There is a known relationship between total physical activity (PA) and weight status in children; however, there is a paucity of data examining the prospective relationship between school day PA and obesity among rural elementary school children. A large number of cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that higher levels of PA...
Steven Universe, a relatively new show from Cartoon Network, explores an unexpectedly complex understanding of gender through their main protagonists. Utilizing Judith Butler’s work on gender performativity and doing gender, as well as Daniel Dennett’s conception of the self as a theorist’s fiction, and Alexander Weheliye’s understanding of power and...
Hearing loss is one of the most common defect, affecting 360 million people worldwide due to several factors including congenital, present at or soon after birth or acquired with age. Congenital hearing loss affects 32 million children in the world. The economic impact of hearing loss is estimated to cost...
Background. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social-communicative deficits and restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities (APA, 2013). While current estimates suggest 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with ASD, more alarming statistics indicate 1 in 50 school-aged children live with the disorder (Blumberg, Bramlett, Kogan,...
The illicit use of opioids among young adults (18–25) has resulted in an increase of clients needing substance abuse treatment. Treatment programs are struggling to keep up with the influx of these young adults. Traditional models of care have some impact; however, there are not enough treatment centers that can...
Early learning skills, such as executive function (EF), are a key component of healthy development and predict long-term academic success. Yet many children are entering kindergarten without the necessary skills (including EF) that are needed to set them on a successful learning trajectory. Early prekindergarten classrooms that encourage a high...
Child behavior disorders are the second most prevalent form of mental illness affecting children in the United States (Perou et al., 2013), with lifetime prevalence estimated at 10% (Nock, Kazdin, Hiripi & Kessler, 2007). Negative outcomes associated with ODD during childhood and adolescence include conflict in families, poor peer relationships,...
Childhood obesity is a nationwide concern of which rural, urban, and suburban communities must be aware in order to take action. The goal for the research project, GROW Healthy Kids and Communities (GROW HKC), is to prevent childhood obesity in rural communities through the use of participatory action research and...
Self-regulation skills lay the foundation for short- and long-term school success, and strengthening these skills in early childhood can have significant implications for immediate and future life outcomes (e.g., Blair & Diamond, 2008; McClelland, Acock, Piccinin, Rhea, & Stallings, 2013). A large body of literature has investigated how characteristics of...
Empirical studies and theory have identified many early predictors of children's academic achievement and externalizing problems. Moreover, research shows that children's early cognitive abilities and behavioral problems are strong predictors of later academic achievement and externalizing problems. The current dissertation studies extend previous work and unpack how early predictors relate...