The gestures children spontaneously produce when explaining a task predict whether they will subsequently learn that task. Why? Gesture might simply reflect a child's readiness to learn a particular task. Alternatively, gesture might itself play a role in learning the task. To investigate these alternatives, we experimentally manipulated…

This study reports results of a randomized controlled trial aimed at joint attention (JA) and symbolic play (SP) in preschool children with autism, with prediction to language outcome 12 months later. Participants were 58 children (46 boys) with autism between 3 and 4 years of age. Children were randomized to a JA intervention, an SP intervention,…

As recently as a generation ago, playtime meant outdoor activity that put children in touch with nature. Now, it's chat rooms, video games, and virtual nature. The result is "videophilia" as opposed to "biophilia." This nature-deficit disorder has spurred a national movement that has made its way to Capitol Hill in the form of a proposed No Child…

Many children who have autism want life to be predictable. In an effort to maintain order in their world, they may reject their parents' attempts to interact and bond. This rejection can be heartbreaking for parents. Repeated rejections can also make it intimidating for parents to continue to reach out to their child since their child constantly…

Twenty-four infants were tested monthly for gaze and point following between 9 and 15 months of age and mother-infant free play sessions were also conducted at 9, 12, and 15 months (Carpenter, Nagell, & Tomasello, 1998). Using this data set, this study explored relations between maternal talk about mental states during mothers' free play with…

Play is a significant medium for children's literacy development. As children engage in play activities, they are given opportunities and the motivation to show what they already know about reading and writing systems. Previous literature has shown that a literacy-rich environment increases the number of literacy activities available through play.…

Play episodes are common occurrences in many preschool classrooms. Observation of this type of play can provide teacher with valuable insights into children's development, skills, and interest. How might the teachers use this "play story" to extend and enhance the children's learning particularly literacy learning, in meaningful ways? This article…

Teachers and parents are frequently warned that students in the United States are lacking the academic skills they need for the 21st century. But a growing contingent of educators, psychologists, and other professionals are voicing worries that today's children are also growing up without the chance to play. Test preparation in kindergarten,…

Difficulties in understanding symbolism have been documented as characteristic of autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs). In general, virtual reality (VR) environments offer a set of potential advantages for educational intervention in ASD. In particular, VR offers the advantage, for teaching pretend play and for understanding imagination, of it being…

Twenty-six precocious preschoolers exhibited high frequencies of dramatic and associative play. Girls engaged in more cooperative and less solitary play than boys. Elder children participated in more solitary, parallel, and less cooperative and less dramatic play than younger peers. The higher intelligence quotient group undertook less…

Reinforces the value of drama and theater for young children. Recommends dramatic play, creative drama, theater, and television, a form of drama, as opportunities for children to learn social interaction skills and person-to-person critical thinking. Urges recognition of drama as an educational tool in the development of young children. (DLH)

The objectives of this paper are (1) to present the relationship of play to language and cognition, (2) to describe the stages of play and discuss recent literature about the characteristics of play, and (3) to describe the use of play with the multifaceted goals of cognition, pragmatics, semantics, syntax, and morphology as an intervention…

Experience is a necessary component and complement for the intellectual and academic study of drama, and consciousness-expanding alternatives to the classroom are viable alternatives, representing conceptual organizations positive in value. Festivity and celebration can serve a dual prupose: to expand consciousness of the literary period outside…

Discusses the components of rough and tumble play, analyzing three play sequences with a brief summary of the metacommunication taking place in child behavior. (RB)

This article examines the creation of novel words by two English-speaking male siblings, ages five- and six-years-old, during a fourteen-month period of weekly play sessions. The questions the article addresses are: Did the boys produce novel words? What types of words? Why were these words created? and Did they become a permanent part of the…