Sharon Landesman Ramey

Early Learning and School Readiness: Can Early Intervention Make a Difference?

Childrens experiences prior to kindergarten entry are correlated with degree of cognitive development and school readiness as measured by standardized assessments of cognitive and linguistic performance. Children from economically poor and undereducated families are at elevated risk for lack of school readiness due to less knowledge and skill. This article reviews evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were designed to test the hypothesis that preschool education, with an emphasis on seven particular classes of experiences, could be efficacious in improving readiness for school and subsequent academic achievement in reading and mathematics. Results indicate that the cumulative developmental toll that is measured reliably in high-risk samples of children beginning in the second year of life can be substantially reduced through a high-quality preschool program. This positive effect has been replicated in nine additional trials using RCT methodology. Additionally, long-term follow-up of the original study participants indicates not only improved performance in reading and mathematics in elementary and secondary school but also a reduction in special education placement and grade retention, among other practical benefits. Results are discussed with respect to public policy recommendations and suggestions for future research.

Persistent Effects of Early Childhood Education on High-Risk Children and Their Mothers

Child and mother outcomes are reported for the Abecedarian Project, an early childhood education, pediatric healthcare, and family support program for high-risk children and their mothers. Three randomized intervention conditions for at-risk participants were compared to a control condition. Randomized control group participants received family support social services, low-cost or free pediatric care, and child nutritional supplements but no additional educational program beyond what the parents and the local school system provided. The local community was generally affluent and well educated; disadvantaged families represented a small minority whose welfare was a high social and educational priority. The educational intervention conditions were (a) preschool education for the first 5 years of life plus a supplementary kindergarten through 2nd grade Educational Support Program (Preschool plus K-2 Support), (b) preschool education (Preschool Only), and (c) K-2 Educational Support Program (K-2 Only). Child outcomes were assessed with respect to cognitive development, academic achievement, grade retention, and special education placements. For mothers, the effect of having educational childcare during the preschool period was examined with respect to maternal educational gains and employment. Positive and systematic cognitive and academic achievement differences were found for children in the preschool treatment conditions, particularly when that condition was combined with the K-2 Educational Support Program. High-quality, consistently available preschool education was also associated with greater maternal educational advancement and higher levels of employment particularly for teenage mothers. These findings have direct relevance for education and welfare policies.

Power calculations for general linear multivariate models including repeated measures applications

Recently developed methods for power analysis expand the options available for study design. We demonstrate how easily the methods can be applied by (1) reviewing their formulation and (2) describing their application in the preparation of a particular grant proposal. The focus is a complex but ubiquitous setting: repeated measures in a longitudinal study. Describing the development of the research proposal allows demonstrating the steps needed to conduct an effective power analysis. Discussion of the example also highlights issues that typically must be considered in designing a study. First, we discuss the motivation for using detailed power calculations, focusing on multivariate methods in particular. Second, we survey available methods for the general linear multivariate model (GLMM) with Gaussian errors and recommend those based on F approximations. The treatment includes coverage of the multivariate and univariate approaches to repeated measures, MANOVA, ANOVA, multivariate regression, and univariate regression. Third, we describe the design of the power analysis for the example, a longitudinal study of a childs intellectual performance as a function of mothers estimated verbal intelligence. Fourth, we present the results of the power calculations. Fifth, we evaluate the tradeoffs in using reduced designs and tests to simplify power calculations. Finally, we discuss the benefits and costs of power analysis in the practice of statistics. We make three recommendations: Align the design and hypothesis of the power analysis with the planned data analysis, as best as practical.Embed any power analysis in a defensible sensitivity analysis.Have the extent of the power analysis reflect the ethical, scientific, and monetary costs. We conclude that power analysis catalyzes the interaction of statisticians and subject matter specialists. Using the recent advances for power analysis in linear models can further invigorate the interaction.

Parenting and the child's world : influences on academic, intellectual, and social-emotional development

Contents: Series Foreword. Preface. Part I: Parenting Research: Conceptual and Methodological Foundations. J.R. Harris, Beyond the Nurture Assumption: Testing Hypotheses About the Childs Environment. D.C. Rowe, What Twin and Adoption Studies Reveal About Parenting. E.E. Maccoby, Parenting Effects: Issues and Controversies. S.L. Ramey, The Science and Art of Parenting. Part II: Early Influences of Parenting on Achievement and Competence. P.A. Cowan, C.P. Cowan, What an Intervention Design Reveals About How Parents Affect Their Childrens Academic Achievement and Behavior Problems. NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, Parenting and Family Influences When Children Are in Child Care: Results From the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. C.T. Ramey, S.L. Ramey, R.G. Lanzi, J.N. Cotton, Early Educational Interventions for High-Risk Children: How Center-Based Treatment Can Augment and Improve Parenting Effectiveness. F.J. Morrison, R.R. Cooney, Parenting and Academic Achievement: Multiple Paths to Early Literacy. J.G. Borkowski, T. Bisconti, K. Weed, C. Willard, D.A. Keogh, T.L. Whitman, The Adolescent as Parent: Influences on Childrens Intellectual, Academic, and Socioemotional Development. Part III: Parenting Influences on Emotional Development and Socialization. L.A. Sroufe, From Infant Attachment to Promotion of Adolescent Autonomy: Prospective, Longitudinal Data on the Role of Parents in Development. L. Embry, G. Dawson, Disruptions in Parenting Behavior Related to Maternal Depression: Influences on Childrens Behavioral and Psychobiological Development. K.A. Dodge, Mediation, Moderation, and Mechanisms in How Parenting Affects Childrens Aggressive Behavior. T.J. Dishion, B.M. Bullock, Parenting and Adolescent Problem Behavior: An Ecological Analysis of the Nurturance Hypothesis. E.M. Cummings, M.C. Goeke-Morey, M.A. Graham, Interparental Relations as a Dimension of Parenting. S.J. Suomi, Parents, Peers, and the Process of Socialization in Primates. Part IV: Contextual-Cultural Influences on Parenting Nondisabled and Disabled Children. S.M. McGroder, M.J. Zaslow, K.A. Moore, E.C. Hair, S.K. Ahluwalia, The Role of Parenting in Shaping the Impacts of Welfare-to-Work Programs on Children. D.P. Hogan, M.E. Msall, Family Structure and Resources and the Parenting of Children With Disabilities and Functional Limitations. L.M. Glidden, Parenting Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Ladder of Influence. Part V: Future Research Directions and Translations to Parenting Practices. M.M. Feerick, M. Bristol-Power, D. Bynum, The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Research on Parenting: Past, Present, and Future Directions. J.G. Borkowski, S.L. Ramey, C. Stile, Parenting Research: Translations to Parenting Practices.

Intensive Pediatric Constraint-Induced Therapy for Children With Cerebral Palsy: Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial

A randomized crossover trial of a new form of pediatric rehabilitation was conducted with 18 children with hemiparesis. Half were randomly assigned to receive pediatric constraint-induced therapy involving constraint of the functional upper extremity and intensive therapy with the hemiparetic upper extremity. Controls received conventional physical and occupational therapy and then were crossed over to receive pediatric constraint-induced therapy. Pediatric constraint-induced therapy produced significantly greater gains than conventional rehabilitation services. (J Child Neurol 2006;21:931—938; DOI 10.2310/7010.2006.00201).

Early educational intervention with disadvantaged children—To what effect?*

Abstract The adequate development of children is essential for the survival of a society. Dramatic negative changes in current societies have increased both the number of disadvantaged children and the severity of their disadvantage, thus threatening childrens adequate development and the achievement of stability and productivity within their societies. Considerable scientific data support the idea that negative outcomes for children can be prevented. Effective prevention depends largely on early educational intervention, often supplemented by health and social services and parental involvement. This article (a) summarizes the key conclusions from 25 years of scientific inquiry, (b) acknowledges controversial issues in the scientific and policy arenas, (c) recommends practical strategies for enhancing childrens everyday environments, and (d) proposes an integrative conceptual framework to guide future research and early educational intervention.

Cocaine and the use of alcohol and other drugs during pregnancy

Recent reports of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with prenatal cocaine exposure have raised questions about the actual numbers of infants who are exposed to cocaine in utero. Whereas toxicologic urine screens obtained at delivery can detect cocaine use in the preceding few days, they fail to yield a comprehensive picture of use during and immediately before pregnancy. According to postpartum self-report, 15% of a teaching hospital sample and 3% of a private hospital sample of mothers had used cocaine during pregnancy or in the previous month (total = 876). Rates at the teaching hospital reflect a fifteenfold increase over the past 12-year period, when compared with previously obtained data. Cocaine users were significantly more likely to report that they drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and took other illicit drugs during pregnancy than women who denied using cocaine. Mothers at highest risk for cocaine use were those who were black (20%), were single-separated-divorced (24% to 33%), and had less than a high school education (21%).

Early child care experiences and their association with family and child characteristics during middle childhood

Long-term correlates of early child care and maternal employment were examined in a representative sample of 333 6- to 12-year-old middle-class children. Intellectual, social, and behavioral development and parent-child relationships were related to nonparental infant care, center or preschool experiences, and maternal employment. Contextual analyses included child, parent, and family covariates related to choice of child care and childrens development. Preschool and center day care was associated with slightly higher Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Vocabulary scores and externalizing t scores on the Child Behavior Checklist. In addition, for African American children, center preschool experience was associated with 10-point-higher verbal intelligence scores and better ratings of positive behavioral attributes by parent and observers. Nonparental care during infancy and maternal employment patterns during the preschool years were not consistently related to the outcomes. The results of this study further support the growing consensus that the effects of early child care experiences must be considered in the context of parent, family, and child characteristics.

Folate Status of Mothers During Pregnancy and Mental and Psychomotor Development of Their Children at Five Years of Age

Objective. There are limited data relating folate nutritional status of mothers during pregnancy to mental and psychomotor development of their offspring. Using an existing data set from a study on the effect of prenatal zinc supplementation on child neurodevelopment, we evaluated the association between folate nutritional status of mothers during pregnancy and neurodevelopment of their children. Methods. Maternal blood folate and total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations were measured at 19, 26, and 37 weeks of gestation. At a mean of 5.3 years of age, 355 black children with low-socioeconomic background were given 6 tests: Differential Ability Scales, Visual and Auditory Sequential Memory, Knox Cube Test, Gross Motor Scale, and Grooved Pegboard. The scores of the tests between the 2 groups of mothers with poor versus adequate folate nutritional status classified by blood folate or tHcy concentrations were compared. Results. There were no differences in the test scores of neurodevelopment between the 2 groups. Conclusion. Folate nutritional status of mothers in the later half of pregnancy assessed by plasma and erythrocyte folate and plasma tHcy concentrations had no impact on neurodevelopment of their children at age 5. It is unknown whether our findings in a low-socioeconomic population can be readily extrapolated to other populations.

Modeling Intraindividual Changes in Children's Social Skills at Home and at School: A Multivariate Latent Growth Approach to Understanding Between-Settings Differences in Children's Social Skill Development

Multivariate latent growth modeling was used to conceptualize and analyze intraindividual changes in childrens social skills and interindividual differences in these changes in home and school settings. Parent and teacher ratings assessing childrens social skills at home and school settings, respectively, were obtained for a sample of 378 children at 4 time points spaced at approximately 12-month intervals over a 4-year period from Kindergarten to Grade 3. Results showed that, in initial status at Kindergarten, there were significant individual differences in social skills in both home and school settings and a significant positive association between initial status in social skills in the two settings. Systematic between-settings differences in childrens social skill development were found. Social skills development at home was best described with a nonlinear trajectory in which skills increased from Kindergarten to Grade 2 with a substantially larger increase from Grade 1 to Grade 2 than from Kindergarten to Grade 1, and then remained relatively constant from Grade 2 to Grade 3. In contrast, social skills development at school was best described with a negative linear trajectory in which skills decreased at a constant rate from Kindergarten to Grade 3. The differences in social skills development may derive form the fact that different teachers with different expectations regarding social skills provided ratings each year while the same parent was the source of at-home social skills ratings. There were significant individual differences in growth rates in the school as well as the home setting. Evidence of between-settings differences in social skills development were obtained from differential patterns of associations between growth parameters (initial status and growth rate) and individual predictors (family income, parent education, child verbal skills) across settings.