Intra-breath changes in respiratory mechanics are sensitive to history of respiratory illness in preschool children: the SEPAGES cohort.

BACKGROUND: Intra-breath oscillometry has been proposed as a sensitive means of detecting airway obstruction in young children. We aimed to assess the impact of early life wheezing and lower respiratory tract illness on lung function, using both standard and intra-breath oscillometry in 3 year old children. METHODS: History of doctor-diagnosed asthma, wheezing, bronchiolitis and bronchitis and hospitalisation for respiratory problems were assessed by questionnaires in 384 population-based children. Association of respiratory history with standard and intra-breath oscillometry parameters, including resistance at 7 Hz (R7), frequency-dependence of resistance (R7 - 19), reactance at 7 Hz (X7), area of the reactance curve (AX), end-inspiratory and end-expiratory R (ReI, ReE) and X (XeI, XeE), and volume-dependence of resistance (ΔR = ReE-ReI) was estimated by linear regression adjusted on confounders. RESULTS: Among the 320 children who accepted the oscillometry test, 281 (88%) performed 3 technically acceptable and reproducible standard oscillometry measurements and 251 children also performed one intra-breath oscillometry measurement. Asthma was associated with higher ReI, ReE, ΔR and R7 and wheezing was associated with higher ΔR. Bronchiolitis was associated with higher R7 and AX and lower XeI and bronchitis with higher ReI. No statistically significant association was observed for hospitalisation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the good success rate of oscillometry in 3-year-old children and indicate an association between a history of early-life wheezing and lower respiratory tract illness and lower lung function as assessed by both standard and intra-breath oscillometry. Our study supports the relevance of using intra-breath oscillometry parameters as sensitive outcome measures in preschool children in epidemiological cohorts.

Evidence for Criterion-Related Validity of Pressure-Mediated Reflection Spectroscopy for Approximating Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Preschool Children.

BACKGROUND: Skin carotenoids are a valid biomarker for approximating fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC). Veggie Meter® (VM®, Longevity Link Corp.) is a pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy (RS)-based device that allows for noninvasive and rapid assessment of skin-carotenoid score (SCS) in adults and children. Although VM® is established as a valid tool to measure FVC in adults, there is limited research supporting the validity evidence of the VM® to approximate FVC among preschool children. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to assess evidence supporting the criterion-related validity of RS-based SCS for approximating FVC among preschool children (3-5-y old). METHODS: We collected cross-sectional data from typically developing preschool children (n = 136) attending the Child and Adult Care Food Program-participating family child care home settings (FCCHs) (n = 46) in Nebraska. Research team members collected children's height and weight to calculate body mass index; and measured children's SCS using the VM®. Children's FVC in FCCHs were collected using dietary observation. In addition, parents (n = 89) completed a shortened food frequency questionnaire to report children's FVC at home. Kendall's Tau (τ) correlation tests were conducted to measure the association between children's SCS with FVC in FCCHs and with parent-reported total fruit and vegetable (FV) frequency scores. RESULTS: Children's SCS were significantly correlated with their mean FVC in FCCHs, τ = 0.14 (P = 0.02), total provitamin A carotenoids intake in FCCHs, τ = 0.19 (P < 0.001), and with parent-reported total FV frequency score, τ = 0.16 (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The correlation coefficients in this study are comparable with results from a meta-analysis examining associations between FVC and SCS in 7-10-y-old children (r = 0.20). Thus, evidence suggests that RS offers a potentially valid, objective, and feasible method to assess preschool children's total FVC in multiple settings, especially in conjunction with other dietary assessment tools.

Longitudinal Growth Trajectories in Children with Cow's Milk Allergy: Effects of Elimination Diet and Post-Termination Period.

INTRODUCTION: The primary dietary approach for managing cow's milk allergy (CMA) is the elimination diet. We aimed to compare the growth patterns of children with CMA during and after the elimination diet with healthy peers and identify influencing factors. METHODS: We compared 74 CMA children with age-matched healthy peers. Anthropometric data were collected during the third month of cow's milk elimination (CME) diet (T1), 3 months after diet cessation (T2), and after ≥3 months of normal diet (T3). Control group measurements coincided. Nutrient intake was assessed by a 3-day record, and patient laboratory results were noted at T3. RESULTS: CMA children had consistently lower weight-for-age (WFA) and height-for-age (HFA) z-scores than controls. WtHt z-score of patients was lower than those of the healthy group at T2. HC z-scores of patients were lower than those of the healthy group at T0, T2, and T3. At T3, the HFA z-score of the CME group demonstrated a negative correlation with the duration of the elimination diet (p = 0.045). Inadequate intake of energy, vitamins A, E, B1, B6, C, folic acid, magnesium, and iron was significantly higher in CMA children (p < 0.05). T3 WFA z-score correlated positively with fiber, vitamin B1, magnesium, and iron intake (p < 0.05). T3 WtHt showed a positive moderate correlation with energy, protein, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, phosphor, iron intake (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Post-elimination diet, children with CMA need sustained monitoring and potentially micronutrient supplementation to match healthy peers' growth.

Mapping the duration and severity of preschool-aged children's depressive moods and behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Depressive moods and behaviors are developmentally normative, yet potentially impairing, in preschool-aged children. In addition to frequency, duration of behavior is an important parameter to consider when characterizing risk for worsening mood dysregulation. The goal of this study was to identify the duration and severity of depressive moods and behaviors and associations with impairment in a large community sample of preschool-aged children using an online parent-report daily diary. METHODS: Primary caregivers (N = 900) of 3-5-year-old children reported the daily duration of each instance of seven depressive moods and behaviors for 14 days. We used item response theory analyses to examine duration item characteristics. RESULTS: Moods and behaviors occurred at specific durations to be considered psychometrically severe/rare; for example, instances of sadness had to last an average total of 32 min per day or more, irritability at least 38 min, tantrums at least 30 min, and tearfulness/sensitivity at least 35 min. Longer durations of mood and behavior were associated with daily impairment, as well as older child age and less parental education. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to delineate specific duration ranges for depressive moods and behaviors in preschool-aged children. These data, coupled with information about the frequency of mood-related behaviors, can assist child practitioners in differentiating normative patterns from less normative mood problems to evaluate which children may be at risk. Future work should identify the duration of depressive moods and behaviors in early childhood that predict clinically significant psychopathology over time.

Human bocavirus respiratory infection: Tracing the path from viral replication and virus-cell interactions to diagnostic methods.

Human bocaviruses were first described between 2005 and 2010, identified in respiratory and enteric tract samples of children. Screening studies have shown worldwide distribution. Based on phylogenetic analysis, they were classified into four genotypes (HBoV1-4). From a clinical perspective, human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) is considered the most relevant, since it can cause upper and lower acute respiratory tract infection, mainly in infants, including common cold, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia, as well as wheezing in susceptible patients. However, the specific processes leading to structural, biochemical, and functional changes resulting in the different clinical presentations have not been elucidated yet. This review surveys the interactions between the virus and target cells that can potentially explain disease-causing mechanisms. It also summarises the clinical phenotype of cases, stressing the role of HBoV1 as an aetiological agent of lower acute respiratory infection in infants, together with laboratory tests for detection and diagnosis. By exploring the current knowledge on the epidemiology of HBoV1, insights into the complex scenario of paediatric respiratory infections are presented, as well as the potential effects that changes in the circulation can have on the dynamics of respiratory agents, spotlighting the benefits of comprehensively increase insights into incidence, interrelationships with co-circulating agents and potential control of HBoV1.

Mapping skills between symbols and quantities in preschoolers: The role of finger patterns.

Mapping skills between different codes to represent numerical information, such as number symbols (i.e., verbal number words and written digits) and non-symbolic quantities, are important in the development of the concept of number. The aim of the current study is to investigate children's mapping skills by incorporating another numerical code that emerges at early stages in development, finger patterns. Specifically, the study investigates (i) the order in which mapping skills develop and the association with young children's understanding of cardinality; and (ii) whether finger patterns are processed similarly to symbolic codes or rather as non-symbolic quantities. Preschool children (3-year-olds, N = 113, Mage = 40.8 months, SDage = 3.6 months; 4-year-olds, N = 103, Mage = 52.9 months, SDage = 3.4 months) both cardinality knowers and subset-knowers, were presented with twelve tasks that assessed the mappings between number words, Arabic digits, finger patterns, and quantities. The results showed that children's ability to map symbolic numbers precedes the understanding that such symbols reflect quantities, and that children recognize finger patterns above their cardinality knowledge, suggesting that finger patterns are symbolic in essence. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Children are more accurate in mapping between finger patterns and symbols (number words and Arabic digits) than in mapping finger patterns and quantities, indicating that fingers are processed holistically as symbolic codes. Children can map finger patterns to symbols above their corresponding cardinality level even in subset-knowers. Finger patterns may play a role in the process by which children learn to map symbols to quantities. Fingers patterns' use in the classroom context may be an adequate instructional and diagnostic tool.

A pilot, single-arm feasibility study of an integrated cognitive-behavioral treatment for anxiety in young autistic children.

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety is prevalent in young autistic children under 7 years of age. Yet there is a paucity of empirically based interventions for this age group. DINO Strategies for Anxiety and Uncertainty Reduction (DINOSAUR) is an innovative cognitive behavioral intervention that seeks to optimize treatment response in young autistic children by targeting anxiety and the contributing mechanisms of intolerance of uncertainty and parental accommodation using a telehealth delivery model. This pilot, single-arm study examines the preliminary feasibility of DINOSAUR. METHODS: Fourteen autistic children ages 4-6 years with average language and cognitive skills and their parents received the intervention. Quantitative and qualitative data pertaining to parent satisfaction and treatment outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Attendance, retention, and parent satisfaction ratings offer preliminary support for the feasibility of the treatment model. Change in clinical severity ratings on a semi-structured parent interview of anxiety and parents' qualitative report suggests the potential to benefit young autistic children. CONCLUSIONS: Results support future study of the DINOSAUR model in a larger, randomized controlled trial.

Exploring Differences in Physical Health in Young Children With and Without ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: To assess differences in child physical health outcomes and metrices associated with obesity in a sample of predominantly Hispanic/Latinx young children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Participants included 127 children diagnosed with ADHD and 96 typically developing (TD) children between 4 and 7 years of age. Objective measures of children's body composition, fitness, and physical activity were conducted. Parents of children completed food recalls to assess their child's dietary intake, diet quality was calculated based on the Healthy Eating Index-2015, and parents completed a survey about their family's health habits. RESULTS: Logistic regression revealed that those with ADHD were more likely to be classified as having an overweight or obese (Ov/O) body mass index (BMI). Linear regression analyses indicated that children with ADHD performed worse on a fitness test and consumed more calories relative to TD children. Moderation analyses indicated that sex differences in steps were prominent in our TD sample, but not among those with ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: Young children with ADHD are at greater risk for having an Ov/O BMI, being less fit, and eating a greater intake of calories compared to TD children.

Perceived acceptability and appropriateness of a web-based program targeting risk for anxiety in young children and their parents.

OBJECTIVE: This mixed-methods study examined perceived acceptability and appropriateness of a novel digital mental health program targeting anxiety risk (i.e., perfectionism or error sensitivity) in 5-to-7-year-old children and their parents. METHODS: Parent-child dyads participated in a modular, web-based cognitive-behavioral program targeting negative overreactions to making mistakes. The program, "Making Mistakes", consisted of a 6-month series of short video clips, journaling activities, and weekly reminders, and modules were delivered to caregivers and children separately. 86 dyads completed self-report measures, 18 of whom participated in semi-structured interviews, following completion of the primary program module. A standard thematic analysis was used to elucidate themes from the parent and child interview content. RESULTS: Our quantitative and qualitative results were generally aligned. Children and parents viewed the novel digital mental health program as acceptable and appropriate, favoring the cognitive behavioral strategies such as modeling positive reactions to mistakes, responding positively to child mistakes, and emphasizing effort over outcome. Participants also provided helpful feedback related to program content, delivery, and engagement, as well as suggestions to enhance the program. CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for design and content features of parent-based and dyad-based programs, as well as digital mental health programs focused on reducing anxiety risk.

Association between prenatal exposure to alkylphenols and intelligence quotient among preschool children: sex-specific effects.

BACKGROUND: While prenatal exposure to alkylphenols (APs) has been demonstrated to be associated with neurodevelopmental impairments in animals, the evidence from epidemiological studies remains limited and inconclusive. This study aimed to explore the link between AP exposure during pregnancy and the intelligence quotient (IQ) of preschool children. METHODS: A total of 221 mother-child pairs from the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort were recruited. Nonylphenol (NP), 4-tert-octylphenol (4-T-OP), 4-n-nonylphenol (4-N-NP), and 4-n-octylphenol were measured in maternal serum in early pregnancy. Childhood IQ was evaluated by the Fourth Edition of Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of the Intelligence at 3 to 6 years of age. The impact of APs on childhood IQ were evaluated by generalized linear models (GLMs), restricted cubic spline (RCS), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). RESULTS: In GLMs, prenatal exposure to NP and the second tertile of 4-T-OP exhibited an inverse association with full-scale IQ (FSIQ) (ß = -2.38; 95% CI: -4.59, -0.16) and working memory index (WMI) (ß = -5.24; 95% CI: -9.58, -0.89), respectively. Prenatal exposure to the third tertile of 4-N-NP showed a positive association with the fluid reasoning index (ß = 4.95; 95% CI: 1.14, 8.77) in total children, as well as in girls when stratified by sex. A U-shaped relationship between maternal 4-T-OP and WMI was noted in total children and girls by RCS (all P nonlinear < 0.05). The combined effect primarily driven by NP, of maternal AP mixtures at concentrations above the 50th percentile exhibited an inverse trend on FSIQ in total children and girls in BKMR. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal exposure to various APs affects IQ in preschool children, and there may be nonmonotonic and sex-specific effects. Further investigation across the population is required to elucidate the potential neurotoxic effects of APs.

Association between co-sleeping in the first year of life and preschoolers´ sleep patterns.

This study aimed to investigate the association between co-sleeping practiced during the first year of life and preschoolers' sleep patterns. A cross-sectional study including toddlers was designed to analyze their sleep patterns. The Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire, validated in Spanish, was used to measure sleep quality. A latent class analysis was performed to identify qualitative subgroups in the sample and explore the effects of co-sleeping. The sleep patterns of 276 children were analyzed. A total of 181 (65%) parents reported having practiced co-sleeping with their children. The latent class analysis identified a two-class solution with two different sleep patterns. One of them showed a worse quality sleep pattern, which had a significant association with having practiced co-sleeping during the first year of life, and with the fact that they were still sleeping in the parents' room, among other characteristics related to co-sleeping and parental concerns. Breastfeeding also showed association with a worse quality sleep pattern.  Conclusion: Based on the present findings, co-sleeping during the first year of life appears to be associated with poor sleep patterns in young preschoolers. What is Known: • Co-sleeping shows benefits for infants and parents, mainly facilitating successful breastfeeding. • Literature on the effect of co-sleeping in lately sleep quality in children and their parents is very limited. What is New: • Co-sleeping practiced during the first year of life could be associated with a worse sleep pattern measured with BISQ-E tool. • A balance between the correct practice of co-sleeping and the achievement of a healthy sleep routine in preschool should probably be part of parents' health education.

Correlation between autistic traits and brain functional connectivity in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder: a resting state MEG study.

BACKGROUND: Neurophysiological studies recognized that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with altered patterns of over- and under-connectivity. However, little is known about network organization in children with ASD in the early phases of development and its correlation with the severity of core autistic features. METHODS: The present study aimed at investigating the association between brain connectivity derived from MEG signals and severity of ASD traits measured with different diagnostic clinical scales, in a sample of 16 children with ASD aged 2 to 6 years. RESULTS: A significant correlation emerged between connectivity strength in cortical brain areas implicated in several resting state networks (Default mode, Central executive, Salience, Visual and Sensorimotor) and the severity of communication anomalies, social interaction problems, social affect problems, and repetitive behaviors. Seed analysis revealed that this pattern of correlation was mainly caused by global rather than local effects. CONCLUSIONS: The present evidence suggests that altered connectivity strength in several resting state networks is related to clinical features and may contribute to neurofunctional correlates of ASD. Future studies implementing the same method on a wider and stratified sample may further support functional connectivity as a possible biomarker of the condition.

Phase 3 Open-Label Clinical Trial of Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor in Children Aged 2-5 Years with Cystic Fibrosis and at Least One F508del Allele.

Rationale: Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ELX/TEZ/IVA) has been shown to be safe and effective in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) aged ⩾6 years with at least one F508del-CFTR allele but has not been studied in younger children. Objectives: To evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of ELX/TEZ/IVA in children with CF aged 2-5 years. Methods: In this phase 3, open-label, two-part study (parts A and B), children weighing <14 kg (on Day 1) received ELX 80 mg once daily (qd), TEZ 40 mg qd, and IVA 60 mg each morning and 59.5 mg each evening; children weighing ⩾14 kg received ELX 100 mg qd, TEZ 50 mg qd, and IVA 75 mg every 12 hours. Measurements and Main Results: The primary endpoints for part A (15-d treatment period) were pharmacokinetics and safety and tolerability. For part B (24-wk treatment period), the primary endpoint was safety and tolerability; secondary endpoints included pharmacokinetics and absolute changes from baseline in sweat chloride concentration and lung clearance index2.5 (LCI2.5, defined as the number of lung turnovers required to reduce the end tidal N2 concentration to 2.5% of its starting value) through Week 24. Analysis of pharmacokinetic data from 18 children enrolled in part A confirmed the appropriateness of the part B dosing regimen. In part B, 75 children (F508del/minimal function genotypes, n = 52; F508del/F508del genotype, n = 23) were enrolled and dosed. Seventy-four children (98.7%) had adverse events, which were all mild (62.7%) or moderate (36.0%) in severity. The most common adverse events were cough, fever, and rhinorrhea. Decreases in sweat chloride concentration (-57.9 mmol/L; 95% confidence interval [CI], -61.3 to -54.6; n = 69) and LCI2.5 (-0.83 U; 95% CI, -1.01 to -0.66; n = 50) were observed from baseline through Week 24. Mean body mass index was within the normal range at baseline and remained stable at Week 24. Conclusions: In this open-label study in children 2-5 years of age, ELX/TEZ/IVA treatment was generally safe and well tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with that observed in older age groups, and led to clinically meaningful reductions in sweat chloride concentration and LCI2.5. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04537793).

Early-Life Exposure to PM2.5 and Sleep Disturbances in Preschoolers from 551 Cities of China.

Rationale: Air pollution has been linked with sleep disturbance in adults, but the association in children remains unclear. Objectives: To examine the associations of prenatal and postnatal exposure to fine particulate matter (particulate matter ⩽2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter; PM2.5) with sleep quality and sleep disturbances among children in 551 Chinese cities. Methods: A total of 1,15,023 children aged 3-7 years from the Chinese National Cohort of Motor Development were included. Sleep quality was measured using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). PM2.5 exposure was estimated using a satellite-based model. Generalized additive mixed models with Gaussian and binomial distributions were used to examine the associations of PM2.5 exposure with CSHQ scores and risk of sleep disturbance, respectively, adjusting for demographic characteristics and temporal trends. Measurements and Main Results: Early-life PM2.5 exposure was associated with higher total CSHQ score, and the association was stronger for exposure at age 0-3 years (change of CSHQ score per interquartile range increase of PM2.5 = 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.63) than during pregnancy (0.22; 95% CI, 0.12-0.32). The associations were more evident in sleep-disordered breathing and daytime sleepiness. Postnatal PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased risk of sleep disturbance (adjusted odds ratio for per-interquartile range increase of PM2.5 exposure at age 0-3 years, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.15), but no associations were found for prenatal exposure. Children who were exclusively breastfed for <6 months and had neonatal ICU admission may be more vulnerable to sleep disturbance related to PM2.5 exposure. Conclusions: PM2.5 exposure can impair sleep quality in preschool children.

Refraction and ocular biometric parameters in 3-to 6-year-old preschool children : a large-scale population-based study in Chengdu, China.

PURPOSE: To understand the ocular biometric parameters characteristics and refractive errors in 3-to 6-year-old preschool children in Chengdu, China, and to investigate the prevalence of refractive errors. METHOD: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Chengdu from 2020 to2022 with a total of 666 kindergartens. All children were measured by non-cycloplegic autorefraction and uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and ocular biometric parameters. Finally, univariate linear regression models were used to analyze the relationship between ocular biometric parameters and refraction. RESULTS: A total of 108,578 preschool children aged 3-6 underwent examinations, revealing a myopia prevalence of 6.1%. The mean axial length (AL), keratometry (K), corneal radius (CR), axial length/corneal radius (AL/CR) Ratio, central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), and vitreous chamber depth (VCD) were 22.35 ± 0.69 mm, 43.35 ± 1.58 D, 7.80 ± 0.28 mm, 2.87 ± 0.08, 533.31 ± 32.51 µm, 2.70 ± 0.28 mm, 3.91 ± 0.27 mm, and 15.20 ± 0.68 mm, respectively. With increasing age, AL, CR, AL/CR ratio, CCT, ACD, LT, and VCD also increased. Regardless of age, males consistently exhibited longer AL, flatter corneal curvature, shallower ACD, thicker CCT, thinner LT, and longer VCD compared to females. AL, K, CR, LT, and VCD all showed significant linear relationships with SE (all P < 0.001) in univariate linear regression analysis after adjusting for gender and age. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of myopia among preschool children aged 3-6 in Chengdu is relatively low. Ocular biometric parameters affecting refractive errors include AL, K, CR, LT, and VCD. The preschool period serves as a critical phase for myopia prevention and control.

Association between body stature with ocular biometrics and refraction among Chinese preschoolers.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association of body stature with ocular biometrics and refraction in preschool children. METHODS: A cross-sectional, school-based study was conducted in Shenzhen, China. Preschool children aged 3 to 6 from 10 randomly-selected kindergartens were recruited. Ocular biometric parameters, including axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), vitreous chamber depth (VCD), corneal radius curvature (CR), axial length to corneal radius ratio (AL-to-CR ratio) and lens thickness (LT) were measured using non-contact partial-coherence laser interferometry. Cycloplegic refractions were obtained by a desktop autorefractor. Body height and weight were measured using standard procedures. The association between body stature and ocular biometrics were analyzed with univariable and multivariable regression model. RESULTS: A total of 373 preschoolers were included. AL, ACD, VCD, CR, and AL-to-CR ratio, were positively associated with height and weight (p < 0.05), whereas LT was negatively associated with height and weight (p < 0.01). No association was observed between stature and central cornea thickness and refraction. After adjusted for age and gender in a multivariable regression model, AL had positive associations with height (p < 0.01) and weight (p < 0.01). However, refraction had no significant association with stature parameters. CONCLUSION: Taller and heavier preschoolers had eyes with longer AL, deeper vitreous chamber, and flatter cornea. The significant associations between body stature and ocular biometric parameters reveal the driving influence of body development on the growth of eyeballs in preschoolers.

Dragging but not tapping promotes preschoolers' numerical estimating with touchscreens.

When solving mathematical problems, young children will perform better when they can use gestures that match mental representations. However, despite their increasing prevalence in educational settings, few studies have explored this effect in touchscreen-based interactions. Thus, we investigated the impact on young children's performance of dragging (where a continuous gesture is performed that is congruent with the change in number) and tapping (involving a discrete gesture that is incongruent) on a touchscreen device when engaged in a continuous number line estimation task. By examining differences in the set size and position of the number line estimation, we were also able to explore the boundary conditions for the superiority effect of congruent gestures. We used a 2 (Gesture Type: drag or tap) × 2 (Set Size: Set 0-10 or Set 0-20) × 2 (Position: left of midpoint or right of midpoint) mixed design. A total of 70 children aged 5 and 6 years (33 girls) were recruited and randomly assigned to either the Drag or Tap group. We found that the congruent gesture (drag) generally facilitated better performance with the touchscreen but with boundary conditions. When completing difficult estimations (right side in the large set size), the Drag group was more accurate, responded to the stimulus faster, and spent more time manipulating than the Tap group. These findings suggest that when children require explicit scaffolding, congruent touchscreen gestures help to release mental resources for strategic adjustments, decrease the difficulty of numerical estimation, and support constructing mental representations.

Investigating belief understanding in children in a nonverbal ambiguous displacement and communication setting.

Finding ways to investigate false belief understanding nonverbally is not just important for preverbal children but also is the only way to assess theory of mind (ToM)-like abilities in nonhuman animals. In this preregistered study, we adapted the design from a previous study on pet dogs to investigate false belief understanding in children and to compare it with belief understanding of those previously tested dogs. A total of 32 preschool children (aged 5-6 years) saw the displacement of a reward and obtained nonverbal cueing of the empty container from an adult communicator holding either a true or false belief. In the false belief condition, when the communicator did not know the location of the reward, children picked the baited container, but not the cued container, more often than the empty one. In the true belief condition, when the communicator witnessed the displacement yet still cued the wrong container, children performed randomly. The children's behavior pattern was at odds with that of the dogs tested in a previous study, which picked the cued container more often when the human communicator held a false belief. In addition to species comparisons, because our task does not require verbal responses or relational sentence understanding, it can also be used in preverbal children. The children in our study behaved in line with the existing ToM literature, whereas most (but not all) dogs from the previously collected sample, although sensitive to differences between the belief conditions, deviated from the children. This difference suggests that using closely matched paradigms and experimental procedures can reveal decisive differences in belief processing between species. It also demonstrates the need for a more comprehensive exploration and direct comparison of the various aspects of false belief processing and ToM in different species to understand the evolution of social cognition.

Racial categorization and intergroup perception in preschool children: A focus on group membership and group size in the French context.

In the current study, we explored how context influences intergroup perception in 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 242; Mage = 55.5 months, SD = 9.94) in France. We examined the impact of participants' group membership (belonging to a high- vs. low-social-status group) and their group size on the development of racial categorization and the perception of cultural distance. Children completed two tasks using photographs depicting children from the three most represented racial groups in France: Caucasians, Black Africans, and North Africans. In the first task, the free categorization task, they were asked to group photographs of children they thought belonged together. Results revealed that as children grew older, they increasingly grouped children based on their race. In addition, high-social-status (nonmarginalized) children categorized more based on race than low-social-status children. In a second task, children were requested to rate the same photographs on a 5-point Likert scale for perceived cultural distance in three criteria: music, eating habits, and language. Results showed that regardless of their own group membership, children perceived photos representing children of color (North and Black Africans) as culturally more distant than White children on all criteria. However, this bias was not observed in schools where groups have equal numerical status, suggesting a positive impact of environments where groups are numerically equal.

Preschool-level socio-economic deprivation in relation to emotional and behavioural problems among preschool children in Sweden.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to explore the association between preschool-level socio-economic deprivation and emotional and behavioural problems among preschool children in Sweden using a multilevel approach. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we used data on 2267 children whose parents and preschool teachers had responded to items measuring individual-level socio-economic deprivation and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for assessment of emotional and behavioural problems. Further, the Socioeconomic Structure Compensation Index (SSCI), collected from Uppsala municipality, was used to assess preschool-level socio-economic deprivation. Unadjusted and adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were used to explore the relations between preschool-level socio-economic deprivation and emotional and behavioural problems. RESULTS: In unadjusted models, children who attended preschools classified as highly deprived had elevated odds for emotional symptoms (odds ratio (OR) 1.71) as rated by parents. However, this association did not remain significant after adjusting for individual-level socio-economic deprivation factors. In both unadjusted and adjusted models, children who attended preschools classified as moderately deprived had elevated odds for peer-relationship problems as rated by parents (OR 1.63; adjusted OR 1.48). There were no significant associations between preschool deprivation and emotional and behavioural problems as rated by preschool teachers. CONCLUSIONS: Swedish preschools may have a compensatory capacity in addressing children's emotional and behavioural problems, whereas preschool-level deprivation remained significantly associated with peer-relationship problems after controlling for individual-level socio-economic deprivation factors. This implies that peer-relationship problems in deprived preschools need to be addressed in a broader community context.