results revealed that both SRPP and PCIT-TL significantly reduced inattention (d’s = −0.54 to −0.88), aggression (d’s = −0.55 to −1.06), and behavioral symptomology (d’s = −0.55 to −0.85) and produced significant gains in parental skills (d’s = −1.47 to 2.99). Notably, online SRPP demonstrated greater improvement in positive parental verbalization, whereas PCIT-TL demonstrated greater reductions in parental stress. Overall, findings support the utility of online SRPP for addressing behavioral school readiness concerns.     

Early cognitive development and parental education

Relations between cognitive development in infancy and early childhood, and parental education were examined. Previous research has found little association between measures of the parenting environment, including parental education and socio‐economic status (SES), and cognitive development in infants and children under 2 years of age. However, the earlier studies may not have reliably measured individual differences in cognitive abilities, thus, there is uncertainty as to what age elements in the parental environment affect cognitive development. Seventy‐six infants were tested on a range of cognitive tasks at 3‐month intervals between the ages of 9 and 18 months. Information on parental education (a component of SES) was collected. Seventy‐one of the children returned at 27 months and completed the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Mental Scale, which was used as an outcome measure for the earlier tasks. The findings present a clear indication that cognitive development in early childhood is affected by the parenting environment, at least from as early as 12 months. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the Child's Cognitive Home Environment Through Parental Report; Reliability and Validity

In a series of investigations with poor minority families, we examined the reliability and validity of the StimQ, an office-based interview of children's cognitive home environment. Researchers and practitioners alike recognize the importance of assessing meaningful dimensions of children's early experiences, particularly in families where children may be at risk for later cognitive delay. To date, methodological approaches to the study of parenting have most often relied on home visits and/or labour-intensive observations and coding. Our findings suggest that valid and reliable data about the cognitive environments of poor children can be obtained through maternal report, thereby offering applied scientists a useful alternative to assessing children's early experiences. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

汉字识别早期知觉过程中的整体优先效应

以7画、10画、13画上下、左右结构低字频宋体汉字为材料,以整字或成字部件为检测目标,在0～1.5、0～2.0、0～2.5、0～3.0周/度空间频率条件下探讨整体-局部加工的关系.结果发现,空间频率一定时,整字辨别的正确率更高,反应时更短.汉字识别过程中存在着明显的整体优先效应.作者认为,知觉过程由整体加工水平向局部加工水平的转换使部件辨别时间延长、正确率下降;刺激图像中整体性空间信息比较丰富,细节信息相对不足,进一步促成了知觉辨别的整体优先效应.