Two research hypotheses were tested in the research reported here: The first was that non linguistic maternal responses to intentional child communication, but not to preintentional communication, will predict later intentional communication but not later language development. The second hypothesis was that linguistic mapping of intentional communication, but not of preintentional communication, will predict later language development but not later intentional communication. Study participants were 58 children with disabilities or developmental delays and their primary caretakers. Receptive language, prelinguistic communication, and maternal responses were measured at Time 1 (entry into study) and Time 2 (6 months later). Vocabulary level was measured at Time 2. Expressive and receptive language were measured at Time 3 (12 months after entry into study). After controlling for initial measures of child communication or language, number of maternal nonlinguistic responses to intentional communication were positively related to Time 2 rate of intentional communication and to Time 3 expressive and receptive language scores. After controlling for initial child language, number of linguistic mapping responses to intentional communication was positively related to Time 3 expressive and receptive language scores. The results of this study showed no relationship between responsiveness to preintentional communication and later language or communication, thus emphasizing the importance of responding differentially to preintentional and intentional communications.

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Natural recovery appears t o be the major path t o recovery from alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Studies of this phenomenon have implications for designing formal treatments, self-change strategies, and preventive interventions, and for contributing t o current knowledge of the course of AUDs. The research conducted t o date is limited by a number of important methodological issues associated with sampling, diagnostic criteria, and research design. Furthermore, previous research has failed t o consider a number of sociocultural, developmental, and individual difference variables that clinical and epidemiological literature have established as influential t o the course of AUDs. This article critically reviews the existing natural recovery literature and elaborates on areas of interest that have been neglected by previous natural recovery researchers.

Developmental psychopathologists are increasingly focused on characterizing heterogeneity of trajectories of psychological disorders across the life course~e.g., developmentally limited vs. chronic forms of disorder!. Although the developmental significance of trajectories has been highlighted, there has been little attention to relations between trajectories and their etiologically and clinically relevant time-varying covariates~dynamic predictors!. Depending upon the functional relation between a disorder and a dynamic predictor, we expect to see different trajectories of dynamic predictors. Thus, we propose a taxonomy of trajectories of dynamic predictors of course of disorder and provide an initial investigation into its validity. Using a mixed-gender, high-risk sample of young adults followed over 7 years, we identified dynamic predictors that covary with the course of alcohol use disorder~AUD!. Based on a logically derived classification to facilitate interpretation of findings, three comparison groups were examined: persons whose AUD "remitted"~n ϭ 33!, those with a chronic AUD~n ϭ 29!, and nondiagnosers~n ϭ 274!. We hypothesized seven patterns of dynamic prediction~stable vulnerability indicators, course trackers, deterioration markers, developmentally specific variables, developmental lag markers, course-referenced variables, and recovery behaviors! and found evidence for five of them. The interpretation of markers of risk for development and course of AUDs and their implications for prevention, early intervention and formal0self-change treatments are discussed.

Introduction: Acquiring parental consent is critical to pediatric clinical research, especially in interventional trials. In this study we investigated demographic, clinical, and environmental factors associated with likelihood of parental permission for enrollment in a study of therapies for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children. Methods: We analyzed data from patients and parents who were approached for enrollment in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) Fluid Therapies Under Investigation in DKA (FLUID) trial at one major participating center. We determined the influence of various factors on patient enrollment, including gender, age, distance from home to hospital, insurance status, known vs new onset of diabetes, glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c), DKA severity, gender of the enroller, experience of the enroller, and time of enrollment. Patients whose parents consented to participate were compared to those who declined participation using bivariable and multivariable analyses controlling for the enroller. Results: A total of 250 patient/parent dyads were approached; 177 (71%) agreed to participate, and 73 (29%) declined. Parents of patients with previous episodes of DKA agreed to enroll more frequently than those with a first DKA episode (94.3% for patients with 1-2 previous DKA episodes, 92.3% for > 2 previous episodes, vs 64.9% for new onset diabetes and 63.2% previously diagnosed but no previous DKA). Participation was also more likely with more experienced enrollers (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] of participation for an enroller with more than two years’ experience vs less than two years: 2.46 [1.53, 3.97]). After adjusting for demographic and clinical factors, significant associations between participation and both DKA history and enroller experience remained. Patient age, gender, distance of home from hospital, glycemic control, insurance status, and measures of DKA severity were not associated with likelihood of participation. Conclusion: Familiarity with the disease process (previously diagnosed diabetes and previous experience with DKA) and experience of the enroller favorably influenced the likelihood of parental permission for enrollment in a study of DKA in children.