College of Education

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1647

The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effects of foster care intervention and caregiving quality on the bidirectional development of executive functions and social skills following institutional rearing
    (Wiley, 2022-08-07) Zeytinoglu, Selin; Tang, Alva; Zeanah, Charles H.; Nelson, Charles A.; Almas, Alisa N.; Fox, Nathan A.
    Institutional rearing negatively impacts the development of children's social skills and executive functions (EF). However, little is known about whether childhood social skills mediate the effects of the foster care intervention (FCG) and foster caregiving quality following early institutional rearing on EF and social skills in adolescence. We examined (a) whether children's social skills at 8 years mediate the impact of the FCG on the development of EF at ages 12 and 16 years, and (b) whether social skills and EF at ages 8 and 12 mediate the relation between caregiving quality in foster care at 42 months and subsequent social skills and EF at age 16. Participants included abandoned children from Romanian institutions, who were randomly assigned to a FCG (n = 68) or care as usual (n = 68), and a never-institutionalized group (n = 135). At ages 8, 12, and 16, social skills were assessed via caregiver and teacher reports and EF were assessed via the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Caregiving quality of foster caregivers was observed at 42 months. FCG predicted better social skills at 8 years, which in turn predicted better EF in adolescence. Higher caregiver quality in foster care at 42 months predicted better social skills at 8 and 12 years, and better EF at 12 years, which in turn predicted 16-year EF and social skills. These findings suggest that interventions targeting caregiving quality within foster care home environments may have long-lasting positive effects on children's social skills and EF.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    IDEA Part C referrals, determination of eligibility, and services recommended for infants and toddlers affected by illegal substances: A policy implementation study
    (2010) Williams, Asha-Lateef; McLaughlin, Margaret J.; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C requires early intervention programs to develop procedures for ensuring the referral of infants and toddlers who are affected by illegal substance abuse to Part C services. There are no approved regulations for implementing Part C under IDEA 2004. This study utilized the Part C Online Database for a Mid-Atlantic state to describe the data from a large urban jurisdiction during the period of 2003-2009 that pertains to infants and toddlers affected by illegal substance abuse. The following research questions guided the investigation: What were the reasons, counts, and trends over time for referrals to the local ITP for infants and toddlers who were documented to be exposed to and/or affected by illegal substance abuse? What were the reasons, counts, and trends over time for determination of eligibility for Part C services for infants and toddlers who were documented to be exposed to and/or affected by illegal substance abuse? What were the reasons, counts, and trends over time for services recommended for infants and toddlers who were documented to be exposed to and/or affected by illegal substance abuse? Analyses included examination of frequencies, percentages, chi squares with phi adjustment for associations, and trends. Results indicate that though the total number of referred infants and toddlers steadily increased from 1,426 in 03-04 to 1,833 in 08-09, referrals for infants and toddlers referred to Part C for reasons related to substance abuse peaked in 04-05 (13.95%), then steadily declined to a low of 2.73% of total referrals in 08-09. Reasons for referral related to substance abuse were significantly associated with referrals due to delayed and atypical development in communication and motor skills. Over 60% of infants and toddlers who were referred for reasons related to substance abuse had services listed on their IFSPs, as did over 96% of infants and toddlers who were determined eligible due to the high probability condition effects of intrauterine drug exposure. For infants and toddlers who were referred for reasons related to substance abuse, significantly associated services included special instruction, occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, and family counseling/training.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A Concurrent Validation Study of the Maryland Developmental Screen
    (2005-05-23) McNinch, Abigail; Beckman, Paula J.; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of a new screening instrument, the Maryland Developmental Screen (MDS), with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II). The MDS and BSID-II were concurrently administered at the University of Maryland (UMMS) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Follow Up Clinic to an age stratified sample of 81 infants and toddlers, born at 36 weeks gestation or younger, and whose corrected ages ranged from 18 days through 37 months of age. The sensitivity and the specificity rates were determined to be 88.2% and 90.1% respectively. The chance hit rate of 66.7% indicates that the overall hit rate of 90.1 was not due to chance alone. A relationship between the false negative and false positive outcomes in relation to the developmental domain of the child was determined. Evidence that the MDS has unique utility in identifying potential atypical development was also demonstrated. This study provides preliminary evidence that the MDS has validity in screening the development of infants and toddlers born prematurely. Further investigation of the instrument's validity using larger and more diverse sample sizes is needed.