Bringing a developmental perspective to early childhood and family interventionists: where to begin.

There is a pressing need to share advances in developmental science with the large, multidisciplinary professional workforce that serves vulnerable infants and toddlers and their families. Foundational knowledge and conceptual frameworks that integrate material regarding the contents and processes of early development and promotion of their use can assist interventionists and the families they serve. This chapter describes an approach that has been developed over the past 10 years and summarizes key contents with sample practical applications.

Differential Response to Methylphenidate in Inattentive and Combined Subtype ADHD.

Objective: To examine response to methylphenidate (MPH) assessed by direct observation of ecologically valid behaviors in boys with ADHD with high hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI) and those with predominantly inattentive symptoms (ADHD/I).

Method: Sixty-three boys ages 7 to 13 participated in an ADHD Summer Treatment Program and received a double-blind placebo-controlled assessment of .3 mg/kg of MPH on problem behaviors and individualized behavior goals.

Carica papaya increases regulatory T cells and reduces IFN-γ+ CD4+ T cells in healthy human subjects.

Fruit and vegetables have therapeutic potential as they dampen inflammation, have no known side-effects and as whole foods have prospective additive and synergistic benefits. Th1 (IFN-γ(+) CD4(+))/Th2 (IL-4(+)CD4(+)) T cells play a vital role in mediating inflammatory responses and may be regulated by regulatory T cells (Tregs). Effects of Carica papaya on cells of healthy individuals were determined using flow cytometry methods.

Competencies for infant mental health therapists: A survey of expert opinion.

We report on data provided by a nationwide panel of 23 infant mental health (IMH) experts who provided numerical ratings of the relative importance of 143 competencies desirable for licensed mental health therapists working with infants/children birth to 5 years of age and their families/caregivers. The competencies were developed based on prior state and national efforts and our own experience in training IMH therapists. The competencies were grouped conceptually into seven areas: (a) Normal infant and toddler development; (b) Atypical development (perturbations in development); (c) Emotional/behavioral disorders in infants and young children; (d) Assessment; (e) Intervention; (f) Community resources and referrals; and (g) Organization, communication, and collaboration.

Validity of DSM-IV subtypes of conduct disorder based on age of onset.

Objective: To present data from the DSM-IV field trials that led to the distinction between subtypes of conduct disorder (CD) that emerge in childhood or adolescence. In addition, data from a household sample were used to attempt to cross-validate these findings.

Method: Differences between youths who met criteria for the two subtypes of CD were examined in the field trials sample of 440 youths aged 4 through 17 years and in a household sample of 1,285 youths aged 9 through 17 years.

Inhibition and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

This paper updates the author's earlier hypothesis that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) reflects underactivity in Gray's Behavioral Inhibition System. Five areas of research are reviewed: (1) studies using the stop-signal task, (2) studies of errors of commission, (3) a study of inhibition indexed by eye movements, (4) a neuroimaging study of the corpus callosum, and (5) a study on the prediction of response to methylphenidate. Data from the many different dependent variables in these studies are interpreted as supporting disinhibition as a core deficit in ADHD.

Response perseveration, inhibitory control, and central dopaminergic activity in childhood behavior disorders.

We screened students (N = 710) in grades four through six at two public elementary schools for behavior problems, using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Five groups of children were identified: conduct disorder (n = 8), attention deficit disorder (n = 9), conduct disorder plus attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (n = 11), anxiety-withdrawal (n = 12), and normal control (n = 15). A response perseveration task, inhibitory control task, and a noninvasive measure of dopaminergic activity were administered to selected students, and group differences were predicted based on Quay's hypotheses as derived from Gray's theory of brain function.

Oppositional defiant and conduct disorders: issues to be resolved for DSM-IV.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) are reasonably distinct both in terms of statistical covariation among symptoms and ages of onset. The two disorders are related in similar ways to impairment and family history of antisocial behavior, but the association is stronger for CD than ODD. Virtually all clinic-referred youths with prepubertal onset of CD have retained the symptoms of ODD that emerged at earlier ages.

Response perseveration and delayed responding in childhood behavior disorders.

Students (N = 814) in grades 3 through 6 at a public school were screened for behavior problems using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Fifty-three selected students, representing Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Conduct Disorder plus Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Anxiety-Withdrawal Disorder, and normal controls were administered a response perseveration task and delayed responding task (DRL). It was predicted that performance on the two tasks would vary as a function of group membership.

National survey of problems and competencies among four- to sixteen-year-olds: parents' reports for normative and clinical samples.

We compared parent-reported problems and competencies for national samples of 2,600 4-16-year-olds assessed at intake into mental health services and 2,600 demographically matched nonreferred children assessed in a home interview survey. Parents responded to the ACQ Behavior Checklist, which includes 23 competence items, three competence scales, 216 problem items, eight syndrome scales, Internalizing, Externalizing, and total competence and problem scores. Most items and scales discriminated significantly (p less than .

Replication of empirically derived syndromes as a basis for taxonomy of child/adolescent psychopathology.

To advance the empirical identification of child/adolescent syndromes, principal components analyses were performed on four sets of parents' ratings of 8,194 6- to 16-year-olds referred to American and Dutch mental health services. The following syndromes replicated well for both sexes at ages 6-16: Aggressive, Anxious/Depressed, Attention Problems, Delinquent, Somatic Complaints, and Withdrawn. For both age ranges, a syndrome designated as Socially Inept replicated well among boys, and one designated as Mean replicated well among girls.

Dimensions of problem behavior in institutionalized retardates.

A factor analysis of teacher ratings of 55 items of deviant behavior in a sample of 252 institutionalized retardates resulted in the emergence of three interpretable factors. Two factors clearly represented the broad-band dimensions of conduct disorder and anxiety-withdrawal, while the third reflected psychotic behavior. Only conduct disorder was related to age, sex, race, or intellectual level.