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Child and Adolescent Development for Educators

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T1 - Child and Adolescent Development for Educators

AU - Bergin, Christi Crosby

AU - Bergin, David Allen

AU - Walker, Sue

AU - Daniel, Graham

AU - Fenton, Angela

AU - Subban, Pearl

N2 - Child and Adolescent Development for Educators covers development from early childhood through high school. This text provides authentic, research-based strategies and guidelines for the classroom, helping future teachers to create an environment that promotes optimal development in children.The authors apply child development concepts to topics of high interest and relevance to teachers, including classroom behaviour management, constructivism, social-emotional development, and many others. The text combines core theory with practical implications for educational contexts, and shows how child development links to the Australian Professional Standards for Graduate Teachers. Case studies and real-world vignettes illustrate concepts, while research, including the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, and Longitudinal Study of Indigenous children, bridges the distance between research and the classroom.

AB - Child and Adolescent Development for Educators covers development from early childhood through high school. This text provides authentic, research-based strategies and guidelines for the classroom, helping future teachers to create an environment that promotes optimal development in children.The authors apply child development concepts to topics of high interest and relevance to teachers, including classroom behaviour management, constructivism, social-emotional development, and many others. The text combines core theory with practical implications for educational contexts, and shows how child development links to the Australian Professional Standards for Graduate Teachers. Case studies and real-world vignettes illustrate concepts, while research, including the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, and Longitudinal Study of Indigenous children, bridges the distance between research and the classroom.

SN - 9780170388665

BT - Child and Adolescent Development for Educators

PB - Cengage Learning

CY - Southbank Vic Australia

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Ecological Influences on Child and Adolescent Development: Evidence from a Philippine Birth Cohort

The largest number of children and young people in history are alive today, so the costs of them failing to realise their potential for development are high. Most live in low-income and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs), where they are vulnerable to risks that may compromise their development. Yet many risk factors in LLMICs are not well understood. Moreover, recent studies suggest that in addition to the critical first 1,000 days there are several key periods of development in later childhood and adolescence which have received comparatively little research attention. This work responds to the gaps in the evidence, examining the influence of exposure to risks in the physical and social environment on health, education and development outcomes in a birth cohort of children from the Philippines. The first chapter provides a brief introduction to the theoretical and empirical evidence on the risks children face in LLMICs as well as a description of the Philippine country context and the birth cohort. The second chapter tests the associations between infant exposure to sanitation risks and subsequent school survival. The third chapter investigates the effects of housing instability in early to middle childhood on cognitive performance at 11 years of age. And, the fourth chapter examines the links between forms of social marginalisation and adolescent mental health and wellbeing. This work’s findings suggest infant exposure to faecal contamination in the home environment shortens the overall length of time children later spend at school. Preprimary-school age children appear to be at risk of developmental deficits and/or delays as a result of changes to their neighbourhood environment. And, adolescents who are excluded or become disengaged from the important socialising institutions of school and the workplace are at increased risk from developing mental disorders, while among older teens the protective effects associated with being in employment are greater than those linked to being in education.

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Investing in Botswana's Teacher Workforce

Botswana will need to invest in human capital and strengthen its skills base to transition into a knowledge-based economy. However, low foundational learning levels remain a key challenge for the education sector.   While Botswana has invested heavily in teacher supply, teacher deployment has not always reflected school-level teacher needs. The…

Research on Child Migration and Displacement in Latin America and the Caribbean

Although migration has been a longstanding fact of life in Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of children affected by migration, including both children migrating and residing in host communities, is increasing. Even where their needs are considered, too often children’s own perspectives are ignored. However, previous studies show that…

Youth, Protests and the Polycrisis

Youth, Protests and the Polycrisis  delves into this transformative potential of youth protests, while cautioning about the risks. Although many analyses exist on specific youth protests, fewer studies have global coverage. This paper combines quantitative research on protests with qualitative insights, including from young people themselves, and…, Youth activism often stems from a perception of marginalization, with diverse political, environmental, economic and social issues triggering protests. Protests on global issues, such as against climate change or racism, including through transnational youth-led movements, have increased.  , Young people help to diversify protest tactics and bridge online and offline activism, Digital technologies and platforms have been increasingly used by youth, bringing innovation to protests, fostering inclusivity and lowering the costs of organizing movements, though not without risks. Online mobilization may aggravate digital divides, and is also subject to surveillance, harassment and repression.   , Youth participation can contribute to more peaceful and inclusive activism, but even non-violent action faces preemptive repression, Most protests involving youth are peaceful, contradicting a misperception that young people are violent and unruly. Additionally, protests with youth participation are more inclusive and larger. At the same time, governments are more prone to repress mass protests preemptively and violently when they involve youth. , Youth participation contributes to protest impact and social change, but this does not necessarily produce direct gains for young people, Young people’s participation in protests means less violent, larger, more inclusive and more innovative campaigns, and these elements contribute to higher impact. Mass protests where young people are on the front lines are more likely to be effective and to achieve positive outcomes in their aftermath. On the other hand, even when mass protests…, U N I C E F I N N O C E N T I G L O B A L O F F I C E O F R E S E A R C H A N D F O R E S I G H T M A R C H 2 0 2 4 Youth, Protests and the Polycrisis This document is interactive and designed for digital viewing. Please consider the environment and refrain from printing. ContentsSynopsis 3 Introduction 5 1. Emerging trends in youth protests…

Early Childhood Education Systems in 15 Pacific Island Countries and Territories

Early childhood education (ECE) is becoming a global policy priority, especially in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) where there is commitment to invest in the youngest learners. Building on system-level mappings in 2015 and 2017, this report delves into the status of ECE systems in the Pacific region as of 2022. Based on a…

A Cash Plus Model for Safe Transitions to a Healthy and Productive Adulthood

Reports and briefs available for baseline (2017), Round 2 (2018), Round 3 (2019) and Round 4 (2021) surveys. “Ujana Salama” (‘Safe Youth’ in Swahili) is a cash plus programme targeting adolescents in households receiving cash transfers under the United Republic of Tanzania’s Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) programme. Implemented by the…, Document cover Baseline report (April 2018), This report presents the evaluation design and baseline findings from a 24-month, mixed methods study to provide evidence on the potential for an additional plus component targeted to youth that is layered on top of the Government of Tanzania’s Productive Social Safety Net to improve future economic opportunities for youth and facilitate their…, Document cover Round 2 (Midline) report (2020), This report provides midline findings from the impact evaluation of a cash plus model targeting youth in households receiving the United Republic of Tanzania’s Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN). Implemented by the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF), with technical assistance of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) and UNICEF Tanzania, the…, Document cover Round 3 report (2020), “Ujana Salama” (‘Safe Youth’ in Swahili) is a cash plus programme targeting adolescents in households receiving the United Republic of Tanzania’s Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN). Implemented by the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF), with technical assistance of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) and UNICEF Tanzania, the ‘plus’…, Document cover Round 4 report (2024), This mixed-methods impact evaluation examines the impacts of “Ujana Salama” (‘Safe Youth’ in Swahili) which is a cash plus programme targeting adolescents in households receiving cash transfers under the United Republic of Tanzania’s Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) programme. Implemented by the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF), with…, A Cash Plus Model for Safe Transitions to a Healthy and Productive Adulthood:Baseline Report Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) UNICEF Tanzania UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti Economic Development Initiatives (EDI) April 2018 The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this paper are…

The Impact of Valor Criança

The Government of Angola and its Development Partners developed and implemented Apoio à Protecção Social – APROSOC (‘Strengthening and expanding social protection to the vulnerable population in Angola’) between 2014 and 2022 as a first step towards establishing a national social protection system. A key component of the programme, Valor Criança,…

The Impact of the Cash Transfer Intervention in the Commune of Nsélé in Kinshasa

In an effort to mitigate the negative socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 containment measures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UNICEF and the World Food Programme initiated a cash transfer programme in the peri-urban commune of Nsélé, near Kinshasa, the capital of DRC. The intervention reached about 23,000 households in the…

Mitigating the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 with a cash transfer in peri-urban Kinshasa

Prospects for Children in 2024: Cooperation in a Fragmented World

Prospects for Children in 2024: Cooperation in a Fragmented World is the latest edition of the Global Outlook, a series of reports produced each year by UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, which look to the key trends affecting children and young people over the following 12 months and beyond., As we enter 2024, the world stands at a pivotal juncture. We can choose a path marked by increased global collaboration – a path that embraces innovation, knowledge sharing, policy transfer, and equitable growth. Or, there's a different course that could be taken, one which might entail less unity and a more protectionist approach, potentially…, 1. Geopolitical shifts and the risk of conflict may threaten children’s survival and well-being – but avenues for accountability and cooperation hold promise., In 2024, major powers will continue competing to expand their military, political, economic, and technological influence globally, including within multilateral institutions. Meanwhile, small and middle powers, including many in the Global South, are distancing themselves from confrontation between the major powers by forging new, flexible…, 2. Economic fragmentation threatens families’ livelihoods, children’s development and youth employment – but economic solidarity, market collaboration and investing in future skills can safeguard children’s rights and futures., Economic fragmentation, often driven by geopolitical interests and strategic considerations, is projected to widen disparities between nations in 2024. This unravelling of global economic integration threatens to undermine years of prosperity, progress, and innovation. It also adds fiscal pressure at a time when child poverty is rising in many…, 3. A fragmented multilateral system is not delivering on key issues for children – but it has a chance to reset its course in 2024 through global governance and financing reforms., The year 2024 will be pivotal for addressing a fragmented multilateral system that is failing on issues such as peace, security, climate change, financing for developing countries and the enforcement of normative standards – all of which can have an impact on children and their rights. Many countries, especially those in the Global South, believe…, 4. Developing economies still face structural inequities in the international financial architecture, limiting their ability to invest in children – but reforms to lending approaches and new technologies offer hope., Structural inequities in international financing will continue to limit developing countries’ investments in children in 2024. Excessive debt burdens, high remittance costs, overreliance on unpredictable economic monetary policies, and lack of voice in financial governance penalize poorer states. Debt crises triggered by these factors hurt…, 5. Global democracy will face unprecedented risks presented by disinformation and higher levels of political violence – but positive forces, including those led by children and youth, may still reverse the democratic decline., Democratic backsliding and youth dissatisfaction with democracy have been unfolding for years. But in 2024, as many nations face critical elections, two concerning trends emerge. First, advances in the digital technology for large language models and generative AI have introduced dangerous new disinformation capabilities that can create convincing…, 6. Fast-tracking transition to green energy is reshaping critical mineral and labour markets – if managed responsibly, cooperatively and justly, it can benefit children., In 2024, the accelerated transition to green energy will continue. This transition will be driven by volatility in energy markets, growth in the deployment of clean energy technology and policy imperatives like the development of new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). A faster shift to green energy brings significant benefits to children…, 7. El Niño, mosquito-borne diseases and water scarcity threaten children’s health and well-being – but greater collaboration, holistic programming and technological innovation can mitigate the negative impacts and protect children., Throughout 2024, climate change will continue to pose many threats to children’s health and nutrition. Three key forces stand out: the continuation of El Niño; the rise in outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases due to climate change; and water scarcity. The 2024 El Niño could be even hotter and more dangerous to people and the planet than in 2023.…, 8. Potential impacts of unchecked technologies spark fear and concern for children’s well-being – but proactive policy and global digital cooperation can place children at the centre of responsible design and regulation., The digital environment continues to shape children’s lives. Advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) bring new opportunities for children's learning, health care and development. Because new technology also poses risks for children, striking a regulatory balance will be a 2024 priority for three main reasons: First, apprehension about the…, Prospects for Children: Cooperation in a Fragmented World 2 0 2 4 G L O B A L O U T L O O K This document is interactive and designed for digital viewing. Please consider the environment and refrain from printing. Eight trends for 2024 Geopolitical shifts and the risk of conflict Economic fragmentation A fragmented multilateral system Structural…

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Data Must Speak: Brazil

Despite several efforts to strengthen its education system, the State of Maranhão in Brazil continues to face challenges in equitably improving student learning outcomes. By bringing together and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Maranhão, Brazil, this report helps identify important associations between school factors and educational…

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Child and adolescent development : Journals

• Child development "As the flagship journal of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Child Development has published articles, essays, reviews, and tutorials on various topics in the field of child development since 1930. Spanning many disciplines, the journal provides the latest research, not only for researchers and theoreticians, but also for child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, specialists in early childhood education, educational psychologists, special education teachers, and other researchers."
• Childhood education "The purpose of Childhood Education, an official journal of the Association for Childhood Education International, is to capture and disseminate information about exciting and innovative models, programs, funding approaches, practices, policies, research, and other areas that are being explored and implemented to improve the education of children around the world."
• Developmental psychology "Developmental Psychology ® publishes articles that significantly advance knowledge and theory about development across the life span. The journal focuses on seminal empirical contributions. The journal occasionally publishes exceptionally strong scholarly reviews and theoretical or methodological articles. Studies of any aspect of psychological development are appropriate, as are studies of the biological, social, and cultural factors that affect development."
• Early childhood research quarterly "Early Childhood Research Quarterly (ECRQ) publishes research on early childhood education and development from birth through 8 years of age. ECRQ publishes predominantly empirical research (quantitative or qualitative methods) on issues of interest to early childhood development, theory, and educational practice."
• Early education and development "Early Education and Development (EE&D) is a multi-disciplinary professional journal that publishes primarily empirical research on the links between early childhood education and children's development from birth to age 8. It is international in scope and designed to emphasize the implications of research and solid scientific information for practice and policy. EE&D is designed for researchers and practitioners involved in preschool and education services for children and their families."
• Journal of educational psychology "The main purpose of the Journal of Educational Psychology® is to publish original, primary psychological research pertaining to education across all ages and educational levels. A secondary purpose of the Journal is the occasional publication of exceptionally important theoretical and review articles that are pertinent to educational psychology.
• Journal of research in childhood education : JRCE "The Journal of Research in Childhood Education, a publication of the Association for Childhood Education International, features articles that advance knowledge and theory of the education of children, infancy through early adolescence."
• New directions for child and adolescent development "New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development is a quarterly thematic multidisciplinary journal dedicated to new perspective and scholarship in the field of child and adolescent development. Each issue/volume in the series is a completely self-contained, fully indexed edited collection of articles focusing on one specific topic."
• Topics in early childhood special education "Topics in Early Childhood Special Education (TECSE) focuses on information that will improve the lives of young children with special needs and their families. The practical nature of this journal helps professionals improve service delivery systems for preschool children with special needs."
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• Last Updated: May 11, 2023 10:59 AM
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• Published: 24 October 2013

Research priorities for child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviours: an international perspective using a twin-panel Delphi procedure

• Lauren Gillis 1 ,
• Grant Tomkinson 1 ,
• Timothy Olds 1 ,
• Carla Moreira 2 ,
• Candice Christie 3 ,
• Claudio Nigg 4 ,
• Ester Cerin 5 ,
• Esther Van Sluijs 6 ,
• Gareth Stratton 7 ,
• Ian Janssen 8 ,
• Jeremy Dorovolomo 9 ,
• John J Reilly 10 ,
• Jorge Mota 2 ,
• Kashef Zayed 11 ,
• Kent Kawalski 12 ,
• Lars Bo Andersen 13 ,
• Manuel Carrizosa 14 ,
• Mark Tremblay 15 ,
• Michael Chia 16 ,
• Mike Hamlin 17 ,
• Non Eleri Thomas 18 ,
• Ralph Maddison 19 ,
• Stuart Biddle 20 ,
• Trish Gorely 21 ,
• Vincent Onywera 22 &
• Willem Van Mechelen 23  

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity volume  10 , Article number:  112 ( 2013 ) Cite this article

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The quantity and quality of studies in child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour have rapidly increased, but research directions are often pursued in a reactive and uncoordinated manner.

To arrive at an international consensus on research priorities in the area of child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

Two independent panels, each consisting of 12 experts, undertook three rounds of a Delphi methodology. The Delphi methodology required experts to anonymously answer questions put forward by the researchers with feedback provided between each round.

The primary outcome of the study was a ranked set of 29 research priorities that aimed to be applicable for the next 10 years. The top three ranked priorities were: developing effective and sustainable interventions to increase children’s physical activity long-term; policy and/or environmental change and their influence on children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour; and prospective, longitudinal studies of the independent effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on health.

Conclusions

These research priorities can help to guide decisions on future research directions.

Recent research has shown that both physical activity and sedentary behaviour are associated with a wide range of current and future health outcomes [ 1 – 3 ]. In fact, physical activity and sedentary behaviour are two independent and not mutually exclusive behaviours with different effects on health outcomes [ 4 ]. In the short term, physical activity has been shown to be moderately and positively associated with bone health, aerobic fitness, blood lipid levels, self-esteem, mental activity and fundamental movement skills in children and adolescents [ 1 – 3 , 5 ]. In the long term, both physical activity and sedentary behaviour have been identified as major, independent, modifiable risk factors for mortality and morbidity from many chronic, non-communicable and potentially preventable diseases [ 6 – 9 ]. New evidence also suggests that the relation between sedentary behaviour and all-cause end cardiovascular disease mortality is independent of physical activity levels [ 7 ].

Chronic diseases place a large economic burden on health services and impose significant costs on society (e.g. premature death, underappreciated economic effects and greater reliance on treatment) [ 8 ]. Although the ill effects of chronic disease largely manifest in adulthood, it is increasingly understood that the development typically begins in childhood or adolescence [ 9 ]. Therefore, physical activity levels and sedentary behaviour performed in the early years could potentially influence the development of disease later on in life.

At present, a large quantity of research is being conducted into the physical activity and sedentary behaviour of children, yet the research community remains challenged to provide a solid evidence base [ 10 ]. This is in part due to a lack of international research collaboration and a high degree of study repetition. The aim of this study therefore was to arrive at a set of international research priorities for physical activity and sedentary behaviour to guide more meaningful and focussed research. Specifically, this study aimed to answer the following research question: “What are the most important international research issues for the next 10 years in child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour?” Agreement on research priorities may help to inform evidence-based policy, guide funding allocation, and direct research options for postgraduate students [ 11 , 12 ].

Existing literature

To identify existing evidence in this area, a systematic review of the English and non-English literature was performed using the following search terms: physical activit* OR motor activity (MeSH) OR sedentary behavio* AND child* OR adolescen* OR youth* AND research priorit* OR research agenda* OR research issue*. The databases PsychINFO (1887–), SPORTDiscus (1949–), Cochrane (1992–), CINAHL (1937–), ERIC (1966–) and PubMed (1950–) were searched in May 2012. Additional studies were also identified by contacting experts, Google searching and identifying potential studies in the reference lists of identified studies. Only four previously published papers that arrived at research priorities in child physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour were identified [ 11 , 13 – 15 ]. A working paper by Bull et al. [ 11 ] identified research priorities in physical activity with a focus on low to middle income countries. Evenson and Mota [ 13 ] highlighted research on the determinants and outcomes of physical activity and made recommendations for future study designs. Mountjoy et al. [ 15 ] identified existing gaps in physical activity research for children, with a focus on the need for greater collaboration between sport and existing programmes. The final study by Fulton et al. [ 14 ] had two aims. Firstly, the study aimed to review the current knowledge of existing methods for assessing physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Secondly, on the basis of this, the study aimed to set research priorities on the use of reliable and valid measurement tools to assess physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children aged 2–5 years.

While these studies were valuable contributions, they also had many limitations, including unsystematic participant selection, unstructured data collection procedures, and limited reporting on the process followed to arrive at the research priorities. Furthermore, the participants involved in the decision-making processes did not always represent the broader community of researchers, either from a geographical or institutional point of view. In addition, the anonymity of participants was not maintained during the consensus process. These limitations warranted a further study with an aim to arrive at a set of research priorities by employing a structured and rigorous methodology and improving reporting quality.

Methodology

Ethical approval for all aspects of the methodology was granted by the University of South Australia Human Research Ethics Committee in September 2011.

This study employed a Delphi procedure. This procedure is appropriate for research questions which cannot be answered with complete certainty, but rather by the subjective opinion of a collective group of informed experts [ 16 ]. It allowed systematic refinement of the experts’ opinions over the course of several rounds while minimising confounding factors present in other group response methods [ 17 – 20 ].

The experts who participated in the Delphi procedure were identified by a 3–step procedure. Firstly, the lead study investigators independently recommended known researchers for the study. Secondly, a lengthy and extensive search was carried out to identify potential researchers from every world region and sub-region. Identifying potential experts from these regions involved searching for staff of relevant international bodies, government departments, non-government organisations, professional organisations and educational institutions. Thirdly, following email communication with the experts who have previously been identified, new experts were referred to the study investigators.

Once participants had been identified, it was important to determine their eligibility for inclusion in the study. Thus they were assessed using pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. To be eligible, a researcher had to be an author of at least one peer-reviewed scientific publication on the physical activity or sedentary behaviour of children or adolescents, and must hold (at the time of selection) a senior position in their organisation. In addition, the experts were deliberately chosen to give geographical coverage of every world region and sub-region. Relevant information was gathered from staff homepages, Scopus author searches, the Journal and Author Name Estimator ( http://www.biosemantics.org/jane/ ) and other relevant Internet searches to ascertain whether a researcher met these criteria.

Forty-six eligible experts were invited to participate, with each sent information and consent forms via email. As a whole, these participants were representative of every region and sub-region. Of those invited, 20 did not respond to the invitation, two declined to participate, and 24 returned signed consent forms. An outline of this process is illustrated in Figure  1 .

Purposive sampling process undertaken.

The 24 participating experts (17 male and 7 female) were randomly allocated to either Panel A or Panel B and assigned identification code names accordingly. Furthermore the following major institution types were represented by the selected experts; educational institutions, government organisations, non-government organisations, professional organisations and community organisations.

The Delphi procedure used three rounds [ 21 ], each consisting of data collection, data analysis and controlled feedback. The survey was administered entirely online using a Survey Gizmo questionnaire. A novel feature of this study was the use of two parallel panels of experts. The existence of an alternate panel was only made known to the participants in Round 3, when each panel was asked to rank the priorities of the other panel. This allowed quantitative comparisons to be made between each panel’s rankings of each research issue and cross-validated the rankings of research priorities developed by each panel.

To commence each round, experts were sent an email containing a direct link to the online questionnaire. Briefly, Round 1 required each expert to answer the question “What are the five most important research issues for the next 10 years in the area of child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour?” Each expert put forward five research issues which they believed were priorities in the area. They also provided a brief description of each issue and reasons why they believed the issue to be a priority. The three study investigators reviewed all issues that were provided by each panel, with common issues combined into a single issue. The experts were then fed back their panel’s list of research issues and asked to ensure that the five research issues they provided were accurately represented.

Round 2 then asked experts to “review the research issues put forward in Round 1 and rate how important they believe each issue is for global research in child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour”. Experts rated each research issue independently using a 5-point Likert scale (5 = very important, 4 = important, 3 = moderately important, 2 = of little importance and 1 = unimportant). The three study investigators then short-listed each panel’s research issues to 20 according to those with highest mean Likert scale ratings. Following this, the top 20 research issues from each panel were fed back to the experts of the relevant panels.

In Round 3, experts were first asked to “rank their panel’s top 20 research issues in order of perceived international importance in child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour over the next 10 years”. The experts were then similarly asked to rank the alternate panel’s top 20 research priorities. The data analysis procedure was as follows. Firstly, the overall sum of each panel’s rankings was calculated for Panel A and Panel B’s top 20 research issues. Secondly, the two lists of research issues were combined with common issues provided by both panels merged. This resulted in 29 unique issues. Thirdly, the experts’ individual rankings for each research issue were summed. This allowed the issues to be ranked according to the sum of Panel A and Panel B’s overall rankings for each issue. Intra-panel agreement was quantified using Spearman’s rho by creating a matrix to compare individuals’ rankings to one another within the same panel. Inter-panel agreement was also quantified using Spearman’s rho to compare the overall sum and rank for each issue between panels.

Expert demographics

All 24 experts completed the three Delphi rounds. Data was collected on the 24 experts’ geographical distributions, institutional affiliations and years worked in the study area.

As a group, the 24 experts represented every geographical region and 12 sub-regions. This geographical distribution is illustrated in Figure  2 .

Geographical distributions of participating experts. The numbers indicate the number of participating experts from that region.

In terms of institutional affiliation, twenty-three experts acknowledged they were affiliated with an educational institution, eleven were affiliated with a professional organisation, six with an international organisation, six with a non-government organisation and four with a government organisation. It was noted that due to the nature of their work, experts were often affiliated with more than one institution type.

In regards to years worked in the study area, twelve experts had worked in for greater than 16 years, five had worked for 11 to 15 years, four had worked for 6 to10 years and three had worked for less than five years.

Results from Delphi rounds

In Round 1, each expert put forward five research issues. Collectively this provided a total of 120 issues across all 24 experts, with 60 for each panel. Following qualitative reduction of overlapping issues, 26 issues from Panel A and 34 issues from Panel B, were carried forward to Round 2. On reviewing the amended list, all exerts agreed that the issues they had raised were adequately represented.

From Round 2, the mean Likert-scale ratings were used to determine the top 20 issues for each panel. For Panel A, the mean Likert-scale ratings of the top 20 issues ranged from 3.5 to 5.0, with 18 of 20 issues having a median rating of >4.0 (“important”). For Panel B, the mean Likert-scale ratings of the top 20 issues ranged from 4.0 to 4.8, with all 20 research issues having a median rating of >4.0.

In Round 3, the 20 issues from Panel A and 20 issues from Panel B were qualitatively analysed to form one list. Eleven of each panel’s top 20 research issues were common to both panels and were therefore combined, with the remaining 18 issues (nine from each panel) unique. The resultant was a set of 29 unique research issues that were then ranked in order of importance by summing Panel A and Panel B’s rankings for each issue Table  1 .

There was only weak intra-panel agreement. The mean inter-individual rho ( ± 95% CI) was 0.20 ±0.05 for Panel A and 0.13 ±0.04 for Panel B. The average standard deviation of the rankings for individual issues was 5.1 (Panel A) and 5.3 (Panel B). When Panel B ranked Panel A’s issues, the correlation was very strong ( rho ± 95% CI: 0.79 ±0.17), and when Panel A ranked Panel B’s issues, the correlation was strong ( rho ± 95% CI: 0.52 ±0.31). Figures  3 and 4 clearly illustrate the correlations for each research issue.

Agreement between Panel A’s rankings and Panel B’s rankings of Panel A’s identified issues. The line shown is the identity line.

Agreement between Panel B’s rankings and Panel A’s rankings of Panel B’s identified issues. The line shown is the identity line.

Study outcomes

The primary outcome of this study was the development of 29 international research priorities in child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour. In order for the research priorities to be useful, it is important that they be neither too general nor too specific. The research priorities in this study appear broad enough to enable them to be transferable to researchers’ specific regions and contexts.

The final set of research priorities address a broad range of areas from epidemiology, determinants and correlates, through to intervention effectiveness and translational research. Of the 29 identified research priorities, ten related directly to translational research centred on intervention design and effectiveness. These focussed on specific behaviours (active transport, screen time, sport, physical education), settings (schools, communities, whole of population), or vehicles (mass advertising, policy). Translational research, centred on intervention design and effectiveness, can potentially guide governments and stakeholders to fund interventions that are the most effective, sustainable and transferable for changing behaviours [ 7 ]. This is important because to date, the research community has not been very successful at developing interventions for children and adolescents that bring about long-term and sustained change in health behaviours [ 10 ]. In addition, little attention has been given to the importance of the intervention setting and establishing what works in what situation and with whom [ 22 ].

Nine of the research priorities had a focus on capturing and quantifying the health benefits of engaging in physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviour, These research priorities were concerned with the impact of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on obesity, cognition, and general health and well being, and on describing behavioural patterns (across the day or the life-course or in specific populations such as pre-school children). Epidemiological research was considered important to address the cause, distribution and patterns of childhood physical activity and sedentary behaviour on current and future health [ 2 , 6 , 9 , 23 ].

Six research issues related to determinants and correlates research such as psychosocial and cultural/parental factors, the impact of technology, and the importance of enjoyment and lifestyle in general. Research that focuses on the determinants and correlates of behaviours is important. This is because while many correlates appear to be intuitively obvious, at present they have mixed support from high quality research [ 3 ].

Four issues did not fit into the aforementioned categories. They were related to the theory of behaviour change, injury prevention, measurement of behaviours and the physical education in culture of movement. Objective measurement of behaviours was ranked highly and is thought to be a “necessary first step for conducting meaningful epidemiological surveillance, public health research and intervention research” [ 14 ] p.124.

Strengths and limitations

Unlike previously identified priority reports [ 11 , 13 – 15 ] this study employed a Delphi method to arrive at a more valid set of research priorities. Strengths related to the Delphi method include participant blinding, iterative data collection and controlled feedback between rounds. For example, the identities and responses of the experts were anonymised so that the identified research priorities could not be dominated by certain individuals [ 24 ]. Furthermore, the provision of controlled feedback allowed experts to individually consider their views in light of their panel’s collective opinion.

Other strengths related to the methodology were the use of criterion and purposive sampling methods. This procedure meant that all participants held a senior position in their respective organisations and had published in the study area. In addition, experts collectively represented every major world region and a wide range of discipline areas, affiliations and interests. This approach meant that the identified research issues were more likely to reflect the most important physical activity and sedentary behaviour issues facing the children and adolescents worldwide.

A novel component of this study was split-panel approach, which allowed comparisons to be made between the rankings given by the two expert panels. The experts from each panel were taken from the same population, given the same study information, answered identical online questionnaires and participated simultaneously and independently. One can therefore be confident that comparing the Round 3 rankings of Panel A and Panel B experts would provide valid measures of inter-panel agreement.

The weak intra-panel agreement was weak, which is likely a reflection of the natural variation of individual’s opinions and areas of interest within the broad study area. This weak agreement could also highlight the advantages of the methodology which retained anonymity and used an online mode of data collection. There were fewer pressures to conform to others opinions due to decreased likelihood of peer dominance and status. Evidence to reinforce confidence in the results is the strong to very strong (rho = 0.52–0.79) inter-panel agreement. While experts were invited from every United Nations sub-region (United Nations 2011), no experts from the following sub-regions took part: Southern Africa, Middle Africa, Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Australia, Central Asia and Western Asia. This was significant because many of these sub-regions are heavily involved in physical activity and sedentary behaviour research. Consequently, caution should be applied when recommending that the identified research priorities truly provide a global perspective. Nonetheless, these research priorities provide an international context from which priorities at the regional, national and local levels can be developed.

In addition the priorities were set for the broad area of child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Due to the generality of this topic, it may be that the research priorities are not relevant when conducting research into minority populations. For example, children and adolescents with disabilities may warrant different research issues not identified in this study.

Implications for research

We hope that the identification of a set of ranked research priorities may contribute to more co-ordinated international research. For example, research priorities can help inform post-graduate students regarding where the current evidence gaps exist. This may be especially helpful for researchers who reside in less developed or marginalised research regions. In addition, encouraging more guided research can help to conceptualise how findings can be used as a basis for policy decisions. Lastly, research priorities can help to direct valuable funding into priority areas and away from studies on over-researched or lower priority topics.

This study engaged two panels of study experts in a three-round Delphi communication procedure. The outcome of this procedure was the identification of a ranked set of 29 research priorities in child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour. For example, the top three ranked priorities were: developing effective and sustainable interventions to increase children’s physical activity long-term; policy and/or environmental change and their influence on children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour; and prospective, longitudinal studies of the independent effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on health. We hope these research priorities will help inform the spectrum of future studies undertaken, guide post-graduate study choices, guide allocation of funding to priority areas and assist with policy decisions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Health and Use of Time Group at the University of South Australia.

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Lauren Gillis, Grant Tomkinson & Timothy Olds

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Carla Moreira & Jorge Mota

Ergonomics Unit, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

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Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

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MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK

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The Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

Gareth Stratton

School of Physical and Health Education, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Ian Janssen

University of the South Pacific, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji, Islands

Jeremy Dorovolomo

Physical Activity for Health Research Group, School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Jordanhill, Glasgow, UK

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Physical and Health Education and Department of Psychology, School of Exercise Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada

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Education Faculty, University of Extremadura, Avda de Elvas s/n, Badajoz, Spain

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Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada

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Physical Education & Sports Science, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

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The study was conceived by GT and TO. LG was primarily responsible for conducting the participant selection process and the three rounds of data collection. LG, GT and TO were each involved in data analysis. LG produced the first draft of the paper with all other authors providing sections and critically reviewing the paper. All authors approved submission.

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Gillis, L., Tomkinson, G., Olds, T. et al. Research priorities for child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviours: an international perspective using a twin-panel Delphi procedure. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 10 , 112 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-10-112

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-10-112

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Positive Impacts of Adolescent Involvement in Health Research: An Umbrella Review

Affiliations.

• 1 Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: [email protected].
• 2 Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
• 3 Department of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
• 4 Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
• 5 Department of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
• PMID: 38597838
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.02.029

Despite an increased recognition of the right of adolescents to be involved in decisions that affect them, young people continue to be under-involved in health research. One of the reasons is a lack of awareness among researchers on the current evidence base around the benefits of involving adolescents. To address this, we conducted an umbrella review to synthesize the evidence on the positive impacts of adolescent involvement in health research. This umbrella review was preregistered with PROSPERO (CRD42021287467). We searched 11 databases, Google Scholar, PROSPERO, reference lists, 10 journals, websites of 472 organizations, and sought input from experts. Ultimately, we included 99 review articles. We found that adolescent involvement has many positive impacts on young people, including increased knowledge and skills; personal development; financial benefits; career and academic growth; enhanced relationships; and valuing their experience. The positive impacts of adolescent involvement on the research itself include increased relevance of the study to adolescents, improved recruitment, development of more adolescent-friendly materials, enhanced data collection and analysis, and more effective dissemination. Researchers also benefited from adolescents' involvement through increased knowledge, skills, and a shift in their attitudes. The evidence supporting the positive impacts of adolescent involvement in research is substantial but limited by a lack of rigorous evaluation, inconsistent reporting, and unclear evaluation methods.

Keywords: Adolescent engagement; Adolescent involvement; Participatory health research; Public and patient involvement.

Copyright © 2024 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Alumna and Author Ellen Galinsky Joins Bank Street for a Conversation on Adolescent Development

On April 4, educators and parents from across the Bank Street community welcomed child development expert and author Ellen Galinsky, GSE ’70, for an informative conversation on the latest scientific research to help adults better understand and support adolescent growth.

During the event, Galinsky presented highlights from her new book, The Breakthrough Years: A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens , and shared insights from Bank Street School for Children Upper School students, who she had visited a day earlier to gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts and experiences as teenagers.

“I always start with the subjects of the study and find out what they want to know,” said Galinsky about her nine-year research process for The Breakthrough Years , which combined the latest research on cognitive neuroscience with an unprecedented and extensive national study of young people ages 9 through 19 and their families and which focused largely on the question, “What do you want to tell the adults of America about people your age?” During her presentation, Galinsky shared video clips of children she interviewed throughout her research, offering the audience access to firsthand perspectives on adolescent development. She supplemented the clips with quotes and feedback she secured from students at Banks Street. Galinsky shared some of the key messages reflected in sentiments from children like, “We should be treated with respect.” “Listen and talk to us, not at us.” “Don’t stereotype us.” “We’re trying to understand ourselves and our needs.” “Encourage and help us, but let us think for ourselves.”

Within this framework, Galinsky presented science-backed evidence around effective strategies for nurturing adolescent growth, including the use of autonomy supportive parenting. She explained this as an approach parents can use to actively assist children in ways that foster autonomy and lead to deeper learning. 

Galinsky said, “Autonomy support is important in understanding adolescents when they feel they are already smart, they are capable, and our role is to help them learn the skills that they need. ” 

In a video clip, a teenager shared insight into the benefit of autonomy support.

My parents sometimes hold the leash too much. Eventually, I’m going to grow. So maybe [don’t] just let go of the leash but like, walk with the leash. Kids suffer when they’re older since [parents have] been holding the leash for so long, like they’re used to it and they’re not able to expand and build upon other things.

Galinsky concluded her presentation by discussing the importance of understanding the value of building executive function skills, a fundamental set of skills that include using working memory, thinking flexibly, reflecting, and practicing self-control.

After her keynote presentation, Galinsky and Bank Street President Shael Polakow-Suransky , GSE ’00, engaged in a thought-provoking dialogue that explored unexpected learnings from her research, the role of social media and technology in children’s mental health, and practices and structures that support children’s psychological needs.

At the end of the event, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions on topics ranging from building executive function skills in the classroom and encouraging children to take positive risks to forming trusting relationships with adolescents.

In his closing remarks, Polakow-Suransky connected Galinsky’s work to Barbara Biber , a central figure in shaping Bank Street’s approach. “Barbara Biber talked a lot about the need to listen to children and to listen closely, to spend time learning from children about what they need, what they’re interested in, and who they want to become. And that, as you heard tonight, is also at the heart of Ellen’s work. So, we thank Ellen for bringing that forward in this way and continuing our tradition of listening to children,” said Polakow-Suransky.

Ellen Galinsky is the president of the non-profit research organization Families and Work Institute, an organization she co-founded in 1989. She spent more than two decades at Bank Street as a graduate student, faculty member at Bank Street Graduate School of Education , and a founder of the Bank Street Family Center .

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Developing a new NHS service for young people with gender dysphoria or incongruence has been a “phenomenal challenge,” says the paediatrician charged with the task, not least because of poor data on long term outcomes of treatment. Clare Dyer reports

Clinical guidelines used widely around the world to treat children and adolescents who raise issues about their gender were developed in breach of international standards on guideline development, a review set up by NHS England has concluded. 1

The review, chaired by Hilary Cass, past president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, calls for far reaching changes to the way children and adolescents with gender dysphoria and gender incongruence are treated. In an interim report in 2022 it recommended that these young people be brought within the mainstream NHS and treated by multidisciplinary teams that would look at them holistically, providing psychosocial interventions where needed. 2

The review commissioned the University of York to research international practice and guidelines in the field. Cass noted, “The World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) has been highly influential in directing international practice, although its guidelines were found by the University of York’s appraisal to lack developmental rigour and transparency.” 3

In its final report, published this week, Cass’s review pointed out that although most of the guidelines described insufficient evidence about the risks and benefits of medical treatment “many then went on to cite this same evidence to recommend medical treatment.”

The research carried out by York University, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood , found that the evidence on the use of puberty blockers and hormones in young people with gender related distress was wholly inadequate, making it impossible to gauge their effectiveness or their effects on mental and physical health. 4 5 6 7 “No conclusions can be drawn about the impact on gender dysphoria, mental and psychosocial health, or cognitive development,” the research concluded.

Similarly, evidence on key outcomes, such as body satisfaction, psychosocial and cognitive outcomes, fertility, bone health, and cardiometabolic effects, was lacking or inconsistent. The research also found that there was no consensus on who should be involved in providing psychosocial support or on whether provision for young children should be different from that for teenagers. And there was virtually no guidance on how best to support young people who have not yet reached puberty or those whose identity is non-binary.

Creating a new NHS service to transform the treatment of young people with gender issues has proved a “phenomenal challenge,” Cass’s report said. The previous sole provider of such services in the NHS, the gender identity development service (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London, was closed down after the Cass review’s interim finding that it was “not a safe or viable long term option.” 8

The first two regional centres, one in London and one in the North West, got under way this month after a year’s delay, the first step in commissioning a network of regional services around England. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children will lead the London service, in partnership with Evelina London Children’s Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, while Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool will host the northern service, along with the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

But the development of the new service has been bedevilled by recruitment and training difficulties. Not only has the transgender issue become what the review describes as a “highly emotive and politicised arena” for clinicians who would work in it; the review has also uncovered a weak evidence base for the treatments previously used and a lack of data on long term outcomes among patients, making it difficult to provide the information needed to secure properly informed consent.

The politicisation of the debate “coupled with concerns about the weakness of the evidence base and a lack of professional guidance has impacted the ability of the new services to recruit the appropriate multidisciplinary workforce,” notes the final report. It found a “general lack of confidence among the wider workforce to engage with gender questioning children and adolescents.”

Limited workforce must be shared

The review recommends that services should not be located solely in tertiary centres such as Great Ormond Street and Alder Hey but that “a much broader based service model is needed with a flexible workforce working across a regional footprint in partnership with designated local specialist services.” It adds, “There is a finite workforce available to serve the needs of this population and the wider population of young people with complex needs, therefore partnerships with local services must be developed so that workforce can be shared across the network without destabilising local services.”

The review proposes that a small number of secondary services within existing child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and paediatric services would be designated local specialist services in each area, which would increase the available workforce.

In the early 2000s most patients referred to GIDS were a small number of young people who were questioning the male gender assigned to them at birth. But by 2014 the caseload had expanded and changed dramatically, and most were birth registered girls whose gender dysphoria had begun in their early teens. Many had other problems, such as autism, ADHD, or other mental health diagnoses or adverse childhood experiences.

GIDS ran an early intervention study from 2011 to 2014 in which young people were given puberty blockers—drugs to pause sexual development and supposedly “give them time to think” about what should happen next. From 2014 the provision of puberty blockers was no longer a research project but became routine clinical practice, the rationale for which was “unclear,” the review found. The research, which was not published in preprint until December 2020, found no statistically significant changes in gender dysphoria or mental health outcomes. 9 Cass’s review notes that blocking the release of sex hormones “could have a range of unintended and as yet unidentified consequences.”

Almost all the young people given puberty blockers went on to take masculinising or feminising hormones. But the review concludes that “the evidence for the indicated uses of puberty blockers and masculinising/feminising hormones in adolescents [is] unproven and benefits/harms are unknown.” There was also “a failure to systematically consider how psychosocial interventions should be used and to research their efficacy.”

Follow-up vital

The review recommends a “full programme of research that looks at the characteristics, interventions, and outcomes of every young person presenting to the NHS gender services.” Puberty blockers should be available only under a research protocol, and the review suggests caution in prescribing masculinising or feminising hormones from age 16 and recommends that there should be a “clear rationale” for not waiting till 18.

Swedish and Finnish guidelines, which are evidence based, suggest a more cautious approach to the use of puberty blockers, said Cass. 10 “I can’t think of another area of paediatric care where we give young people a potentially irreversible treatment and have no idea what happens to them in adulthood,” she said in an interview with The BMJ ’s editor in chief, Kamran Abbasi. 11

The University of York was commissioned to carry out a research study interviewing young adults, many of whom had had access to a medical pathway, involving hormone treatment, which they said “enabled them to lead the lives they wanted,” the study found. “Others explored equally empowering options, such as social transitioning and more fluid and non-binary expressions of gender.”

Cass’s review recommends an assessment process and individualised care plan, with the aim of helping young people thrive and achieve their life goals. “For the majority of young people, a medical pathway may not be the best way to achieve this,” says the review. “For those young people for whom a medical pathway is clinically indicated, it is not enough to provide this in the absence of addressing any wider mental health and/or psychosocially challenging problems such as family breakdown, barriers to participation in school life or social activities, bullying, and minority stress.”

• ↵ Cass H. Independent review of gender identity services for children and young people: final report. April. Apr 2024. https://cass.independent-review.uk/?page_id=936
• Mitchell A ,
• Heathcote C ,
• Carmichael P ,

Developmental Trajectories of Mental Health in Chinese Early Adolescents: School Climate and Future Orientation as Predictors

• Published: 16 April 2024

Cite this article

• Qianqian Gao 1 , 2 ,
• Wei Wang 1 , 2 ,
• Shan Zhao 3 ,
• Jiale Xiao 1 , 2 &
• Danhua Lin   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9858-4187 1 , 2  

There is growing support for the dual-continua model of mental health, which emphasizes psychopathology and well-being as related but distinct dimensions. Yet, little is known about how these dimensions co-develop from childhood to early adolescence and what factors predict their different trajectories. The current study aimed to identify distinct patterns of mental health in Chinese early adolescents, focusing on both psychopathological symptoms (i.e., depressive symptoms and self-harm behaviors) and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and affect balance). This study also examined the contributions of school climate and future orientation to these trajectories. A total of 1,057 students ( M age = 11.88, SD age = 1.67; 62.1% boys) completed four assessments over two years, with six-month intervals. Using parallel-process latent class growth modeling, we identified four groups: Flourishing (32.5%), Languishing (43.8%), Troubled with Stable Depressive Symptoms (16.1%), and Troubled with Increasing Self-Harm Risk (7.6%). Furthermore, school climate and future orientation contributed to adolescents’ membership in these trajectories, either independently or jointly. Specifically, higher levels of future orientation combined with higher school climate were associated with a lower likelihood of belonging to the Troubled with Increasing Self-Harm Risk trajectory, compared to the Flourishing group. Our findings identified four distinct mental health trajectories consistent with the dual-continua model, and demonstrated that the development of psychopathology and well-being were not always inversely related (e.g., the Languishing group). Adolescents with unique developmental profiles may benefit from tailored intervention strategies that build on the personal and environmental assets of the adolescent.

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Data Availability

The datasets analyzed in the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Qianqian Gao, Wei Wang, Jiale Xiao & Danhua Lin

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Q.G. participated in conceptualizing the study, conducting statistical analyses, and drafting the manuscript; L.N. participated in the interpretation of the data and provided critical reviews of the manuscript; W.W. participated in data collection and contributed to the production of the draft manuscript; S.Z. provided critical reviews of the manuscript; J.X. participated in data collection and interpreted the results; D.L. participated in the design and coordination of the study, provided critical reviews of the manuscript, and contributed to funding acquisition. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Gao, Q., Niu, L., Wang, W. et al. Developmental Trajectories of Mental Health in Chinese Early Adolescents: School Climate and Future Orientation as Predictors. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-024-01195-9

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Communication sciences and disorders welcomes intellectual disability expert Liz Will

April 17, 2023  | Erin Bluvas,  [email protected]

While otherwise a great experience, Liz Will ’s undergraduate university didn’t offer many research opportunities. She found them anyway – getting hooked on her work in a behavioral neuroscience lab and building on her expertise ever since.

After graduating with a psychology degree, the Charlotte, North Carolina native found a position in outpatient mental health. She was part of a team that worked with kids diagnosed with an array of conditions, including autism.

“It was a stressful job because of the nature of our mental health system, but it was also motivating,” says Will, who provided one-on-one support for a student with autism and co-occurring intellectual disability through the school system. “I loved this work, but it had its own challenges, such has how to best support my student when the system was failing him.”

Inspired to learn more about psychology and human development, she enrolled in a master’s program at Vanderbilt University, which was known for its training around autism and other developmental disabilities. After working on research projects across different settings, Will realized that the autism population had more research, more resources, and more treatment options compared to other groups with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

She enrolled in the Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Science program at Colorado State University to dig deeper into intellectual disability as a field of study. During this time, she developed expertise in cognitive processes and executive function profiles in children with genetic conditions associated with intellectual disability. Although conducting research with children up to ten years old, she zeroed in on the birth to five years as the primary age period of interest to her work. 

When looking for postdoctoral training opportunities, Carolina Distinguished Professor of Psychology Jane Roberts was the only scientist in the country who could offer the opportunity for Will to merge her background in intellectual disability with co-occurring autism. She joined Roberts’ Neurodevelopmental Disability Lab as an NIH-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow and spent the next four years with the team.

In addition to mentoring several Magellan Scholars, Will advanced her skills in securing extramural funding and implementing research projects. She served as a co-investigator on a $3.1 million R01 grant Roberts led to better understand fragile X syndrome and secured her own funding to look at the long-term progression of children with co-occurring autism and Down syndrome.

I was excited to join the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders as many of the groups I work with experience varying communication difficulties – almost always qualifying for speech therapy and often struggling with social communication.

When Will completed her fellowship in 2021, she continued her work with the lab as a research assistant professor. By this time, she had collected a lot of data and built relationships with many families and agencies in support of this work. She had also been awarded $1 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to map the early development and impairments, including motor skills and communication abilities, in infants with Down Syndrome.

“I have been following the same cohort of kids since I arrived at USC and have worked to foster community relationships with local organizations and partners over the years,” Will says. “I was excited to join the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders as many of the groups I work with experience varying communication difficulties – almost always qualifying for speech therapy and often struggling with social communication.”

"Dr. Will is an outstanding instructor and is able to share her clinical research experiences in the classroom with graduate students who are training to be clinical scientists," says department chair Jean Neils-Strunjas . 

The assistant professor is looking forward to collaborating with colleagues in her department and across the Arnold School and USC. Though much of her work focuses on early childhood, many individuals with intellectual disabilities – such as those with Down syndrome – experience accelerated cognitive and physical aging.

“Aging is such a strong research theme within the Arnold School, and I’m looking forward to investigating the needs of adults with Down syndrome as well,” Will says. “The school is also known for its overall research reputation and its commitment to supporting faculty in their efforts to conduct impactful research.”

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The Developmental Dynamics Lab helps individuals, children and families affected by neurodevelopmental conditions. We work to understand how early atypical developmental processes affect cognitive and psychiatric risk outcomes for those with Down syndrome or fragile X syndrome.

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National Trends in Pediatric Deaths From Fentanyl, 1999-2021

• 1 Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

In 2021, almost 70 000 US adults fatally overdosed on fentanyl. 1 , 2 Little is known about the extent to which the fentanyl crisis has affected the pediatric population since the opioid epidemic began nearly 25 years ago, and to our knowledge, no study has reported on national trends in fentanyl poisonings among children younger than 10 years. 3 - 5

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Gaither JR. National Trends in Pediatric Deaths From Fentanyl, 1999-2021. JAMA Pediatr. 2023;177(7):733–735. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.0793

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