Describes features of social pretend play and identifies characteristics of young children's cognitive and social play that may inhibit their participation. Describes approaches for supporting the social pretend play of children with mild to moderate developmental delays and disabilities, including assessment of play skills, use of structured play…

The joint attentional processes of 15 preschool children with autism and 15 preschool children with developmental language disorder were compared during play sessions with unfamiliar adults. It was found that the children with autism monitored the channel of communication with their adult play partners 37% less often than children in the…

This article examines "low tech" assistive technology options for positioning, communication, learning, mobility, and self-care barriers for infants and children with disabilities, focusing on play activities. Combined low- and high-tech assistive systems are described. Policy issues interfering with inclusion of assistive devices in early…

Explored development of interpersonal understanding by observing two four-year-old boys as they played checkers. All interactions were coded and conflicts were isolated and coded for resolution. Found a decrease in impulsive strategies and an increase in reciprocal strategies during the year, and increased ability to resolve conflicts and a…

The first of two articles on play reviews the development of play in typically developing infants, toddlers, and young children, including Piaget's observations on the development of play; developmental play research following Piaget (research by Lunzer, Sinclair, Lezine, Lowe, Rosenblatt, Uzgiris and Hunt, Fenson and others, Watson and Fischer,…

Describes the curriculum activities in one child-centered, developmentally appropriate child care facility preschool classroom. Explains how activities are selected according to children's needs, interest, and ability, and how activities address the kindergarten core competencies mandated by the North Carolina public school system. Asserts that…

Examined gender-typed behavior and interests in 2- to 10-year-old girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and in unaffected girls matched for age. Found that, compared with unaffected girls, girls with CAH were more interested in masculine toys and less interested in feminine toys and were more likely to report having male playmates and…

Compared preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders with a matched control group to investigate whether weak central coherence could account for deficits in two behaviors purported to tap capabilities fundamental to a theory of mind: joint attention and pretend play. Found that pretend play did not differentiate the two groups. Weak central…

Videotaped 1- to 6-year-olds' day care routines and adults' work after extensive consultation on the Storycrafting method to study children's thoughts and collaborative behavior. Found that children's viewpoints are elicited when they play an active role and when educational work is directed by telling stories, playing, and doing research. Noted…

Observed 20-month olds' solitary play and collaborative play with their mothers. Found that child language and mothers' symbolic play influenced child collaborative play; child gender and mothers' verbal intelligence predicted child solitary play and influenced mothers' play; and mothers' physical affection influenced mothers' play. (BC)

Fifty children from five first-year classrooms were observed and interviewed over a 10-week period. Found socialization of these children to the view that schooling is essential for their preparation for the future; according to the children, this takes place during activities identified as "work," not "play," and is emphasized…

Presents ways educators can make music an integral part of early childhood education and give every child a quality music experience. Discusses five ways children experience musical play: singing, rhymes and fingerplays, movement, listening, and instruments. Emphasizes the importance of musical goals rather than spatial-temporal reasoning or other…

Describes a Montana child development center's creation of an area in which children could enjoy messy, creative, sensory experiences playing with mud and a wide variety of outdoor props. Discusses how mud play contributed to young children's emerging interests and provided opportunities for expressing creativity, enhancing fine motor skills, and…

A study investigated the effectiveness of correspondence training and photographic activity schedules on the on-task and play correspondence behavior of four preschool children with autism in an inclusive setting. Results indicate that all participants' on-task and play correspondence behavior increased, while experimenter prompts gradually…

The ecobehavioral arrangements of 14 early childhood special education and 10 early childhood regular education classrooms in Tennessee and Minnesota were observed and coded. Children in regular early education classrooms tended to spend proportionally more time in play, whereas children in special education classrooms spent proportionally more…