Deferred imitation and early social communication skills were compared among speaking and nonspeaking children with autism and children developing typically. Overall, the children with autism showed a lower frequency on measures of deferred imitation and social communication compared with typically developing children. Deferred imitation was…

Background: Physical activity and structural differences in the hippocampus have been linked to educational outcome. We investigated whether a curriculum-based physical activity intervention correlates positively with children's academic achievement, psychological well-being, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), fitness, and structural…

Forty-six mothers at psychosocial risk who had undergone interaction treatment when their children were babies were studied with respect to experienced negative life events, social network, and behavior problems in children. One reference group comprising 45 nontreated mothers at psychosocial risk and one comprising 56 mothers without psychosocial…

The study considers the impact of a program for social and emotional learning in Swedish schools on use of drugs, volatile substances, alcohol and tobacco. The program was evaluated in an effectiveness study. Intervention students were compared longitudinally with non-intervention students using nonparametric latent class analysis to identify…

This investigation examined whether access to sign language as a medium for instruction influences theory of mind (ToM) reasoning in deaf children with similar home language environments. Experiment 1 involved 97 deaf Italian children ages 4-12 years: 56 were from deaf families and had LIS (Italian Sign Language) as their native language, and 41…

Finds a significant relationship between characteristics of mothers' social networks and those of their children in a sample of 72 Swedish mothers and children. Nature and strength of relationships varied with mothers' marital status and children's gender. Networks of married mothers and daughters were most similar; networks of single mothers and…

A group of 119 children in Sweden were followed from infancy to age 8 to determine the relationship between type of child care children received and their later development. At the age of 8, children were given aptitude tests and were rated by teachers on school performance and social and personal development. A number of background variables were…

Presents results of two surveys that show the development of attitudes of Swedish students on socially important issues (readiness to help others, tolerance toward deviant persons) over the later school years. Describes changes in those attitudes among 15 year olds during the 1970s. Discusses influence of teachers on those attitudes. (SB)

Investigated effects of program auspice (nonprofit versus profit child care), adult-to-child ratios, and class age span on teaching and on preschoolers' social and cognitive development. Found that age, gender, social background, and age span were significant predictors of children's social and cognitive development; adult-to-child ratio and…

This document reports the results of a follow-up of a longitudinal, comparative study of Swedish children reared in center and home settings that are especially pertinent to the debate about the long-term effects of care on social development. The study began with a sample of 120 children from 12-18 months of age. Sixty infants were enrolled in…

Data were collected on the type of day care experienced by 119 Swedish children who were followed from their first year of life to age 8. Types of day care included: (1) center care continuing from the first or second year; (2) center care begun at a later age; (3) mixed care, or, transition from family day care to center care; (4) day mother…

Before 1970, no mixed-age groups existed in Swedish nursery schools. By 1991, 43 percent of children enrolled in nursery school were in mixed-age groups of ages 1 to 6 years, and 37 percent were in groups of children ages 3 to 6 years. Mixed-age groups are assumed to have advantages, including positive influences on learning and social…

This study examined children's perceptions of child-rearing norms and values of the culture where the child is raised and provides a cross-cultural comparison of child development in India, Kenya, and Sweden. Children ages 8 through 13 in Kenya were asked questions regarding good and bad behavior and parents' sanctions, the results of which were…

The original objective of the nursery school was that acting in cooperation with the home, it should develop children motorically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. A comparison of objectives with effects reveals many to be non-existent. A 1966 study of nursery school effects on child development revealed the following breakdown: (1)…

Social changes in Sweden have engendered concrete problems for young people. For example, an extensive government-sponsored day care system has left many youth longing for social contacts with adults. The Swedish society is giving material welfare higher priority than social welfare. Possible solutions are discussed. (RM)