Brenda Jones Harden, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, describes how young children develop the capacity to modulate their emotions and behavior in the first years of life. A child's basic temperament has an impact on self-control, but temper tantrums are a normal part of child…

Raising gifted children is a challenge, a big challenge. Often a dichotomy of emotions, gifted children can shift from happy and engaging, to angry and explosive, to sullen and withdrawn--all in a matter of minutes. Their behavioral extremes can often cause frustration and confusion in the strongest of parents. But why are these seemingly adept…

There is a famous piece of writing by Emily Pearl Kingsley in which she attempts to describe what it feels like to raise a child with special needs. She explains that it is like preparing for a trip to Italy. One learns the language and buys the travel books. One finds himself on the plane traveling to Italy, and suddenly, the trip is diverted to…

Parents in 16 families of children with autism spectrum disorders or Down syndrome participated in a qualitative study examining family (i.e., all caregivers in the home) belief systems. All families had children who had recently entered elementary school or who were in the early years of high school. As a result of their experiences, families…

Gifted kids often share a list of common traits, but ultimately, they are individuals. They have their own strengths, their own weaknesses, and their own needs. One trait that many gifted children "do" share is asynchrony. In other words, gifted children may not follow a typical age appropriate time line. They may be markedly advanced, average, or…

Children who are consistently ignored or disliked, especially those who make no friends at all, often have trouble succeeding in school. This article illustrates the scenario of a child who is just learning to play with others, but continues to face rejection from her classmates. The author provides tips for both teachers and parents that can…

Interpersonal, familial, and situational risk factors that predict young children's aggression and non-compliance are explored. Here examples of specific techniques and provided to help teachers and parents effectively support children's early development of cooperative and prosocial behaviours as well as problem-solving skills in family and…

This article discusses hallmarks that can help educators identify gifted potential in young children, especially those from culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These hallmarks include: agency (the self in control of its environment), prospectivity (purposeful behavior seeking to accomplish goals) and affordance,…

The goal of this study was to examine how the parenting dimensions of both mothers and fathers independently and together predict adolescent outcomes in three domains: sympathy, self-worth, and social competence. One-hundred eight adolescents completed self-report measures on their perceived relationship with parents, sympathy, social competence,…

Interviews mothers about their preschool children's temperamental characteristics, mild behavior problems, and family interactions. There was little evidence for a relationship between active and either mild behavior problems or family interactions. Moody/intense scores were associated with mild behavior problems and 'negative' family interactions…

Studies fourth grade students to test a goodness-of-fit model of temperament. Children responded to the Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS). Teachers specified demands/expectations for their students for each of the DOTS attributes and rated students' academic ability and adjustment. Objective measures of academic achievement were also…

Using a theory of resiliency, this study provides a Chicana student's perspective of the role of parents in the development of college aspirations. Qualitative interviews with Chicana high school seniors shed light on the different ways these students perceive and come to understand the manner by which their parents influence and shape their…

Autism in children has increased significantly in the past 15 years. The challenges and stressors associated with providing services and caring for a child with autism affect families, educators, and health professionals. This descriptive study used a survey to collect data on parents' perceptions of coping strategies and social support.…

Child temperament, parent openness to experience, conscientiousness, and education, and parent a priori assessments of the task were examined in relation to parenting behaviours during child problem solving. Mothers and their children (73 dyads) were visited the summer before kindergarten. Mothers' cognitive, emotional, and autonomy support were…