Sex-Differential Trajectories of Domain-Specific Associations Between Autistic Traits and Co-Occurring Emotional-Behavioral Concerns in Autistic Children.

Assessing autistic traits alongside co-occurring emotional/behavioral concerns (EBCs) is challenging due to their overlap in clinical presentations, which can vary by age and sex. This study aimed to investigate domain-specific associations between autistic traits and EBCs-including anxiety, affective, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and oppositional-defiant problems-across childhood in autistic boys and girls. We prospectively followed 389 children (84% male) diagnosed with autism at ages 2-5 years, using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) across eight timepoints until age 12.

Trajectories of attention problems in autistic children and relations to social skills outcomes.

Co-occurring autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been associated with poorer social skills. Most studies examining the association of ADHD symptoms and social skills in autism employ categorical and cross-sectional designs, which provide a narrow view of the development of ADHD symptoms. Using group-based trajectory modeling, we identified five trajectories of caregiver-reported attention problems in an inception cohort of autistic children ( = 393) followed from age 2-5 years (T1) to age 10.

Early childhood body mass index growth and school readiness: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Child growth influences future health and learning. School readiness refers to a child's ability to meet developmental expectations at school entry. The association of early growth rate and patterns with school readiness remains unknown.

Longitudinal associations between autistic children's anxiety and social communication differences: The moderating role of executive function behaviours.

Anxiety is a mental health concern affecting many autistic children, and has been linked to greater differences in social communication and interaction style. Executive functioning (i.e.

Targeted Child Mental Health Prevention and Parenting Support Within a Canadian Context: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the U.S.-Developed Family Check-Up®.

Canada lacks an approach to early childhood mental health prevention aimed at decreasing barriers to care among highest-needs families. In this Canadian randomized controlled trial, we aimed to evaluate whether participation in the Family Check-Up® (FCU®) would be associated with lower severity of child behavior problems (primary outcome) and caregiver psychological distress and daily parenting stress (secondary outcomes). Eligible caregivers of children aged 2-4 years with (i) high severity of behavior problems and/or (ii) above-average severity plus ≥ 1 family psychosocial risk factor were recruited from early education, community, and clinical settings in Hamilton, Ontario.

Early-Onset Trajectories of Emotional Dysregulation in Autistic Children.

Objective: Emotional dysregulation (ED) is a common and debilitating problem for autistic children and their families. However, little is known about early-onset patterns of dysregulation, associated risk factors, and child and family outcomes. This study aimed to characterize trajectories of ED in an inception cohort of autistic preschoolers.

Brief Report: Positive Caregiver Perceptions on Receiving Research Summary Reports in Autism Longitudinal Research.

Purpose: Although participating in research is often presented as something that can 'help others in the future', research participants may also benefit from accessing and understanding their own research data. However, participant attitudes toward receiving individual data via research reports are under researched. This study examined participant perceptions of research reports within the context of the pilot phase of the Pediatric Autism Research Cohort (PARC) Study.

The Association Between Autism Symptomatology and Adaptive Functioning Over Six Months: Findings from the Pilot Phase of the PARC Study.

Purpose: In the context of developmental trajectories, the association between adaptive functioning and core autism symptomatology remains unclear. The current study examines the associations of adaptive behavior with autism symptom sub-domains and with different facets of symptom expression.

Methods: Participants include 36 children with a recent diagnosis of autism (33 males; mean age = 56.

The Pediatric Autism Research Cohort (PARC) Study: protocol for a patient-oriented prospective study examining trajectories of functioning in children with autism.

Introduction: The developmentally variable nature of autism poses challenges in providing timely services tailored to a child's needs. Despite a recent focus on longitudinal research, priority-setting initiatives with stakeholders highlighted the importance of studying a child's day-to-day functioning and social determinants of health to inform clinical care. To address this, we are conducting a pragmatic multi-site, patient-oriented longitudinal investigation: the (.

Neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status and prevalence of teacher-reported health disorders among Canadian kindergarten children.

Background: The evidence on the association between neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) and health disorders in young children is scarce. This study examined the prevalence of health disorders in Canadian kindergarten (5-6 years old) children in relation to neighborhood SES in 12/13 Canadian jurisdictions.

Methods: Data on child development at school entry for an eligible 1,372,980 children out of the total population of 1,435,428 children from 2004 to 2020, collected using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), were linked with neighborhood sociodemographic data from the 2006 Canadian Census and the 2005 Taxfiler for 2,058 neighborhoods.

Predictors of harsh parenting practices and inter-partner conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: a cross-sectional analysis from the Ontario Parent Survey.

Objectives: Guided by the bioecological model, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations of (1) individual level factors (sociodemographic, health behaviour and mental health), (2) family (micro) level COVID-19 experiences (difficulty with household management, managing child mood and behaviour, and pandemic-related positive experiences) and (3) community (macro) level factors (residential instability, ethnic concentration, material deprivation and dependency, an indicator of age and labour force) with harsh parenting practices and inter-partner conflict during the early lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.

Design: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Ontario Parent Survey.

Setting: A convenience sample of 7451 caregivers living in Ontario, Canada, at the time of baseline data collection (May-June 2020).

Protocol for the COVID-19 Wellbeing and Stress Study: a longitudinal study of parent distress, biological stress and child biopsychosocial development during the pandemic and beyond.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a unique impact on the mental health and well-being of pregnant individuals and parents of young children. However, the impact of COVID-19-related stress during pregnancy on early child biopsychosocial development, remains unclear. The COVID-19 Wellbeing and Stress Study will: (1) investigate the impact of different forms of prenatal stress experienced during the pandemic (including objective hardship, perceived psychological distress and biological stress) on child stress biology, (2) examine the association between child stress biology and child developmental outcomes, (3) determine whether child stress biology acts as a mechanism linking prenatal stress to adverse child developmental outcomes and (4) assess whether gestational age at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic or child sex, moderate these associations.

Assessing the combined effect of household cooking fuel and urbanicity on acute respiratory symptoms among under-five years in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: This study sought to investigate the association between urbanicity (rural-urban residency), the use of solid biomass cooking fuels and the risk of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) among children under the age of 5 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: Cross-sectional data from the most recent surveys of the Demographic and Health Survey Program conducted in 31 sub-Saharan African countries were pooled for the analysis. The outcome variables, cough and rapid short breath were derived from questions that asked mothers if their children under the age of 5 suffered from cough and short rapid breath in the past two weeks preceding the survey.

Trajectory research in children with an autism diagnosis: A scoping review.

The types of outcomes studied in children on the autism spectrum include clinical characteristics, such as social functioning, communication, language, or autism symptoms. Research that measures these outcomes at multiple timepoints is useful to improve our understanding of what to expect as children develop. In trajectory studies, researchers assess outcomes at three or more timepoints.

Joint effect of water and sanitation practices on childhood diarrhoea in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Diarrhoea remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality of children under five years in Africa. Several studies have shown that inadequate and unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and poor hygiene practices are complex issues for different pathogens and accountable for the occurrence of diarrhoea diseases. We assessed the combined effect of household's source of drinking water and type of toilet facility and residential wellbeing on the incidence of childhood diarrhoea in 33 Sub-Saharan Africa countries while accounting for relevant compositional and contextual factors.

Variable patterns of daily activity participation across settings in autistic youth: A latent profile transition analysis.

What people do or engage in in their daily lives, or daily life participation, is often linked to their state of being happy and healthy, as well as potential for living independently. To date, little research has been conducted on daily activity participation by autistic youth at home, at school or in the community. Learning more about individual differences in participation levels and what might influence them can help to create custom supports for autistic youth and their families.

Longitudinal associations between early childhood irritability and adolescent depression symptoms in autistic children are mediated by peer relationships but not educational engagement.

In the general population, irritability is associated with later depression. Despite irritability being more prevalent in autistic children, the long-term sequelae are not well explored. We tested whether irritability in early childhood predicted depression symptoms in autistic adolescents, and whether associations could be explained by difficulties in peer relationships and lower educational engagement.

Continuity of trajectories of autism symptom severity from infancy to childhood.

Background: Behavioral symptom trajectories are informative of the development of young children at increased likelihood for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: Developmental trajectories of early signs were examined in a cohort of siblings of children diagnosed with ASD (n = 502) from 6 to 18 months using the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI), and from 18 months to 5-7 years using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Diagnostic outcomes for ASD at age 3 confirmed diagnosis for 137 children.

Disentangling global and domain-level adaptive behavior trajectories among children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Heterogeneity in adaptive behavior abilities among people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is expressed not only as uneven levels of impairment across domains, but also in the developmental trajectories of adaptive skills. We studied the question of whether, after accounting for global adaptive behavior development, we find evidence of heterogeneity in the trajectories of specific domains of adaptive behavior.

Methods: A sample of 504 children with ASD was obtained by combining data from two independent natural history studies conducted in North America.

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the early development instrument in a sample of Jordanian children.

Background: Investing in children's early years can have a lasting positive effect, such as better academic outcomes throughout their school careers. In Jordan, investments have been made in early childhood development and early childhood care and education to improve children's school readiness. School readiness comprises a range of abilities needed to succeed in school, including physical, emotional, social, and cognitive skills.

Social Disparities in Mental Health Service Use Among Children and Youth in Ontario: Evidence From a General, Population-Based Survey.

Objectives: To examine differences in mental health-related service contacts between immigrant, refugee, racial and ethnic minoritized children and youth, and the extent to which social, and economic characteristics account for group differences.

Methods: The sample for analyses includes 10,441 children and youth aged 4-17 years participating in the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study. The primary caregiver completed assessments of their child's mental health symptoms, perceptions of need for professional help, mental health-related service contacts, experiences of discrimination and sociodemographic and economic characteristics.

Measuring the association between behavioural services and outcomes in young children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive a wide range of services.

Aims: To examine the association between behavioural services received by children with ASD between ages 2 and 5 years and outcomes during primary school years.

Methods: A total of 414 preschool-aged children diagnosed with ASD were enrolled at five Canadian sites and were assessed within four months of diagnosis (T1), six months later (T2), 12 months later (T3), at school entry (T4), and then annually (T5-T8) to 11 years of age.