Vagal modulation of 1‐month‐old infants to auditory stimuli is associated with self‐regulatory behavior

During infancy, cardiac vagal modulation has been associated with attentional and social engagement behaviors. While studies have shown that infants display a behavioral repertoire that enables them to interact with others by being able to regulate themselves in order to attend to and to discriminate emotional and social cues, vagal modulation to sensory stimuli and its association with behavioral outcomes at early ages remains to be addressed. In this study, we analyzed the cardiac vagal response of 1‐month‐old infants to two auditory stimuli intensities and whether vagal response was associated with social interactive and self‐regulatory abilities. Therefore, we recorded cardiac and respiratory physiological responses in 28 infants using a Biopac System. Neurobehavioral assessment was performed using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. We observed increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) amplitude to both auditory stimuli intensities when compared to baseline. No intensity effect was found for the RSA response. Additionally, we observed that higher RSA amplitude to both auditory stimuli was positively correlated with adjusted self‐regulatory behaviors, suggesting a convergence between multiple measures assessing infants' state regulation. Results are discussed in light of 1‐month‐old infants' auditory stimuli processing and its implications for regulatory behaviors and the emergent social‐like behaviors.     

Becoming the mother of a child with disabilities: a systematic literature review

The transition to motherhood starts early in pregnancy and is completed when the mother feels competent in caring for the infant. Becoming the mother of a child with disabilities is demanding as their needs are complex. The aim of the review was to appraise completed qualitative and quantitative reports on the challenges of mothers of children with disabilities regarding their own transition to motherhood. A review of the literature was carried out through, first, a computerized search strategy to identify relevant studies from selected databases and, second, quality appraisal and thematic analysis of selected studies. The transition to motherhood of children with disabilities takes place in the inside world at home, the outside world external to home and the ‘going-between’ world of travelling between the two worlds. The mothers are challenged at home to integrate basic infant care with technical care of their children. In the outside world they often struggled to ensure that their children got the necessary professional care. Travelling between their homes and healthcare services posed many problems.     

Grandparents' Education and Infant Health: Pathways Across Generations

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey linked to respondents' medical records (N = 2,870), this study examines the association between grandparents' education and birth outcomes and explores potential pathways underlying this relationship. Results show that having a grandfather with less than a high school education was associated with a 93 gram reduction in birth weight, a 59% increase in the odds of low birth weight, and a 136% increase in the odds of a neonatal health condition when compared with having a grandfather with a high school education or more. These associations were partially accounted for by mother's educational attainment and marital status as well as by prenatal history of depression, hypertension, and prenatal health behaviors, depending on the specific outcome. The findings from this study call for heightened attention to the multigenerational influences of educational attainment for infant health.     

幼儿心理在幼儿园室内环境设计中的运用研究——以浙江省宝阳幼儿园为例

幼儿园室内环境的设计是现代设计中的重要组成部分。以浙江宝阳幼儿为例,从幼儿心理需求为中心,通过对室内生活、学习和公共区域等三个方面及整体色彩的分析,深入地探讨符合儿童身心发展的幼儿园室内环境的设计策略。     

我国婴幼儿托育服务标准规范体系的现状及其优化研究

近年来,我国婴幼儿托育服务标准规范建设进程较快,当前体系框架已初步建立。但由于长期以来标准规范建设比较缓 慢、推进机制不健全等客观因素制约,当前婴幼儿托育服务在通用基础标准规范方面整体滞后,婴幼儿安全照护和权益保障标准 规范方面仍存短板,监管和人员标准规范方面较弱等问题。根据托育标准规范体系现状,结合托育服务发展需求,当前亟需建立 托育服务标准规范体系的协同推进工作机制,加快通用基础标准规范研制,促进服务提供标准规范的健全,补足支持保障标准规 范的短板,进而完善标准规范框架体系,推动各类标准规范的兼容,进而为婴幼儿托育服务高质量发展提供支持和保障。     

Services to prevent child placing-out for cocaine-affected and non-affected families

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the'In-Home Family Care' programme of Children's Home Society of California in Alameda County, particularly regarding the emphasis and impact of services for cocaine-affected families. The family characteristics, problems addressed and service provision in cases served over a 3-year period were assessed in terms of their relation to placement outcome for cocaine-affected and non-affected families. This evaluation found that, despite serious and often chronic problems among cocaine-affected families, their child removal rate was no higher than that for non-affected families. Implications for risk assessment and placement decisions are discussed.     

I hardly see my baby: challenges and highlights of being a New Zealand working mother of an infant

Combining motherhood and paid work presents a significant challenge for many women. We asked 2388 working New Zealand mothers of infants about their biggest highlight and challenge since the birth of their child. Thematic analysis revealed the top three reported highlights were Enjoyment of the Child (40%), Child Development (29%) and Attributes of the Child (16%). The top three challenges included Time Management (24%), difficulties with maternal role and responsibilities (21%) and work-related challenges (18%). Using logistic regression, working was more likely to be reported as a challenge by mothers who worked longer hours, returned to work when their infants were younger, had greater household incomes, or expressed concern about negative career consequences if they stayed on leave. Working was less likely to be reported as a challenge for mothers whose infants had health or developmental problems and who ‘wanted to get out of the house’. Practical implications are explored.     

Under the skin: Exploring 2-month-olds' thermal reactions in different social interactions with mother and stranger

Physiological adaptations to external stressors can reveal socio-cognitive health in infancy. With the use of thermal imaging and behavioural analyses, the current study examined the arousal markers accompanying infants’ interactions with a familiar and an unfamiliar person. To address the current research question, the mother and a complete stranger interacted with 2 to 3 month-old infants (N= 10, 2 boys)in three different conditions: Neutral, Play, and Compliment. Behavioral analyses showed that overall gaze was longer to the Stranger compared to the Mother independent of condition. Physiological findings showed that skin temperature was significantly higher with the stranger independent of condition. The regions of the face that passed the significance threshold included the maxillary area, the nose, and the forehead. Both behavioral and physiological findings emphasize the ability of the infant to distinguish between a familiar and an unfamiliar person. Most importantly, however thermal imaging has proven to be a promising tool in physiologically differentiating between variable social conditions in very young infants opening up a new experimental portal for identifying healthy physiological development.     

婴幼儿托育机构教师指导家长的现状分析

摘 要：本研究采用观察法和访谈法对7所婴幼儿托育机构的39名托育教师指导家长的现状进行调查,结果表明：托育教师有较高的指导家长意识,但指导过程缺乏反思;面对面个别指导是最主要且最有效的指导家长方式,集体指导更便捷,但指导效果较差,存在“形式化”现象,过程缺乏连续性;指导内容以培养婴幼儿生活习惯与生活能力方面为主,婴幼儿游戏方面的指导还有待提高;托育教师指导家长现状主要受其专业能力水平、职前培养与职后培训情况、托育机构制定的教研活动和评价体系所影响。     

美国明尼苏达州0-5岁婴幼儿家庭教育指导体系建构的启示

美国明尼苏达州婴幼儿家庭教育指导体系为全州婴幼儿家庭提供科学、系统的指导。州政府以“学前儿童家庭教育计 划（ECFE）”为依托在全州范围内开展公共指导服务,并协同州内高校以“家长教育核心课程框架（PECCF）”为课程设置基础培 养和认证“家长教育指导师（TPE）”,指导师结合框架指标与“助我成长项目(Help Me Grow)”婴幼儿发展指标进行个性化指 导方案设计。借鉴美国明尼苏达州的相关经验,我国开展婴幼儿家庭教育工作时应合理布局婴幼儿家庭教育指导网络,尽快 出台婴幼儿家庭教育指导框架作为指导师培养和指导方案设计总纲领,指导过程回归家长本位、凸显家长主体地位。