Despite a growing body of research regarding the effects of media on very young children, most studies have focused on relatively short-term effects, and those that examined long-term effects have not done so with a representative sample. The current study examined long-term effects of screen media exposure on children aged 0 to 35 months. The data for this study came from the first and second waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) Child Development Supplement (CDS-I and CDS-II), which offers several advantages in examining the longitudinal relationships between early television exposure and subsequent academic performance. This nationally representative dataset includes a measure of cognitive skills, as well as time diaries that provide a record of how and with whom children spent their time. First, this study examined television viewing contexts likely to be operative in infancy and toddlerhood -- what these children view, whom they co-view with, what they co-view, and what they are doing while the television is on. Second, this study assessed the long-term effects of early exposure to different program content (i.e., child-educational programs, child-noneducational programs & adult programs) on subsequent cognitive outcomes (mainly academic achievement) in early childhood. Finally, the role of parental co-viewing in the long-term effects of exposure to child-educational content on academic skills was examined. Descriptive analyses and multiple OLS regressions were conducted. On weekdays, children were exposed to child-educational content, child-noneducational content and adult content on TV (33 minutes, 29 minutes, 27 minutes, respectively); on weekends, children were exposed to child-educational content, child-noneducational content and adult content on TV (23 minutes, 31 minutes, 31 minutes, respectively). Although it is commonly believed that television displaces time spent with others and playing, nearly half of infants and toddlers' time spent viewing television was spent playing and in social interaction (30% and 16%, respectively). Different relationships emerged among groups with differing amounts of total television exposure: children who were exposed to 1 to 2 hours of television per day had higher academic test scores compared to children who were exposed to less (those who watched no TV at all and those who were exposed to between 0 and 1 hour). As regards television content, the only relationship found was among toddlers exposed to adult content. Toddlers who were exposed to more adult programs in their early years were likely to have worse passage comprehension test scores 5 year later. However, there was no relationship between early exposure to child programs (i.e., child-educational and child-noneducational content) and subsequent academic test scores. Parental co-viewing of child-educational content was positively related to the academic achievement test scores (the passage comprehension test scores and the applied problem scores), indicating that parental co-viewing plays an important role in children's experience of media in infancy and toddlerhood. The findings have implications that may allow us to increase the effectiveness of learning from screen media in infancy and toddlerhood. / text

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Administrators at the focus school had not determined if participation in a music program has influenced students' academic achievement, thereby ushering doubt about the utility of this program. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine the impact of the music program on students' English language arts (ELA) and math Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) scores. The theoretical foundation for this study was Miendlarzweska and Trost's model of musical training, which indicates the impact of musical training on academic, social, and cognitive outcomes and identifies factors that mediate that impact. Archival data were retrieved on 74 Grade 5-8 students who participated in the program during the 2012-2013 school year and who also participated during the 2011-2012 school year as Grade 4-7 students. Analysis of covariance indicated no significant effect on ELA or math MAP scores for music program participation. Implications for positive social change include providing initial research findings to the local site on the potential academic impact of this music program. Further research with recent data and larger sample sizes were recommended. Additional research at the local level may yield results that can help administrators better support higher levels of student success.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in the U.S. and disproportionately affects young children. The negative consequences of early childhood TBI include deficits in behavior and attention, cognitive abilities, and academic skills. Behavior problems in particular are one of the most common and persistent consequences following TBI in young children. Therefore, interventions are needed that target the adverse effects of TBI on behavior. The purpose of the current work was to examine the initial outcome, feasibility, acceptability, and satisfaction of a time-limited and intensive format of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for families with a child aged 2 to 5 years who had sustained a TBI and displayed clinically elevated externalizing behavior problems. The open trial included 10 families that completed a baseline assessment, received the intervention over 5 weeks, and completed post-intervention and 2-month follow-up assessments. Results indicated that children who completed the intervention showed significant improvements in both externalizing and internalizing behavior problems at post-intervention and 2-month follow-up, with the exception of non-significant change in self-regulation at post-intervention and 2-month follow-up, and attention problems at 2-month follow-up. In addition, significant improvements were found on all cognitive measures examining working memory, receptive language, and executive functioning at post-intervention and 2-month follow-up. Similarly, caregivers who completed the intervention displayed significant improvements in their parenting skills during play with their child and reported significant reductions in overall caregiver stress and caregiver stress related to their child’s difficult behaviors. Despite limitations inherent in an open trial (e.g., small sample, lack of a control group, generalizability), the current study addressed a relatively unexplored research question and suggests that an intensive format of PCIT may be a promising approach for improving domains commonly affected by early childhood TBI (e.g., behavioral, cognitive, and family functioning) prior to the development of more severe and persistent problems.

Early childhood education and family involvement have been shown to provide a positive impact on students' academic achievement regardless of socioeconomic circumstances and background. They have been regarded as two of the most important protective factors in maximizing outcomes for children at risk, especially those from low-income backgrounds. The overall objective of this study was to examine how family involvement changes over time, whether it predicted cognitive outcomes for preschool populations, and potential variables that mediate the relationship between family involvement and outcomes. Data from the Head Start Impact Study conducted through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) were used to answer the research questions. Exploratory and Confirmatory analysis revealed three dimensions of home involvement based on survey items: involvement related to literacy, numeracy, and family resources. Growth curve models suggested increased levels of involvement as children progressed from preschool to first grade. Higher levels of involvement for Literacy for observed for children in Head Start during the first data collection follow-up. The types of involvement were significantly related to cognitive scores as measured by the PPVT-III and WJ-III Achievement. Parenting styles acted as a mediator between involvement and cognitive outcomes. Implications for policy and practice related to transition services are discussed. / School Psychology