Kimberly K. Floyd

Using Mobile Media Devices and Apps to Promote Young Children’s Learning

In this chapter we describe how mobile technologies, with a focus on smart phones, iPod touches, and iPads or other tablet devices and applications (apps), are transforming learning for young children. This chapter discusses young children’s experiences and learning with mobile media devices and apps. Key opportunities to seize mobile media devices’ unique attributes to improve learning are described. Along with their potential for helping children develop important skills come challenges in using mobile devices for learning that must be addressed. The use of assistive technologies and best practices of Universal Design for Learning provide a viable pathway for needed customization and personalization for young children with disabilities to succeed in using such new and innovative technologies. Finally, implications and insights for education and industry on how to promote young children’s learning via mobile devices and apps are addressed.

The importance of emotions: the socialisation of emotion in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

ABSTRACT Parents play a critical role in the development of childrens emotional competence; however, little research examines parents’ emotion socialisation practices among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we compared the emotion socialisation practices of parents of children with ASD and to those of parents of children that are typically developing. The Coping with Childrens Negative Emotions Scale was used to assess parents’ reactions to childrens emotions in both the typically developing sample (n = 138) and the sample of children with ASD (n = 22). An analysis of covariance revealed significant differences in responses to anger and fear. Group was entered as the independent variable and the dependent variable was parents’ responses to childrens expressions of negative emotion. Covariates included child gender and child age. These results demonstrate a need for research examining the relationship between, and moderators of, parents’ emotional reactions and the development of emotional competence in children with ASD. Furthermore, these results have implications for early intervention practice as parent–child interactions have been shown to affect child outcomes.

Dialogic Reading and Adapted Dialogic Reading With Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

An adapted alternating treatments design, replicated across two books, was used to examine the effects of Dialogic Reading delivered using traditional paperback books and technology-enhanced books utilizing a Surface tablet on the vocabulary acquisition of four preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. For each book, 30 words were randomly assigned to conditions (i.e., 10 to traditional Dialogic Reading, 10 to Dialogic Reading with technology, 10 to control). Intervention was delivered 1 to 4 times per week across 6 months. Results suggest both methods increased vocabulary compared with baseline. Dialogic Reading delivered via both paperback and technology-enhanced books is promising for increasing vocabulary for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder.

The association between adaptive functioning and parents’ attributions for children’s emotions

ABSTRACT Research suggests that adaptive functioning influences parents’ attributions for children’s social behaviours. However, the influence of adaptive functioning on parents’ attributions for children’s emotional expressions is yet to be examined. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between adaptive functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and parents’ attributions for children’s negative emotional expressions. Participants included 68 parents of children with ASD ages 3–11 (Mage = 7.2; SD = 6.82). Parents completed two questionnaires: one measuring adaptive functioning and one measuring parents’ attributions for their children’s emotional expressions. Positive associations were found between: (1) parents’ internal modifiable attributions for overall negative emotions (i.e. fear, anger, sadness aggregate), fear, and anger; (2) parents’ external modifiable attributions for overall negative emotion, fear, and sadness; and (3) parents’ disability-based attributions and fear. Tentatively, these results indicate that attribution retraining may be an important focus for interventions with parents of children with ASD.