This digest provides basic information and resources on visual impairments. Legal and educational definitions are given for "legally blind,""partially sighted,""visually handicapped,""blind," and "low vision". Typical characteristics of individuals with visual impairments in the areas of cognitive…

The digest addresses ways that parents and educators can nurture giftedness in young children. Problems in appropriate school placement for young gifted children with uneven development are discussed and illustrated with examples. In selecting a program, parents need to look for a highly individualized program in which children are encouraged to…

The purpose of this digest is to help educators develop a curriculum for multiracial students that fosters their ability to develop a positive identity and achieve academically. To this end, the digest briefly reviews identity formation in multiracial children and then presents schoolwide and classroom strategies that have been shown to be…

This digest discusses the findings of empirical studies on teacher-directed and child-initiated preschool programs. Three long-term preschool curriculum comparison studies--the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison, the Louisville Head Start Study, and the University of Illinois Study--were started in the 1970s. These studies indicated that…

Although pretend play has long been part of the early childhood curriculum, recent emphasis on accountability in education seems to have led to a decline in the general understanding of the contribution that high-quality play can make to children's cognitive development in the early years. This digest defines the cluster of concepts related to…

Those who advocate for developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) do so based on the conviction that these classroom practices enhance children's development and facilitate learning. This ERIC Digest examines recent research on DAP and social-emotional and cognitive development, and describes what we have learned about DAP in early childhood…

Although pretend play has long been part of the early childhood curriculum, recent emphasis on accountability in education seems to have led to a decline in the general understanding of the contribution that high-quality play can make to children's cognitive development in the early years. This Spanish-language Digest defines the cluster of…

The term curriculum model refers to a conceptual framework and organizational structure for decision making about educational priorities, administrative policies, instructional methods, and evaluation criteria. This digest discusses the role of curriculum models in early childhood education. Following a discussion of the origin of early childhood…

In educational research and evaluation, a sample of subjects usually received some type of programmatic treatment. Outcome scores for these students are then compared with outcome scores of a control or comparison group. M. Lewis and H. McGurk (1972) have pointed out that there are some implicit assumptions when this approach is applied to…

This Digest looks at recent research, and then asks and considers some important questions about choosing a handwriting program for young children, i.e.: (1) which alphabet is developmentally appropriate; (2) which alphabet is easier to use; (3) which alphabet is easier to read; (4) which alphabet is more easily integrated; (5) which alphabet is…

A small but increasing number of school-aged children are engaging in home schooling--pursuing learning at home or elsewhere in the community. This digest summarizes research findings on and issues around home schooling. It describes the historical roots of home schooling, the estimated number of participants, the constitutionality and legal…

The incidence of multiple births has increased dramatically in the past two decades. Given this trend, it seems reasonable to assume that many teachers will have twins and other multiple siblings in their classes at some point in their classroom careers. This Digest offers some pointers for educators facing the challenges of educating multiples.…

Written from a social interaction perspective, this digest provides an overview of children's language development in the first five years of life. Viewing language learning as both a social and a developmental process, the digest's three sections outline the process of language development in the first year, the second and third year, and in the…

This information sheet briefly describes the history of the identification of Down Syndrome, its prenatal diagnosis, characteristics of individuals with Down Syndrome, its causes, its rate of occurrence and recurrence, its impact on child development, and recommended content of education programs for children with Down Syndrome. A list of seven…

This digest reviews children's writing development from socio-cultural, generative, and developmental perspectives. The digest's first section deals with oral language, art, and children's early writing, noting that children use their drawing and talk to support their early exploration and use of print. The second section examines how, in addition…