"Psychoeducational Assessment of Preschool Children," Fifth Edition, provides academics and school-based practitioners such as psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and social workers with an up-to-date guide to the assessment of young children. Long recognized as the standard text and reference in its field, this comprehensive,…

Whole-school or whole-class programs designed to promote positive behavior can enhance the likelihood that effective teaching and learning occur for all students. This practice guide is intended to help elementary education educators, as well as school and district administrators and parents, implement and support effective prevention-focused…

This article provides early childhood practitioners a way to develop a common understanding of the importance of play in the early learning experience of young children. Meaningful discussion among teachers, parents, administrators, and teacher candidates regarding play in early childhood education programs is critical to ensure the growth and…

Reviews a research project of 15 years ago that investigated whether children were better or worse off when they attended preschools that emphasized adult-directed instruction and the basics of reading and math rather than preschools that focused on play and exploration. Now, the most effective early childhood classrooms nurture both children's…

Describes cooperation and affirmation activities designed to create a classroom environment in which children interact peacefully and resolve conflicts creatively. Exercises include cooperation drawing, group hand prints and shadow murals, a circle game entitled "Rainstorm," student interviews, affirmation shows using video, affirmation clapping,…

This article proposes a comprehensive approach to handling discipline in day care centers, discouraging just reacting to a child's misbehavior in favor of establishing an atmosphere and environment in which a child is encouraged to behave in a positive and constructive manner. (Author/MS)

This paper presents an overview of interventions that schools can use to enhance the psychological and social development of children in a desegregated school environment. Five remedies, designed to meet children's psychological needs in desegregated schools, are first defined and then analyzed for specific interventions appropriate at the school…

This resource explores how mutual friendships and diversity of social contacts influence literacy learning (such as in reading and writing workshops) in the primary grades. The strengths of friends working together seem to be a function of the cycle of conflict, resolution, and reflection that occurs. This cognitive decentering and the…

The intial discussion concerns attachment and separation in terms of feelings. It is asserted that the key to dealing with separation anxiety is the acceptance of infants' and toddlers' feelings by both child and adult as a means of building infant and toddler self-confidence and trust. Subsequent discussion provides specific ways child caregivers…

Recognizing the importance of friendship and peer acceptance in children's lives, this resource book translates research findings on the development of social competence into a tool providing skills, information, and activities that teachers can use to develop the social competence of elementary school students. Activities are based on the notion…

This guide provides detailed and useful information about how to help children develop skills that allow them to practice conflict resolution. The first section, "The Setting," considers the environment and how it can enhance the qualities required for successful conflict resolution and minimize unnecessary conflict. The four chapters in…

This study examined the social competency of at-risk kindergarten students as they demonstrated the need to establish social communities in order to increase group motivation and peer learning. The study explores the patterns of behaviors that these children demonstrate in order to form social communities, explores the purpose behind their need to…

Recent theory and research suggest that peer conflict contributes to children's development and represents an important form of social interaction. Research has identified structural features of children's conflict as issues, such as control of objects or physical space; strategies, including aggressive and nonaggressive physical and verbal…

The article details the emotional, social, and mental characteristics of gifted children and explains how the classroom teacher can help such children, who are often socially alienated, find their place in the world. (SB)

This article presents a rationale for matching social skills intervention strategies to the skill and comfort levels that typically developing children show toward their peers with special needs and provides teachers with guidance on how to accomplish this match. Environmental manipulations that facilitate interactions and peer-mediated strategies…