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Studying Brain Function in Children Using Magnetoencephalography
Published on: April 8, 2019
The influence of the family environment on adaptive functioning in the classroom: A longitudinal study of children
Miriam Heyman1, Penny Hauser-Cram1
1Boston College Lynch School of Education, Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Campion Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, United States.
Background:
No study has examined trajectories of school-based adaptive functioning (AF) for children with developmental disabilities (DD). This is a critical gap in the literature, since AF is context dependent, and high levels of AF at school facilitate meaningful participation at school.
Aims:
This study examined trajectories of school-based AF for 170 children with DD from age 3 to 15 years, and indicators of the early childhood home and family environment as predictors of these trajectories.
Methods:
Multilevel modeling was used to explore trajectories of school-based AF and identify early childhood home and family predictors of these trajectories.
Results:
Children's school-based AF raw scores increased over time. There was significant variability in initial status and rate of change of AF. As hypothesized, higher quality mother-child interaction predicted more positive functioning.
Conclusions:
Findings indicate the influence of the early childhood home and family environment on school-based AF over time.
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