The Impact of a Healthy Weight Intervention Embedded in a Home-Visiting Program on Children's Weight and Mothers’ Feeding Practices

Objective

To examine whether a healthy weight intervention embedded in the Parents as Teachers (PAT) home visiting program, which was previously found to improve mothers’ body mass index (BMI) and obesity-related behaviors, changed the BMI of preschool children or maternal feeding practices.

Buffering effect of positive parent–child relationships on adolescent risk taking: A longitudinal neuroimaging investigation

Adolescence is marked by a steep increase in risk-taking behavior. The serious consequences of such heightened risk taking raise the importance of identifying protective factors. Despite its dynamic change during adolescence, family relationships remain a key source of influence for teenagers. Using a longitudinal fMRI approach, we scanned 23 adolescents twice across a 1.5-year period to examine how changes in parent–child relationships contribute to changes in adolescent risk taking over time via changes in adolescents’ neural reactivity to rewards. Results indicate that although parent–child relationships are not associated with adolescent risk taking concurrently, increases in positive parent–child relationships contribute to declines in adolescent risk taking. This process is mediated by longitudinal decreases in ventral striatum activation to rewards during risk taking. Findings highlight the neural pathways through which improvements in positive parent–child relationships serve to buffer longitudinal increases in adolescent risk taking.     

Sudden death in childhood and adolescence

Sudden death in childhood and adolescence is fortunately rare. However, when it occurs, it can have a devastating effect on the family. Therefore, these cases should be thoroughly investigated, including a complete post mortem examination by a specialist in paediatric pathology. The aim is to identify the cause of death, and potentially prevent future deaths. This review will provide an overview of the epidemiology of sudden death in childhood and adolescence and will outline the wide range of causes of death identified. Certain aspects of the paediatric post mortem examination will be discussed, and will finish with a section on deaths in children with chronic medical conditions.     

Conceptual clarification of the playful engagement in social interaction of preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate limited playfulness. Their difficulty engaging in meaningful interaction with others renders playful engagement in social interactions a challenge. Although little direct evidence exists regarding the promotion of these children’s playful engagement, links can be established with many traits cited in play and social interaction studies. This paper presents the results of a conceptual clarification exercise regarding the key behaviours associated with the construct of playful engagement in preschool-aged children with ASD. Behaviours were identified based on hallmark deficits in early social interactions and play of children with ASD. The analysis revealed the following behaviours: positive affect, engagement, imitation, joint attention, initiation of social interaction, social responsiveness, flexibility, child’s laughter in funny situations and giving and reading non-verbal cues. In conclusion, a conceptually coherent stage has been set for exploring the literature regarding interventions to promote the playful engagement of preschool-aged children with ASD.