This semiotically informed article problematizes the concept of literacy as an aesthetic activity rather than reading skills and offers strategies for assessing young readers' understanding of fictional texts. Although not based on empirical research, the essay refers to and theorizes from extensive field studies of children's responses to…

We show that the neurological condition of synaesthesia--which causes fundamental differences in perception and cognition throughout a lifetime--is significantly represented within the childhood population, and that it manifests behavioural markers as young as age 6 years. Synaesthesia gives rise to a merging of cognitive and/or sensory functions…

The Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families and Communities (www.promisingpractices.net) began as a partnership between four state-level organizations that help public and private organizations improve the well-being of children and families. The PPN website, archived in June 2014, featured summaries of programs and practices that…

A review of research regarding attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity in children covers studies involving direct observation techniques, drug treatment, drug effects on academic achievement, diet interventions, behavior modification, metacognition, and executive control; and suggests practical implications in these areas for educators and…

Among ways suggested for teaching problem solving strategies are to select problem situations appropriate to the learner and to encourage learning from errors. A problem solving process which can be used with young children includes the components of formulation; interpretation; generation; decision making; implementation; evaluation; and…

Reviews the development of spatial organization in children with blindness. Discusses the importance of motor exploration, tactual development, and spatial representation as critical factors in developing spatial and cognitive organizations of their surroundings. Suggests seven specific activities to improve spatial organization in blind children.…

Experiencing the loss of a loved one can be one of the most traumatic events in a child's life. Grief resolution must be attained no matter how trivial a loss and it becomes even more important when a child's parent dies. School psychologists need to understand how the age of the child influences his ability to grieve and what behaviors might be…

Proposes children develop an understanding about death in an orderly sequence progressing from total unawareness in early childhood to the point of logical consideration in terms of cause and effect. Discusses implications for parents, teachers, and counselors for helping children deal with death. (RC)

The Mozart Effect is defined as the ability of Mozart's music to temporarily heighten listeners' spatial awareness and intelligence, to improve listeners' concentration and speech abilities, and to advance reading and language skills. This book provides information about the ways in which the rhythm and tone components of music can enhance…

Describes classroom approaches for encouraging healthy social interaction: social skills training, and interpersonal cognitive problem solving. Addresses service delivery considerations, such as personnel, purpose, types of children, research and service, and scheduling. (AOS)

Investigates the development of the concept of family in young children. An equivalent number of males, females, Whites, Blacks, kindergarten and first graders participated in the experiment. The concept of family was assessed by using a family configuration task. Results confirmed a positive relationship between number of different ly…

Presents a stage-structure analysis of reading applicable to any method of reading a teacher might choose to use. (Author/MP)

The idea that bilingualism causes cognitive damage to children is no longer held by researchers, but it lingers in popular belief. It is based on the assumption that language is central to cognitive development, which is not held by all theorists. Another theoretical issue is whether the mind is a limited-capacity container or can accommodate two…

By understanding the development of the human mind, parents and teachers can learn how to help guide children and adolescents into adulthood. The article examines mental growth at various ages, stumbling blocks to learning, ways of understanding the adolescent mind, and what to look for in a middle school. (SM)

Young children's nonverbal affective expression and communication reveals an emotional complexity and sensitivity which exceeds their verbal abilities. To investigate the development of nonverbal emotional communication in young children, two studies were undertaken. In the first study, equal numbers of 5- and 11-year-old children from two schools…