Understanding the needs of parents with children with hearing loss (HL) is necessary to best support both the children and their families beyond what they have received in early intervention programs. The objective of this paper is to present the perspective of parents regarding their participation in a group intervention with their child and the…

Background: The effect of basic needs and motivational climate has been widely examined in recent years in the field of achievement motivation. Nevertheless, recent studies indicate the need to consider students' (with or without special needs) social goals (e.g. affiliation, recognition, status and responsibility goals) in order to achieve a…

A multisite cluster-randomized trial (by school) was conducted to examine the effects of a combined mental health literacy and dialectical behavior therapy skills program implemented by teachers on three protective factors related to social and emotional well-being. The sample of eight schools that were randomly assigned to intervention included…

This study sought to gain insight into how Ontario teachers define play-based learning, and how their perspectives affect its implementation in kindergarten classrooms. Using survey data from kindergarten teachers from around the province of Ontario, two definitions of play were developed: one focused on social development through play and the…

Estimates suggest that nearly 475,000 children and youth attending schools in the US are diagnosed with emotional and behaviour disorders (EBDs) such as childhood depression, dysthymia, conduct disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, selective mutism, and autism. Estimates of prevalence in Canada are…

There has been a shift in the core idea of schooling in both Germany and Canada: While schools have traditionally focused on cognitive development, they now increasingly focus on "engaged learners" and use integrated settings to support their cognitive, metacognitive and social-emotional development. In line with the theme "Learning…

Play has long been recognised as a vehicle by which significant developmental advances occur during early childhood. Children use play to explore their relationships, their psychosocial skills, and their environment, and through their experiences, they begin to adopt specific capacities and values that have an impact on future socio-emotional and…

Clinical interventions have been effective at increasing social skills of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, generalization of those skills to non-clinical environments is often low. To reduce this generalization gap, community-based programs have been designed to help youth develop social skills in naturalistic settings. This…

Applied undergraduate degrees have become regular offerings at community colleges across Ontario, including the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Early Childhood Leadership and the Autism and Behavioural Science Graduate Certificate at Fanshawe College, both of which include coursework related to applied research. In collaboration with community…

Psychometric and utility studies on Social Emotional Assessment Measure (SEAM), an innovative tool for assessing and monitoring social-emotional and behavioral development in infants and toddlers with disabilities, were conducted. The Infant and Toddler SEAM intervals were the study focus, using mixed methods, including item response theory…

The study evaluates a social-communication-based approach to autism intervention aimed at improving the social interaction skills of children with autism spectrum disorder. We report preliminary results from an ongoing randomized controlled trial of 51 children aged 2 years 0 months to 4 years 11 months. Participants were assigned to either a…

To answer the question of whether teaching social and emotional skills to foster social-emotional development can help schools extend their role beyond the transfer of knowledge, the authors conducted a meta-analytical review of 75 recently published studies that reported the effects of universal, school-based social, emotional, and/or behavioral…

Social competence is an essential capability to bring to school because of its relationship to academic success. Development and consolidation of social understanding in early childhood ensures that young children have a solid foundation of social expertise when they begin formal schooling. Social expertise, conceptualized within the framework of…

Partnerships between schools, families, and communities provide a support net for each student and play a role in promoting academic success (Epstein, 1995; Shapiro, Ginsberg, & Brown, 2002) and moral development. This article is based on a qualitative study of a secondary school with numerous partnerships selected from a southern Ontario…

This February 2006 issue of "Federal Literacy Facts" contains the following sections: (1) New Government, New Priorities: What Does It mean for Literacy?; (2) New Minister of Human Resources and Social Development; (3) How Will Federal Transition Impact on Past Commitments to Literacy?; and (4) Conservatives on the Record for Literacy.