The goal of the diploma thesis is to map the relationship between two intelligence tests for children based on comparison of selected verbal subtests used on pre-school children. The thesis deals with the verification of the so-called Flynn effect in relation to the different age of S-B IV. test and IDS test. The theoretical section describes the intelligence as a concept, individual approaches to its research and diagnostics, including specifics of working with children in this age group. Different tests of intelligence designed for children are presented with more attention paid to the tests used in the research. The theoretical part also deals with the development period of pre-school children, speech and issues with an obsolescence of the tests. In the empirical section of the thesis, the data from 30 children that have undergone the tests are processed using correlation and regression analyses. Conclusions based on the statistical analyses are developed further in an empirical section while the study revealed the following surprising findings. A significant relationship between the S-B IV. test and IDS test has not been found and there was no confirmation of the Flynn effect hypothesis. The discussion section focuses on the reflection of the research conclusions including the limitations of...

The thesis "Contemporary Magazines for Preschool Children from Family Point of View" introduces the area of reading pre-literacy focused on the issue of children's magazines. The theoretical part of the thesis defines the notion of the pre-literacy and the importance of reading pre-literacy in relation to the child of pre-school age. It also focuses on the child's relationship to the book and the children's magazine. The empirical part aims to explore children's magazines through documentary analysis, focusing on the content of current magazines for pre- school children. Another goal is to find out, by means of a questionnaire survey, on what criteria the parents choose children's magazines and what role the children themselves have in choosing the magazine. The results of the analysis found that there are magazines of good quality and content suitable for preschool children (Báječná školka, Raketa) and lesser quality magazines (Barbie, Auta). The results of the questionnaire survey show that most parents choose a children's magazine according to the quality of the texts, however the children's wishes plays an important role in the selection.

Title: Relationship between forced vital capacity and hand grip strength in children Objectives: One of goals of this thesis is to find out how strong is the connection between the strength of a children's handgrip and the FVC. Another aim is to ascertain what is the age limit to use a handgrip examination to estimate the children's FVC. The last goal is to determine whether a body height, weight and age of a child are crucial to evaluate the handgrip and the FVC. Methods: First part of this thesis is a research and tries to summarize basic information about an issue of dynamometry, spirometry and to characterize each of age brackets which are the main aim of this thesis. Second part of this work is a survey for which data from sport festivals for children and youth were assembled. This data were statistically processed to calculate correlation and to make graphs showing linear regression between observed variables (handgrip and FVC), finally the results were interpreted. Results: Between the handgrip and the FVC was proven a strong correlation (girls , boys ). It is possible to evaluate FVC with younger school age children from the value of handgrip's strenght. Values of strenght of a handgrip are strongly influenced by body length, weight and age of a child. Keywords: strenght of a handgrip, FVC,...

The purpose of this survey is to gain an insight into preschool children´s experience of yoga at the preschool. To investigate this semistructured interviews with seven children in one and the same preschool have been conducted. The result shows that the children´s perception of yoga is that yoga is something you do with your body and that yoga is good for your body. The result also shows that the children experience yoga as both a physical experience and as a sensational experience. / Syftet med denna studie var att få en inblick i förskolebarns upplevelse av yoga på förskolan. För att undersöka detta har semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju barn på en och samma förskola genomförts. Resultatet visar att barnens uppfattning av yoga är att yoga är något man gör med kroppen och att yoga är bra för kroppen. Resultatet visar också att barnen upplever yoga både som en fysisk upplevelse och som en sinnesupplevelse.

Obesity and related chronic diseases are emerging public health issues among children in Peru, where more than 13 percent of children five years and younger are overweight or obese. Although parents have been identified as one of the most important determinants of healthy weight in young children, there are no known studies that have explored the perceptions of Peruvian parents regarding obesity prevention. This study assessed the nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Peruvian parents, and sought to determine if there is a relationship between their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. The cross-sectional survey study sampled 204 parents of three and four-year-old children attending five preschools in a resource-poor Southern Lima setting. The Pen-3 cultural model guided the assessment of parental characteristics using the BAQ-HH survey across three domains; knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding diet and physical activity. Additional data was abstracted from school records to assess children’s BMI and compare parental perceptions of child’s weight with child’s measured weight status. Parent respondents were predominantly female (86%) between 20 and 39 years old (85.1%). Less than one third (30.5%) were receiving information about nutrition or physical activity. Data was available for 147 children of the participants, 53.7 % were female with a mean age of 49.4 months and a mean BMI of 16.7. Nearly half the children (41.3%) exceeded healthy weight. Parents demonstrated healthy knowledge and behaviors, but unhealthy attitudes. Parental knowledge and attitudes were predictive of behaviors (F(2,166)=5.826, p=0.004, R2=0.066). The majority (56.6%) of Peruvian parents accurately perceived their child’s weight status but 9.6% of parents of overweight and obese children were able to do so. Understanding the nutrition and physical activity knowledge and perceptions of Peruvian preschooler parents can advance local and national health ministry and public health obesity prevention initiatives for young children.

Despite the concept of twins and twinning being a highly explored area of research for many years, limited research has been conducted on the comparison of first and second born twin development. The nature of twins leads people to believe that twins will present with similar characteristics, however, this study explores the possibility that due to their ordinal position they could in fact present with differing characteristics and could differ developmentally. The early holistic development of a child influences the rest of their lives. Concerning twins, the development of individuality and self-knowledge is especially important. Theorists, such as Piaget (1950), propose that child development takes place in stages and that although the order in which children proceed through these stages is the same, the pace at which this takes place can vary. The necessity of monitoring the child’s journey through these stages highlights the value of child developmental assessment. This form of assessment needs to be holistic, needs to involve a multidisciplinary team of professionals and needs to utilize assessment measures that are valid, reliable, culture-fair and standardized. The Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER) is one such measure. This study, focusing on twin development, aimed to contribute and provide valuable information to a larger research project that is currently under way aiming to increase the applicability of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER) in the South African context. The primary aim of the study, however, was to explore and compare the performance of normal first born and second born twins, aged between 2 and 8 years 4 months old, on the GMDS-ER. The purpose of the study was to generate information on the relationship between first born twins’ general development and second born twins’ general development. An exploratory, descriptive quantitative design was used. Participants were selected through a combination of non-probability purposive, convenience and snowball sampling. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and dependent sample t-tests were employed to compare the General Quotients (GQ’s) of the first and second born twins in the sample. Results showed that no significant differences were found between the first and second born twins’ general development. Information generated from this study contributed to 1) child development research; 2) twin developmental research within a South African context; and 3) a greater group of studies on the GMDS-ER, currently underway in the United Kingdom and South Africa, aiming to contribute to the international credibility of this measure

Background. The experience of parenting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is generally understood to encompass higher levels of parenting stress relative to families of typically developing children and, in many instances, when viewed in comparison to children with other disabilities. Emerging evidence suggests that when children with ASD present with elevated attention problems, parents may be more likely to engage in harsh parenting during dyadic interactions (Donnelly, 2015). Despite this, few studies have examined the relationship between attention problems and observed parenting in families of children with ASD, which has been well-described in the literature as a particularly challenging context for parents. This dissertation investigated the relationship between child attention and observed parenting behaviors in a community sample of mothers of children with ASD in early childhood. The extent and nature of this relationship was further explored by observing whether parenting stress and depression played a role in mediating this relationship, and by investigating whether the relationship varied by child behavior and level of functioning. Parenting behaviors were directly observed across three dyadic tasks selected to approximate naturalistic situations in which parents and their children interact. It was hypothesized that increased attention problems would be linked to greater parenting stress, decreased positive parenting, and increased harsh parenting. Increased understanding of how attention problems relate to parenting within an ASD population will inform the selection and design of interventions uniquely suited to meet the needs of children and their families. Methods. This sample of 42 mother-child dyads included children with ASD attending a specialized preschool, where they received Applied Behavior Analysis educational programming. Child participants ranged in age from two years, six months to five years, six months, and all diagnostic classifications were corroborated through the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (Lord et al., 2012). Parent and child behaviors during dyadic interactions were video recorded and then coded using the Psychological Multifactor Care Scale — ASD Adapted Preschool Version (Brassard, Donnelly, Hart, & Johnson, 2016). These direct observations of parent and child behavior were used to examine quality of parenting, child negativity toward the mother, and child engagement in tasks during parent-child interactions. Following the interaction, mothers completed a number of self-report measures assessing demographic characteristics, Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition, Short Form (PSI-4: SF; Abidin, 2012, maternal depressive symptoms on the PHQ9 (Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001), and the Attention Problems scale on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Classroom teachers completed the Communication domain of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales –Third Edition (Vineland-3; Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Saulnier, 2016). Results. Children with ASD and clinically elevated attention problems (n = 19) had signifiantly lower verbal ability, more CBCL aggression, and their mothers reported signficantly more stress than children with ASD only (n = 23). Observed child engagement was significntly correlated with CBCL attention problems in the overall sample (r = -.42, p<.01), although the groups (ASD only v. ASD plus elevated attention problems) did not differ significantly (p < .06). Increased attention problems were significantly negatively related to positive parenting in this sample, even when ASD severity and verbal ability were controlled. Although a mediation model failed to support a model where attention problems predicted differences in observed parenting through parenting stress, reverse models showed increased positive parenting predicted decreased child attention problems through its effect on parenting stress. The role of maternal depressive symptoms as a mediator of this relationship was unsupported. Perhaps unsurprisingly, observed child behavior was found to be an important factor in understanding parenting behavior; however, the nature of its role was multifaceted. While observed child negativity was directly linked to lower levels of positive parenting, it moderated the relationship between child attention problems and harsh parenting, as mediated by parenting stress. In particular, attention problems were positively linked to greater stress, but this stress was more likely to be accompanied by a greater increase in harsh parenting behavior when children demonstrated negativity toward their mothers. The relationship between child attention problems and positive parenting varied by child verbal ability. For children with higher verbal ability, attention problems were linked to a drop in positive parenting, while this relationship was unsupported in children with underdeveloped communication skills. Conclusions. Child attention problems are a powerful predictor of parenting stress and less positive parenting. While it was expected that variation in attention problems would predict differences in parenting, reverse models showed more promise in identifying and defining the relationship between these variables, where mothers who exhibited more harsh parenting and less positive parenting experienced higher levels of parenting stress and their children demonstrated increased attentional problems and decreased engagement during dyadic interactions. The strength of this relationship varied according to observed child negativity and level of functioning. Clinical implications for practitioners and future directions for research investigating parenting children with ASD are discussed.

This thesis deals with a project whose mission is to optimize the social services of the entity, so as to increase the motivation and productivity of employees. The project is focused on building the corporate childcare facilities for pre-school children of employees. The work also includes an analysis of the risks associated with the construction of facilities and fund the project from European funds.

L’objectif de ce travail est d’évaluer le développement des compétences sociales chez les enfants avec TSA d’âge préscolaire. 19 enfants (âge moyen au début de l’étude = 52,44 mois ; écart-type = 10,07) scolarisés en Unités d’Enseignement en Maternelle ont été suivis pendant 10 mois. En référence au modèle de Yeates et collaborateurs (2007), les compétences sociales sont appréhendées selon 2 composantes parmi 3, le traitement de l’information sociale et les comportements d’interaction sociale. Le traitement de l’information sociale est évalué au moyen de l’exploration visuelle de scènes sociales dans un paradigme d’eye-tracking. Les comportements d’interaction sociale sont observés en situation écologique, en milieu scolaire. De façon attendue, les principaux résultats montrent que la sévérité des troubles et le niveau socio-communicatif au début de l’étude des enfants influencent le développement de leurs compétences sociales dans ces deux composantes. Toutefois, ceci est à moduler en fonction du contexte. Les patterns d’exploration des scènes sociales sont relativement stables au cours de l’année scolaire. En revanche, des progrès sont notables au niveau des comportements sociaux en classe. De plus, des liens peuvent être faits entre le développement du traitement de l’information sociale et des comportements d’interaction sociale en classe. L’analyse des profils individuels démontre une variété de trajectoires individuelles de développement des compétences sociales pouvant être mise en lien avec les profils cliniques des enfants. / The purpose of this work is to assess the development of social skills in preschool childrenwith ASD. 19 children (mean age at baseline = 52.44 months, SD = 10.07) enrolled in Kindergarten special schools were followed for 10 months. Based on the model of Yeates et al. (2007), social skills are apprehended according to two of three components, the social information processing and the social interaction behaviors. The social information processing is evaluated by the visual exploration of social scenes in an eye-tracking paradigm. The social interaction behaviors are observed in ecological situation at school. Expectedly, the main results show that the severity of the disorders and the socio-communicative level at the beginning of the study influence the development of children’s social skills in these two components. However, this need to be modulated according to the context. Patterns of social scenes exploration are relatively stable during the school year. On the other hand, a progress is notable in terms of social behavior in the classroom. In addition, links can be made between the development of social information processing and social interaction behaviors in the classroom. The analysis of individual profiles demonstrates a variety of individual social skills development trajectories that can be linked to the clinical profiles of children.

L’épidémie de surpoids et d’obésité concerne également les jeunes enfants, se caractérise par d’importantes inégalités sociales et entraîne des conséquences graves pour la santé à court, moyen et long terme. Les comportements impliqués dans la balance énergétique, à savoir l’activité physique, l’exposition à la télévision et l’alimentation pourraient jouer un rôle déterminant vis-à-vis du risque d’obésité du jeune enfant et sont potentiellement modifiables. Les objectifs de ce travail étaient d’étudier l’association entre ces comportements, considérés isolément mais aussi de manière intégrée sous forme de clusters multi-comportementaux à 2 et 5 ans, et le risque d’obésité et ce, séparément chez les filles et les garçons. Le risque d’obésité a été appréhendé au travers de la masse grasse à 5 ans et de l’âge au rebond d’adiposité. Le travail s’appuie sur les données de la cohorte EDEN. A 2 ans, le temps de jeux extérieurs chez les filles et le temps passé devant la télévision chez les garçons étaient respectivement associés inversement et positivement au pourcentage de masse grasse à 5 ans. A 2 ans, nous avons identifié des clusters multi-comportementaux caractérisés principalement par la fréquence de consommation d’aliments et de boissons à forte densité énergétique. Ces derniers n’étaient pas liés longitudinalement au pourcentage de masse grasse à 5 ans. Les clusters identifiés à 5 ans (4 clusters chez les filles et 2 chez les garçons) étaient principalement différentiés par l’exposition à la télévision ; chez les garçons la surexposition à la télévision était en outre associée à de moins bonnes habitudes alimentaires, tandis que chez les filles toutes les combinaisons possibles de niveaux d’exposition à la télévision et d’activité physique en extérieur (jeux/marche) étaient observées au sein des clusters. Les filles appartenant au cluster « Exposition très élevée à la télévision – Activité physique extérieure élevée » à 5 ans avaient un pourcentage de masse grasse plus élevé que celles du cluster de référence « Exposition modérée à la télévision – Activité physique extérieure plutôt élevée ». Par ailleurs, une plus forte adhésion au profil alimentaire «Aliments transformés, ou type fast-food » (identifié dans des travaux précédents) à 2 ans était associée à un âge plus précoce du rebond d’adiposité, défini comme intervenant en moyenne avant 3,7 ans dans les 2 sexes. Enfin, la position socioéconomique était inversement associée au temps passé devant la télévision ainsi qu’aux clusters caractérisés par une surexposition à la télévision et/ou de moins bonnes habitudes alimentaires ou de repas. Ces travaux montrent que tous les comportements impliqués dans la balance énergétique influencent le risque ultérieur de surpoids et d’obésité, mais avec une temporalité différente, sur des marqueurs de risque distincts et de façon variable en fonction du sexe de l’enfant et de son origine sociale. Ils montrent aussi que ces comportements se combinent de façon complexe et variable selon le sexe, et suggèrent que certaines typologies comportementales confèrent un risque plus élevé d’accumulation excessive de masse grasse. Ces résultats nous invitent à mettre en place des stratégies de prévention de l’obésité intégrant tous les comportements impliqués dans la balance énergétique et ce dès le plus jeune âge. Les efforts doivent viser à réduire le temps passé devant la télévision, en particulier dans les familles les plus modestes, tout en promouvant l’activité physique, en particulier en encourageant les petites filles aux jeux actifs à l’extérieur. En parallèle, il semble pertinent d’inciter les familles, et ce dès la grossesse, à adopter une alimentation proche des recommandations, en insistant sur l’importance des habitudes de repas, télévision éteinte et sans mise à disposition de boissons sucrées. Compte tenu de son approche holistique de la famille, le médecin généraliste est un vecteur idéal de ces messages de prévention. / The epidemy of obesity concerns also young children, is characterized by important social inequalities and has important consequences on health in the short, medium and long-term. Energy balance-related behaviors, namely physical activity, television exposure and diet, may be important in young children in determining subsequent obesity risk, and are potentially modifiable. The objective of this work was to examine the association between energy balance-related behaviors, considered in isolation or in combination (via cluster analysis) at 2 and 5 years of age, and obesity risk in boys and girls separately. Obesity risk was assessed by the percentage of body fat at 5 years and the age of the adiposity rebound. The work is based on data from the EDEN birth cohort. At 2 years, outdoor play time and television watching time were respectively, inversely and positively associated with the percentage of body fat at 5 years. At 2 years, 2 clusters emerged that were essentially characterized by opposite eating habits, with intake of energy-dense food and sweetened beverages being the most discriminating feature. At 5 years, clusters (2 in boys, 4 in girls) were mainly differentiated by the level of television exposure; in boys, high television exposure combined with unhealthy eating habits, while in girls, all possible combinations of the level of television exposure and time spent in outdoor physical activity (play and walk) were observed within clusters. Girls belonging to the ‘Very high television exposure – High outdoor physical activity’ cluster had a significantly higher percentage of body fat than girls in the reference cluster (labeled ‘Moderate television exposure – rather high outdoor physical activity’). Furthermore, a higher score on the ‘Processed and fast foods’ pattern (identified in a previous Eden analysis) at 2 years was associated with an earlier age of adiposity rebound (here defined as before 3.7 years on the average in both sexes). Maternal education level (taken as a general indicator of socio-economic position (SEP)) was inversely related to television viewing time as well as clusters characterized by a high level of television and/or less favorable eating habits (eating while the television is on and drinking sweetened beverages at mealtimes). These results suggest that all three-energy balance-related behaviors influence the subsequent risk of obesity, but with different timing of influence, on distinct markers of obesity risk, and in a way that differ according to the child’s sex and his/her family’s SEP. Furthermore, results suggest that these behaviors combine in complex ways that differ in boys and girls, and that identification of behavioral typologies based on specific combinations of behaviors may be useful to distinguish groups of children with different levels of risk. These results plead for integrated obesity preventive strategies targeting all three-energy balance-related behaviors, and implemented as early as possible, ideally before the age of 2. Efforts should strive to decrease television viewing time, especially in low SEP families, while simultaneously promoting physical activity, in particular by encouraging young girls to engage in active outdoor play. In parallel, it appears important to encourage mothers, especially from low SEP families, to follow diet guidelines and adopt favorable mealtime routines (e.g., turning off the television during meals, and proposing water rather than sodas at mealtime). Because of their frequent and continued contact with parents and their children throughout childhood, family physicians are particularly well positioned to help parents promote and support the development of early healthful physical activity and diet habits of children, starting in early childhood.