A naturalistic behavioral assessment and intervention program over a 3-year period for a New Zealand girl (age 5) with Rett syndrome is described. The most significant reduction in hand mannerisms and other excess behaviors was related to positive social interactions and play that allowed for communication at the affective level. (Author/CR)

Suggests that if educators and parents both looked more to the interests of the child, the concept of 'child' would be revised, as would the concept of 'self.' Explains that in the classroom, children are forced to behave as adults would have them behave, rather than learning in modes that reflect a child's natural behaviors. (NB)

This exploratory study examined effects of literacy- enriched play centers and the emergent literacy of 5-year-old kindergartners. Qualitative analysis indicated that a language or literacy component can be integrated into kindergartners' play activities. Play activities promoted the invented symbols and messages in children's writing. Teachers…

Examined relations between different forms of children's nonsocial play behaviors and adjustment in kindergarten. Results from regression analyses revealed that different types of nonsocial play were differentially associated with child characteristics and indices of adjustment. For some forms of nonsocial play, the nature of these associations…

Presents three examples of the beginnings of togetherness among young peers, ages 1-3 years. Considers psychological processes underlying their activities and the characteristics of the settings in which these activities occur. Discusses these examples in the context of a definition of the social interactive dimension of learning, and the…

This study examined the role of language, attention/impulse control, and mother-child play in predicting later peer competence by assessing 252 children at ages 3 and 8 years. Children born term (n = 90) or preterm (n = 162) were included to examine the question of how variability in skills influenced social outcomes and whether relations were…

Most children who are congenitally deafblind are severely delayed in their communication development and many will not achieve symbolic understanding and expression. This article discusses developmental markers cited in the research literature as predictive of or facilitative of the development of symbolism. These markers include the growth toward…

The question asked by this study was whether information on play behaviour of young children at-risk of learning difficulties could act as a diagnostic means of investigating emerging learning difficulties. A sociocultural perspective was taken to examine the role of interaction during the play of students in a regular primary school and in a…

Play involves unstructured activity that is freely entered into and intrinsically rewarding. When children engage in play there is little intentional learning. There are no lesson plans. There are no daily objectives or specific learning outcomes. Incidental learning can cause relatively permanent changes in the way one thinks; accidental learning…

Spurred on by recent research findings, the popular press has been bombarding the country about the obesity crisis facing our nation. Issues surrounding the obesity problem for children include (a) a reduction of daily physical activity as a result of some schools eliminating recess and physical education; (b) the change in society from farming…

As part of a longitudinal study examining sibling and friend relationships in early and middle childhood, relational aggression by 4-year-olds and their interaction partners in semi-structured free play sessions with siblings and friends was examined during sibling sessions involving both same-gender and mixed-gender sibling pairs. Identifiable…

This study examined the proportion of cooperative play in 4-year-old children across centers (housekeeping, block, manipulative, and computer) and gender in a natural classroom setting. Eighty-four white, middle-income children (41 boys and 43 girls, mean age = 55 months) were videotaped during free-play for 30 minutes per day for four weeks in…

The present study compares the results of three two-dimensional procedures for sociometric status determination: the Asher and Dodge (1986) system, the rating scale method SSrat of Maassen, Akkermans, and Van der Linden (1996), and the nomination procedure of Coie and Dodge (1983). The study followed 170 children from third grade through sixth…

To understand the development of relational aggression during early childhood, 91 girls and boys ("M" age=39.0; "SD"=7.6 months) and their teachers participated in an 18-month longitudinal study. Children were observed for relational and physical aggression during free play in four time periods. Individually administered interviews were conducted…

We hypothesized that the difficulties of the child with autism originate from disorders of organization and regulation of actions according to environmental changes. Autism impoverishes general mental representation skills, which are the basis of symbolic play and the development of communication. Twenty-one children with autism were compared with…