The Physiological Impact of Window Murals on Pediatric Patients.

Objectives: To examine the magnitude of impact of two nature-themed window murals on physiological processes, as measured by heart rate and blood pressure, of pediatric patients.

Background: Many children and adolescents find at least one aspect of the hospitalization process frightening or anxiety provoking. One physical feature linked to stress reduction is access to positive distractions.

Evaluating the Ability of the PBS Children's Show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood to Teach Skills to Two Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

is a children's television show incorporating many elements of video modeling, an intervention that can teach skills to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study evaluated the impact of watching episodes on the accurate performance of trying new foods and stopping play politely with two five-year-old children with ASD. Both children showed improved performance of skills only following exposure to episodes of , suggesting that watching episodes can help children with ASD learn specific skills.

Qualitative Evaluation of the Jump2Health™ Website for Parents of Preschool Children Shows Behavior Changes.

Few interventions have been shown to be successful in reducing child obesity, due in part to the challenges in reaching parents. Web-based nutrition intervention is becoming more feasible due to technology advancements and accessibility across income groups. However, studies on the effectiveness and acceptability of web-based interventions to teach parents about healthy behaviors are needed.

Contextual determinants of mothers' interventions in young children's peer interactions.

In this study, the role of context in mothers' interventions in their preschool children's peer relationship problems was investigated. Event theme (aggression, peer rebuff, or initiating play), the child's role in the event (actor or target), the child's age and sex, and the mother's emotional reaction were examined as predictors of the extent to which mothers (N = 71) said they would discuss peer relationships, encourage peer interaction, and use power assertion in response to a series of videotaped vignettes depicting common peer relationship problems. Mothers suggested using more discussion in aggressive situations and more encouragement in initiating play situations.

Cumulative Risk and Continuity in Nonparental Care from Infancy to Early Adolescence.

Variations in amounts of nonparental care across infancy, preschool, early elementary school, and early adolescence were examined in a longitudinal sample (N = 438). Of interest was (a) continuity in use of the different arrangements, (b) whether the arrangements were additively and cumulatively associated with children's externalizing behavior problems, and (c) whether predictive relations were accounted for by social-ecological (socioeconomic status, mothers' employment status, marital status) and social-experiential (parenting quality, exposure to aggressive peers) factors. Correlations among overall amounts of care provided little evidence of cross-time continuity.