Addresses questions about group comparisons and the extent to which the original Sigman and Ruskin study identified specific, unique, and universal deficits in autism. Considers the alternate methodology for measuring improvements in the performance of children with Down syndrome and autism. (JPB)

Presents an example of how a teacher can incorporate "play" into the music classroom. Describes play in general, discusses musical play, and considers the benefits of play for children. Addresses the teacher's role and how teachers can enter into children's play. (CMK)

Provides a general background on child-centered learning, focusing on topics such as "center time" and children's play. Offers suggestions that will enable early childhood teachers to implement child-centered music practices. Considers ideas on different music centers and activities for teachers interested in developing a child-centered music…

This special training section includes four articles on the importance of movement and action to children's development. The articles are "From Cartwheels to Caterpillars: Children's Need to Move Indoors and Out"; "Kids Gotta Move: Adapting Movement Experiences for Children with Differing Abilities"; "Roughhousing as a…

Adaptations to the Candy Land board game to allow play by children with moderate or severe disabilities are suggested, such as attaching a small photograph of the student to the marker and using large heavily weighted markers. Ways to generalize new skills and gradually remove the adaptations are discussed. (DB)

A program that combines sports and literature can improve students' reading, writing, and comprehension skills, promoting links between children's personal development and self-esteem and forging links between sports, literature, and daily life. Describes one such program, Sports PLUS After School, noting: program goals, components, and structure;…

Studied Baumrind's approach to parenting style to examine the relations between parenting style and preschool children's social competence manifested through peer play. Found that mothers' and fathers' parenting style is related to children's play with peers, with an authoritative parenting style correlating to more complex levels of play. (SD)

Used teacher interviews and observations to examine the roles five teachers undertook to promote literacy in a classroom of Spanish-speaking kindergartners. Found that teachers' roles could be identified and described as: monitoring, facilitating, interacting, inquiring about, initiating, extending children's play, engaging children in discussion,…

An after-school computer club was developed in which language-minority children learned to master a series of educational computer games through reading instructions, interacting with peers, and interacting with adult mentors. Results show how an informal educational environment can foster generalizable problem-solving skills that transfer to…

Compared social behavior of five-year olds from Germany and former USSR, and child-rearing belief systems of their mothers. Found that intensity of prosocial behavior was higher in German girls than in German boys or Russian girls. More Russian boys than girls showed at least some kind of prosocial behavior. Russian mothers described their…

Evaluated alternative assessment strategies for preschoolers which use movement behavior as the focus and which involve teachers, parent/caregivers, and children in the process. Incorporated adult/child observation coding system with physical, social, cognitive, and task dimensions supplemented by regular structured interviews and a motor…

Discusses technology with reference to children's play, including how technology mixes with the established connection between children's play and emergent literacy and advantages and disadvantages of the three-way intersection of technology, literacy, and play in early childhood education. Addresses play and computers, software, the Internet, and…

The stereotypic behavior 26 children (ages 33-86 months) while in a playroom session with their parents was studied. The sample included children with pervasive developmental disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, language impairments, and typical children. Results indicated that stereotypies associated with different moods differed…

Examined links between theory-of-mind status among Singaporean and United Kingdom preschoolers and their social pretend play. Found that ratings by Singaporean and UK teachers yielded measures of facilitation, shared meaning, and thematic maintenance of interactive play. Rater nationality did not affect ranking patterns. Findings indicated a link…

Fifty families participated in mother-infant and father-infant still-face interaction at infant ages 3 and 6 months as part of a study of affect in early parent-infant relationships. Infants' positive and negative affect and parents' positive affect and physical play were coded from videotapes. Consistent with previous research, during the normal…