A translational model for early childhood intervention: developing, implementing, and scaling-up effective practices.

Early intervention (EI) researchers (i.e., those focused on children birth to age 3 and their families who experience early vulnerabilities) often engage in translational research and implementation science at the intersection of public health, pediatrics, and EI. There is currently a significant research-to-practice gap in EI despite ongoing efforts to close it. Translational research and implementation science are promising approaches to promote transdisciplinary collaborations among researchers and to move EI research into practice, thus supporting positive outcomes for young children and families. This commentary proposes a contemporary alignment of translational research phases for EI. Two literature reviews served to inform development of this alignment: (1) a narrative literature review identified existing applications of translational phases to EI; and (2) a rapid review identified examples of existing behavior-focused translational models across disciplines. Several case examples of current translational research being conducted in EI are discussed and classified according to their respective translational phase. The proposed alignment and case examples provide a basis for transdisciplinary conversations among those working across the various fields and disciplines relevant to EI research. A shift in EI research to reflect a translational and implementation focus will help bridge the research-to-practice gap and, most importantly, speed the movement of scientific evidence into real-world contexts to positively impact young children and families.

Development and Initial Psychometrics of a Generic Treatment Integrity Measure Designed to Assess Practice Elements Targeting Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Early Childhood Settings.

Though treatment integrity measurement is important for research intended to promote social and behavioral outcomes of children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) in early childhood settings, measurement gaps exist in the field. This paper reports on the development and preliminary psychometric assessment of the treatment integrity measure for early childhood settings (TIMECS), an observational measure designed to address existing measurement gaps related to treatment integrity with tier 2 interventions in the early childhood field. To assess the preliminary score reliability (interrater) and validity (construct, discriminant) of the TIMECS, live observations (N = 650) in early childhood classrooms from 54 teachers (92.6% female, 7.4% male; 61.1% White) and 91 children (M age = 4.53 years, SD = .44; 45.1% female, 54.9% male; 45.1% Black) at risk for EBDs were scored by 12 coders using the TIMECS and an observational measure designed to assess teacher-child interactions. Teachers also self-reported on the quality of the teacher-child relationship. Interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients, ICC [2,2]) for the quantity (i.e., adherence) item scores had a mean of .81 (SD = .07; range from .68 to .95), and the quality (i.e., competence) item scores had a mean of .69 (SD = .08; range from .52 to .80). Scores on the TIMECS Quantity and Quality items and scales showed evidence of construct validity, with the magnitude of the correlations suggesting that the quantity and quality items assess distinct components of treatment integrity. A TIMECS quantity scale also showed promise for intervention evaluation research by discriminating between teachers who had and had not been trained in a specific evidence-based intervention targeting social and behavioral skills in early childhood. The findings support the potential of the TIMECS to assess treatment integrity of teacher-delivered practices designed to address child social and behavioral outcomes of children at risk for EBDs in early childhood settings.

Understanding Child-Directed Speech Around Book Reading in Toddler Classrooms: Evidence From Early Head Start Programs.

Child-directed speech (CDS), which can help children learn new words, has been rigorously studied among infants and parents in home settings. Yet, far less is known about the CDS that teachers use in classrooms with toddlers and children's responses, an important question because many toddlers, particularly in high-need communities, attend group-care settings. This exploratory study examines the linguistic environment during teacher-led book readings in American Early Head Start classrooms serving 2-year-olds from households in poverty. Seven teachers in four classrooms were trained to emphasize target words while reading story and informational books. We first analyzed the nature and quality of their book readings from a macro-level, exploring global instructional quality [Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)] and linguistic complexity [i.e., diversity of vocabulary (D) and sophistication of syntax (MLU-w)], and we also examined micro-level teacher-child talk strategies and use of target words. Compared to prior research, these classrooms had similar global quality and syntactic complexity, although less lexical diversity. Exploratory results also revealed three distinct teacher talk patterns-teachers who emphasized (1) comments, (2) questions, and (3) a balance of the two. Question-focused teachers had more adult and child talk during reading, as well as more repetitions of target words, and stronger CLASS Engaged Support for Learning. However, comment-focused teachers used more diverse vocabulary and had stronger CLASS Emotional and Behavioral Support. Results illuminate the nature and quality of CDS in toddler classrooms, particularly in the context of an intervention emphasizing target vocabulary words, and highlight applications for professional development and questions for further research.

Examining young children's social competence using functional ability profiles.

PURPOSE: To explore the use of International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) based profiles of children's functional abilities in relation to their social competence. Subgroups based on shared profiles of functional ability were investigated as an alternative or complement to subgroups defined by disability categories. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a nationally representative data set of young children identified for special education services in the United States was used for the present study. Using five subgroups of children with shared profiles of functional ability, derived from latent class analysis in previous work, regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between social competence and functional abilities profile subgroup membership. Differences among the subgroups were examined using standardized effect sizes. R2 values were used to examine explained variance in social competence in relation to subgroup membership, disability category, and these variables in combination. RESULTS: Functional ability profile subgroup membership was moderately related to children's social competence outcomes: social skills and problem behaviors. Effect sizes showed significant differences between subgroups. Subgroup membership accounted for more variance in social competence outcomes than disability category. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide empirical support for the importance of functional ability profiles when examining social competence within a population of young children with disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation The extent to which children with disabilities experience difficulty with social competence varies by their functional characteristics. Functional ability profiles can provide practitioners and researchers working young children with disabilities important tools to examine social competence and to inform interventions.

Identifying Common Practice Elements to Improve Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes of Young Children in Early Childhood Classrooms.

Educators are increasingly being encouraged to implement evidence-based interventions and practices to address the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of young children who exhibit problem behavior in early childhood settings. Given the nature of social-emotional learning during the early childhood years and the lack of a common set of core evidence-based practices within the early childhood literature, selection of instructional practices that foster positive social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for children in early childhood settings can be difficult. The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a study designed to identify common practice elements found in comprehensive intervention models (i.e., manualized interventions that include a number of components) or discrete practices (i.e., a specific behavior or action) designed to target social, emotional, and behavioral learning of young children who exhibit problem behavior. We conducted a systematic review of early childhood classroom interventions that had been evaluated in randomized group designs, quasi-experimental designs, and single-case experimental designs. A total of 49 published articles were identified, and an iterative process was used to identify common practice elements. The practice elements were subsequently reviewed by experts in social-emotional and behavioral interventions for young children. Twenty-four practice elements were identified and classified into content (the goal or general principle that guides a practice element) and delivery (the way in which a teacher provides instruction to the child) categories. We discuss implications that the identification of these practice elements found in the early childhood literature has for efforts to implement models and practices.

Evaluation of urinary corticosterone as a biomarker of stress in rats using fenitrothion as a chemical stressor.

Regulatory guidelines for pharmaceutical toxicity studies recommend using one dose near the maximum tolerated. At that level significant toxicities may occur, leading to systemic stress and secondary immune suppression which can be difficult to differentiate from a primary drug effect. Therefore, there is a need for a biomarker of stress applicable to toxicity studies. This study evaluated urinary corticosterone as a biomarker, using as a pharmacologic stressor fenitrothion, which was previously shown not to cause primary immune suppression. Rats were administered fenitrothion orally at 20 and 30 mg/kg daily for 2 or 8 days, with matched vehicle controls (n = 6/group). Urine was collected for 6 and 24 h, before treatment and on Day 2 and Day 8. Urine was assayed for corticosterone, separately for the first 6 h of collection and for the whole 24 h sample. Animals were euthanized on Day 3 or Day 9 and lymphoid tissue samples were collected, weighed and examined histologically. Treated rats showed neurologic signs following treatment. Findings also included time- and dose-dependent decreases in body weight and spleen and thymus weight decreases supra-proportional to body weight on Day 9. Histologic changes were mild at a dose of 20 mg/kg, but significant at 30 mg/kg, consisting of lymphocytolysis at Day 3 and lymphoid depletion at Day 9. Urine corticosterone levels were increased on Day 2 and Day 8, in the 6-h samples, but not the 24-h ones, at both dose levels. Based on the results, urine corticosterone appears to be a sensitive biomarker of systemic stress caused by fenitrothion. Other chemical stressors should be evaluated in a similar manner in order to fully validate urine corticosterone measurement as a stress biomarker.

Cook/Chill Foodservice System with a Microwave Oven: Coliforms and Aerobic Counts from Turkey Rolls and Slices 1.

Turkey was sampled for total aerobic plate counts and coliform counts, before and after cooking, after chilled storage and after reheating in a microwave oven. Frozen turkey rolls were thawed for 48 h at 3°C. Rolls were then cooked (105, 135 and 165°C) to an internal temperature of 77°C. Cooked rolls were placed into a refrigerator operating at 1°C and chilled for 24 h. Rolls were removed from the refrigerator, sliced and refrigerated for ≤ 2 1/2 h to simulate holding conditions in a hospital cook/chill foodservice system. Slices were reheated for 30 or 40 s in a microwave oven. For the raw product, total aerobic plate counts and coliform counts ranged from 78,000 - 615,000/g and 1,600 - 38,000/g, respectively. No coliforms were found in turkey rolls following cooking and chilled storage and turkey slices reheated in a microwave oven. Cooking turkey rolls resulted in reduction of two to five orders of magnitude in total aerobic plate counts. For most trials of the experiment, counts were further reduced when turkey slices were reheated in a microwave oven. These low microbial counts may be attributed to cooking turkey rolls to an end point temperature of 77°C and storing chilled at 1°C before reheating the slices in a microwave oven.