Demonstrates an alternative method (nondirective child-centered therapy) in treating enuresis and encopresis resulting from emotional disturbances. Examines various etiologies and approaches to treating these conditions. Provides a case study example. Claims that professionals must differentiate between primary and secondary occurrences of these…

Discusses how story enactments can be used in preschool and kindergarten classrooms to allow children to take on the role of storymaker and to provide experiences for children to draw upon as they learn to read. Offers tips for individual story writing and suggestions for group story telling. Asserts that a variety of storymaking experiences…

Examined relationships and conflicts between secondary school boys and girls, noting the fine line between playing "just for fun" and harassment. Data from classroom observations, interviews with younger adolescents, and reminiscences of the same adolescents a few years later revealed diverse interpretations of gendered interactions.…

Discusses children's play in conjunction with intellectual development, language, and social benefits. Suggests that play develops personality, encourages personal relations, stimulates creativity, adds to happiness, and advances learning. Encourages parents and teachers to provide children with richly varied play experiences to promote cognition,…

Twelve hearing and 12 hearing-impaired mothers were videotaped during work and play tasks with their hearing daughters, aged 8-12. Significant differences observed among 11 interaction patterns included less verbal interaction, more nonverbal interaction, and fewer maternal questions between hearing-impaired mothers and their daughters than…

Examines contemporary sociological conceptions of "deviance" and "resistance" in youth culture studies. Explores whether the notion of "playfulness" is applicable to the understanding of disruptive classroom behavior. The "asides" developed by certain class members are linked to the official lesson's…

To increase group creativity and understanding of the creative process, a 3-hour session of nonthreatening game playing was undertaken with 10 graduate students. Games included comfort-establishing, trust-building, and challenge activities. Observers were unaware of any individual asserting dominance, and participants formed relationships that…

Reflects on play as a context for teachers' assessment of young children's emerging literacy behavior and upon alternate assessment procedures in the context of play. (MG)

Two experiments, one involving two elementary-aged girls with autism and one involving three boys with serious behavior disorders, found that the use of contingent access to free time and play materials increased the rate of correct math problems completed and decreased the error rates. (Author/JDD)

Investigates the relationships among 20 mothers' and 20 fathers' self-reports of caregiving and emotional involvement with their four-month-old infants. For fathers, caregiving was positively correlated with emotional involvement with infants, time spent touching infants, average length of touch, and frequency of gazes at infants. (RJC)

This paper examines the characteristics of "play" within the conceptual framework of early education for intellectually disabled children. It suggests that early intervention programs and strategies may have transformed "play" into "work," and play for its own sake may sometimes be perceived as less important than…

The play behaviors of three groups of preschool children were compared. The physically abused children (N=11) were more antisocial, disruptive, and aggressive yet passive. The 15 sexually abused children were relatively quiet and engaged in more female-type activities, while 10 non-abused control group children exhibited more positive peer…

Discusses art development in young children. Correlates findings from play research with theories about the development of the creative process in children. Discusses implications for curriculum and teaching methods. (RJC)

Findings confirmed the hypothesis that children would exhibit a higher percentage of mature play categories relative to other forms of play during longer play periods than during shorter ones. Subjects engaged in significantly higher percentages of group play, constructive play, and group-dramatic play in longer periods. (RH)

Investigated representational and social pretend play behaviors of 52 preschoolers as a function of age and sex. Play behaviors differed depending on the age and sex of the pretenders. Children did not significantly alter their style of play from one playmate or group to another. (RJC)