Early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) practitioners participating in the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) process must understand age-expected development, the ages at which children typically acquire different skills. This resource provides answers to commonly asked questions about age anchoring as it applies to the COS…

For children age birth to five, physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional growth and development occur at a rapid pace. While all children in this age range may not reach developmental milestones (e.g., smiling, saying first words, taking first steps) at the same time, development that does not happen within an expected timeframe can…

An emphasis on scribbles and drawing as important brain-building behavior makes this book's Neuroconstructive theory of child development and Scribbling/Drawing/Writing practice unique. A child's brain builds itself in response to genetics, DNA codes, and the environment. One of the pre-determined ways a child's brain naturally builds itself is by…

Museum educators often think about what they want children to take away with them from museum visits. But at least as important is what children bring to these visits. Research in developmental psychology shows that children and adolescents progress through a sequence of ways of understanding knowledge and knowing--understanding that lies at the…

Emphasizes the rich potential of stimulating the growth and development of young children through playing group games. Developmental guidelines for choosing appropriate games are based on Piagetian theory. (CM)

The article discusses problems inherent in using the developmental model in the implementation of programs for young children with disabilities, and proposes a reconceptualization based upon M. Lewis and M. Starr's salient responses model. The primary components of this model are presented, along with their implications for early intervention…

The article describes procedures for developing and evaluating the pretend play of mentally handicapped children and provides illustrative case studies on the use of the observation scheme to evaluate children's progress. (SBH)

Designed for parents or teachers of young children with autism, this guide outlines the development stages in nonverbal or visual thinking, communication, imitation, and play in children with and without autism. In the section on nonverbal or visual thinking skills, the paper addresses simple sorting and matching, the purpose of sorting, and more…

General developmental stage theory itself is briefly summarized, and the literature is reviewed. Suitable modifications of developmental stage theory for gifted children are briefly considered. Three paramount developmental issues for educators of the gifted are examined. (DLS)

The paper reviews the developmental perspective in interventions with behaviorally disordered youth and considers developmentally based models (such as the engineered classroom, the conceptual level model, and the developmental task instructional system). The Intervention by Prescription (IBP) model, an integrated problem solving system, is…

Examines how young children learn and develop and some generalizations about teaching them in order to relate these factors toward planning music experiences. (Author/RK)

Most infants consume only breast milk or infant formula for the first 4 months, as their digestive systems and jaw and throat muscles are not ready for solid foods. Most healthcare professionals advise starting solid foods between 4 and 6 months of age, when infants can hold their heads up straight when sitting. The first solid food should be…

This guidebook for parents and early intervention personnel was developed by the "Let's Play! Project," a 3-year federally supported project that worked to promote play in infants and toddlers with disabilities through the use of "low-tech" assistive technology. The guide is organized around six emerging stages of play development: (1) sensory…

Tells how children's spelling strategies offer a glimpse of their knowledge about words; describes a study indicating that children's knowledge about words develops sequentially and systematically over an extended period of time. Discusses implications of the study for spelling instruction. (GT)

This study of the drawings produced by 34 autistic and 33 normal children (age 68-211 months) at the same developmental level found no intergroup differences on fragmentation of geometric design drawings, but significant differences in geometric design overlap and human figure overlap and fragmentation. (JDD)