The authors explore how children's play can support the development of the foundations of mathematics learning and how adults can support children's representation of--and thus the "mathematization" of--their play. The authors review research about the amount and nature of mathematics found in the free play of children. They briefly…

Recent research has shown that 2-year-olds fail at a task that ostensibly only requires the ability to understand that solid objects cannot pass through other solid objects. Two experiments were conducted in which 2- and 3-year-olds judged the stopping point of an object as it moved at varying speeds along a path and behind an occluder, stopping…

Tested the hypothesis that some attempts to reduce the performance demands of concrete Piagetian operational tasks may have allowed children to solve those tasks with preoperational functions. Administered two previously used versions of the transitivity task for length and weight to 120 children six- to nine-years-old. The second version was…

Investigated preschoolers' understanding of two distance principles: the direct-indirect and the same-plus principle. Children did better on tasks relevant to the principles than on principle-irrelevant tasks. Concluded that even young children conceive of distance as fixed intervals. (SKC)

The fact that the autistic children were so impaired in language even with fairly good sensorimotor skills suggests that these skills, particularly object permanence, play a minor role in their language acquisition. (Author)

Young children drew two opaque objects placed one behind the other. Over two-thirds of the children drew the objects separately in horizontal or vertical relationships. When drawing an object in a glass beaker, half of the children depicted the object vertically or horizontally separate from the beaker. (Author/DB)

Argues that the capacity for consciousness of self and others arises from developing representational and perceptual activities, especially during play. Examines young children's development of symbolic play, from sensorimotor exploration to representational play through five stages involving gestures of recognition, self-pretend and pretend play,…

This report evaluates the Early Childhood Language-Centered Intervention Program in New York City Public Schools. The program was designed to promote the development of preschool handicapped students in a variety of areas. The program objective proposed that the target students would show statistically significant improvement at the .05 level in…

Research on the cognitive development of play skills in young handicapped children is reviewed, focusing on two Piagetian styles of play--sensorimotor (exploratory) and symbolic (pretend and dramatic). The review emphasizes developmental patterns, areas of deficit, and implications for intervention in various handicapped groups. (Author/JDD)

IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SENSORIMOTOR EXPERIENCE AND THE FORMATION OF CONCEPTS IN CHILDHOOD, 2 GROUPS OF CHILDREN--1 MOTORICALLY NORMAL, THE OTHER COMPOSED OF CEREBRAL PALSIED CHILDREN--WERE COMPARED FOR ACQUISITION OF SIMPLE ACTION AND OBJECT CONCEPTS. THREE HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED. IT WAS PREDICTED (1) THAT CEREBRAL…

The Lexington Development Scale was designed to be used by the teacher as an instrument for assessing developmentally handicapped children, as an aid in helping parents to better understand their child, as a basis for curriculum planning for the total class and especially for the individual child, as a means for evaluating the progress of the…

This book's 15 chapters elaborate on specific educational practices in early intervention and early childhood special education, recommended by a task force of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division of Early Childhood. The selected practices were identified through a process involving analysis of expert opinions, professional consensus,…