Faculty Bibliography

Several interventions aimed at improving children's sleep behaviors have been successful. However, a less expensive alternative with broader coverage might be for existing parenting programs to incorporate sleep promotion into their curricula. This study examines approximately 1,800 low-income children according to whether their mothers received 5 types of parenting services in the child's first 3 years of life: case management, home visiting, parent-child groups, parenting classes, and parenting support groups. Children whose mothers participated in a parent-child group or parenting class by the child's 10th month of life, or in case management between the child's 11th and 19th months of life, were more likely to have a regular bedtime at age 3. Children whose mother participated in a parent-child group between the child's 11th and 19th months of life were more likely to have a regular bedtime routine (i.e., bathing or reading a story) at age 3. Home visiting and parent support groups were not associated with children's sleep-related behaviors. Further research should explore the potential for integrating sleep-related behaviors into the curriculum for case management, parent-child groups, and parenting classes in children's first 3 years of life.

The present study used data from 132 families that were homeless and a comparison group of 434 housed families in order to compare family functioning across the two groups. Family functioning was assessed by family support workers when the families sought help from one of seven family service agencies in Washington, DC. Multiple regression models showed that there were few differences between homeless and housed families; a difference that did emerge showed that homeless families fared better than housed families in terms of children's developmental stimulation. However, when considering the compounding effects of additional family risk factors, adverse effects of homelessness were observed. As compared with housed families, homeless families with a history of parental mental illness had limited access to support networks and poorer interactions with their children. Poor financial and living conditions were observed among homeless families with histories of substance use. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.

OBJECTIVE: Fragile X syndrome, caused by mutations in a single gene of the X chromosome (FMR1), is associated with neurobehavioral characteristics including social deficits with peers, social withdrawal, gaze aversion, inattention, hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and autistic behavior. However, there is considerable variability in the behavioral and psychiatric problems among children with this condition. The purpose of this study was to measure genetic and environmental factors influencing behavior problems and autistic symptoms in children with fragile X syndrome. DESIGN: We conducted an in-home evaluation of 120 children (80 boys and 40 girls) with the fragile X full mutation and their unaffected siblings, including measurements of the FMR1 protein (FMRP), quality of the home environment, maternal and paternal psychopathology, effectiveness of educational and therapeutic services, and child behavior problems. RESULTS: Results of multiple regression analyses showed that for boys with fragile X, effectiveness of educational and therapeutic services and parental psychological problems predicted internalizing and externalizing types of problems, while the quality of the home environment predicted autistic behavior. For girls with fragile X, the results emphasized significant effects of FMRP on behavior, in particular social withdrawal and anxious/depressed behavior. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are among the first to link FMRP expression to behavior. They also emphasize the significance of home- and school-based environmental variables in the neurobehavioral phenotype and help to lay the foundation for studies designed to identify specific interventions for reducing problem behavior in children with fragile X syndrome.