The present study investigated social referencing in 2 settings, familiar child-care centers and an unfamiliar university laboratory. 48 children from 6 to 40 months, divided into 3 age groups (6-12, 13-23, and 24-40 months), participated with 1 parent. Looking at parents varied with age and setting. Younger children looked more often when parents expressed positive reactions, whereas middle children looked more at fearful expressions, and the oldest children looked equally at positive and fearful expressions. Children looked at their parents sooner and were more involved with parents in the child-care setting. Behavioral regulation--less play with the fearful-message than the positive-message toy--was observed in both settings. Affect was not influenced by setting and showed regulation only for the oldest children. These results indicate that some effects of social referencing, such as behavior regulation, may be generalizable across some settings, but that parent proximity and looking at parents are sensitive to the context in which referencing occurs.

The present study investigated social referencing in 2 settings, familiar child-care centers and an unfamiliar university laboratory. 48 children from 6 to 40 months, divided into 3 age groups (6-12, 13-23, and 24-40 months), participated with 1 parent. Looking at parents varied with age and setting. Younger children looked more often when parents expressed positive reactions, whereas middle children looked more at fearful expressions, and the oldest children looked equally at positive and fearful expressions. Children looked at their parents sooner and were more involved with parents in the child-care setting. Behavioral regulation--less play with the fearful-message than the positive-message toy--was observed in both settings. Affect was not influenced by setting and showed regulation only for the oldest children. These results indicate that some effects of social referencing, such as behavior regulation, may be generalizable across some settings, but that parent proximity and looking at parents are sensitive to the context in which referencing occurs.

No abstract

Researchers investigated the relationship between parental attributions for children's disabilities and the quality of parent-child relationships, in both U.S. and Pakistani families. Parents of children with disabilities identified potential causes of the disability and rated their parent-child relationships. Factor analysis of the causal attributions resulted in 7 factors which became the subscales used to predict parent-child relationships. Findings indicate (a) Pakistani parents rated their relationships more negatively, (b) parents who rated “Something I Did” as an influential cause rated their parent-child relationships more negatively, and (c) parents who rated “Parent's Age” as an influential cause rated their parent-child relationships more positively. More important, parent education potentially could decrease self-blame and improve the parent-child relationship for the parents and the children.

Students’ resilience in a postsecondary program for individuals with an intellectual disability impacted by the COVID-19 disruption and the challenges they faced during this time was captured in the context of social network analysis interviews that included students’ and families’ experiences as they managed the pandemic. Students’ experiences spoke to their resilience in using the skills they gained through the program to navigate the COVID-19 disruption even though it was sometimes tricky. Parents’ experiences revealed their increased confidence and sense of pride in their adult children when they observed growth in independence, self-determination, and familiarity with technology. Innovative and engaging instructional practices and e-mentoring support offered by peer mentors motivated students in their academics and encouraged their social development during this time. Student and parent experiences offer hope that young adults with an intellectual disability can gain skills in a postsecondary program that better prepares them to meet life’s challenges.