As the pressure to succeed academically is imposed on children earlier than ever before, it is essential to understand what characteristics are most important to parents and teachers in order to be school ready. While formally readiness is typically measured using chronological age and mastery of cognitive skills, it also involves physical,…

Infants born preterm have increased risk for learning disabilities yet we lack assessments to successfully detect these disabilities in early life. We followed 23 full-term and 29 preterm infants from birth through 24 months to assess for differences in and stability of learning abilities across time. Measures included the Bayley-III cognitive…

Background: Recent evidence suggests that impaired foetal growth may provide an early indication of increased risk of child attention problems. However, despite both foetal growth and child attention problems differing by sex, few studies have examined sex differences in this association. Furthermore, no studies have been conducted in low- and…

Quality of life assessments were used in this study to determine the behavioral changes of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who participated in equine assisted activities. Behavioral changes of children with ASD participating in 9 weeks of equines assisted activities (EAA) (N = 10) were compared to behavioral changes of…

Through play, children develop cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically. Preschoolers go on a journey of self-discovery during play activities, learning self-regulation and how to accurately represent themselves in the environment. This study explored the play behaviours of eight different children in two different schools. Four children…

Throughout the author's career as an art educator in public schools and at the university level, a perplexing question has recurred: "Why teach art?" This query never fails to surprise her, for in her estimation the arts are at the very core of all art educators need to know and what they should be teaching. As art teachers--regardless of where or…

Examines the benefits of sand play for young children, focusing on areas of cognitive, physical, communicative, creative and social-emotional development. Also discusses the role of the teacher in encouraging children's natural curiosity and exploration with sand play, noting that teachers should observe and interact with children during play in…

Notes children with movement difficulties do not receive neat diagnostic classification, as they have normal intelligence and minimal neurological signs. Details a study based on interviews of 11 parents of children with movement difficulties that revealed that parent involvement and knowledge is critical to acquiring professional attention.…