The Koala Fear Questionnaire: a standardized self-report scale for assessing fears and fearfulness in pre-school and primary school children

The Koala Fear Questionnaire (KFQ) is a standardized self-report scale for assessing fears and fearfulness in children aged between 4 and 12 years. The current article presents six studies which examined the reliability and validity of the KFQ. Study 1 (N=108) demonstrated that the visual fear scales of Koala bears as employed in the KFQ are highly comparable to the standard 3-point scales that are used in other childhood fear measures. Study 2 (N=163) provided support for the convergent validity of the KFQ in a sample of 8- to 14-year-old children. That is, the scale correlated substantially with alternative measures of childhood fear and anxiety. Study 3 (N=189) showed that the KFQ possesses good internal consistency and test-retest stability in a group of 8- to 11-year-old children. The results of Studies 4 (N=129) and 5 (N=176) indicated that the KFQ is suitable for children aged 4 to 6 years and demonstrated that the psychometric properties of the scale in younger children are highly similar to those obtained in older children. Study 6 (N=926) showed that the factor structure of the KFQ was theoretically meaningful: although the data clearly pointed in the direction of one factor of general fearfulness, spurs of the commonly found five-factor solution of childhood fear were found in the KFQ. Altogether, the KFQ seems to be a valuable addition to the instrumentarium of clinicians and researchers who are working with fearful and anxious children.     

Recall of details never experienced: Effects of age,repetition, and semantic cues

To test theoretical predictions about the role of meaning connections in false memory, the effects of semantic cues and list repetition on children's false memories were evaluated across early childhood to mid-adolescence using the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm. True recall and false recall increased from 7 to 13 years. Study list repetition increased true recall of list words with the magnitude of this effect largest in the older children and adolescents. Repetition reduced false recall of critical lures in all age groups. Consistent with theoretical predictions, false recall of critical lures increased when children were informed of the thematic gist of each list prior to study.     

Temperament and early stuttering intervention: Two perspectives

PurposeTo discuss clinical applications of research findings about temperament and early stuttering.MethodA “1000-bytes” format (Onslow & Millard, 2012) was used to provide readers with contemporaneous observation of a “conversation” between the authors. The conversation is proceeded by a prologue and followed by concluding statements from each author.ResultsOne author contended that comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of temperament domains is essential during clinical management of early stuttering, and the results of that assessment are best incorporated into a multifactorial treatment approach. The other author contested that view, arguing that such an approach is not empirically justifiable at present.ConclusionsThe authors agree about the salience of research on temperament and early stuttering but have different perspectives about the topic when applied to providing health care for early stuttering.     

A three-arm randomized controlled trial of Lidcombe Program and Westmead Program early stuttering interventions

PurposeTo compare two experimental Westmead Program treatments with a control Lidcombe Program treatment for early stuttering.MethodThe design was a three-arm randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessments 9 months post-randomization. Participants were 91 pre-school children.ResultsThere was no evidence of difference in percentage syllables stuttered at 9 months among groups. Dropout rates were substantive and may have been connected with novel aspects of the trial design: the use of community clinicians, no exclusion criteria, and randomization of children younger than 3 years of age.ConclusionThe substantive dropout rate for all three arms in this trial means that any conclusions about the 9-month stuttering outcomes must be regarded as tentative. However, continued development of the Westmead Program is warranted, and we are currently constructing an internet version.