Injury prevention at home is an important concern for parents of toddlers. This study investigated safety-related intervention strategies of 40 middle-class Australian mothers, and their relationship with three child characteristics: gender, temperament and language comprehension. In an interview at home, mothers reported frequency of use of 15…

Background: The aim of this study was to determine (1) the prevalence of behavioral problems among two-year-old Pacific children living in New Zealand, (2) ethnic differences in behavioral problems, and (3) relationships between maternal and socio-demographic variables and problem child behavior. Methods: Data were gathered from the Pacific…

Rich with clinical insights, this volume reviews the state of the science of identifying and treating autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in very young children. Leading authorities examine critical research issues and present innovative approaches to assessing social, cognitive, adaptive, communication, and sensory-motor impairments in the first two…

Children's behavior is one of the most common things that parents worry about. This book provides a clear, easy-to-read approach to teaching about behavior in a positive way, for parents, grandparents and other carers. It covers such topics as: (1) what to expect at different ages; (2) tips for toddlers; (3) planning ahead; (4) discipline…

The research and literature on how to handle biting has remained consistent over the last 20 years. Most publications and seasoned professionals focus on intervention and tell us to attend to the child who was bitten, reinforce the idea of "using our words" with the biter, and be consistent in the use of separation, redirection, and…

This column summarizes recent ERIC documents and journal articles, and highlights some World Wide Web resources, that discuss issues related to the problem of children biting in preschool. (Contains 13 annotated summaries.) (SD)

The study examined the effects of conducting observations as part of a broader assessment of families participating in behavior family intervention (BFI). It was designed to investigate whether the observations improve intervention outcomes. Families were randomly assigned to different levels of BFI or a waitlist control condition and subsequently…

Developed direct observational measure of children's attachment to inanimate objects such as blankets and soft toys among object-attached and non-object-attached 15- to 31-month-olds. Procedure varied arousal levels across situations. Found support for validity of the procedure in, among other factors, its ability to capture the preference of…

This observational study suggests that many toddler friendships are occurring all the time, waiting to be discovered and fostered by astute teachers. Asserts that those working in toddler programs need to be sensitive to the potential for friendships in 2-year-olds and nurture these first fragile bonds. (EV)

Two-year-olds' appreciation of the shared nature of object labels versus object preferences was examined in 2 studies. A total of 128 24- to 27-month-olds played a finding game with an experimenter during which they were taught a piece of information about a target object in a nonostensive learning context. In Experiment 1, children were presented…

In this article, the author responds to a teacher's question on a baby's behavior who keeps banging on his high chair and laughs uncontrollably. The author states that young children pay close attention to adult's emotional responses. Their lives depend on knowing the best ways to get positive or at least neutral responses from grown-ups in charge…

Objective: This research examined the validity of criteria for diagnosing social phobia (SOC) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), where the "DSM-IV" criteria were modified to better identify toddlers who could have these disorders. Method: Diagnoses were made with a semistructured clinical interview that included child observations.…

The early years of toddlerhood mark the emergence of self-regulation and the child's ability to comply with parental requests. The current study examined young children's compliance and noncompliance in a family context by observing mothers, fathers, and two children in a family clean-up paradigm. Marital conflict and mutual responsiveness in the…

Some adults and children exhibit defensive behaviors to tactile or auditory stimulation. These symptoms occur not only in subsets of children with ADHD, autism, and Fragile X syndrome, but also in the apparent absence of accompanying disorders. Relatively little research explores the correlates and antecedents of sensory defensiveness. Using a…

This study examined correlations between temperament and demanding behavior in toddlers. Subjects were eight mothers and their children from 18 to 27 months of age. Mothers were interviewed in their homes and completed the Toddler Temperament Scale and the Parenting Stress Index. Mother-child interactions were videotaped for the duration of the…