This thesis investigated the development of emotional functioning in 2-to-6-year-old children with and without autism. Whereas autistic children experienced more challenges in the emotional domain,... Show moreThis thesis investigated the development of emotional functioning in 2-to-6-year-old children with and without autism. Whereas autistic children experienced more challenges in the emotional domain, their emotional abilities improved with age, and developed in similar ways as observed in non-autistic children. On the one hand, this thesis showed that autistic children might deal with emotions in a different way, and they might experience various difficulties when communicating emotions with non-autistic people. One the other hand, it is important to note that the difficulties could be bidirectional. As stated by the “double empathy problem”, non-autistic people may experience the same difficulties when communicating with autistic people. This could be a meaningful direction for future research, investigating emotional communication as a two-way interaction rather than focusing only on how people with autism react to people without autism. Furthermore, this thesis showed that autistic children had the potential to learn and to develop in the emotional domain. Again, this points to the importance of investigating how to create an inclusive social environment, which is not only nurturing for children without autism, but can also benefit the development of children with autism and with other special needs. Show less
We studied frontal asymmetry (FA) in relation to fearfulness, prosocial behavior and aggressive behavior in young twins. Based on the literature FA was a likely candidate to explain individual... Show moreWe studied frontal asymmetry (FA) in relation to fearfulness, prosocial behavior and aggressive behavior in young twins. Based on the literature FA was a likely candidate to explain individual differences in approach and withdrawal related behavior. However, our results showed no associations between fearfulness, prosocial behavior or aggressive behavior on the one hand and FA on the other in 4-6 year old children. We did show that genetic influences were involved in fearfulness, prosocial behavior and FA in young twins. Furthermore, we have developed two new, age appropriate, tasks: the Prosocial Owl Game (POG) and the Social Network Aggression Task – Early Childhood (SNAT-EC). In both tasks, young children show similar responses to social exclusion and social judgments as older children, adolescents and adults. The POG and SNAT-EC turned out to be reliable measures that can be used for long-term follow-up research. New insights in the role of FA may be revealed when the children grow older, increasing the value of the data in the coming years. Show less
To thrive as an individual and within society, children need to master the ability to control their behavior and adapt it to social rules and standards. They also need to acquire the social... Show moreTo thrive as an individual and within society, children need to master the ability to control their behavior and adapt it to social rules and standards. They also need to acquire the social competence to interact and communicate with others. Studies showing the relevance of behavioral control and social competence for children’s future development give rise to the search for factors that are associated with these competencies. These factors can be characteristics of the child, factors within the child’s social environment, and factors within the physical and socioeconomic environment. In the current thesis we aimed to identify some of these factors associated with the development of behavioral control in early childhood, and with prosocial behavior in early to mid-adolescence. We assessed four types of behavioral control: parent-reported effortful control, observed cheating behavior, delay of gratification, and response inhibition. For prosocial behavior, one type was assessed: observed compensating behavior towards an excluded peer. The results show that there is quite some variation in children’s level of behavioral control as well as in adolescents’ level of prosocial behavior and that these levels can be related to child characteristics, factors in their social environment, physical, and socioeconomic environment in a meaningful way. Show less
The objective of the research described in this thesis was to study single and cumulative family risk in relation to early childhood externalizing problems and the effectiveness of a parenting... Show moreThe objective of the research described in this thesis was to study single and cumulative family risk in relation to early childhood externalizing problems and the effectiveness of a parenting intervention program. The Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) aimed at reducing externalizing problems in 1- to 3-year-old children by enhancing parental sensitivity and adequate discipline strategies. An evaluation of the process of this intervention was also conducted. The study consisted of a screening phase in a general population sample (N = 2408) and a randomized case-control intervention phase in a selected sub-sample of children with high levels of externalizing behaviors (n = 237). The results of this thesis showed that even at an early age, family risk predicted child externalizing behaviors. Cumulative risk longitudinally predicted externalizing behaviors, but was not related to the effectiveness of the intervention. Further, first-time parents (primiparas) profited differently from the intervention than parents with more than one child (multiparas). Finally, a positive alliance between mother and intervener predicted change in positive parenting strategies. Show less
In this thesis the development, stability, and correlates of early childhood aggression were investigated. The normative development was examined in a general population sample using questionnaires... Show moreIn this thesis the development, stability, and correlates of early childhood aggression were investigated. The normative development was examined in a general population sample using questionnaires completed by the parents of 12-, 24-, and 36-month-old children and again one year later. Results showed an early childhood aggression curve, with increasing rates of aggression in the second year of life and decreasing rates in the fourth year. One-year stabilities were moderate for 12-month-olds and high for 24- and 36-month-olds. In a subsample of mother-child dyads child physical aggression and parenting were observed from videotapes recorded when the children were 1-3 years old and again one year later. Results indicated that negative discipline was positively related to child aggression one year later, but only when mothers were low in initial sensitivity. Finally, a meta-analysis of the literature showed that basal cortisol levels are positively related to aggression in preschoolers, but that this relation is reversed in school-aged children. The association is stronger in children with clinical levels of problem behavior. This study sheds light on the normative course of early childhood aggression and its physiological and parental correlates. Show less
The general objective of this thesis was to test the effectiveness of an early intervention program aimed at reducing externalizing problems in 1- to 3-year-old children by enhancing parental... Show moreThe general objective of this thesis was to test the effectiveness of an early intervention program aimed at reducing externalizing problems in 1- to 3-year-old children by enhancing parental sensitivity and adequate discipline strategies. A new intervention was designed for this study: the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) The study consisted of a screening phase in a general population sample (N = 2408) and a randomized case-control intervention phase in a selected subsample of children with high levels of externalizing behavior problems (n = 237). The results of this thesis show that externalizing problems occur in children as young as 1 year of age and are moderately predictive of externalizing problems one year later. Furthermore, child temperament appears to be a moderator in the association between maternal discipline strategies and externalizing problems. Children with difficult temperaments are more susceptible to both negative discipline (i.e., showing more externalizing problems) and positive discipline (i.e., showing less externalizing problems) compared to children with relatively easy temperaments. Finally, the VIPP-SD intervention was effective in improving maternal attitudes towards sensitivity and sensitive discipline, enhancing actual maternal sensitive discipline practices, and decreasing the children's level of overactive behaviors. Show less
