Using OpenSimulator, we constructed a 3D virtual playground that affords competition-themed social gaming, role-play gaming and design-themed architectural gaming among high-functioning autistic (HFA) children. A mixed-method, multi-case study was conducted to examine the association between the game task and setting features, learners'…

Objective: Rage attacks have been documented in youth with varied psychiatric disorders, but few data have been reported on the clinical characteristics and correlates of rage attacks among children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Method: Participants were 86 children (ages 6-16 years) with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Patients and their…

Means-end behavior occurs when the child can carry out a sequence of steps, including the removal of a physical obstacle, to achieve a goal. The development of means-end knowledge occurs in three stages: transitional, intentional, and comprehensive. Comprehensive means-end is achieved when the child can generate solutions without demonstration of…

Some children with autism demonstrate poor nonword repetition--a deficit considered to be a psycholinguistic marker of specific language impairment (SLI). The present study examined whether there is an SLI subtype among children with autism. We compared the language abilities of children with SLI (n = 34, M age = 11;10 S.D. = 2;3), and children…

This study was designed to explore the behavioral correlates of locus of control in kibbutz children in Israel. A locus of control questionnaire was given to 183 children aged 9-14 from six kibbutzim. The subjects were assessed by their teachers on various aspects of comptenece, and participated in a structured decision making task. It was found…

This study of 68 girls in a sports-with-prizes treatment indicated that children can be induced to behave generously, even after a lapse of time, in proportion to the amount of modeled generous behavior they see. Older children and children experiencing success were more generous. (SJL)

A survey was conducted to examine developmental changes in children's interpretations of their own television viewing, and the correlation between children's self reports and their mothers' estimates of the children's television viewing time. A total of 813 second, fifth, and eighth grade students were interviewed during one school year. These…

Close relationships among children and adolescents are ordinarily considered to encompass friendliness and fun. Recent studies, however, reveal that many friendships have dark sides consisting of competitiveness, hostility, and conflict. Relationships based on aversion and antipathy may turn out to have major developmental implications, but more…