Despite recent research indicating that 1 of the pivotal times for identifying pathways to early conduct problems is the toddler period, few family-based preventive interventions have been specifically designed to modify child disruptive behavior during this age period. This randomized trial tested the effectiveness of the Family Check-Up in…

This annotated resource guide lists books, periodicals, and organizations relevant to the needs of parents of children with disabilities. The books and periodicals were chosen as being up-to-date, accurate, written in parent-friendly language, written with a parent's information or support needs in mind, generally affordable, or considered a…

Study assessed compliance and internalization for 99 preschoolers previously studied as toddlers. Compliance and internalization were assessed in multiple observational contexts using maternal reports. Found that committed and situational compliance had distinct developmental trajectories, and only committed compliance was associated with…

Effects of enacted maternal withdrawal and depression were observed in a sample of 18- to 36-month-old children during counterbalanced episodes of simulated depression and normal affect. Found that when mothers enacted withdrawal and depressed affect, toddlers physically withdrew from them, made more negative physical bids for attention, and…

Examined the nature of conflicts among young preschoolers. Observed 184 three-year-olds in a dyadic play situation. Found that children's conflicts arose in the context of ongoing play and were brief. Concluded that by age 36 months, most children have acquired the skills to play positively with a peer. (JS)

Investigated the endings of sibling conflicts in 40 families at two time periods. Observed four types of conflict endings: compromise, reconciliation, submission and no resolution. Found that conflict typically ended with no resolution, followed by submission, compromise and finally reconciliation. Discovered that parents influence conflict…

Provides reassuring advice about ten of parents' biggest concerns about their child's sexuality, including: when to start teaching a child about sex, how to deal with "bathroom" language, handling privacy issues, and addressing children's "doctor" games. Includes resources for help, easy answers to children's questions about sex, and warning signs…

A prospective study examined the effects of maternal unresponsivity and of toddlers' own negative affect on the child's subsequent ability to use effective attentional control strategies in preschool. Maternal and child behaviors were measured in situations that varied in the level of stress to test the hypothesis that behaviors in high stress…

The authors examined the effects of maternal depression on the skillfulness of toddlers' self-assertive strategies in interactions with their mother and with a female examiner. The participants were 110 mothers and their 26-month-old toddlers. Of these mothers, 57 had experienced an episode of clinical depression sometime since their child's…

Background: Though the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype has been described as involving relative strengths in visuo-spatial processing and sociability, and relative weaknesses in verbal skills and motor planning, the early emergence of this phenotypic pattern of strengths and weaknesses has not yet been fully explored. Method: In this study, we…

Presents the theoretical background for the concept of mastery motivation and describes three characteristics of mastery motivation in toddlers: behavioral manifestations in multiple domains, developmental changes in those manifestations, and the influence of the socializing environment. Implications for assessment of individual differences and…

Motivationally distinct forms of child compliance, mutually positive affect, and maternal control were observed as correlates of internalization in 103 mother-toddler dyads. Found that children who shared positive affect with their mothers showed a high level of committed compliance and were also more internalized. Maternal "Do's" appeared more…

This article provides an overview of the evaluation process in early intervention and describes the integration of concepts based on neurobehavior into the eligibility evaluation of the very young child. Neurobehavioral models are described and an example illustrates how the integration of neurobehavioral concepts can result in a better…

Examined the effectiveness of pre-bedtime massages for infants and toddlers with sleep onset problems. Found that, compared to bedtime stories, massages produced fewer sleep delays and a shortened latency to sleep onset. (Author/DLH)

Examined toddlers' spontaneous responses to six repeated readings; subjects were 2- to 3-year olds from at-risk backgrounds. Found that frequent children's responses included labeling pictures, commenting about the picture/story, and repeating what the reader said. Overall verbal activity and number of different responses increased across repeated…