Anecdotes of children in a Hawaii homeless shelter illustrate the ways in which play therapy helps sibling groups manage family crises, resolve conflicts, and express difficult feelings. (LB)

Cites research which suggests that U.S. playgrounds are hazardous and developmentally sterile. Factors that affect the relationship of playgrounds to child development include (1) the developmental appropriateness of playground environments; (2) gender differences in outdoor play; (3) well-equipped play environments; (4) the use of portable play…

The ability of 24 children with autism (ages 3-12) to comprehend pretend acts, consisting of an experimenter pouring a pretend substance from a container onto a target figure, was explored. There was no significant difference between subjects and controls in ability to identify the pretend substance, predict the actions' pretend outcome, or…

Examines individual variation in infants' exploratory play with objects. Distinguishes exploratory and nonexploratory manipulative play, and shows that only exploratory play relates to focused attention and learning. Discusses resistance to distraction during focused attention, relationships between exploratory play and mastery motivation, and the…

Investigates whether pretend play is an area of advanced understanding with reference to certain skills that are implicated in both pretend play and a theory of mind, including the ability to (1) represent one object as two things at once; (2) see one object as representing another; and (3) represent mental representations. (MDM)

Based on studies of girls' loss of voice and self-confidence in early adolescence, the author introduces a poetics of research grounded in feminist epistemology to explore why this happens and how women can recover their "courage"--to speak one's mind by telling all one's heart. (SK)

This study investigated the amount, quality, and persistence of spontaneous repetitive play and alternative types of play with 28 children (half with Down syndrome). Down-syndrome children engaged in more repetitive activity, though the quality of play was similar for both groups. Results suggest that repetitive play may serve the same…

Presents a case study of the experiences of six girls with the "Phoenix Quest" (PQ) computer game and compares the responses of 41 boys and 57 girls to the same game. PQ was designed to explore language and mathematics in ways appealing to girls. Celebrating and challenging a female protagonist was important to girls. (SLD)

Fifty-six preschoolers were placed in a high-active or comparison group based on a preschool rating scale. Individual types of behavior that differentiated between groups and an interaction of group with setting indicated that comparison preschoolers modulated changing activities during play and TV, whereas preschoolers with hyperactivity…

Reports on an experimental study to address the gap in research literature about the effectiveness of school counselors' use of play-therapy intervention as a way for children to communicate conflicts. Findings suggest that children whose coping skills hinder personal learning can be assisted with six sessions of child-centered play therapy.…

Describes the ways in which one group of Head Start children included narrative features in their naturally occurring dramatic play and engaged in behaviors similar to process writing. Extends information about narrative features by describing play behaviors similar to mapping and revision. Presents findings that are part of a larger…

Three experiments examined 3- to 5-year olds' understanding of the intended nature of pretend behavior. Found that 4-year olds understood intention as a mental cause of action and construed pretend behaviors mentalistically, but systematically associated ignorance of a specific animal with pretending to be that animal. Concludes that Lillard's…

Systematic naturalistic observations of imitation, theory of mind, play, and social contact were conducted with children with autism, adults with autism, children with learning disabilities, and normally developing young children. Although little imitation was observed in any but the normal young children, the autistic subjects showed less…

Uses classroom excerpts to examine issues of "playfulness" and "gaming" in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Offers theories and historical constructions of literacy and play for instructors to conceptualize the construction of boundaries between productive and nonproductive language behaviors in CMC. Argues that CMC's empowering capabilities…

Discusses the role of play in the elementary mathematics curriculum. Demonstrates that well planned play can add rigor to the second grade mathematics curriculum. (ASK)