Parenting stress and child behavior problems have been posited to have a transactional effect on each other across development. However, few studies have tested this model empirically. The authors investigated the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior problems from ages 3 to 9 years old among 237 children, 144 of whom were typically developing and 93 who were identified as developmentally delayed. Behavior problems and parenting stress covaried significantly across time for both groups of children. Cross-lagged panel analyses generally supported a bidirectional relationship between parenting stress and child behavior problems for mothers and fathers.

Background The COVID‐19 pandemic introduced challenges to families with young children with developmental delays. Beyond the widespread concerns surrounding illness, loss of employment and social isolation, caregivers are responsible for overseeing their children's educational and therapeutic programmes at home often without the much needed support of professionals. Method The present study sought to examine the impact of COVID‐19 in 77 ethnically, linguistically and socioeconomically diverse families with young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in California and Oregon, who were participating in larger intervention studies. Parents responded to five interview questions about the impact of the pandemic, services for their child, silver linings or positive aspects, coping and their concerns about the long‐term impact of the pandemic. Results Parents reported that their biggest challenge was being at home caring for their children with the loss of many essential services. Parents reported some positive aspects of the pandemic, especially being together as a family. Although there were positive aspects of the situation, many parents expressed concern about long‐term impacts of the pandemic on their children's development, given the loss of services, education and social engagement opportunities. Conclusion Results suggest that parents of young children with IDD report significant challenges at home during the pandemic. Professional support, especially during the reopening phases, will be critical to support family well‐being and child developmental outcomes.

Results indicated that MBSR may be an effective intervention for ameliorating parental stress and mental health problems among parents of children with DD. Additionally, these benefits may 'spill over' and improve behaviour challenges among these children.

Epidemiological studies of children and adolescents with intellectual disability have found 30-50% exhibiting clinically significant behavior problems. Few studies, however, have assessed young children, included a cognitively typical comparison group, assessed for specific disorders, and/or studied family correlates of diagnosis. We assessed 236 5-year old children, 95 with developmental delay (DD) and 141 with typical development (TD), for clinical diagnoses using a structured interview. Every disorder assessed was more prevalent in the developmental delay group. The percent of children meeting criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) most highly differentiated the two groups (ratio 3.21 to 1). There was high stability from externalizing behavior problems at age 3 to ADHD diagnoses at age 5 in both groups. In regression analyses, parenting stress at child age 3 related to later ADHD diagnosis in both groups and maternal scaffolding (sensitive teaching) also predicted ADHD in the DD group.Children and adolescents with developmental delays are at high risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Epidemiological studies of youth with intellectual disability (ID) have reported clinically significant emotional and behavior problems and/or diagnosable mental disorder in a third to a half of cases (Cormack, Brown, & Hastings, 2000;Dekker & Koot, 2003;Einfeld & Tonge, 1996;Emerson, 2003a;Koskentausta, Iivanainen, & Almqvist, 2007). In the present study we assessed behavior disorders longitudinally from age 3 to 5 in children with developmental delay (DD) or typical development (TD), focusing on ADHD. We use the term "developmental delay" rather than the more formal diagnosis of intellectual disability for this sample of young children, as classification would be less stable over time than with school-aged and older children and it was based upon IQ alone. We had three primary aims: (1) to determine the relative risk of diagnosable mental disorders in children with or without DD; (2) to determine whether early externalizing behavior problems are stable and predict subsequent ADHD diagnosis; and (3) to explore whether family characteristics relate longitudinally to ADHD diagnosis.Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Bruce L. Baker, Department of Psychology, UCLA, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA. 90095. baker@psych.ucla.edu. NIH Public AccessAuthor Manuscript J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 January 1. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptMost studies of co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis among youth with ID have sampled children with a wide age range, often from age five or six years through mid or late adolescence. From these age-mixed samples, often assessed at a single time point, one can draw only limited conclusions about age of onset and trajectory of emotional and behavior problems. In one notable exception, the authors conducted three assessments over a five year period and used multi-level growth curve a...

Background-Parents of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) typically report elevated levels of parenting stress, and child behaviour problems are a strong predictor of heightened parenting stress. Interestingly, few studies have examined child characteristics beyond behaviour problems that may also contribute to parenting stress. The present longitudinal study examined the contribution of child social skills to maternal parenting stress across middle childhood, as well as the direction of the relationship between child social skills and parenting stress.

Initial intervention processes for children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) largely focused on direct efforts to impact core cognitive and academic deficits associated with the diagnosis. Recent research on risk processes in families of children with ID, however, has influenced new developmental system approaches to early intervention. Recent risk and resilience processes are reviewed that connect stress, family process, and the high rates of behavioral problems in children with ID that have substantial influence on child and family outcomes. These models are linked to emerging evidence-based intervention processes that focus on strategic parent skill training and mindfulness interventions that reduce parental stress and create indirect benefits for children's behavioral competencies. A family-focused developmental systems approach (M. J. Guralnick, 2011) is emphasized.

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The well being of family members continues to be an area of interest, with special emphasis on siblings and cultural context. Methodological rigor in families research also continues to increase, with diverse methodologies represented. There is still a need, however, for the development of theoretical models within which to frame future research on topics such as siblings, as well as both negative and positive impact on families.