Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics

	Infant Mental Health Home Visiting Mitigates Impact of Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences on Toddler Language Competence: A Randomized Controlled Trial Riggs, Jessica L. PhD; Rosenblum, Katherine L. PhD; Muzik, Maria MD; Jester, Jennifer PhD; Freeman, Sarah MPH; Huth-Bocks, Alissa PhD; Waddell, Rachel MSW; Alfafara, Emily BA; Miller, Alison PhD; Lawler, Jamie PhD; Erickson, Nora PhD; Weatherston, Debbie PhD; Shah, Prachi MD; Brophy-Herb, Holly PhD; the Michigan Collaborative for Infant Mental Health Research Young children whose parents experienced childhood adversity are at risk for developmental problems (including social, emotional, and cognitive domains) across the lifespan. Parenting behavior may be a mechanism linking parental adversity and subsequent child language development problems, and is a target for intervention. Utilizing a randomized controlled trial, we demonstrated that a relationship-focused home visiting program, Infant Mental Health Home Visiting (IMH-HV), mitigates impact of maternal ACEs on toddler language. Parental adversity can impact development across generations, but intervention can mitigate this negative effect; IMH-HV and other relational interventions should be available to those at risk. Read the article.
	Youth, Caregiver, and Provider Perception of the Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care for Youth with Chronic Diseases Tsang, Vivian W. L. MD, MGC; Fletcher, Sarah; Jassemi, Sara MD, FRCPC; Smith, Sharon MD, FAAP This study takes an innovative approach to investigate the needs of young patients as they age out of paediatric care. Specifically, this three-phase mixed-methods study directly includes youth as co-researchers (YCR) from the creation of research objectives and implementation to data evaluation and knowledge translation. Challenges exist with siloed transition programs. It is important that comprehensive community support related to the pre-transition, transfer, and post-transition care of young patients be included in order for transition to be successful; a brilliant pre-transition preparation process is futile if post-transition care is unavailable or inadequate. Read the article.
	Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Youth with Autism High Prevalence and Impact on Functioning Fombonne, Eric MD; Croen, Lisa A. PhD; Bulkley, Joanna E. PhD; Varga, Alexandra M. MPH; Daida, Yihe G. PhD; Hatch, Brigit A. MD; Dickerson, John F. PhD; Lynch, Frances L. PhD This study, presented by Dr. Eric Fombonne, recruited 1,267 children (472 with autism, 410 with asthma, 385 controls) at several sites. Caregivers completed online standardized measures of psychiatric symptoms, of impairment in child’s functioning, and autism severity. At all ages and in both sexes, caregivers reported significantly much higher rates of psychiatric symptoms, and of impairment levels compared to both comparison groups. Among children with autism, psychiatric problems contributed to impaired functioning as much as autism symptomatology. The study suggests that systematic detection and management of emotional/behavioral problems in youth with autism could substantially improve their functioning and outcome. Read the article.
	Suicide Risk Screening in Pediatric Outpatient Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Clinics Rybczynski, Suzanne MD; Ryan, Taylor C. MS; Wilcox, Holly C. PhD; Van Eck, Kathryn PhD; Cwik, Mary PhD; Vasa, Roma A. MD; Findling, Robert L. MD, MBA; Slifer, Keith PhD; Kleiner, Daniel PsyD; Lipkin, Paul H. MD Suicide risk screening has been recommended for all ages in order to intervene and prevent suicide deaths through appropriate mental health services. Our study describes suicide risk screening in a neurodevelopmental disabilities and rehabilitation pediatric outpatient setting. It is feasible to implement universal suicide risk screening in youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities in outpatient clinic settings. We found our cohort to have a 6.8% rate of positive screenings similar to rates seen in neuro-typical children. As other healthcare institutions implement universal suicide risk screening, it is important that children with neurodevelopmental disabilities always be included in screening protocols. Read the article.
	Children's Attention and Self-Regulatory Behavior Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Raghunathan, Radhika S. PhD, MSPH; Musci, Rashelle J. PhD, MS; Voegtline, Kristin M. PhD, MS; Chambers Thomas, Tracey BS; Johnson, Sara B. PhD, MPH The COVID-19 pandemic has affected emotional and behavioral well-being of children and families. In this study, we investigated changes in children’s self-regulation before and during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of pandemic-related life disruptions on children’s behavior. Families who participated in an intergenerational study up to one year prior to the pandemic were recontacted (April 2020 - August 2020, n = 45, 87% Black). We found that children’s self-regulation decreased pre-pandemic to pandemic, particularly for children experiencing more pandemic-related disruptions. Children whose families have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic may need focused support in school and at home to avoid widening pre-pandemic health disparities. Read the article.
	Assessing and Promoting Independence in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Cheak-Zamora, Nancy PhD; Tait, Andrew BS; Coleman, Ann BA The video details the study, Assessing and Promoting Independence in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including the qualitative methods used in the study, results, and implications. Read the article.