Social routines, which combined nursery rhymes with carefully planned action sequences, were used to help two young developmentally delayed, visually handicapped children acquire communicative responses. Midway through the 3-year project, one child responded to words for objects, people, and actions. (Author/SEW)

Describes an on-the-job staff development model which stresses teacher-selected activity and children's play in early childhood education. Research indicates the model can retrain teachers shifted into early childhood placements, update teachers and administrators' knowledge of current research, and support teacher opposition to programed math and…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a therapeutic motor development program in increasing the social adjustment and peer acceptance of a mainstreamed 10-year-old educable mentally retarded boy. The motor development program was based on the games analysis model and involved the S and 13 of his normal classmates. (Author/DLS)

A longitudinal study investigated developmental change in theory of mind among 57 children (ages 4-14) with autism. Theory of mind tests were administered on an initial visit and one year later. Data indicated significant developmental improvement in theory of mind ability, which was primarily related to the children's language ability. (Contains…

Examines the role of playgrounds that use discarded items or "junk" as an integral part of kindergarten classes in an Israeli kibbutz. Suggests that play in the junkyard, by including the whole person--muscles and senses, emotion and intellect, individual growth and social interaction--can offer the experiential foundations on which…

Describes research on "open door" play and day care services for school-age children, which provided data on standards of such services when they became subject to registration and inspection under Children Act 1989. Identifies shortcomings in material resources and practice. Uses case studies to describes problems of local authorities…

Presents a lesson plan explaining and providing procedures for a flippy theater project. Flippy theater is a series of drawings that illustrate a one-act play, presented on large individual sheets or canvas suspended from a pole hung between two uprights or held by two people. Includes an example. (MJP)

Presents seven articles on outdoor play environments: "Are We Losing Ground?" (Greenman); "Designing and Creating Natural Play Environments for Young Children" (Keeler); "Adventure Playgrounds and Outdoor Safety Issues" (McGinnis); "Trust, the Earth and Children: Birth to Three" (Young); "Outdoor Magic…

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) provided descriptive data on the speech and language of 25-month-olds. Findings indicated great range in the stage of expressive language development achieved. Girls showed more advanced skills than boys. A clear pattern was identified in use of sound classes. Child verbal comprehension…

This article reviews research on peer-mediated social-skills training strategies used with children with autism, including arranging situations or contingencies to promote optimal peer effort, teaching methods to peers for reinforcing target skills in children with autism, teaching strategies to peers for initiating interactions, and teaching…

Provides guidelines and examples of ways preschool teachers can use fairy tales to help children understand their lives. (BB)

Presents a step-by-step approach designed to help early childhood teachers learn to use materials in interest areas to facilitate children's development. (BB)

This paper uses a qualitative study of children's symbolic and social use of superhero stories to examine the children's images of power and gender within an urban elementary classroom. The article discusses ways to help children deal with contradictory pressures of growing up in a multicultural society with inequitable power distribution. (SM)

Describes the implementation and supports the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group counseling game, the Social Skills Game (Berg, 1989) in enhancing social skills, as measured by the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment, of third- to sixth-grade children with learning disabilities. (LKS)

In this study, clique analysis methodology was used to analyze the social interaction of preschoolers (two with social delays and four nondelayed) in a nontraining or generalization setting. Analysis suggested that students with social delays became more integrated during free-play times following peer-mediated instruction. (Author/DB)