This article addresses the dynamics of parent-child interactions and their potential influence on the development of social competence among children with Down syndrome (DS). The authors argue that a strong parent-child relationship is fundamental for building the social competence of children with DS and the integration and inclusion of these…

Learning is a changing phenomenon, depending on the advances in theory and research. This book presents a relatively new approach to learning, based on meaningful human activities in cultural practices and in collaboration with others. It draws extensively from the ideas of Lev Vygotsky and his recent followers. The book presents ideas that…

Teachers of very young children have the awesome task of providing rich information and experiences that build skills and understanding in the context of every day routines and within intentionally-designed play opportunities that capture children's interests, wonder and curiosity so they want to know more. Pennsylvania's learning standards join…

Raising a child with disabilities impacts the ability of parents to participate in life situations. This paper describes the development of a new instrument, Life Participation for Parents, to measure outcomes of pediatric therapy on parental participation. Items were reviewed by six occupational therapists with experience in pediatrics and…

This book can be used as an environmental education tool for parents and teachers of preschool children. The book is designed to encourage a sense of discovery and teach a conservation ethic. Full color images and narrative convey a sense of childhood amazement and discovery of nature. Children are depicted observing and interacting with wildlife…

Using the framework of cultural context analysis, this paper examines how cultural myopia can lead to inaccurate generalizations regarding play and development among children in diverse sociocultural groups in the United States. The paper argues that analyses drawing causal connections between playing with particular toys or in certain ways and…

While it is our responsibility as adults to protect our children from hazards that would inflict injury, it is also our responsibility to provide children with a safe play environment providing challenging opportunities to explore, practice, and reach personal levels of competence. Children learn their own play abilities and limitations through…

This book presents a series of projects for children of all levels of expertise, beginning with abstract patterns, rows, and towers and progressing to step-by-step instructions for 18 projects, including a bridge, boat dock, airport, shopping mall, skyscraper, castle, Greek temple, Toy Store City, City of the Future, and The Emerald City of Oz.…

The goal of this study was to describe the potential educational opportunities that lie in self-directed age-mixed interactions among children and adolescents. A qualitative analysis was used to generate ideas about goals and benefits of such interactions. The setting for the study was Sudbury Valley School (Massachusetts), a private school with…

A study applied an ethnographic approach to present a contextualized interpretation of children's competence as revealed in their play activities outside of school. The purpose of the study was to de-construct claims that Taiwan's aboriginal children cannot make it at school because of their "lacking cultural stimulus." Five play…

Advocates of children's right to play are caught between the need to provide developmentally appropriate and challenging places for play and restrictions that result from fears of liability. It may be that implementation of the suggestions of research on playground safety has resulted in the creation of playgrounds that are colorful, cute, and…

This newsletter theme issue focuses on dance, play, and movement therapy for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Individual articles are: "Join My Dance: The Unique Movement Style of Each Infant and Toddler Can Invite Communication, Expression and Intervention" (Suzi Tortora); "Dynamic Play Therapy: An Integrated Expressive Arts Approach to…

A study investigated the nature of the social construction of play events by a group of twelve 4- and 5-year-old children and the ways in which these play constructions are maintained over an extended period of time. The 5-month study was conducted in a nursery school classroom during the children's self-selected playtime. Data collection included…

Play therapy, described as a dynamic approach to counseling with children which allows the therapist to fully experience the child's world, is discussed in this book. These topics are presented: (1) the meaning of play, including functions of play and symbolic play; (2) history and development of play therapy, including psychoanalytic, release,…

Factors such as an expected reward have been shown to severely undermine individuals' intrinsic interest in a given task. This "overjustification effect," or "discounting principle," has been demonstrated across the life span, except in the case of young children, who have been shown to be incapable of engaging in this…