Middle Childhood (5-12 years)

Impairment in social skills is a primary feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Research indicates that social skills are intimately tied to social development and negative social consequences can persist if specific social behaviors are not acquired.

Children with autism spectrum disorders often lack social skills, and they may benefit from behavioral skills training by their parents. This study had four mother-son dyads complete a behavioral skills training that included instructions, modeling, role-play, and feedback.

Positive youth development (PYD) deserves more empirical attention, particularly among children of diverse racial–ethnic backgrounds. Given the need among families for monitoring and supervision during out-of-school time, community-based afterschool is a potentially promotive ecological setting.

The relationship between after-school program quality and positive youth development has been mostly studied among adolescents but not among younger children.

This study examined the relationship between continuing bonds (CBs) among 50 bereaved youth (ages 11–17) and their bereaved adult caregivers, and predictors of CBs among youth. Results indicated there was not a significant relationship between caregiver CB and youth CB.

Youth often experience continuing bonds (i.e., ongoing relationship to the deceased) after a family member's death; however, little is known about factors that can predict youth continuing bonds.