The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents has been rising over the past years, varying by age, geographical location and rural/urban areas. Primary school students have the highest prevalence of obesity, who need sufficient guidance of healthy living. The northern regions maintain the highest level of childhood obesity, but have shown a stable trend in recent years. Meanwhile, the prevalence of childhood obesity in eastern regions has risen dramatically. In both urban and rural areas, the prevalence of childhood obesity has been increasing, and the growth rate in rural areas is greater, possibly leading to a reversal between urban and rural areas in the future. The interaction of national and social environments, school and family factors, individual elements have promoted overweight and obesity in Chinese youth. The impacts of migration on regional obesity increase cannot be ignored. Lockdown and staying at home due to COVID-19 have triggered long-term influence on children′s health. The prevention and control of obesity among Chinese children and adolescents is challenging. National policies and academic regulations have been issued by government and organizations. Schools, families, communities and individuals should communicate and cooperate with each other to execute comprehensive prevention and control of obesity among children and adolescents in a systematic perspective.

Objective To develop the Chinese Preschool Children Social Emotional and Communication Development Assessment Scale (CSECA), and to test its reliability and validity, in order to provide an objective standard for early intervention in clinical child care and mental health. Methods The scale development followed internationally recognized procedures and sampled 2 009 children aged 3 - 6 from Xi'an, Foshan, Jiujiang, and Tianshui using convenience sampling from December 2021 to December 2022. Then initial items were generated through interviews, and factor analysis was utilized for item screening and validity testing. Criterion-related validity was assessed through using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a criterion measure. Results 1) The scale included five dimensions: sense of control, autonomy, emotional management, social skills, and emotional responsiveness, then the scale was divided into four subscales with 22, 24, 26, and 29 items, respectively. All subscales demonstrated good content validity, structural validity, and criterion validity, with cumulative variance contributions ranging from 57.80% to 66.58%. 2) The overall Cronbach′s α coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.81 to 0.90, with individual dimension coefficients being 0.71 - 0.90. Criterion-related validity of CSECA varied from 0.573 to 0.849. Test-retest reliability for total scores of subscales was 0.78 - 0.89, and 0.51 - 0.58 for dimensions. 3) Scoring standards were categorized into four levels based on percentile ranges: <P₁₀, P₁₀ - P₅₀, P₅₀ - P₉₀, and >P₉₀, which were classified as low, general, good, and excellent level, respectively. 4) The positive rates of early warning signs for social emotional and communication skills were 9.38% for 3-year-old children, 29.44% for 4-year-old children, 11.80% for 5-year-old children, and 8.23% for 6-year-old children, with 4-year-old children displaying a notably higher detection rate in social emotions compared to other age groups. Conclusion The CSECA scale is successfully established and initially applied in clinical settings, which demonstrated a stable factor structure and good reliability and validity.

In recent years, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been increasing annually and has become a globally recognized public health issue. Currently, rehabilitation treatment primarily focuses on educational interventions and behavioral modifications, emphasizing core symptom training, while there is insufficient management regarding children's health status. However, the health condition of children with ASD significantly impacts their prognosis. Based on this, Specialized Committee on Prevention and Treatment of Autism of China Maternal and Child Health Research Association has led the establishment of an expert panel to develop this consensus. This consensus aims to provide guidance for medical institutions at all levels, as well as for doctors, rehabilitation therapists, teachers, and parents. It advocates for the adoption of targeted, personalized, and developmentally appropriate health management strategies and family support plans based on the foundation of rehabilitation education and training,so as to support the children with ASD to reach their maximum potential.

Objective To explore the effect of calcium supplementation on children's height, in order to provide reference for scientific supplementation of calcium. Methods PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data database were searched for randomized controlled trials on the effect of calcium supplementation on children's height. Papers published from the establishment of these databases to November 6th, 2023 were extracted. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software, and the quality of the articles was assessed using the Cochrane bias assessment tool in this software. The study subjects were divided into three subgroups according to age (<6 years old, 6 - 12 years old and >12 years old) for subgroup analysis. According to whether the calcium intake reached recommended intake dose, the study subjects were also divided into three groups for subgroup analysis: "both inadequate before and after intervention", " inadequate before and adequate after ", and "adequate before to excessive after". Results A total of 12 randomized controlled trials were included in this Meta-analysis. The overall meta-analysis results showed that the difference in height increment between the calcium supplementation group and the control group was 0.21cm (95%CI: -0.09 to 0.52), but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.17). Subgroup analysis showed that there was no statistical differences in height increment between the calcium supplementation and control group in different age groups (P>0.05). Among different calcium intake dose groups, only in the "inadequate before and adequate after" group, children in the calcium supplementation group had a significantly higher height increment than control group, with a difference of 0.48cm (95%CI: 0.09 - 0.87, P=0.02), while there was no significant difference in height increments between the calcium supplementation and control group in the other two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions For children with insufficient calcium intake, adequate calcium supplementation can promote their height growth. While for those with sufficient calcium intake, excessive calcium supplementation has no significant effect on height.

Adolescent depression is a serious public health issue that affects the mental health of millions of adolescents nationwide. This articleoutlines the current situation of adolescent depression, the challenges in diagnosis, and then introduces the assessment process, including collecting medical history, physical examination, using scales and diagnostic tools for assessment, as well as assessing comorbidities and suicide risk. Treatment should be based on individual′s characteristics and needs, selecting appropriate treatment methods, including psychotherapy, medication, and hospitalization when necessary, inpatient treatment. Psychotherapeutic methods include cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy, while medication treatment requires careful selection of appropriate antidepressants and close monitoring of possible side effects.

Nonsuicidal self-injury, not aimed at suicide, is more common in adolescents and has various self-injury behaviors. Now there is a lack of effective prevention and treatment methods. The types of self-injury behaviors, risk factors, and the psychological needs of patients and treatment strategies are summarized in this review.

Children's social and personality development are influenced by the long-term interaction of nature and nurture. Family is the primary source of influence on Children's early social and personality development. The appropriate combination of two significant dimensions of family upbringing, acceptance/responsiveness and demandingness/control, is stably related to Children's good social and personality development outcomes.

Objective To analyze the height growth of children aged 6 - 15 years in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, so as to provide evidence for the assessment of local children's height development. Methods A total of 25 225 children aged 6 - 15 years were selected to get their physical examination data from 41 primary schools in Nanning by stratified cluster sampling method in December 2021.Then the height data were compared with the current domestic standards. Results The average height of boys in Nanning was lower than the national standard before the age of 10 years and 7 months, and the gap with the national standard gradually narrowed after the age of 10 years and 7 months. The average height of boys in Nanning City exceeded the national standard between the age of 11 years and 1 month and 13 years and 6 months, and then lagged behind the national standard again after the age of 13 years and 7 months. The mean height of girls in Nanning City was lower than the national standard height in several age groups, and it was more obvious before the age of 9 years and 7 months. The proportion of height ≤-2s,≤-s,≥ +sand ≥+2s in boys aged 6 to 15 years in Nanning City fluctuated from 2.59% to 6.04%, 12.09% to 23.43%, 7.18% to 18.79% and 0.93% to 3.14%, respectively; the total proportions were 4.56%, 17.46%, 11.35% and 1.74%, respectively; the minimum/maximum proportion values of each height group were at 11 years old /8 years old, 14 years old/8 years old, 8 years old/12 years old, and 6 years old/11 years old, respectively. The proportions of girls aged 6 - 15 years in Nanning City with height ≤-2s, ≤-s, ≥+s, and ≥+2s fluctuated from 2.06% to 5.19%, 9.35% to 25.15%, 8.21% to 15.80% and 1.23% to 3.49%, respectively; the total proportions were 3.38%, 16.91%, 11.97% and 2.29%, respectively; and the minimum/maximum proportion values of each height group were at 13 years old/6 years old, 12 years old/6 years old, 7 years old/12 years old, and 6 years old/11 years old, respectively. Conclusions The overall height level of children in Nanning is still lower than the national level, with short prepubertal basal heights, an earlier age of onset of accelerated pubertal height, and a shorter duration of accelerated pubertal height in boys. Strengthening pre-pubertal height management and emphasizing the onset and duration of children's pubertal development, especially the height development of boys during puberty, can help improve the adult lifelong height of children in this region.

Vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies or insufficiencies in children remain global public health problems. The deficiencies of both vitamin A and vitamin D exist in Chinese children, the deficiency of vitamin A is mainly marginal (about 30%) in children aged 0 - 12 years.Vitamin D deficiency and prevalence are common in healthy children aged 0 - 18 years, among which the severe deficiency rate is 2.46%, the deficiency rate is 21.57%, and the marginal deficiency rate is 28.71%.The deficiency rate gradually increases with the increase of age.Since the respective bioactive metabolites of vitamin A and vitamin D, retinoic acid and 1 and 25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ have hormone-like properties, and both metabolites are synthesized from their vitamin precursors by different tissues and cells in the body, there may be a synergistic effect between both on target cells remotely by binding to nuclear hormone receptors.A high proportion of concurrent vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies (comorbidities) in malnourished children under 5 years of age in low- and middle-income countries and poor areas will affect the immune response in a highly specific way, in addition to causing growth and developmental disorders (e.g., growth retardation, motor retardation), it also increases susceptibility to infectious diseases (e.g., recurrent respiratory infections, diarrhea), allergic diseases (e.g., asthma, atopic dermatitis), and neurodevelopmental disorders (touretic disorder, autism spectrum disorder).Therefore, children in the period of growth and development may benefit from supplementing with vitamin A and vitamin D.

The influence of bed sharing on children's physical and psychological health has been concerned as one of the main types of sleep arrangements.At present, there are significant differences in bed sharing among children of different ages, groups, regions and races.There are also studies on the impact of bed sharing sleep on children's health, on the one hand, it is conducive to breastfeeding, where infants get enough security; on the other hand, it leads to an increase in the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome, and an increase in the number of night awakenings.Therefore, it is important to understand the current research situation of bed sharing and its influences on children, thus to better promote children healthy growth.

Objective To compare and analyze the current burden status of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in China and globally, to extract the epidemiological characteristics and to predict the burden in 2030, based on the analysis of the global burden of disease (GBD) database, so as to provide reference for the prevention and control of the disease burden caused by ASD. Methods Prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) data from 1990 to 2019 for ASD in China and globally were retrieved from the GBD database. Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the changes in ASD disease burden and calculate average annual percentage change (AAPC) over time. Auto regressive integrated moving average model(ARIMA) was constructed to predict the trend of ASD disease burden in China and globally from 2020 to 2030. Results The age standardized prevalence rate and age standardized DALYs rate in China showed an upward trend from 1990 to 2019, with an average annual increase of 0.14% and 0.15%, respectively, and the increase was higher than the global average level (AAPC=-0.03%, P<0.001, AAPC=-0.03%, P<0.001). It is predicted that the age standardized prevalence rate and age standardized DALYs rate of ASD in China will both show an upward trend by 2030, reaching 376.08/10⁵ and 57.90/10⁵, respectively. In comparison, the global age standardized prevalence rate and age standardized DALYs rate of ASD, which are 369.47/10⁵ and 56.28/10⁵, respectively, and the trend is relatively stable. The burden of ASD is biggest for male children under the age of 5 in China and globally. Conclusion Over the past three decades, the burden of ASD in China has persistently escalated and may exceed the global average in the future, making it particularly urgent to implement targeted prevention and control measures.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face varying degrees of difficulties in communication, language, and social interactions.This article analyzes the basic communication abilities, language development characteristics, and social pragmatic features of ASD children from the perspective of speech pathology, introduces corresponding assessment tools and proposes intervention strategies based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).Meanwhile, this article emphasizes the adoption of a comprehensive intervention model that involves medical, family, and school components to enhance the communication, language, and social skills of this group comprehensively, with the aim of effectively improving their overall quality of life.

Infancy and toddlerhood are critical periods for brain development in children.Nutritional feeding and scientific care are the material basis to ensure their quality of life and effective measures to promote their healthy growth. As a scientific way of care, responsive care aims to identify the needs signals of infants and toddlers and make timely and correct responses through the interactive communication and keen observation between caregivers and infants, which is conducive to improving the quality of parenting.This paper systematically reviews the current situation of responsive care research at home and abroad, analyzes its connotation, theoretical basis, guiding basis, implementation effect and challenges, and aims to provide theoretical basis for clinical care practice of infants and young children.

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high incidence, low diagnosis rate and early onset of symptoms, which hinders thedevelopment ofphysical and mental health in children.Early identification and intervention of DCD can help reduce the lifelong adverse effects of the disease.However,general public in China still lacks awareness of this condition,and healthcare workers do not pay enough attention to the early screening and intervention of DCD.This paper summarizes the clinical characteristics, early screening and diagnosis of DCD, and expounds the clinical treatment of DCD from the two aspects of western and Chinese medicine intervention, and proposes the intervention treatment of integrated Chinese and western medicine for the first time, hoping to promote the development of early screening work, provide a new method for the research and development of DCD intervention in China, and improve the effectiveness of treatment.

Objective To explore the correlation of early parent-child interaction and sleep time with emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children,in order to provide evidence for promoting the development of Children's mental health. Methods Children aged 3 years who underwent normal physical examination in Ma′anshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2019 to May 2020 were selected to collect information about parent-child interaction and sleep status through questionnaires.Emotional and behavioral problems were investigated in patients who came to the clinic for continued medical examination during the period of 5 to 7 years of age.A total of 399 valid questionnaires were collected.Pearson χ² test and Logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results After adjusting for demographic information,lower score of early parent-child interaction was a risk factor for peer interaction(OR=2.30,95%CI:1.16 - 4.58) and emotional and behavioral problems(OR=2.76,95%CI:1.54 - 4.95).Children with total sleep time ＜12h/d were more likely to have peer interaction (OR=2.26,95%CI:1.22 - 4.20) and emotional and behavioral problems (OR=1.73,95%CI:1.04 - 2.87).Combined effect showed that children with lower score of early parent-child interaction and sleep time <12h/d had a higher risk of developing peer interaction (OR=5.30,95% CI:1.53 - 18.27),emotional and behavioral abnormalities (OR=6.23,95% CI:2.15 - 18.45). Conclusions Poor quality of early parent-child interaction and insufficient sleep time have adverse effects on preschool Children's emotional and behavioral problems,which should be given more attention.

Family serves as the primary context for a child′s daily life,with family harm emerging as a significant factor influencing early psychological cognitive and social adaptability development in children and adoleacents.This issue has become a serious public concern due to its potential to jeopardize the holistic well-being of children,garnering attention from scholars globally.Despite this,there remains a gap in the domestic literature regarding the comprehensive exploration of the association of family harm with the developmental aspects of early psychological cognitive and social adaptability abilities in children.The article provides a summary and review of the theories,main content,and impact on the cognitive and social adaptive development of children and adolescents regarding family harm,aiming to enhance scholars′understanding of family harm in our country and collectively promote the healthy growth of children and adolescents.

Objective To explore the association between body satisfaction and depressive symptoms among early adolescents in Shanghai, in order to provide evidence for the promotion of mental health among adolescents. Methods A total of 1 704 students from grade 6 to 8 in 3 junior middle schools in Shanghai were recruited into this study from November to December in 2017 by stratified cluster sampling method.Data were collected by anonymous self-administered electronic questionnaire, and the body satisfaction scale and depressive symptom scale were used to collect the body satisfaction and depressive symptoms of the subjects. Results The average score of body satisfaction was 23.03±4.68, ranging from 7 to 35.There were significant differences in body satisfaction score among adolescents with different genders, education level of primary caregivers and perceived academic performance (P<0.05).The average score of depressive symptoms in adolescents was 15.94±5.05, ranging from 6 to 30.There were statistically significant differences in depressive symptoms score among adolescents with different genders, age, whether they were the only child, whether they were separated from their parents and perceived academic performance (P<0.05).Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that body satisfaction was negatively correlated with scores of depressive symptoms and the association was statistically significant (β=-0.35, P<0.05).There was significant difference in the associations between body satisfaction and depressive symptom scores in adolescents of different genders (boys:β=-0.30, girls:β=-0.40), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion There is a significant negative association between body satisfaction and depressive symptoms in early adolescence, improving body satisfaction may help reduce depressive mood in adolescents.

Language delay is the most common developmental disorder in childhood,and as children grow older,it will have a lasting impact on their daily life and learning ability,and the impact on children's health can last into adulthood.Early active intervention and treatment will greatly improve the short-term and long-term adverse effects of abnormal language development on children,effectively promote the recovery of children's language ability.Language delay of children has been the current research hotspot.This article reviews the clinical characteristics,diagnosis and treatment of language retardation in children.

Insufficient physical activity and sedentary behavior are significant factors contributing to childhood overweight and obesity. Exercise offers numerous benefits to obese children in terms of their physical appearance, physical fitness, and mental well-being, making it a crucial component of comprehensive interventions for obese children. The mechanisms by which exercise exerts its effects include reducing adipose tissue, regulating cytokine and hormone levels, improving insulin resistance and inflammatory states, and promoting brain development. Although the specific dose-response relationship of exercise in obese children has not been clearly established, aerobic exercise or a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise is considered a more reasonable choice, and the application of high-intensity interval training in obese children is gradually increasing. In the future, there is a need to develop optimal forms of exercise that are effective, time-efficient and safe, and to explore whether new methods suitable for obese adults can be adapted for use in children and adolescents.

Infants go through a transition period before fully adapting to a diversified balanced diet after being breastfed, during which foods introduced other than milk, aimed at supplementing energy and nutrients, are referred to as complementary foods. The process of introducing complementary foods is called complementary feeding (CF). The purpose and significance of adding complementary foods include not only supplementing energy and nutrients, but also promoting the development of eating skills and fine motor functions, establishing healthy eating and food-related psychological behaviors, preventing food allergies and other allergic diseases, and materializing diversity of children's gut flora. The feeding suggestions of introducing red meat paste first other than iron-fortified baby rice flour at the age of 6 months, and rapidly achieving diversified food exposure, is comply with the above principles. This article analyzes the purpose of infant CF, reviews the historical development of CF, and interprets relevant feeding recommendations based on new concepts of CF.

Objective To explore the association between lifestyle and psycho-behavioral problems in school-age children,in order to provide scientific basis for the prevention of Children's behavioral problems. Methods Using stratified whole-cluster sampling,1 200 school-age children aged 9 - 13 years in Xi'an were selected for a paper questionnaire survey in May 2023.Their behavioral and emotional problems in the past six months were evaluated using the Youth Self-Report (YSR).Information on basic family situation and lifestyles was collected through self-designed questionnaires on the demographic characteristics of their families and their lifestyles.The correlation between Children's lifestyles and psycho-behavioral problems was explored and validated using the χ² test and binary logistic Logistic regression model. Results The detection rate of psychological and behavioral problems in school-age children in this study was 22.4% (252/1 127).Thinking problems were most prominent among the factors (14.8%),followed by social problems (10.6%).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that picking eating (OR=4.595,95% CI:1.593 - 13.249),doing homework >3h/d (OR=3.644,95%CI:1.640 - 8.096),and screen time >2h/d (OR=2.691,95%CI:1.311 - 5.527) or >3h/d (OR=3.542,95%CI:1.848 - 6.789),and never doing housework (OR=7.477,95%CI:1.372 - 40.733) were risk factors for psychological and behavioral problems in school-age children.Occasional (OR=0.530,95%CI:0.315 - 0.892) or frequent (OR=0.447,95%CI:0.266 - 0.753) participation in physical activity,visiting a healthcare worker (OR=0.205,95%CI:0.115 - 0.365) or a doctor (OR=0.341,95%CI:0.150 - 0.772)in sick,having few illnesses in infancy and early childhood (OR=0.435,95%CI:0.219 - 0.866),and having 4 or more good friends (OR=0.270,95%CI:0.093 - 0.783) reduced the risk of developing psychological and behavioral problems in school-age children. Conclusions Lifestyle of school-age children is closely related to psycho-behavioral problems.Paying attention to Children's thinking and social problems,advocating scientific diet,active exercise,encouraging children to participate in household chores appropriately,reducing video screen time,and controlling undesirable habits will help improve their behavioral problems.

It has been found that children and adolescents are highly susceptible to emotion-related mental disorders such as anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar and related disorder. If left untreated, it may severely impact the normal functioning of individuals, family and society, indicating the importance of early detection and interventionin preventing and treatingchildren and adolescents who are at high risk for emotion-related mental disorders. This article reviews different types and risk factors of emotion-related mental disorders in biological, family and school contexts, and identifies effective early detection methods and intervention strategies for children and adolescents with emotion-related mental disorders.Further implications and recommendations for early detection and intervention are also discussed.

Tummy time is defined as awake prone positioning with unrestricted movement of limbs, which is encouraged and supervised by adults. As one of the most important physical activities during early stages of life, tummy time plays a critical role in promoting gross motor and cognitive development, preventing plagiocephaly and decreasing overweight and obesity. Recently, the World Health Organization and many countries worldwide issued guidelines on tummy time for infants; however, there is no tummy time guideline in China. To fill in this gap, the Capital Institute of Pediatrics, together with experts from sports science, pediatrics and child health care, has jointly developed the Infancy Tummy Time Guideline. As the first tummy time guideline for infants under one year old in China, it aims to provide professional recommendations for both child care professionals and parents. The guideline raises recommendations from four aspects, including principles for tummy time, duration and frequency, types of tummy time activities, and monitoring and evaluation, which gives professional guidance on scientific and safe tummy time activities for infants to meet their developmental needs.

Objective To understand the current situation of sexual behavior and cognition among adolescent students, and to analyze the influencing factors of sexual intercourse, so as to provide a basis for formulating targeted interventions to reduce the adverse consequences of adolescent sexual behavior. Methods Using a stratified cluster sampling method, 1 228 adolescents from six vocational schools in Shandong Province were selected from August to October 2022. Questionnaires were used to collect information related to general characteristics, sexual knowledge, sexual concepts and behavior, and social norm cognition. An electronic version of the questionnaire was developed and distributed through the commonly used platform, Wenjuanxing. Results Among the 1 228 students, 242 (19.7%) were male and 986 (80.3%) were female. Out of the total sample, 77 (6.3%) reported having engaged in sexual intercourse, with 75 (97.4%) of them engaging in risky sexual behaviors. The overall score of sexual knowledge among students in the six schools was 21.41 ± 5.93. Logistic regression analysis revealed that being male (OR=3.342, 95%CI:1.919 - 5.818), being older than 16 years (OR=2.095, 95%CI=1.049 - 4.181), having migration experience (OR=1.764, 95%CI:1.016 - 3.064), being in a romantic relationship (OR=6.812, 95%CI=3.806 - 12.192), approving of sexual behavior outside marriage (OR=2.486, 95%CI:1.174 - 5.262), approving of one night stand (OR=3.263, 95%CI:1.197 - 8.899), and agreeing that condoms cannot be used for one-time sexual intercourse (OR=6.804, 95%CI:2.797 - 16.548) were risk factors for engaging in sexual behavior. Conclusions The prevalence of sexual behavior among adolescents is low, but the prevalence of risky sexual behavior is high. It is recommended to adopt a multi-party collaborative approach to intervene high-risk groups, aiming to promote the physical and mental health of adolescents.

Lack of social communication is one of the main manifestations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A significant part of the reason for the lack of social communication skills in children with ASD is due to their language disorders. This paper reviews and analyzes the characteristics of language disorders in children with ASD from the perspectives of pre-linguistic skills, phonology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. By organizing and analyzing relevant literature, this paper summarizes rehabilitation intervention models that can enhance language and social communication abilities in children with ASD. The review of the literature concludes that in the process of rehabilitation intervention for children with ASD, adopting intervention models that improve pre-linguistic skills, phonology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics can effectively enhance the language abilities of children with ASD. This paper reviews literature and concludes that the rehabilitation intervention mode can improve the language ability of children with ASD by improving the pre-language ability, phonology, semantic, syntax and morphology, and pragmatics abilities.

Functional constipation(FC) is a common disorder affecting children worldwide, significantly impacting the social, physical, and emotional functioning of both the affected children and their caregivers. Currently, the diagnosis of FC is clinically based on the Rome Ⅳ criteria. Non-pharmacological treatments include health education, lifestyle advice, and toilet training. Pharmacological interventions include disimpaction, maintenance therapy, and eventual withdrawal of medication if possible. Polyethylene glycol(PEG) is considered the first-choice laxative for disimpaction and maintenance therapy. Additionally, various osmotic laxatives, stimulant laxatives, lubricants, and enemas can serve as alternative therapeutic options. For probiotics and newly emerging drugs, there is a lack of evidence supporting their widespread use in childhood FC, necessitating more high-quality research. This review summarizes the currently available scientific evidence and clinical experience to facilitate better clinical management of FC in children by pediatricians.

Autism spectrum disorder(ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by unclear etiology and a lack of effective treatments. Early screening and intervention represent viable strategies for mitigating the adverse consequences.Through literature research and policy analysis, this study examines the current status of assessment and intervention for ASD children in China based on the Lancet report "Future Care and Clinical Research on Autism" published in 2021, providing important evidence to promote the standardized development of early identification, assessment, and intervention forASD children in China. Our findings indicate that policies and guidelines for screening and intervention of ASD children have improved gradually, service models have been established, and scientific research has been strengthened. However, there remains significant scope for enhancement in the social support environment, the screening and intervention service system, the standardization of assessment tools, and cross-sectoral cooperation.In resporse to current situation and problems, the following countermeasures are proposed: improving the social environment to foster the social integration of autistic children; refining the service system to establish a screening and intervention model tailored to Chinese characteristics; standardizing assessment tools to enhance the quality of autism screening and diagnosis; and strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation to regulate the autism screening intervention network.

Objective To explore the prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during task states using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and to evaluate the diagnostic value of combining PFC activation with behavioral assessments for distinguishing ADHD, so as to provide a basis for early diagnosis. Methods A total of 40 children diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy children undergoing routine health check-ups atthe Children's Health Department of Xi'an People's Hospital (Xi'an Fourth Hospital) from July 2023 to July 2024 were recruited. A 22-channel fNIRS device was used to measure changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO₂) concentration in the PFC during a verbal fluency task (VFT). The Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ) was administered, and correlations between PSQ scores and PFC HbO₂ levels were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of combining HbO₂ levels with PSQ scores for ADHD diagnosis. Results Compared to healthy children, ADHD children exhibited significantly lower HbO₂ levels in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC), left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC), right frontopolar cortex (rFPC), medial prefrontal cortex (mFPC), and Brodmann area 8 (BA8) (Z＝4.115, 2.363, 3.591, 2.578, 2.936, P<0.05). ADHD children also scored higher on the PSQ subscales for conduct problems, learning problems, impulsivity-hyperactivity, and hyperactivity index (Z＝3.827, 4.065, 5.531, 4.827, P<0.05). Negative correlations were observed between learning problems and HbO₂ levels in the rDLPFC, rFPC, and mFPC (r＝-0.336,-0.412,-0.310, P<0.05), between impulsivity-hyperactivity and HbO₂ levels in the mFPC (r＝-0.382, P<0.05), and between the hyperactivity index and HbO₂ levels in the rDLPFC, rFPC, mFPC, and BA8 (r＝-0.393,-0.445,-0.431,-0.339, P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the combined prediction of ADHD using HbO₂ levels in the rDLPFC, lDLPFC, rFPC, lFPC, mFPC, and BA8 along with the hyperactivity index was 0.884, 0.877, 0.883, 0.900, 0.896, and 0.884, respectively, all of which were higher than the AUCs for HbO₂ levels or the hyperactivity index alone. Conclusion Children with ADHD exhibit impaired PFC function, and the combination of PFC HbO₂ levels and PSQ scores demonstrates significant diagnostic value for ADHD.

Dyslexia is the most common type of specific learning difficulty, affecting approximately 5% to 10% of school-age children.From the perspective of cognitive psychology, this paper systematically reviews the cognitive mechanisms, assessment tools, diagnostic criteria, and intervention research on dyslexia, and highlights that the primary focus of its assessment and intervention is decoding ability (character recognition).Future efforts should integrate advances in artificial intelligence and educational technology to promote the establishment of early screening and evidence-based intervention systems.

Objective To understand the current situation of social emotional competence of infants and toddlers, and analyze its relationship with home rearing environment, in order to provide the basis for improving the level of infant social emotional development. Method A study was conducted on 390 individuals from a child health institution in Hubei and Henan provinces.The "Infant and Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment Scale" and "1 - 3Years Child Home Rearing Environment Scale" were used to investigate the social emotions ability and home rearing environment of infants and toddlers. Results A total of 390 valid questionnaires were collected in this survey, of which 199 were boys (51.0%) and 191 girls (49.0%).The average age of infants was (27.13±6.86)months.The age distribution is mainly among infants and young children aged 24 to 36 months, with a total of 305 people (78.2%).The caregiver′s registered residence (Z=-3.570), father′s education level (H=17.106), mother′s education level (H=7.980), per capita monthly income of the family (H=13.986), and the home rearing environment (Z=-8.881) had statistical significance on the social emotional competence of infants(P<0.05 or <0.01).There was a significant positive correlation between family rearing environment and infants′ social emotion (r=0.582,P<0.01).Multiple regression analysis showed that the social adaptation/self-care(β=0.30,95%CI:0.18 - 0.52,P<0.01)and language cognition dimensions(β=0.22,95%CI:0.07 - 0.59,P<0.05) in the home rearing environment had a statistically significant impact on the social emotional ability of infants and toddlers. Conclusion The home rearing environment is closely related to the social emotional development of infants and young children.Improve the parenting knowledge and skills of the main caregivers of infants and young children, build a good family rearing environment for infants and young children, which is beneficial to promote the development of children′s social emotions.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder(ASD) has increased significantly in recent years. The early onset and long duration of the disease require long-term and intensive rehabilitation, which imposes a great burden of disease on the affected children and their families, and also increases the social cost.The diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, schooling, employment as well as social reintegration have become a hot issue of concern to the whole society at present and in the future. The government's policy safeguard is crucial to support the health transition and the well-being ofASD children. In the past decade, the Chinese government has paid more and more attention to this group and developed a series of policies to provide good health services and financial support for ASD children and their families. This paper is to review the national policies related to the ASD group in recent years, describe the policy characteristics, and conduct a policy content analysis based on the World Health Organization's theoretical framework to identify the key areas and potential gaps in China's ASD-related policies so as to provide some thoughts and suggestions for the benefits of stakeholders.

Objective To develop a mathematical ability assessment tool suitable for preschool children, and to conduct reliability and validity analysis, so as to provide a scientific and feasible instrument for the early clinical identification of children with mathematical learning difficulties. Methods The framework and items of the scale were constructed and revised based on expert consultations and preliminary surveys, ultimately forming the Preschool Children's Mathematical Learning Ability Scale. A multi-stage sampling method was employed, and a total of 500 children aged 3 - 6 years were included in the study. Reliability and validity analysis were conducted on the sample data. Results The Preschool Children's Mathematics Learning Ability Scale consisted of 24 items across four dimensions. In terms of validity testing, the exploratory factor analysis yielded a KMO value of 0.945, with four dimensions extracted. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale structure model fit well, with χ²/df=3.033, RMSEA=0.064, CFI=0.917, TLI=0.907, and IFI=0.918. The correlation coefficients between each dimension and the total scale ranged from 0.755 to 0.924. Using the arithmetic subtest of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition as a criterion, the correlation coefficient with the total scale was 0.811, and the correlation coefficients with individual dimensions ranged from 0.589 to 0.777. The reliability tests confirmed that the Cronbach's α coefficient for the total scale was 0.937, with each dimension ranging from 0.787 to 0.872. The split-half reliability of the total scale was 0.911, with each dimension ranging from 0.679 to 0.899. The test-retest reliability of the total scale was 0.986, with each dimensions ranging from 0.822 to 0.927. Conclusion The Preschool Children's Mathematics Learning Ability Scale demonstrates good reliability and validity, providing theoretical basis for the early identification and intervention of children with Mathematics learning difficulties.

Objective To analyze the correlation between deformational plagiocephaly and/or brachycephaly (DPB) and motor developmental delay in infants, so as to provide theoretical basis for early motor development screening and intervention in DPB infants. Methods A total of 7 826 children aged 6 - 12 months who visited Mianyang Maternal & Child Health Care Hospital from January 2021 to December 2022 were inlcuded in this study. DPB infants were selected as the study subjects, and the prevalence rate was analyzed.2 761 DPB infants were divided into mild, moderate, and severe DPB groups, and 1 900 normal children were included as the control group. Peabody Developmental Motor Scale-2 (PDMS-2) was used to evaluate the levels of gross and fine motor development in children in each case group and control group. Univariate analysis and LSD-t test were used to analyze the differences in gross motor quotient (GMQ) and fine motor quotient (FMQ) of children in each group. χ² test was used to analyze the rate of motor developmental delay in children in each group. Results The prevalence rate ofDPB was 35.47%. There were statistically significant differences in GMQ and FMQ among the mild DPB group, moderate DPB group, severe DPB group, and control group (F=171.271, 194.877, P<0.05). Further statistical comparison showed that there was no statistically significant difference in GMQ and FMQ between mild DPB group and control group (P＞0.05). The GMQ and FMQ of the moderate and severe DPB groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of developmental delay in gross and fine motor development between each case group and the control group (χ²=7.478, 5.777, P＞0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of DPB in Mianyang area is relatively high, and DPB do not increase the probability of motor development delay. However, infants with moderate to severe DPB have significantly lower levels of motor development compared to healthy infants. It is recommended to screen infants with DPB as soon as possible, and conduct motor development screening and exercise promotion for infants with moderate to severe DPB.

The survey and research on physical growth and development of children in China can be traced back to the the 1910s and 1920s. After the first national survey on children's physical growth and development was launched in 1975, other representative surveys and researches have emerged in succession. The improvement in growth levels and the decline in undernutrition are major achievements in the field of child development in China. Up to now, China has built a set of growth evaluation system for Chinese children. Children's growth and nutrition in China have entered a new stage of development,with a slowdown in the long-term growth trend and a reversal of the detection rate of overweight and obesity from undernutrition. Overall, the rapid increase of overweight and obesity among children has not been effectively curbed, and China may face the challenge that rural area and medium epidemic area are growing at a high rate.

As the health disparities among children indirectly reflect the unfair distribution of national child healthcare, education, and other infrastructure, early childhood health development is a globally significant public health concern. On a global scale, 193 countries have endorsed The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and have explored various development strategies. The government placing children's interests and their rights at the core of their efforts to achieve theSustainable Development Goals(SDGs) is essential, China has made substantial progress in improving children's well-being over several decades of continuous effort and practice. However, challenges persist, including regional development imbalances, insufficient service capabilities in impoverished rural areas, and emerging issues like obesity, myopia, and mental health problems. China still needs to meet the growing health needs of children fully. From a global health perspective, this article systematically reviews the current status of global early childhood health development, outlines the significant milestones and best practices in China's early childhood development efforts, and also anticipates the focus and challenges in early childhood development in China based on global trends, hoping to contribute to further research in this field.

The period from 0 to 3 years of age is the most rapid phase of brain development in infants and young children, making it a critical window for early intervention. Providing high-quality family nurturing care is a crucial means of maximizing the early developmental potential of infants and toddlers. Enhancing the capacity of families in caregiving has become a key strategy for promoting the physical, mental, and comprehensive development of children aged 0 to 3. Professionals in child healthcare at maternal and child health institutions and community health centers play a significant role in guiding families in infant and toddler care. This article discusses key issues in the practice and guidance of family caregiving for infants and toddlers, emphasizing the importance of responsive care throughout the nurturing process, the mental health of caregivers, the early cultivation of socio-emotional skills in infants and toddlers, and the risks associated with screen exposure. It calls for increased attention from both primary heath care professionals and the broader society to collectively enhance the capacity of families in providing care for infants and toddlers.

Learning difficulty is a commonly used clinical term that broadly represents a syndrome and narrowly refers to specific learning disabilities. Its etiology encompasses physiological, psychological, and environmental factors. Clinically, a comprehensive assessment is required to identify the spectrum of learning difficulties, make a diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and provide interventions and treatments. The child health care physicians play a crucial bridging role in clinical practice. Beyond assessment and referral, they must also emphasize the integration of medical and educational approaches and interdisciplinary team collaboration.