M.A. / ADD is a term used to describe a group of individuals who have certain common problems. Most have learning difficulties that may interfere with school and social activities. Many are hyperactive and/or easily distracted with short spans of attention. The exact causes of ADD are not known, but there is widespread acceptance that the disorder is often inherited. ADD is presently managed, but not cured. Effective management requires understanding. It is essential that all those involved develop a commonsense understanding of the associated problems. The aim of this study is to describe the behaviour of ADD children and their parents in order to establish whether similarities exist between the two. This will assist in understanding this complex disorder. The literature review served as a theoretical basis for the research. It also aided in the design of additional questionnaires which were used to gather demographic information on the children and parents involved. The objectives of the study were firstly to describe the behaviour of ADD children using the Behaviour Rating Scale for Hyper-children (BRASH). By analyzing data gathered from this instrument, high scores in the areas of intensity, persistence, sensitivity, perceptiveness, energy and extroversion, were identified. Secondly, the Assessment Scale for Hyperpersons (ASH) was administered in order to collect data concerning the behaviour of parents involved. Areas that received high scores included: intensity, perceptiveness, sensitivity, energy and extroversion. The next objective was to establish possible similarities in the behaviour of ADD children and their parents. The behaviour patterns were compared, and similarities identified. Both groups scored highest in the areas of intensity, perceptiveness, sensitivity, energy and extroversion. The results emphasize ADD as a family issue, rather than an individual one.

Beröring är en modalitet som visat sig spela en stor roll i människans utveckling. Föreliggande studie hade för avsikt att undersöka beröringens roll i barnets språkutveckling, utifrån hur beröring förändras över tid och hur det påverkar barnets produktiva ordförråd. Fri interaktion mellan förälder och barn analyserades utifrån annoteringar med information om beröring, som duration och beröring med eller utan hud-mot-hudkontakt. I undersökningen inkluderades alla former av beröring i den totala beröringsdurationen. Tio barn studerades under det första levnadsåret och då de var 24 månader gamla. Resultaten visar att en minskning av beröringsduration sker under barnens första två levnadsår. Resultatet indikerar några intressanta tendenser som diskuteras utifrån tidigare forskning. Beröring med hud-mot-hudkontakt verkar ha en annan roll än total beröring. Studien utformades explorativt och fann inget signifikant samband mellan beröring vid barns första och andra levnadsår och deras produktiva ordförråd vid 30 månader, varken med eller utan hud-mot-hudkontakt. Studien förser dock framtida forskning med tendenser som behöver studeras vidare.

Abstract The aim of this study was to follow 8 to 36- month old children's communicative development and its' associations with social-emotional skills (the Brief Infant Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment, BITSEA) and behavioural problems. This study is the first study using the Finnish version of the BITSEA. A total of 50 children participated in the Oulu region (first phases at year 2006 and 2007). At the age of 8 months (at year 2006, n =  31), child participants were grouped into two conditions: 1) children possibly needing support for deficiencies in communicative and interaction skills and 2) children without noted areas of need of support in communicative and interaction skills. Through random sampling, three groups were formed and included children from both the above mentioned conditions. The groups met fortnightly for five months for a directed song-play session (enrichment intervention). The sample size was increased at year 2007 (n =  19) and follow-up questionnaires were sent to all of the participating families (N =  50) at the child's age of 18, 24 and 36 months. The sample during the year 2007 did not receive any intervention. Results suggest, that the children's communicative and social-emotional development may be linked to each other. Children who scored higher in the assessments in communicative skills were also more successful on assessments measuring social interaction and social-emotional competence. Children with better communication skills demonstrated higher scores after enrichment-intervention. Scores on the BITSEA demonstrated an association with other indicators of children's development employed in the study suggesting the utility of the BITSEA as a follow-up assessment in Finnish sample. Mothers, who rated high maternal stress (measured at the child's age of 8 months) also rated higher levels of social-emotional and behavioural problems in their children, especially when a child was 18 months. This effect appeared to decrease over time. Results indicate the clinical importance of directly measuring not only a child's linguistic and social-emotional development, but also including assessment of a child's immediate environment, such as parents and siblings. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli seurata 8-36 kuukauden ikäisten lasten kielellistä kehitystä ja sen yhteyttä sosioemotionaaliseen kehitykseen (Brief Infant Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment, BITSEA-lomake) sekä käyttäytymisen ongelmiin. Tämä oli ensimmäinen tutkimus Suomessa, jossa käytettiin BITSEAn suomenkielistä versiota. Tutkimukseen osallistui 50 perhettä (aloitus vuosina 2006 ja 2007) Oulun alueelta. Kahdeksan kuukauden iässä täytettyjen lomakkeiden perusteella (vuonna 2006, n =  31) lapset luokiteltiin vuorovaikutus- ja kommunikaatiotaitojen mukaan kahteen joukkoon: 1) Vuorovaikutus- ja kommunikaatiotaitojen tukea mahdollisesti tarvitsevat lapset ja 2) Lapset, joilla ei todennäköisesti ollut tuen tarvetta vuorovaikutus- ja kommunikaatiotaidoissa. Satunnaisotannalla muodostettiin kolme pienryhmää (rikastuttamisryhmät), joihin kuului sekä mahdollista tukea tarvitsevia että tukea tarvitsemattomia lapsia. Ryhmät kokoontuivat joka toinen viikko viiden kuukauden ajan ohjattuun laulu-leikkituokioon. Tutkimusta laajennettiin syksyllä 2007 (n =  19) ja kaikille tutkimukseen osallistuneille perheille (N = 50) lähetettiin seurantalomakkeita, jotka vanhempien tuli täyttää lapsen ollessa 18, 24 ja 36 kuukauden ikäinen. Vuoden 2007 otoksen perheille ei tarjottu perheinterventiota. Tutkimuksessa kävi ilmi, että lapset, jotka saivat korkeat pisteet sosioemotionaalista kompetenssia kuvaavissa kartoituksissa, menestyivät paremmin myös vuorovaikutus- ja kommunikaatiotaitoja kuvaavissa arvioinneissa. Lapset, joilla oli jo ennestään korkeammat pisteet vuorovaikutus- ja kommunikaatiotaitoja kuvaavissa lomakkeissa, näyttivät saavan korkeammat pisteet myös intervention jälkeen. Tutkimuksessa tuli esiin, että BITSEA -lomake korreloi hyvin muiden lasten kehityksen seurannassa käytettyjen mittareiden kanssa ja soveltuu siten hyvin tutkimuslomakkeeksi suomalaisessakin aineistossa. Lisäksi äidit, jotka arvioivat stressitasonsa korkealle (lapsen ollessa kahdeksan kuukauden ikäinen), arvioivat myöhemmin myös korkeampia pisteitä lasten sosioemotionaalisten ja käyttäytymisen ongelmien kyselylomakkeissa lapsen ollessa 18 kuukauden ikäinen. Tämä vaikutus kuitenkin väheni lapsen kasvaessa. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että perhe- ja neuvolatyössä on lapsen kehityksen kannalta tärkeää huomioida myös hänen kasvuympäristönsä; vanhempien hyvinvointi ja sisarusten määrä vaikuttavat lapsen kielelliseen ja sosioemotionaaliseen kehitykseen.

This study examined the effectiveness of training low income Black American parents in child parent relationship therapy (CPRT). In response to the cultural values and challenges faced by low income Black American parents, the CPRT manual was adapted slightly for use with parents for this study. In this quasi-experimental design, 14 parents were assigned to the experimental group and 13 parents were assigned to the no treatment control group. Six hypotheses were analyzed. Different analyses were conducted based on the hypotheses. A two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were conducted to determine if the CPRT treatment and the no treatment control group performed differently across time according to pretest and posttest results of the Child Behavior Checklist - Parent Version (CBCL) and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Additionally, partial η2 was calculated to determine practical significance. Five hypotheses were retained at the .025 level of significance. Findings indicated that parents who participated in the CPRT training reported a statistically significant decrease in parent-child relationship stress. Specifically, parents assigned to the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in Child Domain (p < .001), Parent Domain (p < .001), and Total Stress (p < .001) of the PSI when compared to parents assigned to the no treatment control group. Similarly, results indicated that parents assigned to the experimental group reported statistically significant improvements in Total Problems (p < .01) and Externalizing Problems (p = .001) of the CBCL, when compared to parents assigned to the no treatment control group. No statistical significant results were found on Internalizing Problems.

When a child has been sexually abused, the non-offending parent and child may benefit from an intervention aimed at enhancing the parent child relationship. This mixed-methods study examined the process of child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) with non-offending parents of children who had been sexually abused. One purpose of the present study was to examine change in parent-child relationship, child behavior, and parent empathy of non-offending parents whose children have been sexually abused after participation in CPRT. A secondary purpose of this study was to explore subjective experiences of non-offending parents who participate in CPRT. Participants (N = 8) completed 11 weeks of CPRT in either Spanish speaking (n = 4) or English speaking (n = 4) groups. All participants completed pretest and posttest instruments including Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, and Measurement of Empathy in Adult-Child Interaction. Pretest and posttest means were reported but because of small sample size, only descriptive statistics are reported. Possible trends in pretest/posttest mean scores of the quantitative instruments are discussed. All participants also completed a post semi-structured interview to account for the experience of participants qualitatively. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed enhanced parent-child relationships, improved communication, greater acceptance, positive parental internal changes, positive behavioral changes in child, and positive changes in discipline.

The effectiveness of Parent Child Interaction Therapy with physically abusive parent child dyads was examined. Thirty-four physically abusive parents and their children were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition in which parents participated in the intervention or a control condition in which regular family preservation services were offered. Parents in the treatment group reported a reduction in the number of child behavior problems, lower levels of stress, and lower abuse potential scores when compared with control parents. Clinical implications along with future recommendations for treatment of physically abusive parents and children are discussed.

Background: Excessive media usage affects children’s health. This study investigated associations between children’s and mother’s media use, parent-child interactions, and early-childhood development outcomes. Methods: 296 healthy 2- to 5-year-old preschoolers (52.4% male, mean age = 3.5) and 
224 mothers from the LIFE-child cohort study were analyzed. Screen times and parent-child interactions were assessed using standardized parental questionnaires. Developmental skills were investigated using the standardized development test ET 6-6-R. Results: High screen times in children (> 1 h/day) were significantly associated with lower percentile ranks in cognition (b = -10.96, p < 0.01), language (b = -12.88, p < 0.01), and social-emotional skills (b = -7.80, p = 0.05). High screen times in mothers (> 5 h/day) were significantly associated with high media use by children (OR = 3.86, p < 0.01). Higher parent-child interaction scores were significantly associated with better body motor (b = 0.41, 
p = 0.05), cognition (b = 0.57, p < 0.01), language (b = 0.48, p = 0.02) and social-emotional outcomes (b = 0.80, p < 0.01) in children. Conclusions: Public health strategies should seek to educate caregivers as competent mediators for their children’s media habits, with focus on the need for children to have frequent parent-child interactions.

De nombreux chercheurs se sont intéressés aux particularités lexicales et pragmatico-discursives du langage que les parents adressent à leur jeune enfant. La revue de la littérature sur ce point montre qu’il existe tantôt des différences tantôt des ressemblances entre les mères et les pères. Cependant, les caractéristiques syntaxiques du langage qu’adressent les parents à leur enfant font rarement l’objet d’études. Par ailleurs, les études portant sur les effets du dialogue, des genres de discours déployés durant celui-ci et des activités dans lesquelles interagissent les dyades parent-enfant sur le développement syntaxique de l’enfant sont encore peu développées.Cette thèse s’articule ainsi autour de trois objectifs : i) mieux cerner les différences et les similitudes qui existent dans le langage maternel et paternel aux niveaux syntaxique et pragmatico-discursif, et d’en observer l’influence sur le langage de l’enfant, ii) évaluer l’effet de l’activité en cours sur les productions et les conduites de dyades mère-enfant et père-enfant, iii) interroger les liens qui existent entre dimension syntaxique et dimension pragmatico-discursive dans le processus d’acquisition du langage.Sept enfants francophones natifs, âgés de 3 à 4 ans, et leurs parents ont été observés dans deux activités : un jeu symbolique et un jeu de cartes illustrées. Leurs productions ont été analysées au niveau syntaxique, tout en considérant certaines propriétés discursives et pragmatiques liées aux usages de ces productions (statut de l’interlocuteur de l’enfant, types d’activité et aspects pragmatico-discursifs). Nos résultats suggèrent que le statut de l’interlocuteur de l’enfant, associé aux types d’activités et aux spécificités du dialogue, constituent un faisceau de variables qu’il convient de considérer si l’on veut mieux décrire les usages syntaxiques des enfants et la variabilité de ceux-ci. / Many researchers have studied lexical and pragmatic-discursive particularities of the language that parents use to address their young child. A literature review shows that there are both differences and similarities between mothers and fathers. However, characteristics of the language that parents use for addressing their child have rarely been studied. Moreover, there is a paucity of studies examining the effects on the child’s syntactic development of dialogue, speech genres and activities during which parent-child dyads interact.This thesis has three goals: i) improve understanding of differences and similarities in the syntactic and pragmatic-discursive aspects of maternal and paternal language and their effect on the child’s language, ii) evaluate the effect of the ongoing activity on the production and the use of mother-child and father-child dyads, iii) investigate the relation between syntactic and pragmatic-discursive dimensions during the language learning process.Seven 3-4 years old native French-speaking children and their parents were observed during two activities: a symbolic play and a picture card game. The syntactic dimensions of their productions were analyzed while considering certain discursive and pragmatic properties related to the use of these productions (status of the child’s interlocutor, type of activity and pragmatic-discursive aspects). Our results suggest that the status of the child’s interlocutor, associated with the type of activity and the dialogue’s specificities, form a body of variables that should be taken into account in order to better describe children’s syntactic uses and their variability.

Abstract It is estimated that approximately 16-20% of youth will develop a diagnosable behavior disorder. Behavioral parent training is a valuable approach to address disruptive behaviors by teaching parents how to effectively manage their child’s challenging behavior with non-physical disciplinary techniques. While these programs are generally effective, attrition rates have been found to be as high as 60% in some cases. This review provides information about the characteristics commonly associated with these programs, the attrition rates of each program, and the general effectiveness of the programs. Meta-analytic procedures were implemented to identify contributing factors leading to withdrawal from intervention. Keywords: parent training, behavioral parent training, parent management training, parent child interaction therapy

本研究之目的是以個人與環境契合理論探討青少年的能力與外在要求是否契合，以及其需求與外在資源問的契合，由契合狀態顯示青少年的適應。而父母教養態度又與青少年的適應有關聯，因此，研究目的又欲呈現在青少年與外在環境的互動中，其所知覺之父母教養態度對其個人與環境之契合有何影響，如何影響，而此一影響結果是否會改變孩子對父母教養態度的知覺，父母教養態度在孩子的適應上扮演什麼角色。 　　首先根據父母管教態度問卷將受訪者區分為正向父母管教態度組以及負向父母管教態度組，再利用深度訪談收集資料。從十個個案分析結果發現，父母教養態度係經由孩子的主觀知覺影響孩子的契合狀態，亦即，當孩子面對一環境事件，他對此事件的知覺與對自己的知覺決定其個人與環境是否契合，契合狀態以及對事件、對自己的知覺影響孩子選擇之因應或防衛方式，因應或防衛的結果，可能會改變孩子的契合狀態；而父母親對於此事的態度，孩子對父母親態度的知覺，亦如同一環境事件，形成外在要求或外在資源，影響孩子在此事件上的契合。其中孩子知覺之父母教養態度、孩子對事件與對個人的知覺以及因應與防衛均會相互影響，又共同作用於孩子的契合。 　　父母教養態度經由上述歷程影響孩子的適應，而不同的父母教養態度也會對孩子的適應造成不同影響。研究結果顯示，當孩子知覺父母的教養態度是關懷、寬嚴適中、適中限制、民主、協助、建議、愛護、誘導、獎勵、一致、親子認同等積極性教養態度，會促使孩子之個人與環境契合，有利於孩子的適應；當孩子知覺父母的教養態度是嚴格、控制、忽視、矛盾、獎懲無常、期待、紛歧等消極性教養態度時，會擴大孩子的不契合，不利於孩子的適應。正向父母管教態度組之個案知覺到較多積極性父母教養態度，負向父母教養態度組知覺到較多消極性父母教養態度。 　　整體而言，本研究累積十位個案的資料，藉以呈現父母教養態度對青少年期孩子生活適應影響之面貌，其中以正向與負向父母管教態度組相對照，有助於了解那種父母教養態度有利於孩子的適應，那些父母教養態度不利於孩子的適應，同時顯現其作用歷程。