This commentary discusses the wide acceptance of and the expenditure of limited resources on unproven behavioral therapies for individuals with autism. Considerations that need to be reviewed before adopting a behavioral treatment are outlined, including the need to establish whether direct effects can be attributed to a treatment. (Contains 11…

A review of current research on outcomes of children born premature and low birth weight provides a detailed summary of the long-term performance in the areas of cognition, motor, behavior, and language performance. Three tables provide comparative data for major studies concerned with developmental outcomes of pre-term children for cognition,…

According to recent research studies, watching television has become the number one leisure activity among both children and adults. The effect of excessive television viewing on the cognitive development of children is reported. Solutions and suggestions for parents and teachers to help children integrate television into their lives in the most…

Three studies examined children's understanding of looking behavior in revealing another's desired goal. Found that 6-year olds and adults, but not 4-year olds, consistently regarded prolonged looking as a more important cue than glancing or inadvertent touching of the protagonist's goal. Results suggest that development is characterized by…

Two experiments used a formal model of developmental discontinuity derived from catastrophe theory to test whether the transition from Rule I to Rule II on the balance scale task proceeds discontinuously from ages 6 to 10, focusing on five catastrophe flags. Found that bimodality, inaccessible region, hysteresis, and sudden jump were clearly…

Criticizes the practice of teaching writing skills and the research about teaching writing because it lacks the adequate linguistic foil for the analysis of the learning processes and the systematic representation of the written language that ought to be based on the structures of language as it is spoken by children. (CMK)

Examines the historical development of after-school programs serving low-income children, including objectives and practices in each era, formative influences, implementation challenges, and role in children's lives. In the final section, the paper discusses the current pressures facing after-school programs and suggests and appropriate set of…

A study examined developmental changes in talker recognition skills by assessing 72 children's (ages 3-5) recognition of 20 cartoon characters' voices. Four- and 5-year-old children recognized more of the voices than did 3-year-olds. All children were more accurate at recognizing more familiar characters than less familiar characters. (Contains…

The focus of this article on play training (when adults intervene in informal but purposeful ways in preschool children's spontaneous, symbolic play) is not on whether it works, but on why it works. A theoretical framework for examining adult/child play interactions, which reconciles diverse perspectives in the literature, is presented.…

Considers the requirements of the Children Act (1989) in Great Britain and the use of "Looking After Children" materials in assessing the progress of children in out-of-home care. Demonstrates how simple indicators in the key areas of needs, objectives, services, and outcomes can be used to develop answers to complex questions regarding…

Developmentalism is an educational doctrine that presumes natural development to be optimal and requires that teaching practices overcome a presumption that they interfere with an optimal developmental trajectory. It actually impedes efforts to hold schools accountable for student achievement in that it rejects or ignores research on best teaching…

Reviews the history of applied child development research. Suggests that future studies address questions that society needs to answer as well as questions that might contribute to theory, and that research methods be adjusted accordingly. Urges academics to broaden their audience to focus on practitioners, policymakers, and the public. Concludes…

Reviews evidence that gesture provides access to information children know but do not say. Argues that gesture may contribute cognitive change indirectly, by communicating spoken aspects of the learner's cognitive state to potential change agents; and directly, by offering the learner a simpler way to express and explore ideas that may be…

Examines the biological, psychological, and social developmental changes that characterize the years from 6 to 14, and highlights ways in which the organization of programs, schools, and family life can support positive outcomes for youth. In these years children forge a personal identity and form a self-concept and orientation toward achievement…

Describes research done at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk on the development and evaluation of the Talent Development model, which asserts that all students can learn in demanding, high-expectation academic settings. Focuses on maximizing every child's potential. (SLD)