The manner in which mothers engage in emotional discussion, or reminisce, with their young children about past emotional experiences poses important ramifications for child socioemotional and cognitive development. Maltreating mothers may have difficulty engaging in emotionally supportive reminiscing. The current study examined the role of…

Associations between experiencing child maltreatment and adverse developmental outcomes are widely studied, yet conclusions regarding the extent to which effects are bidirectional, and whether they are likely causal, remain elusive. This study uses the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort of 4,898 children followed from birth…

The potential health benefits of early childhood education programs are quite large, especially for children living in poverty. In this report, authors Allison Friedman-Krauss and Steve Barnett set out the evidence regarding the short and long term health benefits to children from early childhood education programs, identify the features of…

The Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families and Communities (www.promisingpractices.net) began as a partnership between four state-level organizations that help public and private organizations improve the well-being of children and families. The PPN website, archived in June 2014, featured summaries of programs and practices that…

This paper examines the nature of the child's disclosure of sexual abuse and assesses the impact of developmental variables on that disclosure. When those variables are recognized, the credibilty of the young child as a witness in court increases. The paper focuses on children between the ages of two and seven. (Author/BN)

Examined effects of participation in an event on four and seven year olds' reports of the event. Results showed that participation lowered susceptibility to suggestion. Older children were less suggestible about actions that took place. Children showed high resistance to suggestions about actions that might be associated with abuse. (SH)

The second edition of this best-selling textbook provides students and practitioners with a broad introduction to, and critical analysis of, the main theories and issues within the field of early childhood studies. The book adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and pulls together all the key themes involved in the study of young children and…

Available from: EC 090 265.

Effects of maltreatment were examined in three domains suggested by attachment theory: relationships with novel adults, effectance motivation, and cognitive maturity. Three samples of four- to eight-year-old children were studied: 93 maltreated children, 67 demographically matched nonmaltreated childen, and 30 nonmaltreated middle-class children.

This study examined whether 3-year-olds could be persuaded to identify a stranger labelled "daddy" as their father. Five of the 17 children misidentified a photograph as their father when the question was repeated. Results suggest that young children's responses to questions of fact are influenced by contextual factors, and have…

Standardized clinical assessments from the point of view of children are rare. A standardized narrative assessment measure, developed to assess children's perceptions of their caregiving environments, the Narrative Story-Stem Technique (NSST), was used with two fraternal twins, age 8, with histories of severe maltreatment and multiple foster…

Thirty-five maltreated children (mean age 36 months) who received treatment in a therapeutic day program had significantly higher developmental scores in five areas -- fine motor, cognitive, gross motor, social/emotional, and language -- than did maltreated children not receiving the treatment. (Author/DB)

Compared the social cognitive styles of abused children with a control sample and found differences in perceived locus of control of social events and social role comprehensions. Similar trends emerged in perspective-taking skills and social sensitivity. Suggests these differences could not be attributed to IQ or class disparities. (Author)

Discusses the effects of child abuse and neglect on young children. Focuses on possible neurological effects; psychological effects, such as disregulation of affect and avoidance of intimacy; and cognitive consequences throughout childhood and adolescence. Describes interventions that can promote resiliency in children, such as providing alternate…

Reviews five books dealing with different aspects of early years development and education. The books address the following topics: sensitive times in physical, intellectual, and emotional growth in children; child physical abuse; resources for teaching about water, environment, and mathematical concepts in early years; and work with children…