Language, literacy, and social-emotional skills are important for successful participation in society. These skills develop through interaction with others and through explicit instruction. An important activity to contribute to the development of these skills in young children is shared storybook reading. For deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH)…

Two early childhood researchers from a local public university, have been visiting Mrs. Ball's kindergarten classroom in a small, rural elementary school in the Midwest to read books and discuss characters' identities. In this article, the authors share stories of how they laid the foundation for these conversations and others like it through…

One focus of "Invitational Theory and Practice" is creating positive environments that summon each individual to "develop intellectually, socially, physically, emotionally, and morally" (Purkey & Novak, 2008). Children's literature is a rich resource for teachers and parents to focus on emotional and moral development. This…

A test of advanced theory of mind (ToM), first introduced by F. Happe (1994), was adapted for children (mental, human, animal, and nature stories plus unlinked sentences). These materials were closely matched for difficulty and were presented to forty-five 7- to 12-year-olds with autism and 27 control children. Children with autism who showed ToM…

In this article, the author shares her experience in setting up a unique imitative play through which children try on roles and imitate "grown-up" activities, thereby developing feelings of confidence and competence. As children play, they gain communication and negotiation skills; if conflicts arise, they engage in creative problem solving.…

Children with autism have poor pretend play abilities, which greatly affects their social skill development. This intervention technique, using an adult partner, describes how a guided story and role-play format enhanced abilities of pretence and the understanding of social roles in a ten-year-old, verbal boy with autism. By having an everyday…