In this article, the authors focus on the role of classroom teachers in advocating for play-based learning in the Early Childhood classroom. Experienced teachers who know the promise of play from both their study of child development theory and their observations of children learning in the classroom are finding that they may have to advocate for…

The male youth in our study used video games to resist institutional authority, hegemonic masculinity, and femininity. Videogame play offered them a safe place to resist authority, which was often limited to small acts of adolescent defiance that could limit their future ability to engage thoughtfully and critically in the world. This resistance…

There has been a growing call for recess and lunch breaks to be given more structure in the form of organised games. Two reasons are typically given. One is to try to address the concern about children's lack of fitness by providing them with games designed to get them active. The other arises from concerns about children's behaviour in the…

This paper focuses on limit setting in play therapy with first-generation Mexican-American children in two important therapeutic environments that include the traditional indoor playroom and a proposed outdoor play area. The paper is based on a review of the literature and the authors' clinical experiences with this population. They concluded…

This two-year descriptive study of purposefully selected Minnesota families included interviews with 94 children who either were currently enrolled in or had attended child care programs. Children from 1 to 18 years old recalled playmates, daily activities, schedules, discipline methods, special events, bullies, and characteristics of well-liked…

Background: The abnormal illness behaviours characterising somatisation disorder may be learnt responses acquired through exposure to parental illness and health anxiety in childhood. In this observational study we explore this hypothesis by examining patterns of interaction in mothers and their school age children. Method: A sample of 136 mother…

Characterizing early communicative development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is valuable for understanding profiles of ability in this population. The current investigation was modeled on Charman, Drew, Baird & Baird (2003b). Analyses explored parent report of early vocabulary, non-verbal communication, functional object use and…

The present study assessed whether birth weight, maternal child rearing behaviors, and maternal intelligence combine in an additive or in a non-linear interactive fashion to influence cognitive performance in a sample of 24-month old full-term appropriate and low birth weight Jamaican children. Child cognitive performance was measured using the…

Findings from a clinical project aiming to make psychodynamic psychotherapy more effective for children with disruptive disorders are summarised and discussed. In this project a supportive expressive model was used and the therapists worked with both children and parents. Nine boys aged 6-10 years were treated; all were reported to function better…

In line with recent critiques of communicative language teaching (Byrnes and Maxim 2004; Byrnes 2006), this paper considers how instances of spontaneous, creative language play can afford access to a range of linguistic practices that are often devalued or ignored in classrooms. To this end, it examines how university students in an advanced…

This paper focuses upon the developmental role of rough and tumble (R&T) play with particular attention to the narratives that children use to underpin such activities. A review of the literature suggests that current early years research and practice pays scant attention to children's outdoor free play activities. A piece of original research is…

Including children with autism alongside typically developing peers is commonly done in school settings to provide social opportunities and social experiences. However, there is limited research describing the naturally occurring interactions between children with autism and their peers as a result of such placements. We examined the naturally…

While strongly endorsing a multi-pronged approach to vocabulary instruction, Moen takes pains to include and even emphasize work with English Language Learners. By adhering to the principles of A.C.T. (Access to texts, individual Choice of reading material, and Time to read), Moen finds myriad ways to make learning words a creative and social…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a buddy skills package on the social interactions between a preschooler with autism and her peers. Following baseline, the children participated in 8 sessions of training that focused on the strategies of Play, Stay, and Talk. An intervention consisting of teacher feedback, praise, and picture…

The purpose of this article is to examine contemporary transformations in early childhood education, in light of developments in policy, theory and practice, and to chart significant changes and continuities over the last 40 years. The Plowden Report had a significant impact on early childhood education, because it reified developmental theories,…