The objective of this study was to examine symptomatology; stress responses for everyday academic and social stressors; and cognitive coping resources among 11-year-old children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Two groups were established by the amount of time spent within the institutional system. Early adoptees (EAs, n=25) spent less than 6 months while late adoptees (LAs, n=14) endured 6 months or more of institutionalization. A comparison group of non adopted, same-age peers (Canadian Born (CBs), n=25) was included. The first goal was to investigate whether there were differences between EAs and LAs in ratings of symptomatology and stress responses. The second goal was to compare all Romanian adoptees (RAs) to CBs on the same set of factors. The third goal was to identify predictors of symptomatology and predictors of stress responses for RAs only. The main findings were as follows. EAs and LAs did not differ in any symptom ratings or stress responses, showing a lack of evidence for duration of deprivation as a grouping factor. Significant differences were detected by adoption status. Ratings were higher for RAs than CBs in parent-rated symptomatology, including the rate of RAs who exceeded the borderline clinical cut-off. RAs reported less secondary control coping for social stressors than CBs. Models to predict symptoms from stress responses were not supported, with one exception. More disengagement coping for social stress and less involuntary disengagement for academic stress predicted less externalizing and generalized symptoms by teacher report. Models to predict stress responses from cognitive coping resources were significant except for disengagement coping. One of the main findings was that predictors of secondary control coping varied by stressor domain. In conclusion, the findings were important in demonstrating that duration of deprivation does not differentiate between post-institutionalized preadolescents in aspects of psychosocial adjustment. Adoption status is a significant factor. Stress responses do not contribute to models of symptoms. The cognitive coping resources of perceived academic competency and social-support contribute to models of stress responses, yet with room to improve the predictive power of the models. Implications of the findings are discussed along with limitations and directions for future research.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123). Also available on the Internet.

Executive functions impact everyday functioning. An individual’s ability to adapt to and navigate their physical and social environments is largely determined by the ability to organize oneself, to plan and to coordinate activities. Despite the wide variety of cognitive tests that assess various aspects of executive function, there has been little work to validate the use of these measures in predicting real world functioning (Sbordone, Seyranian, & Ruff, 2000), particularly in children where characterization of executive function is less specified. Evaluating the ecological validity of neuropsychological tests has become an increasingly important topic over the past decade (Chaytor & Schmitter- Edgecombe, 2003). Ecologically valid assessments of executive function and attentional deficits provide insight into deficits related to the child’s everyday adaptive functioning, which can assist in identifying targets for interventions. Although many performance based measures and caregiver behavior checklists exist for assessing a wide range of behaviors and adaptive functioning skills in children, comprehensive measures of executive functions are relatively new and largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to investigate and to define better the relationship between attention and corresponding behaviors that represent executive functions and social/adaptive functioning. More specifically, this study sought to explore the correlation between ratings of varying subcomponents of attention (e.g., selective attention, sustained attention, and attentional control/switching), executive function behaviors, and ratings of social/adaptive functioning. Additionally, gender considerations were examined with aims to determine how this factor may affect the degree of relationship between the proposed variables.  Results of multiple regression and correlational analyses revealed the ability of child attentional performance to predict executive function and social/adaptive functioning behaviors. As parent/caregiver and teacher ratings of executive function behaviors increased thus noting adept skills in these areas of functioning child performance on measures of selective attention, sustained attention, and attentional control/shifting were also reported to improve. Future research should continue to explore the construct validity, positive predictive power, negative predictive power, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch).

A recent U.S.-based survey (Boyle et al,. 2011) estimated stuttering prevalence in American children ages 3-17 years at 1.6% or 1 in 63 children. In comparison to the reported 1 in 68 school age children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010), stuttering affects nearly as many. These estimates suggest that Speech-Language Pathologist (SLPs) should increasingly develop their skill sets for identifying and providing interventions for children who stutter. The evidence base for school-age fluency intervention, while promising, leaves much room for further development (Nippold, 2011). The majority of current interventions revolve around the traditional methods of fluency shaping and stuttering management. While these approaches are widely used, there is limited evidence to support their efficacy with the school-aged population (Bothe, et al., 2006). In addition, there is disagreement about whether treatment of stuttering in children should focus exclusively on "building fluent speech" or, whether interventions should also include cognitive/emotional components (Yaruss, Coleman, & Quesal, 2012) as are often associated with interventions for stuttering in adults. As a solution to the need for a cognitive/emotional component, Michael Boyle (2011) suggested including mindfulness in school-aged stuttering intervention by pointing out the similarities between the advantages of mindfulness treatment and personality traits necessary for long-term fluency maintenance. Although there has not yet been any published research in direct support of this idea, the notion that these three elements influence the effects of fluency intervention provides a foundation for the proposed research questions.

A research review of eleven studies pertaining to receptive language performance among nonverbal, school-age children with cerebral palsy was completed. The purpose of this review was to identify components and predictor variables of receptive language growth among the target population. The studies were analyzed to further explore how limited verbal output related to comprehension level and to determine appropriate expectations for receptive abilities within the target population. Results suggested that language performances within the domains of verbal and written comprehension were generally lower compared to children matched for chronological age. However, performances were also highly variable among the target population, indicating the potential for typical receptive language development despite impaired expressive abilities. In addition, the following variables demonstrated predictive patterns across subjects: type of cerebral palsy, home literacy environment, and reading status. Clinical implications, including assessment and treatment planning considerations that are sensitive to unique developmental patterns demonstrated in the target population, are discussed. The empirical focus on language output and the use of mixed age groups in current studies on cerebral palsy warrant future research. Additional investigations of receptive language growth as it relates to specific age groups within this clinical population are needed. / text

The object of this master research – social and psychopedagogical peculiarities of pre-school age children’s unsuccessful upbringing. The basis of research is Vilnius kindergarten “Pasakaitė”. The scientific problem is based on conditions and motion of pre-school age children’s unsuccessful upbringing. There were applied these methods of research: analytical generalization of social, psychological and pedagogical literature on the chosen theme; individual, selected conversations with parents and educators; inter-psychological method; pedagogical consultation – the method “Reevihiation Counsaling” by Harvey Jekins; observation of children’s behavior; mathematical and graphic edition of collected material. Analysing the object of research there was made analytic review of Lithuanian and foreign scientific literature, close to the subject of this master work. There were exposed concrete conditions of children’s upbringing in family and disclosed such capacities and specific features of upbringing as: parents from reserched families don’t have a discussion solving the problems of children’s upbringing; they often don’t come to the common conclusions on children’s behavior, don’t reconcile and don’t change consecutive actions of their children; reproach them for their characteristic features; seeking the right behavior of children, punish them too often and don’t chose the methods, applying which it could be possible to change their behavior; there is such an attitude in these... [to full text]

This work reviews factors influencing creativity, conception and purport of creativity of different authors features of creative personality and their development in junior school age. Creativity researches of children of special skills of junior school age are also discussed, which are composed of research parts of verbal and nonverbal abilities.

Dorinis ugdymas yra sudėtingas procesas, nes dorovė neturi vienos reiškimosi sferos ir vienos ugdymo srities. Mokiniai ugdomi visose gyvenimo ir ugdymo srityse atskleidžiant žmogiškąsias vertybes ir vertybinius santykius. Sėkmė priklauso nuo to, kaip šios vertybės įsisąmoninamos, kiek jos tampa asmenybės savastimi (Girdzijauskas, 2004). Mokytojo pareiga – padėti mokiniams suprasti dorinę visuomenei reikšmingos veiklos prasmę, suvokti, kad žmonės vieni kitiems turi daryti gera pirmiausia nuoširdžiai veikdami bendram labui. Darbo tikslas yra aprašyti dorinio ugdymo organizavimą pradinėse klasėse. Tyrimo uždaviniai: - atskleisti dorinio ugdymo paskirtį pradiniame ugdyme; - atrinkti dorinio ugdymo formas ir metodus, taikytinus pradiniame ugdyme; - išskirti dorinio ugdymo aplinkas, kuriose gali vykti dorinis ugdymas; - aprašyti dorinio ugdymo organizavimą pradinio ugdymo institucijose; - aprašyti dorinį ugdymą Marijampolės savivaldybės pradinėse klasėse. Tyrimo tipas aprašomasis. Darbe derinama kokybinė ir kiekybinė metodologijos. Tyrimo metodai: teoriniai - mokslinės, metodinės literatūros analizė taikoma, atskleidžiant dorinio ugdymo paskirtį pradiniame ugdyme, apibūdinant dorinio ugdymo formas ir metodus, aprašant dorinio ugdymo aplinkas; empiriniai – Marijampolės savivaldybės bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų mokytojų, dirbančių pradinėse klasėse, anketinė apklausa raštu (anketavimas) ir mokyklos direktorių pavaduotojų, kuruojančių dorinį ugdymą, atviro pobūdžio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Moral education is a complicated process as morality has no single sphere of expression or single field of education. Education of children covers all aspects of life and education by revealing human values and value relations. Success depends on how these values are realized, how much they become the self of a person (Girdzijauskas, 2004). Duty of the teacher is to help schoolchildren to understand the moral meaning of an activity meaningful for the society and to realize that people must be good to each other by, first and foremost, making sincere actions for the common welfare. The aim of the thesis was to describe the organization of moral education in primary classes. The goals of the research: - to reveal the purpose of the moral education in primary education; - to select forms and methods of the moral education applicable in primary education; - to distinguish the environment of the moral education; - to describe the organization of moral education in the primary education institutions; - to describe the moral education in primary classes of Marijampolė municipality. Type of research – descriptive. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used. Research method: theoretical – analysis of scientific and methodological literature, revealing the purpose of moral education in primary education, describing forms and methods of moral education and its environment; empirical – written questionnaire for the teachers of schools of Marijampolė municipality working in... [to full text]

Darbo tikslas- paaiškinti bei įrodyti sukurto objekto (didaktinio žaidimo) didaktinį naudingumą vaiko gyvenime ir įrodyti kaip tinkamai sujungtas (objektas) dizaino aspektu su edukacine priemone. Naudojant įvairius šaltinius, analizuojant analogus, išsiaiškinama kas yra svarbiausia, kuriant didaktinį žaislą, kokie keliami saugumo reikalavimai. Pateikiami kūrybiniai darbo ieškojimai. Taip pat medžiaga susijusi su pedagogine veikla ir objekto pritaikymo joje. Apsilankymas Šiaulių Moksleivių namuose, leido įsitikinti žaislo naudingumu, realiame gyvenime, jo naudingumu bei svarba vaiko gyvenime. Darbo rezultatus (kūrybinį darbą)galima naudoti visose įstaigose, kur lankosi ikimokyklinio amžiaus vaikai, bei individualiai žaidžiantiems vaikams, namuose. / The purpose-to explain and demonstrate the created object (didactic game) didactic utility of a child's life and to demonstrate how to properly connected (object) design aspect of the educational tool. Using a variety of sources, analyzing analogues check on what is most important, the development of a didactic toy as for safety. Presented creative work pursuits. As well as materials related to teaching activities and the application of the object in it. Visit Siauliai pupils at home, make sure the toy has usefulness in real life, the usefulness and importance of a child's life. Performance (creative work) can be used in all establishments frequented by children of preschool age and individual children playing at home.