Motivation is a key factor for child development, but very few studies have examined child and family predictors of both child task and perceived motivation. Thus, the three aims of this 6-month longitudinal study in preschoolers with global developmental delays (GDD) were to explore: 1) differences between task and perceived motivation in…

Background: The elaborated environmental stress hypothesis (EESH) provides a framework that describes how motor skills may indirectly cause internalizing problems through various mediating psychosocial factors. While there is evidence to support this framework, little is known about how the proposed relationships may vary across different stages…

Social and play skills are important developmental tasks for young children. Typically developing children learn appropriate social skills quite naturally and without specific intervention while interacting with other children in playful environments. Young children with disabilities, however, usually need social skills interventions, and these…

Defining emotional competence as the demonstration of self-efficacy in emotion-eliciting social transactions, this paper presents a model of emotional competence that explores the factors and skills contributing to the development of a mature emotional response that supports an individual's social goals. The paper first describes the primary…

This manual describes the benefits and procedures for implementing a developmental play program. It is intended to be used by both the leader--a counselor, teacher, or other professional--and students who have been trained in the peer facilitator skills. The manual does not include a detailed training program for peer facilitators, but the nature…

Reviews evolution of "good practice" and "child-centered" primary education. Discusses matching students' abilities to learning tasks. Examines study of selected teachers' classroom techniques in terms of pupil self-management, group teaching, active learning, and social confidence promotion. Questions value of matching,…

Presents six articles on brain research and child development: "Brain Research, Infant Learning, and Child Care Curriculum" (J. R. Lally); "The Thinking Brain" (P. Schiller); "Early Experiences Shape Social Development" (B. Caldwell); "Facing the Challenge of Motor Development" (P. Weikart); Language…

One of a series of documents produced by a nationwide network of early childhood education specialists, teachers, parents, and Head Start staff, the guide describes developmental characteristics of preschool and elementary school students by grade level. Arranged into five curriculum areas, the first presents physical, motor, social, cognitive,…

This report surveys writings by National Institute of Mental Health grant recipients who have investigated this first five years of life. The authors attempted to identify and correlate ideas, themes, perspectives and issues which can be useful in the formulation and evaluation of social policies related to infant and child development. Major…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) child development within the context of family and social development; (2) the stages of cognitive, social, emotional, moral, and physical development; (3) the range of normal…

This collection of essays is written for parents, professional teachers, and caregivers to enlighten the readers about preschool children's development, the role of parent and teacher, and the nature of the parent-caregiver partnership. The essays emphasize how to observe, to understand, and to intervene with preschoolers, teachers, and parents,…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) factors that interact to affect child development; (2) developmental milestones for infants and young children; (3) parenting processes appropriate to the childhood years; (4)…