Search Results (11)

This study explores the associations between parental playfulness and various aspects of parenting, specifically role overload, parenting behaviors, and the quality of coparenting. In addition, we explore the relation between parental playfulness and child playfulness, as well as the differences in playfulness between mothers and fathers. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study relied on a sample of 348 parents (84.7% mothers) of children aged 3–8 years old (52.9% girls). Significant associations were found between parental playfulness and cognitive aspects of child playfulness (e.g., sense of humor). Certain dimensions of coparenting (e.g., support) and other parenting behaviors (e.g., challenging and warmth) were also correlated with parental playfulness. There was no association found between parental playfulness and parental role overload. However, a significant moderation effect of parental gender was found only for the association between parental playfulness and role overload. This analysis showed that parental playfulness was positively associated with role overload for fathers but was negatively associated for mothers. Lastly, we did not identify differences between mothers’ and fathers’ self-reported playfulness. These results provide important information about an understudied parental behavior, which may inform interventions promoting positive parenting. Full article

The multi-faceted nature of Selective Mutism (SM), and its comorbidity with other disorders, necessitates a comprehensive assessment process. However, evaluating children with SM presents significant challenges, including difficulties in building rapport, establishing an accurate diagnosis, and conducting formal psychological and neuropsychological assessments. This paper explores the key obstacles in assessing children with SM and provides practical recommendations for overcoming these challenges. Effective strategies for reducing anxiety during assessments include extended rapport-building phases, playful and engaging interactions, and the strategic use of parental involvement. Additionally, given the variability in SM symptoms across different settings, a multi-informant and multi-method assessment approach—including clinical observation, structured interviews, and standardized parent- and teacher-report measures—is recommended. This paper also discusses adaptations for formal testing, particularly in cognitive, language, and neurodevelopmental assessments, where SM-related speech avoidance can interfere with standardized evaluations. Nonverbal assessment tools, modifications to testing environments, and alternative response formats are proposed as potential solutions. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of differentiating SM from overlapping conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder and language impairments, to ensure accurate diagnosis and intervention planning. By implementing tailored assessment strategies, clinicians and researchers can improve diagnostic accuracy and better understand the unique needs of children with SM. This, in turn, can inform individualized treatment plans, enhance educational placement decisions, and support the overall well-being of children with SM. Full article

BOAM is a family-based method in which children and parents together create an explanatory, personal and systemic diagnosis. Based on ten playful and visual models, the therapist provides universal psychoeducation to gain insight into the personal, relational and contextual causes of the child’s problems for a shared understanding of how to approach them. This case report describes a seven-session BOAM trajectory in a family with a 6-year-old child with emotional and behavioural dysregulation, such as frequent temper tantrums, hitting her infant sister, and threatening with knives. In this case report, the course of the sessions is described, including the way the family applied the BOAM models within their (cultural) family values. The mother completed questionnaires on child psychopathology (Child Behaviour Checklist), executive functioning (Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function), parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index) and partner relationship (Family Functioning Questionnaire) at baseline, pretest, post-test, and 3- and 5-month follow-up, and the father completed questionnaires on child psychopathology and parenting stress at baseline and 5-month follow-up. Parents reported clinically significant improvements, as calculated with reliable change indexes, in child externalising psychopathology, self-regulation, and parenting stress (post-test and 3- and 5-month follow-up). BOAM is a short and accessible method for psychoeducation, diagnostics and treatment. BOAM seems to be an effective intervention for this family; however, more research is necessary to demonstrate its effectiveness. This case report painted a vivid picture of how family conversations can be structured and targeted using the models. Full article

Children with low executive functions (EFs) are described as having lower levels of playfulness, the quality of children’s play, compared to children with EFs within the normal range. However, how playfulness in children with low EFs develops over time remains unclear. Additionally, little is known about how parental playfulness and parental playtime with their child affect these developmental trajectories in children with low EFs. To address these research gaps, we measured playfulness in 62 children with low EFs and 62 children with EFs within the normal range aged 3 to 6 years at three time points over 2 years. We used the Children’s Playfulness Scale, which captures multi-informant perspectives from parents and teachers. Moreover, the parents of children with low EFs reported their own playfulness and their playtime with their children at T1. Repeated-measures hierarchical linear models indicated significantly lower levels of playfulness in the children with low EFs than in the controls, with no significant changes observed over 2 years in either group. In the children with low EFs, we found a significant positive relationship between parental playfulness at T1 and children’s playfulness 2 years later but a significant negative relationship between parental playtime at T1 and children’s playfulness 2 years later. These results prompt a broad discussion on potential implications for the enhancement of playfulness in children with low EFs within the family environment. Full article

The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between low-income Chilean adolescent maternal playfulness and mothers’ non-intrusiveness in their children’s development and to analyze whether a mother’s non-intrusiveness mediates the relationship between maternal playfulness and children’s development. The Parental Playfulness Scale and the Subscale of Intrusiveness from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project were used to assess maternal playfulness and mothers’ non-intrusiveness respectively. Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3rd Edition (ASQ-3) was applied to measure the children’s communication, gross and fine motor skills, problem-solving and personal–social development. The sample consisted of 79 mother–child dyads with children aged 10–24 months (M = 15.5, SD = 4.2) and their mothers aged 15–21 years old (M = 19.1, SD = 1.7). A bivariate analysis showed that maternal playfulness was significantly associated with communication, fine motor, problem-solving and personal–social development. Moreover, higher levels of communication, fine motor skills and problem-solving development were observed in the children of less intrusive mothers. Maternal playfulness had a significant effect on children’s development of language, problem-solving and personal–social skills when their mothers showed less intrusiveness during interaction. These findings contribute to the understanding of the interaction between adolescent mothers and their children. Active play and less intrusiveness can enhance child development. Full article

(1) Background: Children can develop cognitive and social skills during play. Most research has focused on mothers, but the paternal features in interaction with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are mainly unexplored. This study aimed to compare fathers’ and mothers’ interactive behaviors with their children with ASD to identify similarities and differences during playful exchanges. (2) Methods: A total of 72 mothers and 72 fathers of paired children with ASD (chronological age: M = 44.61 months; SD = 13.37) took part in this study. Data were collected during 10 min of video-recorded semi-structured interactions with mothers and fathers separately in interaction with their children. (3) Results: Mothers showed more symbolic play (W = 3537; p < 0.001) than fathers, who displayed higher levels of exploratory play (t(139.44) = −2.52; p = 0.013) compared to mothers. However, child cognitive functioning impacts maternal play but not the father’s play characteristics. (4) Conclusions: Highlighting mother–child and father–child features may have important service delivery implications for implementing personalized parental-based interventions based on the strengths and weaknesses of both caregivers in a complementary system. Full article

A paucity of research has addressed the relationship between each psychological construct of playfulness and smartphone dependency, and the purpose of this research is to understand how each psychological construct of playfulness, including physical animation, social engagement, mental spontaneity, emotional fluidity, and humorous perspective playfulness, influences smartphone dependency of the upper grades of elementary schoolers. For this purpose, a total of 278 questionnaires was analyzed for descriptive, correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The correlation analysis showed that respondents’ age positively and parents’ education levels negatively correlates to smartphone dependency. The multiple regression analyses showed that physical animation playfulness and emotional fluidity playfulness negatively and social engagement playfulness positively influence smartphone dependency of the respondents. The findings indicate that to reduce smartphone dependency among elementary schoolers, physical animation and emotional fluidity playfulness need to be promoted. The findings also suggest that each component of playfulness has distinctive advantages and disadvantages of developmental processes in childhood, and more future research endeavors need to be directed to understand the role of playfulness in children’s behaviors and cognitive processes. Full article

Toddlers come into contact with smartphones by the time they are 10 months old, and smartphones eventually become a part of the daily lives of toddlers because they are used as parenting tools and are also attractive toys. Routine exposure to these electronic devices may lead to excessive immersion, which can cause smartphone dependence when toddlers grow up. Based on Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow, we aimed to develop a new scale to measure the flow phenomenon in toddlers who are exposed to smartphones. We attempted to identify the constituent factors of a toddler’s flow in smartphones through a literature review, observations, and interviews. Initially, 32 questions were screened from the field verification stage and interviews; the final 20 questions were selected by combining technical statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and expert feasibility. We also found five eligible constituent factors, namely, a playfulness-oriented experience, reaction limited by concentration, and intentional pursuit to achieve the goal, assimilate into the virtual world, and acquire desire-fulfilling skills. We then performed a confirmatory factor analysis on our parent-reported toddlers’ smartphone flow state scale. To secure the criterion-related validity, the correlation between our scale and the preexisting smartphone dependence measurement tool for toddlers was evaluated. Cronbach’s α value of the toddlers’ smartphone flow state scale was 0.95 (each factor was verified as 0.79–0.92 and the explanatory power was 72.21%). The test–retest reliability was found to be stable with the intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficient value of 0.78 (p < 0.001). Our research findings suggest that this novel smartphone flow state scale for toddlers could be a valid and reliable tool for measuring how toddlers feel the flow phenomenon while using smartphones. Furthermore, our results could contribute to the development and evaluation of the interventions that prevent side effects from smartphone overflow in toddlers. Full article

Participation in enjoyable activities is essential for the health and development of young children with and without disabilities. For preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is limited knowledge regarding their participation in play, learning, recreation, and social activities. This was a preliminary study that compares the participation between children 2–6 years of age with ASD (n = 25) and age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) (n = 25) children. The Chinese version of the Assessment of Preschool Children’s Participation (APCP-C) measures participation in play, skill development, active physical recreation, and social activities. Parents of the children in this study completed the APCP-C by structured interview. The results showed that children with ASD had lower participation diversity and intensity than TD children in play activities. A lower percentage of children participating in individual activity was found for children with ASD than TD children in most APCP-C activities. Professionals that serve young children with special needs are encouraged to partner with parents to provide playful and socially enhancing activities for preschool children with ASD. Full article

Digital screens have become an integral part of everyday life. In the wake of the digital swell, pre-adolescents and their parents are learning to navigate seemingly new terrain regarding digital media use. The present study aimed to investigate parent and pre-adolescent perceptions of screen use and the source of conflict surrounding digital media. We employed a qualitative thematic analysis of 200 parent and pre-adolescent dyads discussing screen use. Our analysis showed five overarching themes for screen use perceptions and conflict: screen time, effects of screen use, balance, rules, and reasons for screen use. In contrast to previous studies that mainly focused on parental perceptions, we were also able to shed light on pre-adolescent perceptions of screen use and the difference in opinions with their parents. Furthermore, we found that patterns of the source of screen use conflict were oftentimes rooted in the age-old developmental tug of war between autonomy-seeking pre-adolescents and authority-seeking parents. Though navigating autonomy-granting and seeking behavior is familiar to developmental scientists, negotiating these challenges in a new digital world is unfamiliar. Autonomy support, open dialogue, and playful interaction between parents and children are needed to understand and resolve conflict of digital media use in family contexts. Full article

This article presents an investigation of the implications of designing for children’s playful learning with robots. This study was carried out by adopting a Research through Design approach that resulted in the development of a novel low-anthropomorphic robot called Shybo. The article reports the main phases of the project: the preliminary and exploratory research that was carried out to define a list of design requirements; the design of the robot and its supplementary materials for carrying out playful learning experiences; and the evaluation of the project that involved both parents and children. The robot, in fact, was finally tested as part of a two-hour experience that engaged children in activities related to the associations between sounds and colours. The article presents and discusses the results of this evaluation to point out positive aspects of the experience, emerging issues and hints for future works. These are documented to share lessons learned that might be supportive of the general development of children’s playful learning and cognitive experiences with robots. Full article