Recent studies have focused on predictors of exclusionary practices in early childhood, but few have examined what happens after a child is removed from care. Families' difficulty finding new care is complicated by the shortages of convenient, affordable and quality childcare in the United States. Using online surveys, we gathered data from parents whose children received multiple behavioural warnings

Delay of gratification tasks have an impressive predictive value for various outcomes and are designed to measure self‐regulation. Since many behavioural and psychological conditions in children are related to limitations in self‐regulation, the extent to which delay tasks can be used as a screening for the detection of psychopathology is examined. Children from the general population (non‐clinical

Although the role of the home in supporting early childhood development, early learning and school outcomes is well established, the perspectives of caregivers on child development and schooling outcomes are comparatively underexplored. This qualitative study was conducted with caregivers of children aged 6–10 years in Mahikeng, South Africa and aimed to explore their beliefs related to the interconnected

Studying early language development has been a challenging task throughout the years. Earlier studies mostly documented language competence only after toddlers had started producing their first words. Theoretical and methodological advances in this domain brought about more sophisticated ways of probing into early development by exploiting overt infant behaviour. One such method is based on so‐called

The mental health and well‐being of children and adolescents are critical public health concerns globally. This cross‐sectional study analysed nationally representative data from the combined 2016–2022 National Survey of Children's Health (n = 239,534) to produce estimates of parent‐reported diagnoses of children's anxiety, depression and behavioural or conduct problems, and to examine temporal trends

We introduce Speech Transcriber with Rev AI (STR) ‐ a Python script that allows for easy interfacing with the Rev AI speech transcription service. Recent advancements in technology have led to increased accuracy and affordability of automatic transcription services, making them preferable over the laborious and time‐consuming process of manual transcription. STR allows users to take advantage of speech‐to‐text

The home math environment is a context where children develop early mathematics skills, which are key for their future learning. Most of the research in the field, however, comes from North American and European countries and is largely based on self‐report questionnaires. This qualitative study describes the beliefs, attitudes and experiences of parents of preschoolers in Chile. Twenty‐three parents

Music is a highly effective medium for communicating emotions among enculturated adults. In Western music, emotion perception is influenced by intensity cues (e.g., tempo and loudness) and valence cues (e.g., major vs. minor mode). Here, 5‐year‐old Canadian children (N = 57, 26 boys, 31 girls, Mage = ~5.5 years) and adults (N = 59, 45 women, 9 men, 5 non‐binary/did not report, Mage = ~18.5 years) rated

We investigated the relationship between social media and loneliness in early adolescents in Perú across 15 months of COVID‐19 lockdowns (grades 6–8; 56% female in May 2020). Cross‐sectional analyses with data from May 2020 (n = 1613) found that higher social media intensity was associated with higher feelings of loneliness. In a longitudinal follow‐up study (n = 455), we investigated bidirectional

The home environment (HE) is one of young children's most proximal and impactful settings. Little research has examined the nature of variability in the HE for children from low‐income homes, even as more recent work suggests heterogeneity within economically disadvantaged households. Using a subsample from a larger, longitudinal study, we examined the extent to which differential profiles of the HE

The current study examined the inter‐brain coherence (IBC) between 34 dyads of fathers and infants 7–9 months of age using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We specifically focused on father–infant IBC to broaden the empirical base beyond the mother–infant connections, as the former has received limited attention. There were three conditions: a baseline condition and two task conditions

This study evaluates the Children's Worlds Psychological Well‐Being Scale (CW‐PSWBS) within a diverse international cohort of children aged 10 and 12, utilising Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) methodologies. Through a detailed psychometric analysis, this research assesses the CW‐PSWBS's structural integrity, focusing on its unidimensionality and measurement invariance across

The development of emotional competence is an important milestone during early childhood. Beyond early experience within the family, the (preschool) classroom is a relevant socialisation context, and both teachers and peers may contribute to children's emotion‐related outcomes. Tracking changes in the emotion regulation competence of N = 173 preschool children (age in months: M = 43.3, SD = 6.6, 45%

When children are aged around 2 years, many of the early foundations of mathematical skills are developing. Understanding this is important to shed light on theories of mathematical development. Nevertheless, little research has investigated 2‐year‐olds' early mathematical abilities, with most research focussing on either infants (aged 0–1 years) or pre‐schoolers (aged 3–5 years). One possible reason

Codeswitching is a common feature of bilingual language practices, yet its impact on word learning is poorly understood. Critically, processing costs associated with codeswitching may extend to learning. Moreover, verbs tend to be more difficult to learn than nouns, and the challenges of learning verbs could compound with processing costs associated with codeswitching. In two Experiments, we taught

While studies have documented neural correlates of language delay in toddlers with developmental conditions, those at genetic risk for language delay, and those born premature, no studies have examined neural correlates in toddlers exhibiting early language delay without known aetiology. This study examines brain morphometry in toddlers with and without early language delay. To do so, we collected

To address the need for interventions targeting social emotional development and mental health of young children in South Africa, the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool was co‐designed, and piloted with caregivers and 3–5‐year‐old children involved in home visiting programmes promoting early childhood development. The aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and

Parent responsiveness to infants' cues may support attachment, mental health, and neurodevelopment. Across studies, parent responsiveness includes various behaviours (e.g., verbal responses, sensitivity, timeliness, physical proximity). Mixed evidence regarding associations between parent responsiveness and child development may be partially attributable to variable conceptualizations of parent responsiveness

Cognitive tasks are seldom evaluated on their ability to provide valid and reliable measurements of the construct they intend to measure. This scarcity of psychometric evaluations makes it challenging to evaluate replications of experimental effects and to relate performance in cognitive tasks to other constructs of interest. In developmental science, these issues are compounded by the often‐imprecise

Twin studies are important for research on genetic and environmental influences on child development, but it is imperative to test whether findings can be generalised from twins to singletons. Since the first months of life are defined by the emergence of important sleep behaviours, we compared 451 (54.8% females) twins and 77 singletons (48.1% females) on a range of sleep, settle and crying behaviours

This systematic review and meta‐analyses aim to synthesise evidence about behavioural interventions to address dysregulated sleeping and cry/fuss behaviour in infants aged up to 12 months and the effects on infant behaviour and maternal mental health. A systematic literature search of English‐language publications was performed in November 2020 and updated in May 2023 using Medline, Embase, PsychInfo

The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is highly responsive to changes in environmental conditions and serves an essential role in mobilising the metabolic resources required for young children to regulate their thoughts, emotions and behaviours. According to polyvagal theory, the PNS evolved to play a leading role in the neurophysiological response to situations that range from modestly challenging

Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity has widespread research applications but poses measurement challenges due to its high sensitivity to environmental conditions and immediate demands. While standardised methods exist for measuring PNS reactivity and recovery in response to stressors, the selection of appropriate baseline and resting states is often overlooked. This commentary argues that

Adopted youth often have contact with or at least information about birth family members—but such relationships or knowledge rarely extend to birth fathers. The current study explores ideas, feelings, and questions about birth fathers among youth raised by two mothers, including whether or not they desire contact. Interviews were conducted with 25 adolescents, ages 13–19 years. Thematic analysis of

In a sample of 110 Mexican‐origin infants (M = 7.24 months; SD = 2.06; range, 3.78–13.04 months; 58% male) we examined the bidirectional covariation of mother and infant positive and negative emotions across the day. Further, we examined maternal emotion regulation as a potential moderator of the linkage between mother‐infant emotions. Using an Ecological Momentary Assessment design, mothers reported

Past research has demonstrated that children prefer to learn from confident rather than hesitant informants. It is frequently assumed that they do so because they believe confidence to predict a person's knowledge and future accuracy; however, this assumption has not previously been tested. The present investigation therefore explored how 3‐ to 8‐year‐old children interpret informant confidence. Study

Cross‐sectional research employing the mirror mark test of self‐recognition has dominated research focused on the development of self‐reflection in children. However, the mirror mark test may fail to capture the complexity of self as a social object, and the developmental antecedents and consequences of self‐reflection remain largely uncharted. Here, we provide an overview of the extant longitudinal

The home environment is a significant factor that greatly influences the motor development of children. This study aims to examine the cultural adaptation validity and reliability of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development (AHEMD‐SR) for Turkish children aged 18–42 months. The study included 103 Turkish children (mean age = 29.3 ± 7.4 months; 57.3% female, 42.6% male). The majority

Women raise children within cultural ideologies that enforce gendered standards for caregiving. In market‐driven societies, working mothers face the ‘intensive mothering ideology’, which demands self‐sacrifice for children while promoting self‐interest at work. Fathers are primarily framed as breadwinners. We know little about how ethnically and racially diverse, low‐SES mothers construct ideas of

Infant pointing is predictive of later language development, but little is known about factors enhancing the development of pointing. The current study investigated two possible social learning mechanisms in the development of pointing. Given that infants observe their caregivers' pointing gestures from early on, one possibility is learning via imitation. A second possibility is that caregivers' contingent

Measures of parasympathetic regulation, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), predict executive function outcomes, including inhibitory control, across childhood. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia augmentation tends to be associated with more maladaptive outcomes, compared to RSA suppression, but the literature regarding RSA profiles and inhibitory control development across infancy and early childhood

This study used naturalistic audio–visual recordings from early care and education (ECE) settings to examine the associations between toddlers' (76 toddlers, 40 female, Mage = 32.94 months, SD = 4.92 months) multimodal emotion expressions and emotion‐related vocalizations with contingent teacher interventions. Findings indicated a correspondence between multimodal emotion expressions and emotion‐related

Children comprehend iconic gestures relatively later than deictic gestures. Previous research with English‐learning children indicated that they could comprehend iconic gestures at 26 months, a pattern whose extension to other languages is not yet known. The present study examined Turkish‐learning children's iconic gesture comprehension and its relation to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. Turkish‐learning

As a development‐enhancing or a risk‐promoting environment, coparenting may shape the association between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and infant regulatory capacity. This study aimed to analyse the moderator role of coparenting cooperation and conflict in the association between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and infant regulatory capacity at 3 months. The sample comprised 103 primiparous

This study investigated the potential influences of administration context on the measurement of child skills. The Brief Observation of Social‐Communication Change (BOSCC) was administered at two time points to preschool‐aged children with autism in two contexts: (1) at school by trained research staff and (2) at home by the parent. Participants were of ages 3–5 years (M = 4.27 years) old with a confirmed

Children with elevated behavioural inhibition (BI) show context‐inappropriate fear and dysregulated RSA across stressor tasks. However, few studies have examined dynamic RSA within tasks and relations to parent and child anxiety. Using piecewise growth modelling and multimethod baseline data from an intervention study of 151 3.5–5‐year‐old children and their parents, we examined relations between child

This study examined whether parental sensitivity during distressing and non‐distressing mother–infant interactions predicts changes in young children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) activity. Baseline RSA levels were collected from 83 children (49% female, 51% male) when children were 7 and 18 months old. Children's RSA reactivity and RSA recovery during the still‐face paradigm were collected

Perspective taking and cognitive flexibility are important abilities for navigating our everyday lives. In this longitudinal study with 108 children (61 girls, mostly White), we investigated the developmental relation between Level 1 perspective taking at 27 months of age and Level 2 perspective taking at 52 months of age as well as relations to cognitive flexibility at 52 months of age. We found that

This study examines metacognitive monitoring in Turkish preschoolers aged 48–66 months, crucial for their learning and development. A specialised paired‐association task was designed to assess higher‐order thinking skills in this age group. Data from 160 children (52.5% girls, 47.5% boys; mean age 57.6 months, standard deviation 4.8) were analysed. The Metacognitive Thinking Test includes Recall and

Caregiver executive functions (EFs) play an integral role in shaping cognitive development. Here, we investigated how caregiver EF abilities (86 caregivers; mean age = 33.4 years, SD = 4.5) was associated with visual working memory (VWM) in infants (86 infants females; mean age = 250.6 days, SD = 35.8). The BRIEF‐A was used to assess caregiver EFs, and a preferential looking task along with fNIRS was

The transition to and through kindergarten is consequential for the academic, social, and emotional wellbeing of children. Policies and practices are in place to smooth that transition. Researchers are working to understand which practices work best and for whom, particularly as the student population in U.S. schools continues to diversify. In this study, we analysed data from a large longitudinal

Limited longitudinal studies have explored the development of reading, along with its predictors, in a language characterized by shallow orthography and a simple syllabic structure. In a 5‐year longitudinal study, we investigated the development of reading skills in 327 Italian‐speaking children (male: n = 180, 55%) from Grade 1 (mean age = 6.16 ± 0.28) to Grade 5 (mean age = 10.82 ± 0.31). We tested

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, research indicated increased psychological distress among adolescents. However, limited research has investigated the association between COVID‐19‐related stress and the adolescent hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, a critical stress response system. To address this gap, we conducted a longitudinal study exploring the relationship between COVID‐19 stressors and

Generic descriptions (e.g., ‘girls are emotional’) are argued to play a major role in the development of essentialist reasoning about social categories. Although generics are prevalent across languages, studies exploring if and how generic language leads to essentialism have almost exclusively been conducted in English‐speaking communities and among Western samples. This is a significant limitation

Children's emotional well‐being may emerge as a result of the dynamic interplay between individual factors, such as temperament and environmental factors, such as parenting stress. The current study aimed to investigate the contributions of child temperament and parenting stress to children's emotional well‐being. This study also examined the moderating role of parenting stress on the association between

Executive function (EF) skills are consistently associated with global mathematics assessments. However, less is known about which specific mathematics skills invoke EF in early childhood. We adapted batteries of EF, numerical, and patterning tasks to be conducted via synchronous video conferencing with typically developing 4‐year‐old children (N = 115, 56.6% female, 85.2% White, non‐Hispanic, 7.8%

Previous research on children's knowledge about the mind has primarily focused on their comprehension of false beliefs, leaving the conceptualization of thoughts and thinking less explored. To address this gap, we developed a new assessment tool, the interview about the mind (IaM), to assess children's understanding of the mind. Two studies involving Polish preschool and early school‐aged children

Maternal substance use and unpredictable maternal sensory signals may affect child development, but no studies have examined them together. We explored the unpredictability, frequency and duration of maternal sensory signals in 52 Caucasian mother–child dyads, 27 with and 25 without maternal substance use. We also examined the association between unpredictable maternal signals and children's cognitive

We examined if there were profiles of infants' behavioural and physiological responses during the still‐face and if these profiles were predicted by maternal sensitivity. Participants included 230 mothers (40.4% non‐white) and their 2‐month‐old infants (48.7% female). Three profiles were identified: continually increasing negative affect and decreasing respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) (17.39%); modest

During the Covid‐19 pandemic new stressors were added to the usual challenges parents face, changing habits and reduced physical activity, all factors that negatively affect sleep quality in adults and children. This study examines (1) possible changes in the sleep‐wake patterns of parents and children before and after the March–May 2020 lockdown and during the new restrictions imposed by the Italian

Poor early childhood self‐regulation is related to many mental health problems and antisocial behaviours, so it is important to use psychometrically sound instruments to assess children's self‐regulation and behavioural development. The aim of this study is to report the translation, adaptation, as well as explore the construct validity of the child self‐regulation & behaviour questionnaire (CSBQ)

The pervasiveness of racism in the U.S. and its negative relations with key development outcomes has led researchers to uncover mediators, of which this article argues efficacy should be considered. Self‐efficacy, one's belief in their capability to accomplish a task or goal, can be measured in multiple domains of functioning and contexts to predict behaviour. The current study examines possible specificity

Child temperament is a predictor of non‐verbal ability (i.e. thinking and problem‐solving skills that do not fundamentally require verbal language production and comprehension). Given that temperament scores might vary depending on whether the reporter is a parent or a teacher, this study analyses (a) whether those reports are different and (b) how each report predicts child non‐verbal ability in a

Children's early experiences have potential to shape their development through early childhood, middle childhood, and into adolescence. Family structure at birth and material hardship may offer insight into how children's health and well‐being are shaped within their family of origin. The current paper examined (a) the association between family structure at birth and material hardship 1‐year post‐birth